Final questions
First cars? Least favorite books? As the governor's race draws to a close, the Globe's Op-Ed columnists quiz the candidates
SCOT LEHIGH
1. Should children who are trapped in repeatedly failing schools be offered a different option at taxpayers' expense?
KERRY HEALEY, REPUBLICAN: Yes, that is why I fully support lifting the cap on Commonwealth charter schools.
CHRISTY MIHOS, INDEPENDENT: Yes, the option of transferring out of failing schools at public expense should exist. In fact, No Child Left Behind provides for this option. We need to provide all our children with quality public education. Cuts to local aid have hurt public education resources and students' education across the Commonwealth.
DEVAL PATRICK, DEMOCRAT: Yes. I support charter schools. I do not support vouchers. I am interested in improving all public schools, not just walking away from failing ones. I am committed to reinvesting in public schools with a focus on early educational opportunities, full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes, and extended-day programs.
GRACE ROSS, GREEN-RAINBOW: We have a constitutional commitment to all of the children in failing schools. There is no solution but an across-the-board commitment to improve our district schools, since the over-one-fourth of students presently not succeeding in school would be prohibitively expensive to serve any other way.
2. Are today's high school kids better or worse educated than those you went to school with? Why?
HEALEY: Much better. I went to high school in Daytona Beach, Fla., in the '70s, and we didn't have formalized standards, Advanced Placement courses, or anything approaching the tools we now provide in our schools. Standards -- most notably the MCAS -- bring accountability, and accountability leads to student success.
MIHOS: Quality education existed when I went to high school and it exists today. Today's schools face challenges of overcrowded classrooms, high teacher-to-student ratios, a lack of upgraded technology and supplies. Each community is different, and children in the well-funded communities definitely receive a better education.
PATRICK: I don't think that children are either better or worse educated. They are educated differently. For one thing, they are exposed to much more information from many more sources. I worry that we don't do a good enough job teaching them to digest that information, to maintain perspective.
ROSS: I think they are worse educated, on average. The greatest predictor of school success is the economic situation of a child's family. We must address the drop in real wages in Massachusetts and the third-highest housing costs in the nation so our children get to school fed, housed, and healthy.
3. In 2008, Massachusetts may have a Republican primary that pits Mitt Romney against John McCain and a Democratic primary that pits John Kerry against Hillary Clinton. If you had to cast a Republican ballot, whom would you choose and why? If you had to vote Democratic, who would it be and why?
HEALEY: Mitt Romney. The governor is an exceptional leader and will be successful at whatever he chooses to do.
MIHOS: Who I vote for will depend on the choices when the field is set and I review all the choices. To answer the question as posed: John McCain, he has made incredible sacrifices for this country. John Kerry, he's from Massachusetts and has led an extraordinary life.
PATRICK: It is much too soon for me to make that decision, but I was proud to support John Kerry in 2004.
ROSS: Republican -- I would write in Colin Powell, for admitting the role he was put in to misrepresent the truth of the situation in Iraq so the country went to war. Democratic -- I would write in Congressman [Jim] McGovern. He is a man of integrity who has led on issues when others were not willing to.
DERRICK Z. JACKSON
1. Which decision of the Bush administration has most helped Massachusetts? Which decision of the Bush administration has most hurt Massachusetts?
HEALEY: Helped -- Tax cuts and the No Child Left Behind Act, which recognizes MCAS as a national standard for our schools. Hurt -- I have worked to prevent our fishing industry from losing its economic clout because of punitive federal regulations that drastically reduce the number of days Massachusetts fishermen can spend at sea.
MIHOS: No help for Massachusetts comes to mind. Massachusetts has been hurt by the administration's inaction on the issue of illegal immigration and the unfunded mandate No Child Left Behind, which has cost us hundreds of millions of dollars. MCAS hasn't prepared our children for further education or employment, and it has denied many a diploma.
PATRICK: I believe that invading Iraq was a mistake that has deeply hurt Massachusetts and America as a whole. Massachusetts has lost 45 men and women so far and there are many more who have felt the crushing physical and emotional tolls of this war.
ROSS: Early in his administration they passed an initiative to increase funding for the homeless and homeownership options for subsidy holders -- both of which had mixed success in implementation but represented some good directions. And they funded some creative public transportation initiatives.
2. What book have you disagreed with the most in your life?
HEALEY: Friedrich Nietzsche, "Thus Spake Zarathustra."
MIHOS: I disagreed with "The DaVinci Code" in its effort to question the theological teachings of the Catholic Church. Religion is a personal issue of faith and beliefs. The controversy generated by this book regarding the history of Christ was misguided and created an un resolvable debate for a church trying to rebuild its community.
PATRICK: I went to college with Grover Norquist, and disagree with most of his writings (though our conversations have always been constructive). Generally, I seek information from all perspectives, especially those who disagree with me, because it helps me to sharpen my thinking and usually leads to better solutions to problems.
ROSS: "Animal Farm."
3. What war or conflict outside of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East has the most impact on the state?
HEALEY: The nuclear situation in North Korea. North Korea is a near-failed state and could use its nuclear capabilities to destabilize the Far East, threaten the West Coast of the United States, or sell or transfer nuclear technology to terrorist states or organizations.
MIHOS: Illegal immigration will cost the Commonwealth $1 billion annually by 2010. The conflict s at this country's southern border with illegals entering has impacted our state. The two-party system has failed to address this problem, hurting our nation's security, and created enormous problems at the state and local level at taxpayer s expense.
PATRICK: The war against drugs and violence. Massachusetts was recently named the most violent state in the Northeast. The fight against gang and gun violence and drug use in Massachusetts is critically important to our state's future. That is why I have proposed putting 1,000 new police officers on the streets.
ROSS: Israel/Palestine.
JOAN VENNOCHI
1. If elected, what is the first bill you would file after taking office?
HEALEY: The first legislative act I would take as governor is filing a bill to roll the income tax back to 5 percent. I've been focused on making Massachusetts more affordable for families and more competitive for businesses. If we want to control spending on Beacon Hill, we must take money off the table.
MIHOS: Undoing the damage done to cities and towns has always been my first priority. Proposition One would provide 40 percent of annual state tax revenues to cities and towns for local aid, cap property assessments, and eliminate fees for public school busing and activities, and put an end to overrides.
PATRICK: I fully intend that it will be a balanced budget.
ROSS: I would file a bill to provide low- and no-interest loans to municipalities, small businesses, and homeowners to purchase energy-saving and renewable-energy technology, such as solar panels, windmills, and co-generation units. To fund that, I would end the Fidelity and
2. If elected, what is the first thing you will do to resolve the funding gap that appears to be built into the new healthcare legislation?
HEALEY: There is no "built-in funding gap." That is a fiction that opponents of the reforms have created to undermine the law before it is fully implemented. To conclude there is a "gap," these critics assume zero growth in tax revenues going forward. That is not realistic. No programs plan for zero growth.
MIHOS: This legislation is unrealistic about the real cost of healthcare. I'll reduce costs by competitively bidding Medicaid services, using our bulk purchasing power to lower the cost of prescription drugs, reducing administrative costs, and establish protocols to combat fraud. I'll work with the stakeholders in this industry on healthcare reform.
PATRICK: There is much work to do, particularly efforts to contain costs. I am focused on making our system more cost efficient. Massachusetts spends 30 cents on every dollar administering the system we have. If we capture those inefficiencies, we can afford the quality and accessibility of care we need.
ROSS: Meet with experts on real universal, government-sponsored healthcare to identify means for transitioning from the current legislation to what they call Medicare for All. Which includes interim steps such as bulk buying of medications, streamlining of insurance forms, allowing people to buy into the state's group buying plan and buying into MassHealth.
3. What was the first car you ever owned and who paid for it?
HEALEY: My first car was a Mazda Mizer, which I paid for. It didn't have hubcaps or a radio.
MIHOS: A new 1969 yellow Corvette, that cost $5,150. I paid for it myself with money I earned working and playing in bands.
PATRICK: The first car I ever owned was a Ford Pinto, which I bought from my mother and owned for a brief time in college.
ROSS: My mother's old second-hand white Cadillac. I paid some nominal amount to her for it.
JEFF JACOBY
1. Identify a stand you take on a public issue even though it puts you out of step with most Massachusetts voters.
HEALEY: My opposition to Cape Wind. It is the wrong project in the wrong place. The risks that it poses to our fishing and tourism industries outweigh any short-term environmental benefits. Deep-water wind turbines will be available soon and can be sited far offshore, delivering more renewable energy without impacting our shoreline.
MIHOS: My position to eliminate MCAS as a graduation requirement has certainly put me at odds with the power elite in Massachusetts. The test is a waste of students' and teachers' time and public funding. We know now what we knew before MCAS existed, just look at the SAT scores.
PATRICK: I do not support the immediate rollback of the income tax because I don't believe that we can afford it at this time. This is not an easy decision, but it is the honest one. Instead, I believe we must reinvest in our cities and towns to take the pressure off of the property tax, and to grow our economy.
ROSS: I support extensive reform of our criminal records system -- because records are presently widely distributed to employers, landlords, and many others who don't understand how to make sense of criminal records. The system was created for law enforcement, which is steeped in understanding the difference between a charge and a guilty verdict.
2. What is the most widely held misconception about you?
HEALEY: People don't know that I worked three jobs in high school and had to rely on scholarships to help pay for college.
MIHOS: Some people claim my candidacy is a vendetta against the Healey-Romney administration. That's completely false. They didn't keep the promises they made to us. They, and our two-party system, have failed us for years. Deval has no record in Massachusetts. I entered this to win and help make Massachusetts affordable.
PATRICK: That my first name is Patrick.
ROSS: That I cannot win. That is based on the misunderstanding that polls poll all voters equally -- not just the 20 to 25 percent considered likely voters. If people vote for what they really like, even the polls of likely voters would show much more support for me.
3. On the whole, has Wal-Mart been good or bad for the poor?
HEALEY: Wal-Mart provides jobs and low-cost products that everyone can afford. Wal-Mart has been a net positive for America.
MIHOS: Both. Lower prices help the poor but hurt small businesses in the area. Wal-Mart's limited benefits, particularly in healthcare, result in taxpayer money being used for healthcare for their employees who do not receive benefits, such as through emergency room treatment and due to a lack of preventative care.
PATRICK: Rather than jumping into the back and forth about Wal-Mart, a candidate for governor should talk about attracting employers. It's important to encourage small businesses to grow in the state and to encourage new small businesses to locate here, since they will provide the bulk of new jobs.
ROSS: Bad. It has undermined wages and benefits, increased taxes, and undermined local small businesses. The state has had to cover for Wal-Mart workers because Wal-Mart does not provide them with healthcare benefits. We have paid up to $20 million. And they buy many of their products abroad, undermining US production of goods. 