Retiring U.S. Rep. Michael McNulty warned a group of high school students on Thursday about the danger of letting Congress become dominated by multimillionaires. “I’m worried that people like me are becoming an endangered species. It costs so darned much money to run for public office today,” he told an advanced placement government class at Schenectady High School. McNulty said he would like see some type of campaign finance reform so people without wealth can run for office. McNulty, D-Green Island, is leaving Congress at the end of the year after 20 years. Students peppered him with questions on topics such as the war in Iraq, gas prices, the presidential primary and what a typical day is like for him. The visit came about because a parent of one of the students worked in the same building as McNulty and helped set it up, according to teacher Chris Ognibene. McNulty said he is encouraged by the number of young people who have been voting in the Democratic primary, which is not a group that typically turns out . During this campaign, the number of Democratic primary voters has been double, triple and in one case quadruple the number of Republican voters. “I think it’s because of the excitement over the candidates,” he said. McNulty, who supports Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, said she should stay in the presidential race through the last primary, which is Tuesday. “What is wrong with going through the entire primary process, having everybody vote and have everybody’s vote count?” he asked. If no candidate has obtained enough delegates to win — which is likely — McNulty said it is up to the superdelegates to make their choice, which they should do by the end of June at the latest. He also said the Democratic National Committee needs to resolve the issue of Michigan and Florida, which lost the right to seat their delegates because they moved up their primaries against party rules. He would like those delegations to be seated, even if they only get a half-vote as a penalty. “You can’t stiff two major states like Michigan and Florida and say you’re not participating in our convention and expect to carry those states in the fall,” he said. In response to a question about high gas prices, McNulty said he favors releasing some oil from the nation’s strategic reserve. The long-term solution is for the country to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels by exploring alternative energy sources like solar, wind and fuel cell technology, he said. “We’ve given a lot of lip service to them at the federal level. We have not supported their development,” he said. He is hoping the new president — whoever that is — will give more priority to exploration of alternative energy. McNulty said he believes the war in Iraq is firing up voters. People are recognizing that the war was a mistake and Iraq is no closer to a political settlement. American troops should be brought home as soon as possible, he said. When asked what a typical day would be for him, McNulty said there are no typical days. In Washington, his time is taken up with breakfast meetings, committee and subcommittee meetings, floor hearings and meeting with staff and constituents. While in the Capital Region, he is meeting with constituents and attending events. “The mix is a little bit different every day, which makes it so exciting. The days go by in a flash,” he said. McNulty added that the rewards of public service far outweigh the public scrutiny candidates must endure and the amount of time they must spend traveling. He said he has not decided on his post-congressional plans and declined to endorse any of the candidates running for his job. Students seemed to be receptive to his visit. “It was kind of like a once-in-alifetime opportunity to talk with a sitting member of Congress,” said 18-year-old senior Demire Coffi n.
McNulty said he would like see some type of campaign finance reform so people without wealth can run for office.
It only takes 'wealth' to feed the sheeple en masse....just ask the government,,,,,here's an idea,SHRINK it and MAKE the sheeple seek it,,,,if they dont, to bad....suck it up and deal.....
JMHO
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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