Ned Lamont Speaks Out on Issues at Sail Fest

REGIONAL – U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont was just one of many political candidates fairgoers had the opportunity to meet at this year’s Sail Fest celebration in downtown New London.

“I believe our very front line military presence, as most of the generals have said, have been ‘fueling the insurgency’,” Lamont said, adding he feels it is very important to bring our troops home from Iraq.

“Having 132,000 of our bravest troops stuck in the middle of this bloody civil war is not making things better,” Lamont said, adding, “I have outlined a plan where we get them out of the main front line urban centers over the course of the next six months and have them home within a year.”

Lamont warned spending $250 million a day on a war is defining our country’s moral authority.

“It says so much about what type of a country we are. The tens of thousands of people who have died and been wounded, the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been spent and wasted and the values about this country and our moral authority and what is says about who we are,” Lamont said.

Protecting the environment by creating an effective energy plan is another moral issue, Lamont said, stating his opposition to the Bush-Cheney Energy Bill, which was supported by U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman and “provided billions of dollars in subsidies to the oil industry but did little for fuel efficiency.”

“It takes away Connecticut’s authority when it comes to the citing of the LNG, liquid natural gas facility, that means they can potentially put this 5-story structure out in the middle of Long Island Sound and Connecticut has no say about that and I think that would be an environmental disaster,” Lamont said.

Lamont cited concerns about a state where the focus has shifted from manufacturing to tourism.

“Connecticut has lost 75,000 manufacturing jobs in the last six years, many replaced by retail and service jobs which pay less and have reduced healthcare and pension benefits. We have lost over half our defense-related jobs.”

Lamont said stimulating economic growth in Connecticut is important.

Continuing to educate people for 21st century jobs through math, science, and engineering as well as encouraging them to enroll in post-secondary is the first way to achieve this, Lamont said.

Investing in public transportation is the second way since some companies are leaving to relocate in other states because of congested highways, Lamont said.

Lamont advocates upgrading railroad tracks, more frequent train service, more trains, additional parking, and encourages freight to be hauled by rail so that we can take cars and trucks off the road.

Public transportation will reduce air pollution and is “the best thing we can do to combat global warming,” Lamont said.

“Unfortunately what’s going on is businesses are leaving the brown fields of the cities,” Lamont said, “and moving to the green fields of the suburbs and that creates an awful lot of extra automobile congestion.”

“We have to locate jobs closer to where people live,” Lamont said, adding his long term goal is to invest in cities such as Bridgeport, New Haven and New London.

The third way to achieve economic stimulation is negotiating trade agreements with other countries “to give our workers a fighting chance,” Lamont said.

Improving health care is the fourth way since it is becoming a burden on employers forcing some to relocate overseas.

“I have a plan where everybody will be insured and employers are obligated to provide insurance and if they can’t afford it, they can buy into a Medicare program,” Lamont said.

Lamont said his background is not the same as a “traditional politician” and is a successful businessman who started his business from scratch, a former selectman, and volunteered as an inner-city teacher.

A Democrat primary will be held August 8th between Lieberman and Lamont, and the winner will officially be nominated by the party.

For more information about Ned Lamont visit www.nedlamont.com.