On September 28, Guam Democrats sat down to discuss possible bills and solutions to various problems facing the territory. The main discussions between the senatorial candidates concerned the economy, healthcare, drugs, and education.
The first major issue facing Guam is low economic growth and the question of business taxes. Democrats believe there needs to be a balance in the business privilege tax. Some also believe there should be tax breaks allowed to women to encourage more of them to be given government contracts. In theory, all this could help balance out the economy of Guam and make it more stable.
Another major issue discussed was universal healthcare. Democrats believe that universal health care should be installed with grant funding. Though there is money already designated for the program, there are not enough jobs in the healthcare field to make the program work. Thus, Democrats wish to establish scholarships and other programs to encourage more people to pursue work in the field.
Within healthcare, abortion is a topical issue. Many democrats believe that there should be complete reproductive freedom or, at the very least, exceptions for victims of rape and incest. Others believe that the main concern should be the healthcare of Guam as a whole, rather than prioritizing the issue of abortion.
The last major issue discussed was drugs and education. A significant factor in the issue of substance abuse is unemployment and a lack of mental health resources. Democrats believe in the need for more programs on mental health outreach and more employment options to decrease rates of drug use. Thus, as the democrats are trying to pass bills to help the economy, their main focus is on education. They want more citizens to graduate and have a degree, considering the rising educational expectation in the workforce. In order to make it affordable, Democrats believe there should be free schooling programs in certain fields, such as healthcare, to increase access to more expensive programs.
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