League of Women Voters of New York Education Foundation
Bronx, Rockland, Westchester Counties, NY November 7, 2006 Election
	Eliot L. Engel Answers Questions Candidate for United States Representative; District 17

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of New York State and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. The American occupation in Iraq continues to be enormously costly in dollars and in lives. What is your position on how our government should proceed?

Flawed intelligence, not being told the truth, and utter incompetence in conducting the war have led me to conclude that the war was a mistake. We need an exit strategy that leads to withdrawal, but should avoid an arbitrary deadline to prevent terrorists from planning worse actions after we leave.

2. What is your impression of the roll-out of the Medicare Prescription Drug program so far, and what changes would you propose to make it better?

MMA has failed to provide seniors with adequate coverage. Seniors are now learning of penalties for signing up late and the "donut hole" in coverage. I support eliminating penalties, closing the "donut hole," and giving Medicare authority to negotiate lower drug prices to save seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars.

3. Where do you stand on the current balance between security and civil rights?

While we must tighten security to keep America safe, we can do so without trampling civil rights. I oppose renewing the Patriot Act and the warrantless wiretapping. The Bush Administration's violation of the FISA law concentrates unprecedented authority within the executive branch and upsets our system of checks and balances.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

• Original answers for a published Voters Guide were limited to 50 words and are presented as submitted. Candidates have since been invited to supply answers of any length for the Web.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 12, 2006 17:36
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