I’m Tracey Brooks. And I’m running for Congress:

•  To undo the damage done by George Bush and stand up to the Republicans in Washington.
• To take on the corrupt, special interests who stand in the way of change.
• To make our government accountable again:
•  accountable to our families
•  accountable to our communities and
• accountable to the people.

47 million Americans don’t have health insurance and those of us lucky enough to have it are faced with skyrocketing costs and co-pays. 

I know we must address the rising costs of health care through comprehensive health care reform with real, affordable health care options and coverage for all, with increased incentives for medical research and innovation to improve the quality of care for people living with diseases and disorders.

I have fought for better health facilities and more funding of health programs in the Capital Region for our seniors and children. In Washington, I will work to ensure that every American has access to the same kind of quality, affordable health care that taxpayers pay for members of Congress.

New Solutions: We must begin to think outside of conventional health care solutions to solve America’s health care crisis.  I support an approach that would guarantee affordable health insurance coverage for every American with a choice of private or public plans that cover all necessary medical services, paid for by employers and individuals on a sliding scale.

Children’s Care: As a member of Congress, I will call for an expansion of children’s health care.  This would also cover parents who earn too much to opt out of Medicaid but too little to afford private health care.  Our children need health care and I will work to keep them healthy and safe.

It’s time to take the $12 billion a month -- $5,000 dollars a second – we’re spending in Iraq and invest it here at home:

• in our schools and helping working families ;
• in developing renewable energy and ending our; dependence on foreign oil; and,
• in universal health care for all Americans.

I have been an early and consistent opponent of President Bush’s invasion of Iraq.  Our troops have done their job and now it’s time to bring them home.  We all know that it doesn't make sense to continue spending billions of dollars abroad on a mission we were told was accomplished several years ago. We need to invest that money solving problems right here at home.

As a Member of Congress, I will support a responsible plan to bring the troops home from Iraq. President Bush has failed to provide a troop withdrawal timetable and Sen. McCain is talking about a hundred more years of war.  That’s not what people in the Capital Region are saying.

As your Congresswoman, I will make sure the United States works with our allies—not against them—and that we are once again a good global citizen.  We must restore our position as a real leader in the world community.

But the best thing I could do as your Congresswoman is to end this war now and bring our troops home!

WOMEN'S RIGHTS
I have been an outspoken voice for a woman’s right to choose and believe government and politicians should stay out of this difficult, personal decision. 

While the Supreme Court is moving toward outlawing abortion, and many state legislatures are trying to do the same, I will fight any measure that criminalizes women faced with this decision or their doctors.

I am also committed to making sure every family in the Capital Region gets the health care they need.  In Congress, I will fight to fully fund health care for children and pregnant women through S-CHIP.

Equal Pay: There is no excuse why equal work does not result in equal pay.  That is why I’m proud to stand with the Capital District Area Labor Federation and the New York State Pay Equity Coalition and others who believe that forty years after the Equal Pay Act, women should not still be paid 77 percent of what their male counterparts make. That's just unacceptable.

Top Six Priority Issues: I support NOW’s top six priority issues and as a member of Congress, I will work toward: advancing reproductive freedom, promoting diversity and ending racism, stopping violence against women, winning lesbian rights, achieving constitutional equality and ensuring economic justice for all. 

When we talk about change, these are some of the many issues that we must address in order to really achieve the results we all want to see.

I’m proud to have the endorsements of these prominent national organizations:  

EMILY’s List: the nation’s largest political action committee and financial resource for women running for elected office.

National Organization for Women (NOW PAC): the largest and most comprehensive feminist advocacy organization in the United States.

Women Under Forty Political Action Committee (WUFPAC): a nonpartisan political action committee that supports women forty years of age and under running for federal public office

Women’s Campaign Forum (WCF): non-partisan pro-choice, national membership organization dedicated to ensuring women become leaders in public life.

We can no longer have a government that puts the profits of oil companies ahead of the needs of the people.

I’m committed to helping solve this problem by fighting to reduce our dependence on oil, and ending this eight-year practice of unnecessary price-gouging on the part of big oil companies.

At the start of the Iraq War, the price of a gallon of gas was around $1.50.

Now it’s quickly approaching $5.00 per gallon and has more than doubled in the last year alone, with no end in sight.  That’s just not right. This is a serious problem forcing families, seniors, small businesses, and all of us to make very hard choices.

It’s obvious that some people have not been doing their job.

Here in New York, career politicians have promised energy plans at the federal and state levels for years, but haven’t delivered.

I have laid out a short term and long term energy plan that includes conservation, utilizing energy alternatives, and ending the tax breaks and loopholes for big oil companies and instead investing that money in renewable energy and improved gas mileage standards. My long-term energy solution also includes both federal and state energy plans and more investment in renewable energy businesses that will also bring more jobs and better wages to the region.

Working families in the Capital Region cannot understand how the Bush Administration can continue to spend over $12 billion a month on an unpopular war, while people are struggling at home, can’t afford health insurance, and can’t even put food on their table. We need change in Washington and we need to re-focus on the right priorities, right now, before it’s too late.

Long Term Plan for the Economy: First, I will fight for tax relief and relief at the gas pump. I will work hard to diversify our local economy and create new and better jobs that provide real opportunity for our families. I will support the growing technology industry in our region, and continue to help generate good jobs today and better jobs for tomorrow. I will also encourage the development of alternative energy technologies, creating jobs that lessen our dependence on foreign fossil fuels and put our country on the road to energy independence.

Solving the Housing Crisis: Although the Capital Region has not yet been hit as hard as other regions of the country, experts say it’s only a matter of time.  We should take that early warning to provide more protections for homeowners, restructure these shaky loans, and make appropriate regulatory changes to prevent further harm to our housing market and local economy.

I believe our troops have done their job and now it’s time to bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq and give them the federal and state resources they need to rejoin our workforce, rejoin our communities and, most importantly, rejoin their families.  

Like Congressman McNulty, I will be there for our veterans.

Our veterans need extended and enhanced health care benefits, better mental health services to help them readjust back into their communities, more education funding to attend or return to college and help finding affordable housing or assistance navigating the sub-prime mortgage debacle.  

We can start by taking some of the $12 billion monthly Iraq price tag and reinvesting it here in the Capital Region to help our veterans, help our families and help our communities.

Veterans Health: Our veterans need and deserve extended and enhanced health care benefits and better mental health services when they return from war. I support the Military Retiree Health Care Relief Act of 2007, which will provide a tax credit for premiums paid through social security deductions for Medicare Part B.

EDUCATION

We need to invest in our children, our teachers, and our schools.

Supporting education is not only supporting our children, it’s investing in our nation’s future.    Teachers should be paid a professional wage so that we can retain our qualified and passionate teachers.  Schools also need to be state-of-the-art to adequately serve our children’s educational needs. 

Preschool Plus: I believe that a comprehensive education program begins in early childhood education. Studies have shown that children who attend preschool are better prepared socially, intellectually, and physiologically than children who don’t. I will support legislation that provides funding for universal access to early childhood education programs.

ISRAEL

I believe in Israel’s right to unilaterally defend itself against any and all who seek to destroy or harm its citizens, or destabilize the region. 

To attain this peace, I support the Jewish state of Israel’s right to a secure Jerusalem and choice to build strong barriers to defend its boarders.  Further, I support continued foreign aid to Israel that reflects our unwavering commitment to its independence, peace, and democracy.

 Additionally, I support Israel’s continued attempt to reach a peaceful end to the ongoing conflict with the Palestinian people.  However, the Palestinians must first illustrate that they will no longer be a threat to the people of Israel and admonish any and all of its citizens who seek to harm Israel or promote anti-Semitism (particularly in their schools). 

Iran is a continued threat to the security of Israel.  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the holocaust and hostile rhetoric towards the State of Israel is unacceptable, and we cannot stand for his blatant aggression.  If Iran does not cease in its pursuit to attain nuclear capabilities, I support strong measures to condemn their actions and curb their efforts, using every possible diplomatic avenue available to us.  The United States must demonstrate its commitment to the safety of Israel and the world by engaging in direct talks with Ahmadinejad, making it clear that we will not stand for a nuclear Iran.

In an increasingly unstable and fractionalized Middle East, Israel’s relationship with the United States is crucial.  I support our continued friendship, and measures to ensure a secure future for Israel and its people.

LGBT RIGHTS

I whole-heartedly support the LGBT community and will fight for legal protections and rights for all LGBT people including the ability of two loving people to legally wed, adopt, and raise their children with full parenting rights.

We have come a long way in supporting the well being of all our community members, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.  But we also have a long way to go to enact, embrace, and ensure the legal rights of all gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people.

I support the following:

• A transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act;
• The Matthew Shepard Act adding our community to the nation's hate crimes legislation;
• Same-sex marriage;
• Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act;
• Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell;
• Increased funding for HIV/AIDS education, prevention and research and getting rid of the abstinence only programs that simply do not work; and,
• Legislation that changes our immigration laws so that bi-national couples are recognized and the U.S. citizen of the couple can sponsor his or her non-U.S. partner for citizenship.

GUN SAFETY

We need to get guns off our streets and out of our schools. The Times Union reported on June 16, 2008 that the concentration of illegal firearms per capita in Schenectady and Albany has surpassed that in New York City.