Questions for the Candidates
by Bill Shein

1. As president, will you authorize the torture of a child if you believe the child has useful information in the so-called "war on terror?"

2. If you approve the torture of a child, which of the following techniques used during the Spanish Inquisition will you permit to be used on that child: Waterboarding? The Rack? The Heretics Fork? The Maiden of Nuremberg? The Garrote? Gouging out of eyes? Piercing with red-hot irons? Boiling in oil?

3. If a senior U.S. military commander is captured in another country, how will you react if he or she is similarly tortured?

4. If Iraqi government officials believe that Washington politicians are scheming to invade and occupy their country, will you object if the Iraqis launch "targeted strikes" on the plotters? If innocent Americans are also killed, will payment of $5,000 per civilian death be adequate compensation?

5. As an example to the world, shouldn't the United States strictly adhere to international law even when other nations (and terrorist organizations) do not?

6. If security contractor Blackwater is hired by your administration to provide armed bodyguards for visiting diplomats, and its employees then "accidentally" kill 17 American civilians, say, outside the United Nations building in New York, will you continue to give contracts to Blackwater?

7. Do you agree with the Supreme Court's decision in Buckley v. Valeo (1976) that money equals speech? In a democracy, should those with financial resources have more power to influence government policy than those who don't?

8. Do you believe that corporations should continue to have the same rights as human beings? That is, "human beings" who live forever, are largely immune from incarceration for criminal wrongdoing, and who are legally required to maximize profit above all else?

9. Do you plan to propose a massive, deficit-expanding "stimulus package" in future election years to provide short-term political cover for your misguided economic policies?

10. Is consumer capitalism sustainable for all time? In 100 years, do you think we will still devour our finite natural resources in order to manufacture cheap, throw-away items?

11. What is our moral responsibility to the billions of people who live without adequate food, clean water, basic health care, and education — many tens of millions of whom live here in the United States of America?

12. Do you agree with Supreme Court decisions that guarantee the principle of one person, one vote in American democracy? If so, how can you support the current method of awarding electoral votes in presidential elections, which makes a mockery of this fundamental principle?

13. How would you reform the presidential-election process to reduce the influence of big money, ensure that more voters in more states have a meaningful voice, and guarantee a truly fair and democratic method of choosing the president?

14. If three percent of all financial transactions (ATM withdrawals, stock trades, paychecks, etc.) in the United States were processed incorrectly, would addressing that intolerable problem be your top priority as president?

15. In a typical national election, about three percent of all votes are uncounted or miscounted due to technical problems, poll worker error, and other reasons. Will repairing this intolerable problem be your top priority as president?

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Especially during an election year, Bill Shein prefers tough questions (and answers) to platitudes and slogans.

(This column first appeared in the Berkshire Eagle newspaper on Monday, February 11. Click here to read Bill's previous column, "I Am Not Gay").