Andy Millard

• Medicare and Social Security: I’ve spent decades in the financial business; I understand money from the perspective of the consumer. Privatizing Medicare and Social Security as my opponent has suggested (citation) is a recipe for disaster. These vital programs are perfect examples of government programs that work, especially for those who need them most. They should be strengthened, not gutted.

• Veterans' Benefits: It burns me up that so many members of Congress are eager to send our troops to war from the comfort of their offices on Capitol Hill without considering the full cost – not only the dollars of the war itself but also of the long-term support those troops need and deserve once they get home. Some members of Congress have made political hay out of well-publicized failures at certain VA facilities, but vets in western North Carolina tell me they are more than happy with the services they receive. We cannot discharge our country’s sacred responsibility with a voucher.

• Environment: On a global scale, this is the biggest issue we face. The debate over climate change is over. We know that man is having an effect on the environment; we need to recognize it and do what we can to minimize it. We need to move away from fossil fuels and toward clean renewables as fast as possible. We urgently must change how we treat our natural resources so we can proudly hand them off to future generations. We have incredible beauty and resources here in western North Carolina. They won’t protect themselves — it’s up to us.

• Infrastructure: A strong infrastructure is a vital economic resource for business and individual Americans. Roads and bridges are just the start... We should get to work right away on 21st-Century infrastructure innovations: clean energy, universal broadband internet, and next-generation transportation.

• National Debt: Some Republicans use the national debt as an excuse to renege on the promise of America. I want to keep that promise. The debt is a serious issue, not an excuse to kill Social Security and Medicare, or deny veterans the benefits they were promised, or avoid investing in infrastructure and clean energy.

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