October 20, 2004: Headlines: COS - India: Politics: Election2004 - Alexander: The State News: Right after college Bob Alexander joined the Peace Corps, helped breed chickens in south India and spent his free time reading about American government

Peace Corps Online: Directory: India: Peace Corps India: The Peace Corps in India: October 20, 2004: Headlines: COS - India: Politics: Election2004 - Alexander: The State News: Right after college Bob Alexander joined the Peace Corps, helped breed chickens in south India and spent his free time reading about American government

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Right after college Bob Alexander joined the Peace Corps, helped breed chickens in south India and spent his free time reading about American government

Right after college Bob Alexander joined the Peace Corps, helped breed chickens in south India and spent his free time reading about American government

Right after college Bob Alexander joined the Peace Corps, helped breed chickens in south India and spent his free time reading about American government

E.L. House candidate looks to cut taxes, fund struggling states

By ELIZABETH PIET

The State News

JOHN PAUL · The State News

Bob Alexander is the Democratic candidate for the 8th district of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Right after college Bob Alexander joined the Peace Corps, helped breed chickens in south India and spent his free time reading about American government.

"As a consequence, I really learned more about the United States by being out of the country," he said. " I got very frustrated by all of the positive things this country has and how we have failed to use them. We've just wasted so much of our resources and our good programs."

The East Lansing native is now running as the Democratic candidate for the 8th District U.S. House seat against Republican incumbent Mike Rogers from Brighton, the U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate John Mangopoulos from Okemos and Libertarian Will Tyler White, also from Okemos.

A long-time political activist, Alexander has worked on more than 200 political campaigns, including most recently the campaign of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, for president.

Alexander said, if elected, his top priorities would be to create and retain good-paying jobs for people in Michigan, work toward a national health-care system, and strongly advocate to transfer U.S. troops out of Iraq and replace them with international troops, especially from Muslim countries.

"It's chaotic now, and as long as we're there, it's going to get worse," he said. "We don't have enough troops to forcibly stop the violence."

Alexander said jobs could be created by first repealing the Bush tax cuts for the most wealthy Americans, and putting about $20 billion of the revenue toward community construction projects in states with sluggish economies.

"Everybody agrees we have major needs to rebuild our roads, bridges, and so many public buildings are crumbing - and we have lots of people unemployed or underemployed," he said. "Say, 'Rebuild what you need to rebuild."

If the funds are available to the cities at no interest, the construction can be completed at low cost and jobs will be available, Alexander said.

Additionally, Alexander said he strongly supports ending tax benefits for companies that outsource jobs to other countries and supports an increase in the minimum wage to help low-income workers.

"We did our research," he said. "The minimum wage was raised in 1991 and 1997 and studies have shown no job losses."

But no government intervention in the economy is without costs, said MSU economics Professor Charles Ballard.

"There is actually a lot of controversy about how large the job losses are," he said. "There's a fair body of research that suggests those responses of the employers may be pretty large."

Long-time friend and state Rep. Michael Murphy, D-Lansing, said Alexander is passionate about working for the poor and other social welfare issues.

"I'm impressed with his passion, his energy and his spirit," he said. "It's a very uphill battle, running against an incumbent congressman who has really established himself."

Local pollsters have given Rogers a significant edge in winning the election.

Murphy said Alexander has worked hard to contrast his and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's views with those of Rogers and President Bush.

"Bob is articulating the views that he believes in," he said. "He brings the type of passion as a Democrat that people want to see."





When this story was posted in November 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Your vote makes a difference Your vote makes a difference
Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.
Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers
The Kerry campaign wants the RPCV vote. Read our interview with Dave Magnani, Massachusetts State Senator and Founder of "RPCVs for Kerry," and his answers to our questions about Kerry's plan to triple the size of the Peace Corps, should the next PC Director be an RPCV, and Safety and Security issues. Then read the "RPCVs for Kerry" statement of support and statements by Dr. Robert Pastor, Ambassador Parker Borg, and Paul Oostburg Sanz made at the "RPCVs for Kerry" Press Conference.

RPCV Carl Pope says the key to winning this election is not swaying undecided voters, but persuading those already willing to vote for your candidate to actually go to the polls.

Take our poll and tell us what you are doing to support your candidate.

Finally read our wrap-up of the eight RPCVs in Senate and House races around the country and where the candidates are in their races.

Director Gaddi Vasquez:  The PCOL Interview Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview
PCOL sits down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before.

Plus the debate continues over Safety and Security.
Schwarzenegger praises PC at Convention Schwarzenegger praises PC at Convention
Governor Schwarzenegger praised the Peace Corps at the Republican National Convention: "We're the America that sends out Peace Corps volunteers to teach village children." Schwarzenegger has previously acknowledged his debt to his father-in-law, Peace Corps Founding Director Sargent Shriver, for teaching him "the joy of public service" and Arnold is encouraging volunteerism by creating California Service Corps and tapping his wife, Maria Shriver, to lead it. Leave your comments and who can come up with the best Current Events Funny?
 Peace Corps: One of the Best Faces of America Peace Corps: One of the Best Faces of America
Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and can you come up with a Political Funny?


Read the stories and leave your comments.






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Story Source: The State News

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - India; Politics; Election2004 - Alexander

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