Question: Nine years and 3 college degrees to go with it have done nothing but land me in a sea of educational debt and without a job sufficient to support myself much less repay these debts. What can you do to ensure that those of us who have taken the initiative to prepare ourselves for something better than a dead-end burger doodle job (what I’ve had for the last 3 years) are actually getting the jobs and futures we have invested all these years and dollars into preparing for?

Taze Shepard: I believe the answer is a combination of making college more affordable and making more good jobs available in north Alabama.

I support cutting the interest rate on student loans and expanding college loans and grants. I also support funding for retraining programs for displaced workers.

The most obvious source of jobs is BRAC. In addition to jobs coming to this area from BRAC 2010, our Congressman and local leaders must work together to plan and fund large infrastructure projects (roads and bridges, schools, hospitals, etc.) to prepare north Alabama for BRAC 2015. These projects will create many new jobs.

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Question: The news media reports more violent crime in Alabama every year. Even schools don’t seem safe these days. I want to support a candidate who is pro-active in finding solutions, not just re-active in issuing press releases after the fact. What can you do in Congress to help combat this problem?

Taze Shepard: As former Chairman of the Governor’s Commission on School Violence, I have always supported better security for students and faculty in Alabama. The shootings this winter in Madison and at UAH should prompt a unified effort by local, state, and federal lawmakers to find new solutions in school safety.

Also, I am a strong supporter of updating our laws to hold online offenders accountable for their crimes. Sexual predators must not be allowed to reach our children over the Internet. Identity thieves are criminals and must be held just as accountable as car thieves and house burglars.

I want to point out that everyone should support our police, fire fighters and emergency response persons. They do a great job in difficult circumstances and often risk their lives for us and our families.

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Question: Considering deregulation and refusal to enforce regulations led to the mess we’re in, please provide more detail on your plans for deregulation. I’m open if it makes sense but if it’s just following the Republicans down the rabbit hole, it’s not something I can support.

Taze Shepard: Some big businesses have taken unfair advantage of consumers and workers. I do not believe that the Obama administration is doing enough so far to reverse the de-regulation of Wall Street that led to our current recession. [This is important – we must address this immediately!]

I support legislation to prohibit companies from using off-shore loopholes to avoid paying FICA taxes for their American employees. I also believe that American companies should not be allowed to move their headquarters to foreign shores to avoid paying American income taxes.

My support of certain de-regulation measures pertains to small businesses that are burdened by excessive government paperwork.

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Question: The last few years of Clinton’s administration had surpluses of $69.2 billion in fiscal 1998, $76.9 billion in fiscal 1999, and $46 billion for fiscal year 2000. Then the Bush administration created a huge debt with two foreign wars, and now the Obama administration is throwing money hand-over-fist at the recession. What is your position on endless federal spending and what will you do about it?

Taze Shepard: Spending by the federal government has been out of control for a decade, and the size of the federal deficit is staggering. That’s why I was pleased when President Obama signed new “pay as you go” legislation on February 12.

However, there is already talk of declaring an “emergency” so that the spending party can continue. I will fight against the growing efforts in Congress to bypass this law and continue their unrestrained spending spree. Balancing the federal budget must be a top priority.