It's Primary Day

With ugly debates and rigorous campaigning behind them, all Republican candidates for Congress (4th C.D.) Fran Becker, Dan Maloney and Frank Scaturro can do now is wait for the final tally. (Becker, a current county legislator, received the GOP nomination.)

The winner of Tuesday's Republican primary will officially challenge longtime Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy in November.

McCarthy first took office in 1996 after being propelled into politics after a tragic shooting on the Long Island Rail Road claimed the life of her husband and seriously injured her son. She's lobbied for tougher gun laws ever since.

Becker, the first elected representative of the 6th legislative district, boasts a five-point plan that he says will "restore the American dream."

His plan includes eliminating "so-called stimulus programs" that create "nothing sustainable," cutting taxes for new businesses 2-5 years old and extending tax cuts set to expire Dec. 31, 2010 in order to keep the tax burden on the economy from increasing during the recession. If Congress fails to extend these cuts, Becker believes "we will face the largest tax increase in history."

He also intends to repeal "Obamacare" tax increases on insurance companies, businesses and individuals and free up foreign energy dependence through the adoption of an "all of the above" energy policy. 

Maloney, of Baldwin, has been involved with the Tea Party movement since its inception. With a background in financial operations, Maloney wants to put an end to "pork barrel politics" by massively cutting federal spending and the size of the federal government bureaucracy.

He said he would also repeal "Obamacare" while enacting changes that would decrease health care costs such as tort reform. Further, Maloney believes terrorists should be tried as such in military tribunals outside U.S. borders and without granting them the rights of American citizens. He also stands for the stoppage of illegal aliens into the country while ensuring that legal immigrants are not placed at the "end of the line for citizenship."

Scaturro, a law professor from New Hyde Park and the youngest candidate in the 4th C.D. primary, believes reducing tax rates can "bolster entrepreneurship, savings and investment," and thus, create jobs.

He says acts of terrorism should be recognized as "acts of war" – not routine criminal matters. Scaturro believes reducing dependence on foreign oil and seeking alternative energy sources can only advance national security interests.

When it comes to healthcare, Scaturro says working-age individuals should be able to select from a large number of health insurance options for themselves and their families to reduce premium charges, keep the health insurance plan they have chosen when they change jobs, and, for those diagnosed with terminal illness, be provided access to experimental drugs that have passed early approval by the FDA "rather than having what could be their last medical hope obstructed by bureaucratic delays."