An Interview with John Boehner

Digg Dialogg: John Boehner

The voting period has ended and you've picked the top questions!

Check out the interview where Mark Preston, CNN's Political Editor, asked your questions to House Leader John Boehner during Presidential Inauguration week.

Why is it that drugs (alcohol, tobacco) that kill thousands of people each year are legal, yet other drugs (marijuana) which are used for medical purposes and do far less harm and don't cause death, are illegal? (+260 diggs, view question, submitted by XedLos)
How can the republican party reclaim it's old positions of small government, low taxes, and personal responsibility? (+230 diggs, view question, submitted by fatrandy13)
Where did the bailout money go? When will the American taxpayer receive a full report? (+202 diggs, view question, submitted by angelopc)
If the Republican party is supposedly about "deregulation" and smaller government, why are many in favor of stricter policies about marriage, marijuana, abortion, and other issues? (+190 diggs, view question, submitted by rainbowjinjo)
Why should I, a responsible homeowner who pays her mortgage every month, help foot the bill for those who acted irresponsibly, getting way in over their heads, borrowing money that they had no business borrowing? Why should they be helped? How is bailing out negligent homeowners encouraging responsibility? (+190 diggs, view question, submitted by gaylep)
Why are republicans (and Congress in general) so unable to control spending? Fiscal conservatism has completely escaped your grasp, both during the majority years of President Bush, and in the minority years as well. "Bailouts", misguided spending, and wasteful pork are rampant in Washington, D.C., yet you've done nothing to stop these problems. Why not? (+166 diggs, view question, submitted by badqat )
Do you know what net neutrality is and do you support it? (+151 diggs, view question, submitted by Hanly)
Is waterboarding torture? (+129 diggs, view question, submitted by schkura)
What will you do to reach out to the Ron Paul republicans and like minded, libertarian leaning republicans? (+94 diggs, view question, submitted by haydukeqc)
Do you support the idea of moving divisive issues like abortion, marriage laws, etc to the state level? (+90 diggs, view question, submitted by Sockfire)
Being a Republican in college is not easy, in fact its not cool. What can the Republican party do to attract the youth? And what are we doing wrong? (+9 diggs, view question, iReport video, submitted by gr8telephant)

The question and voting period has ended We've collected the Digg counts when voting ended and you can no longer add new questions.

1548 Questions

XedLos, on 01/21/2009, -96/+424Why is it that drugs (alcohol, tobacco) that kill thousands of people each year are legal, yet other drugs (marijuana) which are used for medical purposes and do far less harm and don't cause death, are illegal?
gizram84, on 05/30/2009, -61/+310How can the republican party reclaim it's old positions of small government, low taxes, and personal responsibility?
PoliCalc, on 05/13/2009, -36/+249Where did the bailout money go? When will the American taxpayer receive a full report?
rainbowjinjo, on 01/21/2009, -47/+259If the Republican party is supposedly about "deregulation" and smaller government, why are many in favor of stricter policies about marriage, marijuana, abortion, and other issues?
gaylep, on 01/21/2009, -60/+268Why should I, a responsible homeowner who pays her mortgage every month, help foot the bill for those who acted irresponsibly, getting way in over their heads, borrowing money that they had no business borrowing? Why should they be helped? Why shouldn't I then be helped? Wouldn't you want to encourage responsibility by rewarding it? If that's the case, how is bailing out negligent homeowners encouraging responsibility? Thank you.
badqat, on 01/21/2009, -42/+219Why are republicans (and Congress in general) so unable to control spending? Fiscal conservatism has completely escaped your grasp, both during the majority years of President Bush, and in the minority years as well.

"Bailouts", misguided spending, and wasteful pork are rampant in Washington, D.C., yet you've done nothing to stop these problems. Why not? Just how big a hole of debt will it take before someone says "maybe we ought to look at curtailing some of this waste"?
Hanly, on 01/22/2009, -30/+196Do you know what net neutrality is and do you support it?
schkura, on 01/21/2009, -60/+208Is waterboarding torture?
haydukeqc, on 01/21/2009, -65/+181What will you do to reach out to the Ron Paul republicans and like minded, libertarian leaning republicans?
sockfire, on 01/21/2009, -39/+137Do you support the idea of moving divisive issues like abortion, marriage laws, etc to the state level?
dtrinh, on 01/21/2009, -39/+134In 2001, you co-authored the No Child Left Behind act. Now, almost 8 years later, the program is still being questioned for its emphasis on standardized testing and slant against kids who under-perform. So, are you still confident in its effectiveness and the current quality of public education in the United States? Please qualify your answer.
indyattic, on 01/22/2009, -21/+109Why did you vote for the bailout?
Bukowsky, on 01/21/2009, -64/+152Why do you allow the "War on Drugs" to continue?
orrinbloquy, on 01/21/2009, -61/+137Do you really believe Sarah Palin is the future of your Party?
supertater, on 01/21/2009, -44/+119Is the president above the law? If not, why do we not try Bush for crimes that US Senate committees themselves have reported?
CMA115, on 01/21/2009, -20/+93What do you think is the best way for the United States to reduce our long term debt?
hearthknight, on 01/21/2009, -28/+96Rep. Boehner, I've been a Republican my entire voting life. (30+ yrs.) I've been a fiscal conservative and a strict constructionist, and my Party is neither at this point. The Republicans in the House and Senate have lost their way. And they lost the election(s) because of that. How do you intend to lead the party back on the right course without it falling apart again?
For some of us "rank and file" the next 2 years will determine whether we remain in the party or not.
thanks for your concideration,
Thomas Hastin
jerryjamesstone, on 01/21/2009, -69/+136Mr. Boehner,

I am liberal. And I see there are questions here about things like abortion and homosexuality, stuff I know that I will never see eye-to-eye on with "some" Republicans. Those polarizing issues aside, there are questions that I feel we are all concerned about - like fiscal responsibility.

At the end of the day, I want an America I can believe in again. I think we have the best country in the world, but we have gotten off track. I think we need to find common ground, put our differences aside and fix that.

How, as House Leader, will you capitalize on our nation's strengths and get past our differences?
inactive, on 01/22/2009, -9/+70Do you believe that Israel's interests and America's interests in the Middle East are one and the same?
sugablonde, on 01/22/2009, -16/+75In a recent newspaper article, I read that Congress gave itself a 3% pay raise, which will cost taxpayers another $2.8 million in 2009. Years ago, legislators passed a measure to automatically increase their pay every year unless a majority specifically votes against it. When people are losing their jobs and their homes, I don't think it's appropriate for Congress to give itself a pay raise (especially with a 91% disapproval rating). Do you think this is an appropriate time for Congress to receive an automatic pay raise while our country is in a recession? Please explain. Thank you.
eliot2000, on 01/22/2009, -19/+76What is your vision for the future of the Republican party?

Many believe that the GOP is supposed to be fiscally and socially conservative, but has become socially puritanical and fiscally insane.

Do you foresee a return to conservativism for the GOP or a more extreme version of the same set of policies that got you where you are today?
kemp34, on 01/21/2009, -19/+72Given that Federal Reserve monetary policy is documented to have significantly contributed to the boom-bust nature of our economy, especially since the end of the Bretton-Woods agreement, how do you intend to rectify the situation of an unelected privately-owned institution being charged with overseeing our system of currency and credit?

At the very least, how can oversight and accountability be significantly improved in a rapid manner?
wavesreflection, on 01/22/2009, -7/+54Members of Congress regularly do not read the bills they vote for. Would you introduce a bill that requires members of Congress to read the bills they vote for, such as the Read the Bills Act?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_the_Bills_Act
thecoolestguy, on 01/22/2009, -11/+56Do you believe the Constitution should be followed, or do you think that the Constitution is a "living document", that can be interpreted any way politicians want? How do you justify 'No Child Left Behind', which you co-authored, when the Constitution gives absolutely no power to the federal government to create education programs?

Why doesn't the Republican party call for the elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac given they are beyond the scope of the powers granted the federal government by the Constitution? Haven't we seen what damage to the economy is done when government oversteps its rightful powers and gets involved in trying to direct it (e.g. the housing crisis, fed largely by government measures to boost home ownership)?
pintocat, on 01/21/2009, -20/+62Why did the party wait until AFTER giving 350 billion dollars to bail out the wealthiest entities, with no strings or oversight, to suddenly get fiscally responsible? It's coming across as business as usual for the party-- Help the wealthy, forget the middle class.

And why can't you retroactively PUT strings on the first 350 billion? You're the government, you're in control, not the corporations. (Or maybe they are?) I want to know exactly whose yacht my money is being wasted on.
aguynamedben, on 01/21/2009, -25/+65What steps will you take to make the creation and justification of government bailouts for private industries more transparent to American citizens?
inactive, on 01/22/2009, -11/+48As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and member in good standing of the IAEA Iran is guaranteed the right to enrich uranium to pursue this technology for peaceful purposes. Do you support Iran's right to enrich uranium as long as it does not divert this technology to military use and as long as this process is safeguarded by the on-site IAEA inspectors? Is there any body of international law which you think contradicts this right?
diemunkiesdie, on 01/22/2009, -11/+46"Why is it that drugs (alcohol, tobacco) that kill thousands of people each year are legal, yet other drugs (marijuana) which are used for medical purposes and do far less harm and don't cause death, are illegal?" - XedLos

To add to this question; We do not want an answer that does not actually address what we are asking. We are not asking what your position is, we are asking you to explain the reasoning BEHIND your position and to state why you do not apply that same reasoning to other substances such as Alcohol.

Also, please tell us why controlling the drug trade would be less beneficial than keeping it in the arms of criminals. I am sure you remember the intense violence that occurred when gangs controlled Alcohol during prohibition. Wouldn't legalizing and regulating drugs remove the criminal aspect of the trade and take away a source of income from those who might use drug money to terrorize others?
peacelvr, on 01/21/2009, -37/+72On the very first day of Congress, Pelosi pushed through a change to a House rule known as the "motion to recommit," a rule that was implemented a CENTURY AGO specifically to PROHIBIT the leadership of the majority party from railroading horrendous legislation through Congress under the cover of darkness.

John Fund of The Wall Street Journal aptly described the "motion to recommit" as "a procedural safeguard first given to the minority a century ago after a rebellion against tyrannical GOP Speaker Joe Cannon."

On 50 occasions during the last session of Congress, Pelosi and Company tried to sneak tax increases, anti-Second Amendment measures and amnesty for illegal aliens, among other things into unrelated bills.

On those 50 occasions, conservatives exercised their right to send the bills back to committee to FORCE liberal committee members to actually go on record.

Now that the century-old rule has been taken from the people, how can we effectively understand what is going on in Congress? Are the American people blindfolded and duct-taped now? How can we reverse Pelosi's naked power grab?
nlbennett, on 01/22/2009, -7/+39Transparency of government was a huge buzzword during the campaigns in 2008. The internet has now become ubiquitous and it has never been easier to connect the people with the policy making. My question is twofold:
1) Do you believe that transparency of government is instrumental to have an effective democracy? Why or why not? and 2) In your opinion, what is the best way to go about achieving transparency in government?
paintball6818, on 01/21/2009, -25/+57Even if marijuana stays illegal, how is it that hemp gets so little support when it can ease deforestation, create new industries, be used for food and power, and it soaks up more CO2 than any comparable plant per acre. It can grow in most US climates and has virtually no THC. Not to mention almost all the founding fathers grew hemp and at a certain time it was required for people to grow hemp.
eslegaspi, on 01/22/2009, -4/+35over the past years, the federal debt has grown unchecked. with a republican in the executive and a republican congress, nothing changed. when republicans say they are the party of "fiscal conservatism" people laugh. they literally laugh. the damage is done. the only way to regain that trust is to VOTE as fiscal conservatives. unfortunately, with obama in office, any 'nay' votes by republicans on spending bills will ONLY be seen as "those republicans. they're being obstructionists. sour grapes."

do you foresee a time when the republican party return to 'fiscal conservatism' and not just pay lip service to the idea? since both the repubs and dems either tax and spend or borrow and spend, is fiscal conservatism dead?
riiik, on 01/22/2009, -23/+53Statistics included in books written by two New York Times Columnists: "Democracy and Wealth" by William Safire and "Perfectly Legal" by Jay Johnston state:

In 1980, the top 1% of the American citizens owned 20% of the nations assets.

By the year 2000 the same 1% then owned 40% of the nations assets.

And, only last year, it was reported that the top 1% owned 65% of all corporate stock.

I do not know the currrent numbers as of 2009, but I can only assume that during the past 8 years that the share owned by the top 1% has not gone down and most likely has gone up.

In my view, our generation has witnessed the largest transfer of wealth in the history of our country. From the middle class to the upper class.

It seems that Congress either are not aware of this problem or if seen, cast a blind eye.

My question: Do you see this transfer of wealth to the "1%" as a problem and if you do can you offer any rational way of solving the problem?

I you do not see it as a problem, please tell me when you think it will become one, is it when the top 1% own 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%,.... when?

Thank you for your thoughts on this important matter.
ebfalls, on 01/22/2009, -18/+47We have been spending billions of dollars waging a war against our own citizens through our prohibition of marijuana. Will you consider reforming the current policy?
sugablonde, on 01/22/2009, -5/+34"Al Capone and the mafia got rich running alcohol during Prohibition. When Prohibition ended the violence ended too. Jim Beam distributors don't do drive-by shootings on outlets that sell Jack Daniels. And neither Jim Beam nor Jack Daniels are killing politicians, policemen, journalists, and private citizens.

Black-market drug profits fund criminal enterprises that threaten your safety, not only at home and in Mexico, but around the world. Taliban warlords in Afghanistan and Pakistan fund much of their operations through the illicit drug trade.

The solution to the Drug War is simple: Stop doing the same failed thing over and over again. Do something different. End drug prohibition in the United States, and thereby defuse the Mexican Civil War and defund the terrorists in Afghanistan."

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
jameslukedavid, on 01/21/2009, -26/+55Why do you embrace social media and why do you think other politicians do not? It seems like a lot of other Republicans shy away from it, but not you.
EricCiccone, on 01/22/2009, -17/+45Would you support the national decriminalization of marijuana, in an interest to save money on law enforcement.
elfuego, on 01/23/2009, -2/+30Forced to choose between the two, would you say that the Republican party has a greater responsibility to act as a party of fiscal conservatism or of social conservatism?
rz8472, on 01/22/2009, -10/+38Mr. Boehner, recent polls show that trust in Republicans trailing on almost every major issue - the economy, the environment, Iraq, (especially) healthcare, and now even taxes - as compared to Democrats. Is this - along with the election losses in 2006 and 2008 - a repudiation of the GOP Party Platform, and where do the Republicans go from here? Should they move towards the center or further to the right?
Njon, on 01/22/2009, -6/+34Congressman Boehner, many would argue that the contemporary Republican Party has largely abandoned classical conservatism and instead opted for globalist neoconservatism. How would respond to such accusations, and do you plan to do anything about it?
califloridan, on 01/21/2009, -11/+39How is bailing out negligent _lenders_ encouraging responsibility either?
asa400, on 01/22/2009, -3/+30Mr. Boehner, do you agree or disagree that the results of our most recent election are a sign that Republicans need to return to our roots as proponents of small government and individual liberty?
Digger234, on 01/22/2009, -11/+38Rep. Boehner,

It only takes a cursory glance at voting results to see that members of both the House and Senate vote consistently and overwhelmingly along party lines. Can you make a realistic argument that you put country before party when the evidence clearly suggests otherwise?
Demonmonger, on 01/21/2009, -26/+53Why should I vote Republican in 2010?
davidmesaaz, on 01/23/2009, -10/+36Minority Leader Boehner

Why are you still the Minority leader even though you lost more Congressional seats than any other leader in the history of the Republican party?
ATR2008, on 01/23/2009, -7/+33Congressman Boehner,

The United States is the only industrial country that does not grow Hemp for industrial non-drug use, but we are the largest importer of it. Based on research and current uses it has many promising virtues, such as the capabilities to be used for ethanol, paper, clothing, plastics, rope, and many other things. Hemp would be better grown for use as ethanol then would corn or any other plant. Further, it would be a huge boost to the American economy and make us less reliant on imported Hemp and other products such as oil. I encourage you and the rest of Congress to take a second look at approving farming of industrial Hemp. Why doesn't the U.S. government repeal the ban on industrial Hemp?
freedomjoe, on 01/22/2009, -18/+44It's truly refreshing to see a Republican willing to take questions from the people, so I thank you. I was raised with old Republican values. The power corruption, greed, and cover-ups that have become so firmly associated with the party made me realize that the GOP is no longer the conservative party my grandparents taught me about.

As a person who is self-employed, and who has done everything that I was told to do (saved my money, didn't over spend, bought less than I could afford, always pays my bills on time and in full, never asked anyone let alone my govt for a hand out, etc) I was utterly heart-broken during the recent financial crisis to learn that the money I had carefully and with research invested in conservative (not politically but fiscally) American companies in my ROTH account over the years had plummeted to nothing. Years and years of our life savings-- gone. It wasn't simply the risk of investing, that we all take, but rather the lies that were passed off in financial statements of these corporations which really burned me up. Fanny Mae was one of them.
My questions are:

1) when Republicans talk about "less regulation", how does that help? It seems to me that the lack of oversight and the many laws which were changed re accountability on the part of corporations contributed in part to investors being duped.

2) When the bail out was requested by the Republican Treasury Dept and President. I was willing to go along with it so long as the corporations were subjected to rules of transparency and not being allowed to bail out the executives. No one has offered to bail me out of my life savings losses. And yet, the money was given out and no one is able to tell us where it went. I know the Republicans didn't want oversight rules associated with the bail out, as it smacked of big government, but please explain why the tax payers are not entitled to an explanation as to how the money was spent. I'd also like to hear what you have to say to a person like me, who lost their life savings. How does this square with the Republican fiscal conservative value system?

3) How are we to invest for our retirement when we can't determine what a company is really worth, because the transparency and accounting loopholes are dangerously large?

Thank you for your time.

FreedomJoe (aka, Sarah J)
str3ama, on 01/22/2009, -7/+33The Republican party has become intertwined with Religion, predominantly Christianity. Could you please describe how you see the Republican party in the future reaching out to those outside of these groups, specifically non-Christians and Atheists?
inactive, on 01/21/2009, -15/+40How will the Republican party get back to its fiscal conservative roots in protecting the American tax payers hard earned dollars in the political environment of big government and socialistic bailouts?
loswr86, on 01/21/2009, -18/+41Do you believe that the second amendment was written to protect the people from their government?
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