Laughing about the claim that she is a "one-issue candidate," Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy recently spoke to Anton Newspapers about the different areas, such as health care, education and of course gun violence, that she has worked on during her two terms in office and went on to speak about the goals she has if, on Nov. 7, she is re-elected to represent the 4th Congressional District.

A nurse with over 30 years experience, McCarthy has made health care one of her top priorities. According to McCarthy she was the first legislator in New York State to do a breast cancer prescription drug study. In addition, McCarthy did a prescription drug study for senior citizens on Long Island to find out what they were paying for their prescriptions and why it has become such an issue in her district and across the nation.

McCarthy noted that in Congress this year they were able to pass the Breast Cancer Research Extension Act of 2000 which invests an additional $525 million for breast cancer research. "This is big because the more money we can put into breast cancer research the faster we can find a cure," said McCarthy, noting that this is a real concern for all women on Long Island where the numbers have increased to the point where one in every eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer. She said the same thing goes for prostate cancer, of which Long Island has one the highest rates in the nation.

Although she is pleased with the extra funding they were able to obtain for breast cancer research, McCarthy is disappointed that they were unable to pass the Breast Cancer Environmental Research Act. "I still believe very deeply that environmental factors have an awful lot to do with prostate and breast cancer," McCarthy stated.

An issue that McCarthy says must be addressed, "because that's obviously why the people elected me to Congress," is reducing gun crime. McCarthy has worked to eliminate gun violence and introduced the Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act, comprehensive legislation that addresses every aspect of children and guns. Although she noted that it doesn't look like anything will be done about it in Congress this year, McCarthy vows to continue to fight for gun safety issues.

While she would admittedly like to see legislation passed in the nation with regard to gun safety, McCarthy is proud of the awareness that has been raised among the American people about the need for gun safety. "The Million Mom March was a great accomplishment, bringing over 800,000 families to Washington to show their support that they want something done," said McCarthy. She went on to note that gun law enforcement has also been a major issue, prompting her to introduce a bill called "Enforce" which would provide funding for 600 new ATF agents to go after and trace illegal guns. This bill, McCarthy believes, will be able to be folded into one of the other appropriation bills. The DNA ballistics program and the expansion of the youth gun crime initiative are also important issues according to McCarthy. She believes that funding enforcement through greater gun investigations will help to cut down on a lot of crime. She added that the gun safety bill signed this summer by New York State Governor George Pataki, one of the strongest gun safety bills in the nation, is what she is trying to achieve on a federal level.

McCarthy is also concerned about veterans in her district and continuously fights for them. "The government made promises to them and I'm making sure the government keeps those promises," said McCarthy. Among the things done for veterans in Congress, said McCarthy, was the addition of Hepatitis C as a service connected disability. She noted that she was among a number of members of Congress in the Northeast who opposed the FISIN system, which she said unfairly funds the VA program in the Northeast, sending more money to the South. She explained that many veterans depend on hospitals such as the Northport Veteran's Hospital and stressed the importance of supporting that hospital.

Taxes are also an important issue for McCarthy. She noted that this is especially important because of what is happening in Nassau County. McCarthy stated, "I can't help Nassau County but what I can do is try to do whatever I can on the federal level to lower taxes." Among the things that McCarthy has done in this effort was voting to eliminate the "Marriage Penalty Tax" and the Estate/Death Tax.

In addition to the elimination of these taxes, McCarthy also strongly supported the increase in what senior citizens receiving Social Ssecurity were able to earn, increasing that figure from $15,000 to $30,000, so that seniors can go back to work part time. McCarthy also supports legislation that provides a tax deduction for college tuition, which she said is one of the biggest burdens, other than a mortgage, for middle-income families.

McCarthy noted that many people don't realize that she is the most fiscally conservative Democrat in New York State. "I think that's because I am from Nassau County and I know I have to do everything I can," said McCarthy. Another of those things she is doing is working to pass legislation increasing the allowable IRA contributions from $2,000 to $5,000. According to McCarthy, "We have to make sure people start saving, mainly because you cannot live on Social Security, especially on Long Island, so this way you would have the comfort of having an IRA account and whenever you start taking it out you're not going to be taxed at a higher level, so this way you would have the money to continue living on Long Island and paying taxes in Nassau County."

When questioned on her stance on late term abortions, also known as partial birth abortions, which McCarthy is often criticized on, she explained that her vote against the ban on this procedure was because it did not take into consideration situations where a woman's health or life may be in jeopardy. Late term abortions are those that occur in month seven, eight or nine. According to McCarthy the ban, as it stood was too broad so McCarthy and others Democrats offered their own bill that took health issues into consideration and defined the issue of health but the Republican controlled Congress would not allow that bill onto the floor.

McCarthy stated that her belief is that the government should not be involved in this issue. "This is very traumatic," said McCarthy. "I've met too many of these women who unfortunately had these procedures done. They wanted these pregnancies and because of health issues or their life they had to have these procedures done." She noted that many times these procedures are done when it is not a viable birth, where the baby could not survive. Allowing a pregnancy in this situation to continue, said McCarthy, could result in toxemia for the mother or could ruin her reproductive system so she would not be able to have children in the future. "A woman doesn't wake up in the morning in her eighth or ninth month and suddenly decide that she doesn't want to have this baby," said McCarthy. "It's a terrible decision that these families have to go through. It's a decision that is very painful for all of them but it is usually a decision that is made with their doctor and most of the time with their religious affiliation."

McCarthy is proud of the record that she has developed since she was first elected to Congress in 1996. One goal that she went into Congress with that she has met is having an impact on the Patient's Bill of Rights. She said that it was important to her that nurses and healthcare workers be protected in this bill, because, noted McCarthy, when they are out striking, in most instances they are not asking for more money, they are seeking better staffing so they can better help their patients.

"People elected me to go to Congress to reduce gun violence in this country and I'm proud of what I've accomplished since I've been here [Washington] on that issue but also on healthcare and education," said McCarthy. "They are all equally important to me because those are the things that really affect people back on Long Island."

Of her re-election bid, McCarthy concluded, "I'm looking forward to running a good, clean campaign. I'm looking forward to winning on Nov. 7 and hopefully the good people of Long Island will re-elect me. I think I've proven that an ordinary citizen can go to Washington and learn the job and represent the people of Long Island and that you don't have to be a career politician to do it."

Gregory R. Becker is a Republican Conservative running for the congressional seat currently held by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy. Becker was born and raised in the Village of Lynbrook and is the third generation of the Becker family to enter public service.

Becker was a New York State assemblyman for 16 years, serving the 21st Assembly District until 1998 when he stepped down to run for Congress against McCarthy.

Becker's grandfather, Frank J. Becker of Lynbrook served in the New York State Assembly from 1945 to 1952 and later in the United States House of Representatives for 12 years. Becker's father Francis X. Becker served as mayor of Lynbrook for 12 years and was a justice on the New York State Supreme Court for 14 years. Becker is the third child of Francis X. Becker and the former Elizabeth Dunker. One of 12 children, his sisters Susanna, Theresa, Christina, Elizabeth, Jane, Anne and his brothers, Francis X, Jr., Hilary, Timothy, Luke and Damian inspire and support him to instill the same strong morals and sense of community spirit in his constituents that they helped instill in him. His brother Fran has also chosen to serve the public and is a Nassau County Legislator.

A graduate of Lynbrook High School and Nassau Community College, Becker went on to earn a bachelor of science degree in finance from the School of Business Administration from the Long Island University's C. W. Post campus in Greenvale.

Becker is married to the former Tina Cacciatore who was born in Calabria, Italy. She is a graduate of Adelphi in Garden City and earned a master's degree in education from C.W. Post. She is an elementary school teacher in the Lynbrook Public School system. The Beckers have two daughters Stephanie 16 and Allison 13. They attend the Saint Raymond Roman Catholic Church in East Rockaway.

Becker, a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative, voted against every tax increase that was proposed by former Governor Mario Cuomo. He worked closely with Republican leadership in implementing the STAR program which gives tax relief to seniors. The STAR program reduces school taxes for homeowners who are over 65. Becker voted to cut the sales tax on purchases of clothing, cut the car registration fee by 25 percent and voted to cut the sales tax on college textbooks.

Becker also voted to increase the childcare tax credit.

Becker voted to increase state aid to education, reduce class sizes, make modern commuter technology available to all students and to install merit pay raises for teachers.

Becker speaks out strongly on the subject of his "unambiguous advocacy of the sanctity of life from conception to natural death." Becker is a steadfast, pro-life supporter.

Becker said, "People who call themselves pro-choice are, at the core, indifferent to life itself." Becker continued, "Partial Birth Abortion enables a woman to terminate her pregnancy right up to the day of the baby's birth, in a heinous and barbaric procedure. We must end this cycle of human degradation now. We should never commit the tax dollars of Americans for a pursuit that strikes at the very heart of the human and family values. If you truly respect life, you would support Parental Notification before a minor can have an abortion. Those in support of abortion oppose such notification."

Becker pointed out that a 14-year-old must have parental consent to have her ears pierced, but not to have an abortion.

One of the most important issues to Greg Becker, both personally and professionally, is breast cancer. His mother, Elizabeth Becker passed away shortly after the 1998 election. She was a breast cancer survivor for more than 25 years. According to Becker there is a direct correlation between breast cancer and the environment.

While an assemblyman Becker voted for the Environmental Protection Bond Act which provides critical state funding to preserve the environment, but he feels more needs to be done to protect Long Island's open space and drinking water.

When in the assembly Becker voted for the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1997 which puts an end to "drive-thru" mastectomies and requires insurance coverage for breast reconstructive surgery. He also voted to create a statewide pesticide registry to help in the search for a cure for breast cancer. In addition he voted to mandate that insurance companies be required to cover expense for mammography. He wants the Long Island water supply studied, tested, re-tested, analyzed and purified. Becker stated that when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer his entire family felt its impact and as a result made a personal vow to find a cure for breast cancer.

Becker, while an assemblyman, voted for legislation that requires a minimum maternity stay to put an end to "drive-thru" deliveries. He also supported Governor Pataki's Child Health Plus Program which provides complete coverage for doctor visits, lab tests, hospitalization, emergency care and prescriptions.

Becker, while in the assembly, voted to restore the death penalty in New York State. He also voted for Jenna's Law, which virtually ends parole for violent offenders.

Becker also voted for Megan's Law which protects children from sex offenders and he supports tougher crime prevention laws.