Name: Carl Levin (D)
Age: 68
Hometown: Detroit
Occupation: U.S. senator
Family: Married to Barbara Halpern; three daughters and three grandchildren
Political background: U.S. senator since 1979, current chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee; elected to the Detroit City Council in 1969, became council president in 1973
Web site: www.carllevin.com
Stance on the issues:
Improving the federal economy: Avoid huge deficits that push up interest rates; favors broad-based, immediate tax cuts to stimulate the economy; enforce trade laws and open foreign markets; encourage government, private sector partnerships; ensure quality education with computer-related technology.
Higher education affordability: Advocate of HOPE Scholarship tax credit; supported Pell Grant increases, making state tuition plans tax-free; permanently exclude employer-funded education benefits from taxes.
Environment: Improve water quality; prevent water diversion from Great Lakes; prevent state from being dumping ground for out-of-state trash; supports energy conservation, new technology such as fuel cells, hybrid engines.
Preserving Social Security: Supports efforts to strengthen Social Security; opposes diverting trust fund dollars for other purposes; opposes privatization.
Protecting the U.S. from terrorism: Oversight of defense budget to proper areas; better coordinate intelligence gathering efforts to prevent future terrorist attacks.
Abortion rights: Abortion is not a decision for the government to make.
Affirmative action: Supports affirmative-action programs that address effects of past discrimination.
Gay rights: Sexual orientation should not be grounds for discrimination under the law; supporter of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
