Name:  Steve Larrick
Party Affiliation:  Nebraska Green Party

What qualifications do you have that make you the best for the job and why?

I am the candidate most likely to bring economic prosperity, peace, and a healthy environment for future generations.  I have a bachelors degree in economics to deal with our current financial meltdown.  I have a masters degree in rural sociology to develop policies to revitalize rural Nebraska.  I have over 25 years of community and economic development experience working with community groups across Nebraska.  I am most likely to end the war and occupation of Iraq and bring home our troops to their families.  When this war ends, we will be able to put people to work in green jobs in communities across Nebraska.  We will educate our young people in the science of renewable energy from the wind, sun and other clean sources so they can invent and build a renewable energy infrastructure for the 21st century.  I am best qualified to represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate because I have the vision to promote public policy that brings economic prosperity and, at the same time, protects the environment for future generations.  I love the Sandhills, having worked two summers (1973 and 1974) on the Bar Eleven Ranch 30 miles south of Valentine.

Explain what you think are the top three areas of concern facing this position.  What measures are you going to do to combat them?

Our top three concerns will be:

(1) END THE WAR AND OCCUPATION OF IRAQ – Our economy is being driven to bankruptcy by spending $10 billion a month on the Iraq oil war.  We were badly misled into this war.  Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.  Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction to threaten the U.S. or its neighbors.  Saddam Hussein did not have links to Al Qaida.  Now Iraq’s government and people want the U.S. out of Iraq.  We can have our troops and military contractors out of Iraq in six months. The United Nations, the Arab League and others in the global community can help rebuild a peaceful and stable Iraq.

(2) STRENGTHEN OUR ECONOMY BY REDIRECTING NATIONAL RESOURCES TOWARD GREEN JOBS BUILDING A RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY – Put our people to work in green jobs that conserve energy by insulating homes of the elderly and poor. Design and build a renewable energy infrastructure for the 21st century to harness wind, solar and other clean energy sources.  This will better protect the global environment and, at the same time, help rebuild our crumbling public infrastructure and economy.  Invest in jobs revitalizing our rail transportation system, which is the most efficient form of transportation.

(3) PROVIDE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION – Canada and European nations provide health care for ALL their people at 60% of the per-capita cost of  our inefficient U.S. health care system.  Moreover, they are getting better health outcomes for their people.  We need to learn from universal single-payer health care systems to build a better American health care system for all.   With income disparity in the U.S. greater now than at any time in our history, we need to invest in affordable college education for every eligible student in America. Again, a focus on training students to create clean, renewable energy systems should be a high priority to better assure a healthy economy and  healthy environment for future generations.