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2008 Presidential
Campaign Questionnaire Domestic Issues of Concern to Polish American Voters 1. Political Inclusion Other than being considered valuable for their votes, Polish Americans have a sense of being left out and generally excluded in the political calculus of the two political Parties as well as by their national government in Washington, DC. Today, Polish Americans constitute the fifth largest - more than 10 million strong - ethnic group of European ancestry in the United States. With 400 years of Polish history on the North American continent, the Polish American community today has a strong presence in every state and forms an active, informed and very vibrant community. Yet, many of its members feel that as a group Polish Americans are comparatively neglected on the political scene and not included or factored in the decision-making process as much as they should be, including concerns such as U.S. - Poland relations. What are you and your Party prepared to do to change that perception? What specific initiatives or actions would your administration take to include the Polish ethnic group in the decision making process and to develop closer cooperation with the Polish American community, and the Polish American Congress in particular? Clinton Campaign: Waiting for response 2. Visa Waiver Polish Americans are perplexed and insulted that their relatives in Poland are treated as less than first-class visitors to the United States because of the current visa requirements. Despite Poland's proven and dependable friendship and loyalty in international affairs and combat duty in the "Coalition of the Willing" from inception of American involvement in Iraq, Polish citizens who wish to travel to the United States to visit their families or just for tourist purposes, are still required to undergo a long, expensive and often unsuccessful process of obtaining a visa. Last year legislation was passed that allows for expansion of the Visa Waiver Program and inclusion of new members. Each of the new countries must meet a pre-set visa rejection rate - less than 10%. According to official statements, the rejection rate in Poland is still too high. At the same time, whether or not a person receives a visa depends almost solely on the individual discretion of the consular employees in U.S. Consulates in Poland. The Consulates, on the other hand, report directly to the Department of State. Since the current process for denying Poland's citizens visas for travel to the United States is far from scientific, and in some respects somewhat arbitrary as well, what is your administration going to do with the Department of State and its reluctance on issuing instructions to the consular employees in Poland that would allow them to ease the restrictions, thereby decreasing the "refusal rate" (i.e., rejection rate)? Would your administration agree to act for the prompt resolution of this matter as a point of national honor on the part of the United States in its treatment of a loyal friend and ally? Clinton Campaign: Waiting for response 3. Defamation Unfortunately, the instances of bigotry against and defamation of Polish Americans are still present in everyday life and surface almost on a daily basis. They range from the use of term "Polish concentration camps" for description of Nazi German concentration camps on Polish territory, misrepresentation of Polish history, proliferation of so-called "Polish jokes", to instances that are even more alarming, such as ethnically-tinted remarks and comments in the workplace, including numerous agencies of the U.S. Government. The Polish American community maintains a tireless stand against those instances and reacts to each and every one of them with strong protest. However, the protests of the community are not enough - there needs to be a clear message sent from the administration regarding its stand on those issues and what is acceptable and what is not.
What is the position of your proposed new administration on
eliminating that problem once and for all? What specific actions and/or
initiatives would your administration take to promote a nation free of
ethnic slurs and defamation in regards to all ethnic groups employed in
its agencies federally and regionally?
1. Military Assistance The United States expects relatively much from Poland in its calculus for defending Europe and the United States against rogue and terrorist states. Military support and assistance from Poland not only depends on Poland's human resources but also on its deployment of appropriate state-of-the-art military hardware and material. Unfortunately, in many instances, the equipment Poland had to deploy does not meet modern standards.
What will your administration do for providing assistance in
modernizing Polish military equipment, fully recognizing as well the
limitations of Poland's economy?
Would your administration continue with those plans and honor the
agreements? What position would your administration take regarding
Russia and its new president if Russia continues to threaten targeting
Poland, in particular, with its missiles? What would your administration
do to convince Polish American voters that Poles are to be treated
equally with Czechs who, along with Poland are to comprise the
missile-defense system, even though Czechs can travel visa-free to the
United States and Poles cannot? (Polish American voters find this latter
point particularly insulting.)
What will be the commitment of your administration with regard to
the energy security of Poland and the other states of Central and
Eastern Europe? What specific initiatives would your administration
develop to assist Poland and other struggling states?
What would your administration do differently from the incumbent administration to speed up finalization of these agreements?
[PAC: Very soon after the Questionnaire was forwarded to the
campaigns, the agreement has been signed.]
5. U.S. - Poland Trade Supporting a viable U.S. - Poland trade relationship and promoting business development beneficial to both nations should be a normal expectation in the treatment of a proven loyal friend and ally of the United States. What will your administration do to promote, realize, and sustain that expectation?
What will your administration do to facilitate such programs as well
as issuance of visas for qualified and interested Poles wishing to
participate in such exchanges? What will be your administration's
position on the current situation when, for example, last year, the
limit of work-based visas was exhausted during the first day of filing
applications? What specific steps would your administration take to
remedy that situation and allow more talent from all around the world,
including Poland, to support American companies and scientific
enterprises?
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