AP
By George M. Walsh
May 28, 2015
Former New York Gov.
George Pataki
has entered the contest for the Republican presidential nomination in
2016. Here's a look at where the three-term governor stands on various
issues that will be debated in the GOP primaries:
IMMIGRATION
Pataki
has criticized President Barack Obama's decision to use an executive
order to offer protections against
deportation to millions of immigrants living in the country illegally
and said he backs efforts to reverse it. He supports making it easier
for contract workers to remain in the U.S. for longer periods and a
process for immigrants already in the country illegally
to get legal status through a system of fines and community service. "I
believe it's totally unrealistic if we think we're going to take 11
million people and send them back where they came from," he said at an
Iowa forum.
"We do have to find a way for the vast majority of them to legalize their status here."
FOREIGN POLICY
Pataki
doesn't have a foreign policy background and has been out of government
for more than eight years. But
he has invoked the 9/11 attacks to call for a limited commitment of
U.S. ground forces to combat the Islamic State group, saying the U.S. is
more vulnerable to a domestic attack than at any time since then. He
has said any deployment should be confined to
destroying the threat, then pulling out. He says a U.S. force should
have been left in
Iraq when
the U.S. ended its combat operations there. Pataki opposes the decision to normalize relations with Cuba.
BUDGET AND ENTITLEMENTS
Less
government spending and limiting government power have been consistent
themes in his appearances and on
the website of his super PAC, We the People, Not Washington. He has
been campaigning against President Barack Obama's health care law for
several years, arguing it is government overreach into what should be a
private sector market. Pataki also favors overhauling
the federal tax system by eliminating most deductions and reducing tax
rates. "My advice would be to start all over," Pataki said in Iowa. "It
would put lobbyists out of business and believe me, I think that would
be a very good thing for America."
SOCIAL ISSUES
On
social issues, Pataki falls to the left of many in the GOP field. He
supports abortion rights and pushed
through legislation as governor supporting civil rights and prohibiting
discrimination against gays and lesbians. That included ensuring
benefits for same-sex couples. Pataki said the question whether to
permit gay marriage should be left to the states. New
York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011. He signed tougher gun laws in
2000 after a mass shooting, but said that is also an issue for each
state to settle. He considers Common Core standards a federal takeover
of education.
CLIMATE CHANGE
As
governor, Pataki built a strong record on the environment. He promoted
programs that conserved farmland and purchased large tracts of former
timberlands to be set aside for recreation.
He ordered New York power plants to cut emissions that cause acid rain
and smog and backed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which capped
carbon emissions in a 10-state region. Pataki says now that he believes
private and market-based initiatives are
the best way to attack climate change and he is against new federal
limits. "I think it's wrong to ignore environmental and conservation
issues, I think it's an important part of the federal government's
role," Pataki said. "But I think it's even worse if
the federal government uses that as an excuse to raise revenue, shut
down businesses, cut off innovation and pick winners and losers."
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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