OCF Candidate Survey 2006

Candidate: Dave Berger
Party: Green Party
Running For: State Auditor
State: Minnesota

1

QDo you think organic agriculture should receive a fair share (at least 2.5%) of government resources spent on agriculture?

A Yes

Comment: To insure better health for all Americans and an improvement in the condition of our ecosystem, organic agriculture should receive even more support than non-sustainable artificial agriculture. This support should include government resources.
2

QDo you support strict standards for processed foods, dairy, and body care products that are labeled or marketed as organic?

A Yes

Comment: Synthetic substances should never be allowed in organic foods. In addition, organic dairies should all allow their cows access to pasture. Without these conditions, these foods should not be allowed to be labeled organic.
3

QDo you support more aggressive government action to assess the harms of pesticides, take harmful pesticides off the market, and hold companies responsible for diseases and environmental damage caused by pesticides?

A Yes

Comment: The ultimate goal should be to remove ALL pesticides from agricultre.
4

QShould people have the right to pass consumer safety laws at the state or local level that require food labels to include information on dangerous ingredients?

A Yes

Comment: Local control over food labeling is essential. The federal government should also have the highest standards for food labeling as well.
5a

QDo you support Country of Origin and labeling that helps consumers choose local products?

A Yes

Comment: Ideally, people should eat food grown in their own state. Government policy should encourage farmer's markets and locally grown organic food.
5b

QDo you support government action to help US farmers develop local and regional markets and to reduce non-renewable energy use on their farms?

A Yes

Comment: definitely!!!
6a

QDo you support mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients?

A Yes

Comment: GMO's should always be included on the label!! In addition, an ultimate goal would be to rid our food supply of all GMO's.
6b

QDo you support mandatory pre-market safety testing for all genetically modified foods and crops?

A Yes

Comment: In fact, more testing should be done on GMO's already on the market. We especially need to see longitudinal studies.
7

QDo you support universal testing for Mad Cow disease and a ban on feeding slaughterhouse waste to farm animals?

A Yes

Comment: Absolutely. This must be done immediately.
8

QDo you support a restructuring of trade-distorting US farm subsidies?

A Yes

Comment:
9

QDo you support a significant shift in US farm subsidies to help family farmers and ranchers make the transition to organic?

A Yes

Comment: External costs to the environment are not included in the calculation and distribution of farm subsidies. It is critical to switch farm subsidies from large non-organic corporate farming to smaller, family owne, organic farming.
10

QDo you support a significant shift in subsidies to help US farmers adopt conservation and renewable energy practices on farms?

A Yes

Comment: This funding should be restored. However, funds need to be generated for disaster relief as well. The best place to get money for disaster relief would be to put an additional 3 percent tax on all millionaires.
11

QDo you support increases for WIC (Women, Infant and Children), the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and other programs to help low-income Americans buy organic food?

A Yes

Comment: The government should allow healthy organic food for everone on assistance.
12

QDo you support universal health care with a preventive focus and a major emphasis on better nutrition?

A Yes

Comment: I believe in single payer universal health care. The Physicians for a National Health Care have data that shows we would save $32 Billion if we switch to Single Payer universal health care. We need one simple form for people to fill out with a single payer making payments to doctors and clinics that remain in private hands.
13

QDo you support 80%-by-2050 reduction in climate destabilizing greenhouse gas pollution?

A Yes

Comment: Immediate action in this area is needed. We also need to sign the Kyoto Accords.
14

QDo you support ending the Iraq war and redirecting funds from the $500 billion annual military spending in the U.S. toward greening the U.S. economy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and converting U.S. agriculture to organic practices?

A Yes

Comment: Yes. Yes. Yes. We need to start investing in peace and divest from war.
15

Q Do you support requiring electronic voting machines to produce voter-verified paper records and election officials to use these records to conduct mandatory audits of election results?

A Yes

Comment:
16

QDo you support eliminating the distorting effect of special interest money on our elections and politicians by requiring full public funding for all federal, state, and local elections?

A Yes

Comment: In addition, to save resources of this planet, the election season should be limited to 6 weeks.
17

QDo you support legislation to prevent internet companies from rigging the system to serve only the highest-paying users and discriminate against users they don’t like?

A Yes

Comment: The internet needs to remain accessible to everyone.

 

Return to Top of Page