Appellate bench draws 4
October 16, 2012
5 eye District 1 Congressional seat
October 16, 2012
Voters in northern portions of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes are now designated as part of Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District. On Nov. 6, this primary election could decide a winner between the Republican incumbent they did not vote into office and his challengers, which include a Libertarian and a candidate claims no party affiliation.
NAME: William “Bill” Cassidy (incumbent)
AFFILIATION: Republican
HOME: Baton Rouge
WEBSITE: billcassidy.com
Rep. William Cassidy is a physician by profession and founder of the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic. He was elected to the Louisiana Legislature in 2006 and went on to be chosen by voters to serve the 6th congressional district in 2008. He is seeking a third term in that office.
After learning redistricting lines of Louisiana’s congressional districts in April 2011, Cassidy began to focus attention on Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes as each was split to, in part, become members of the expanded Dist. 6.
“I have come to learn a great deal about Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes and don’t think of them as being divided in separate congressional districts,” Cassidy said. “I don’t care where you live. I’m going to represent you.”
The incumbent congressman said he has come to better appreciate “how huge coastal restoration is” and the immediate attention it deserves. He said coastal concerns in addition to health care, jobs, the economy, the size of government and national debt are issues he has found present throughout his hoped-for constituency.
Cassidy, 55, admitted that health care is a natural concern to him and said what happens with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will depend on who is elected president and the makeup of Congress.
“I’m already looking for better solutions to keep costs lower for families, but provide better health care,” Cassidy said. The congressman said he is working on a plan to revise Medicaid. “This is the single largest line item on the Louisiana state budget. It has had tremendous cuts, which is why [Leonard J.] Chabert Medical center has had to cut services so much. With our Medicaid Reform Bill we can equalize payments [to states] and improve quality at lower costs and save taxpayers money.”
Cassidy is a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. He has sponsored bills including the Women’s Access to Free-Market Health Care Act and the Medicaid Accountability and Care Act. He has also been involved in legislation aimed at reducing the cost associated with select medications.
Since entering Congress, Cassidy, identified as a rank-and-file Republican, has missed 101 of 3,186 recorded or roll call votes. This places his absentee level at 3 percent while the Congressional median level is 2.5 percent.
“For the issues that affect our community, our state and our country, whether it is energy, health care, coastal restoration, hurricane protection … I think the testimony of my life as well as the last four years would indicate the positions I’ve taken are those most people in Louisiana have,” Cassidy said.
Recognizing Louisiana as an energy state, Cassidy said he holds domestic oil and gas production as a priority that should be encouraged. He co-authored the American Energy Act to create jobs, grow the economy and remove barriers to domestic energy production, cut burdensome regulations, and expand refining capacity.
“I’ve learned that if you show up, work hard, keep your word and do your level best you can get ahead,” Cassidy said. “That’s true in business and it is also true in Congress.”
NAME: Rufus Holt Craig Jr.
AFFILIATION: Libertarian
HOME: Baton Rouge
WEBSITE: voterufuscraig.com
Libertarian Rufus Craig Jr., 58, is a lawyer who temporarily switched to being listed as a Democrat eight years ago when he made a Congressional bid in Dist. 6 during 2004.
“I am not sure why they cut Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes in half, except to re-elect the incumbents,” Craig said. “What we have going on right now in Congress is not what we need or what our Founding Fathers intended due to the way the Congressional districts are portioned. What they have are some slam dunk Republican districts and leftover minority districts.”
Craig said he entered the race because there is not a Democrat on the Dist. 6 ballot. “They have an incumbent Republican and it did not look like anyone was going to run against Dr. Cassidy,” he said.
Like the incumbent, Craig said he has ideas for health care reform. Those thoughts begin with physicians being paid by how well patients do under their care. “[Doctors] should be compensated by the patient, not compensation for the procedure,” he said.
In terms of coastal restoration, Craig said he wants to go to Washington to get something done about it. He offered no specific action plan.
Craig opposes corporate bailouts and tax breaks. He said the war on terrorism is impossible to win so all troops should be brought home, and said drug use should not be considered a crime, but abuse is an illness.
This candidate opposes agricultural subsidies and endorses eliminating the federal departments of Education, Commerce, Energy, Agriculture, and Homeland Security among others.
“Government jobs programs destroy more jobs than they create,” Craig said. “By redirecting money away from the productive and efficient private sector, they harm our economy and cause a net loss of jobs.”
Craig endorses a cut to entitlements and calls for an immediate stop to most services and reductions to Medicare.
As for tax reform, Craig supports a flat tax to generate revenue. “Let’s pick the taxable event, consumption, income, whatever, define it, and then the tax rate is easy. No more 1,001 different definitions of taxable events and tax rates. Just one simple definition, and one simple rate,” he said.
“The primary issues facing this country now are the deficit and debt,” Craig said. “For decades both major political parties have paid lip service to resolving on-going deficit spending. In order to resolve these issues it will require Congress to return to the pay-go system”
Craig claimed most voters are frustrated with the major parties and the status quo, and are looking for alternatives.
NAME: Richard “RPT” Torregano
AFFILIATION: No Party
HOME: Baton Rouge
WEBSITE: RPT50-1.com
Richard Torregano said most people might remember him from his failed 1983 race against Rep. Corrine “Lindy” Boggs for Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District seat. “I was a [eight time presidential candidate] Lyndon LaRouche Democrat,” he said. “I believed in what he was doing.”
Today, claiming no party affiliation, Torregano, 60, says he needs to stand up and be counted. “I guess I’m dissatisfied with Congress and its ability to get anything done,” he said. That is why he is running for Congress.
Torregano had a 25-year military career and currently works as an electronics technician.
Torregano said as a representative of the 6th Congressional District he would address national finances by introducing a flat federal income tax.
“Eight to 13 percent [tax] for all individuals,” this candidate said of his tax idea. “Anybody making more than $2 million would go to the corporate rate. The new corporate rate would be tied into federal spending. No one below the defined poverty level would pay federal income tax.”
Torregano wants to stop amortized home loans. He also advocates floating Treasury Bonds with simple interest rates to offset Medicare and Social Security.
As for a federal health care plan, this candidate said his American Total Health Plan would be age and income based to include all legal U.S. citizens.
He wants to see Congress organize a cooperative business organization, bring out-sourced jobs from foreign locations and restore them to American workers.
Torregano said he would also like to provide adequate funding for Louisiana’s coastal restoration. “I propose to increase the amount of federal automobile gasoline excise tax (currently 18.4 cents-a-gallon) to 20 cents-a-gallon and use 50 percent of the 20 cents for funding an electrical power infrastructure and fund Louisiana coastal restoration,” he said. His tax would be placed on petroleum companies.
This candidate said voters want alternatives and said he believes if elected he could influence a change in Congress so that by 2014 the House of Representatives would be comprised of 150 independent members and another 40 would carry a majority in the Senate.
“I can’t promise that I’ll [accomplish] all this,” Torregano said, “but I am sticking my neck out and trying.”
