Pegasus: What drew you to run for office?

Melançon: I decided to run for the United States Congress after watching with disgust the government’s slow and incompetent response to Katrina. I was appalled that Washington politicians congratulated themselves for doing a “heck-of-a-job.”

Katrina was a metaphor for the America middle class experience. We’re drowning and Washington is doing nothing to help. If we don't change Washington, then it won't get done. Like you, I want to be part of that change.

Pegasus: What are the platforms of your campaign?

Melançon: Job and Retirement Security

Congress has the responsibility to “promote the general welfare” which rest on the solid foundation of the American worker. Not only are well-paying and secure jobs the right of every American, but essential for national security.

Texas families need to know Congress is working to protect and promote their jobs and retirement.

Congress must reverse the decline in real wages and benefits for working families. Something is radically wrong with our economy when worker productivity, CEO compensation, stock prices and corporate profits go up while salaries of average workers go down.

Congress also must:

· Reward job creation at home instead of giving tax breaks to international corporations for shipping jobs overseas.

· Expand grants for vo-technical and higher education instead of cutting job training and educational assistance for average Americans.

· Insure commercial treaties put American workers first instead of making sweetheart deals with foreign governments and putting American workers at-risk.

· Demand real punishments for employers who use illegal immigrants to drive down wages and benefits

Universal Health Care

America has the best healthcare technology and personnel that money can buy. Unfortunately, too many Americans are priced out of the market and the number of uninsured Americans keeps growing every year. Congress must build on the strengths of the current system while closing the gaps which average Americans fall through.

Congress must:

· Provide affordable group insurance for small businesses and individuals modeled on the federal employee’s health insurance

· Reward preventive health care to lower long term costs of treating high blood pressure, diabetes and pregnancy

· Expand the use of information technology to increase efficiency.

Clean, Affordable Energy

America’s future depends on clean, affordable energy. In the 1970s America faced a similar challenge to today’s energy crisis. Congress led the way to reducing the country’s reliance on foreign oil by requiring new technologies that reduced home and automobile energy use. Instead of the disaster the doom-sayers predicted, consumption fell and the economy bounced back. A wise energy policy makes a stronger America.

Congress must act again. America needs an “Apollo” type project to dream beyond the current paralysis. Private corporations will not lead the way; they are too entangled in their own special interests.

Congress must:

· Invest in a comprehensive public research project to find alternative sources of energy and to create greater energy efficiencies.

· Reward the use of existing technologies such as biodiesel, wind, solar and geothermal.

· Promote the creation and maintenance of mass transit.

A Safe, Secure America

Congress must reassert itself as an equal partner with the President in the area of foreign policy. The current mess in Iraq is the direct result of a larger problem: Congress has failed to take its constitutional obligations seriously. Congress, not the President, has the authority to declare war. It made a fatal error when it neglected to ask the tough questions before the invasion, surrendering to the President the decision to commit troops. It has continued to fail by not exercising any oversight.

While the President may be the Commander-in-Chief and has the authority over tactical decisions, Congress must hold him accountable for strategic failures. “Staying the course” in American foreign policy is not an option because it weakens our position in the world.

Creating a winning foreign policy requires Congress recognizing that American troops have done their job in Iraq. They’ve toppled Saddam Hussein, verified he had no Weapons of Mass Destruction, and supervised three elections. Our brave men and women have even trained hundreds of thousands Iraq security forces. Now’s the time for Iraqis to take care of themselves. Iraqi politicians will never rise to the challenge of governing their own country as long as Washington politicians sacrifice American lives. Congress must challenge the President to:

· Capture the terrorists responsible for 9-11

· Build a meaningful alliance based upon mutual respect and cooperation

· Set clear and measurable benchmarks for progress in Iraq before approving any more money

· Provide American troops with the armor, equipment, training and numbers that they need to fight effectively while in harm’s way

Pegasus: What are the concerns of the people in the community that you represent?

Melançon: Texas families need a Congressman who fights to protect their quality of life. Traffic congestion, polluted air and lack of water all threaten everything we’ve worked so hard to build. Congressmen around the metroplex should work together to support a seamless transportation system, improved air-quality standards and expanded capacity for Lake Wright Patman.

Pegasus: What are the sources of conflict in your election contest?

Melançon: Texas families need effective representation in Washington. We’re drowning and Washington is doing nothing to help. If we don't change Washington, then it won't get done. Like you, I want to be part of that change.

Pegasus: How do you differ from your opponents?

Melançon: As a history professor, Boy Scout leader and church volunteer, I understand the needs of working families. Texas families need a Congressman in Washington who works for us, not corporate CEOs. Right now corporate special interests are threatening everything we’ve worked so hard to build. Texas families need a change in Washington.

Pegasus: Do you have a favorite Presidential candidate?

Melançon: Senator Barak Obama has shown the steady leadership and wise judgment to lead this great nation. He has offered practical plans to change the direction of Washington—Middle class tax cuts instead of corporate tax cuts, more healthcare choices rather than fewer and investments at home, not nation building overseas.

Pegasus: How do you feel about the following newsy issues from the area:

* Convention center hotel

Melançon: This is a local issue, not a federal issue.

* Switching freeways from free to toll-based

Melançon: Federal dollars should be used for freeways not taxways.

* HOV lanes

Melançon: HOV lanes should only be used where practical and effective.

* DART rail

Melançon: North Texas needs a seamless mass transit system which offers commuters real options.

* Barnett Shale drilling

Melançon: Natural gas drilling must respect local property owners and protect the ground water.

* Cellphone use in cars

Melançon: This is a local issue, not a federal issue.

* Open internet access in public libraries

Melançon: I believe in the Constitution of the United States of America.

* "Green" buildings

Melançon: Green buildings are a smart investment and good for our environment.

Pegasus: How do you feel about the following national issues:

* War in Iraq

Melançon: American troops have done their job in Iraq. Now’s the time for Iraqis to take care of themselves. Our brave men and women toppled Saddam Hussein, verified that he had no Weapons of Mass Destruction and supervised three elections. They’ve even trained hundreds of thousands Iraq security forces. Iraqi politicians will never rise to the challenge of governing their own country as long as Washington politicians sacrifice American lives. America troops have a different mission, defeating the murderers who killed 3,000 Americans on 9/11.

* Immigration

Melançon: The President should enforce our laws and secure our borders. He must also punish employers who exploit undocumented immigrants. Congress can increase his authority by passing SAVE (Secure America with Verification and Enforcement, H.R. 4088). Illegal employers use fraudulently documented workers to drive down wages, health care and pensions for Texas families. Congress can also reform so-called “Free Trade” pacts to include labor rights and environmental protection. The sweatshops opened by NAFTA and CAFTA do not provide an attractive alternative to work in the United States. We must hold true to our values.

* Energy sources (oil vs wind vs solar)

Melançon: It's critical that we invest in alternative energy sources and conservation technologies. We can liberate ourselves from big oil's stranglehold once and for all. Congress must stop giving huge tax breaks to subsidize big oil. Neither the big oil companies nor their friends in Washington will solve this crucial problem. They are the problem. Texas families and small businesses need an Apollo-type project that breaks America's addiction to foreign oil in ten years. Let’s redirects those resources to American universities and research facilities.