Senator Wyden

Biography:
      Born in Wichita Kansas, on May 3rd of 1949, Senator Ron Wyden attended school in Palo Alto California. He attended college at Stanford, and studied law at the University Of Oregon Law School in Eugene Oregon. He provided legal services to senior citizens from 1977-1979. He was elected as a democratic representative to Congress, and served from 1981-1996.
      In 1996 he resigned from Congress, upon being elected to the Senate. He has served on the Senate ever since. Ron Wyden is devoted to making his constituents heard in the Senate. Wyden regularly holds "open to all" town meetings, so that he can hear what his citizens want from him, and from their government. He attempts to reach across the aisle, and reach bipartisan solutions.
Committees:

• Chairman, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Ex Officio, Subcommittee on Energy
  • Ex Officio, Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Ex Officio, Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
  • Ex Officio, Subcommittee on Water and Power
• Senate Committee on Finance
  • Chairman, Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
  • Member, Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
  • Member, Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
• Joint Committee on Taxation
• Senate Committee on the Budget
• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
• Senate Special Committee on Aging

Background discussion on issues:
     Senator Ron Wyden supports Abortion, and Stem Cell research. He has also voted in ways that "support" pro-choice, such as allowing minors to cross state lines to receive abortions. He also voted to protect the secrecy of minors who got abortions out of state, by not making it a necessity to contact the parents of aforementioned children. But he did not desire for all teenage girls to become mothers at 16, so he voted to spend $100,000,000 on preventing teen pregnancy by properly educating teenagers, and providing contraceptives.
     Wyden's opinions on education is a very liberal standpoint. He has attempted to ensure that all potential college students know the circumstances they shall find in the working world after college. He hopes that this will allow students to make more educate decisions on which college they should attend, what their major should be, and what career path they should follow if they wish to succeed in life. Wyden also authored the College Tuitions Savings Act, which eventually became law in 2001 as part of a larger bill designed to aid the economy through tax relief, economic growth, and other such programs.
Questions:
1. What is your opinion on foreign military aid/ usage?
2. Do you believe that the territories under federal control should be allowed to join the United States by becoming states?
3. Do you believe that we should continue affirmative action programs, or do you believe that we have progressed far enough as a nation that we no longer need them?