Rudolph Giuliani Last Update: 10/14/07 Biography

republican Party Rudolph Giuliani 2008 Candidate for President of the United States of America Campaign Website | Candidate Forum

			Issues

(Select An Issue to Jump Directly) Abortion Affirmative Action Darfur Death Penalty Energy Plan Free Trade Global Warming Guantanamo Bay Detainment Camp Gun Control Health Care Immigration Iran Iraq Plan Line Item Veto Medical Marijuana Military Funding National Deficit Net Neutrality Nuclear Power Same-Sex Marriage School Vouchers Social Security Stem Cell Research Tax Reform The Patriot Act Top Contributors & Amounts Unemployment Welfare

	Rudolph Giuliani on Abortion
	Stance: Pro-Choice Description: Giuliani personally believes abortion is morally wrong but respects and upholds a woman's right to choose. He advocates measures to decrease abortions (i.e. adoption). Giuliani supports the ban on partial-birth abortion, the Hyde amendment, and parental notification. Citations: 1. Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/5/07) "And my view on abortion is that it's wrong, but that ultimately government should not be enforcing that decision on a woman. That is my view that I -- I consult my religion. I consult my reading of the Constitution. I consult my views of what I think are important in a pluralistic society, and the reality that we have to respect the fact that there are people that are equally as religious, equally as moral, that make a different decision about this, and should government put them in jail?" 2. Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07) "I think we can agree, all of us on this stage, that we should seek reductions in abortion. I ultimately do believe in a woman's right of choice, but I think that there are ways in which we can reduce abortions. Abortions went down 16 percent when I was the mayor. Adoptions went up 133 percent during the eight years that I was mayor, compared to the prior eight years. So there are ways in which we can work together and achieve results that we all want." 3. Giuliani sets himself apart on abortion (6/25/07) 2007 GOP Republican primary debate held at the Reagan library on May 3, 2007, hosted by MSNBC 4. Giuliani Hones Abortion Stance for GOP Primary (11/2/07) Pro-abortion GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani says that as president, he would appoint strict constructionist Supreme Court judges who believe the constitution does not guarantee the right to abortion. That's also the belief of Republican primary voters who Giuliani needs to win the nomination. 5. Giuliani Shifts Abortion Speech Gently to Right (10/25/07) Rudolph W. Giuliani takes with him a belief in abortion rights that many think could derail his bid to capture the Republican nomination.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Affirmative Action
	Stance: Opposes Description: Giuliani stopped affirmative action program for NYC contracts. Citations:

	Rudolph Giuliani on Darfur
	Stance: America should play a big role in ending the genocide in Darfur and it should be a bigger part of our agenda Description: Giuliani wants to play the biggest role of any nation in ending the genocide in Darfur. He doesn't think the solution is working with the U.N. because of past experiences with them. Citations: 1. Rudy Talks About the Darfur Crisis in Cedar Rapids (9/24/07) Rudy Giuliani talks about how, as President, he would lead America in taking a leadership role in the Darfur crisis.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Death Penalty
	Stance: Supports death penalty Description: Giuliani favors the death penalty and has advocated for capital punishment for those who commit treason against the United States. He testified in convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui's death penalty trial and urged prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh. Giuliani has said the death penalty is "justified and [an] effective deterrent for other people doing the same thing." Citations: 1. The Candidates on the Death Penalty (7/23/07) His view on the death penalty

	Rudolph Giuliani on Energy Plan
	Stance: Achieve energy independence by using cleaner, renewable energy sources Description: Instead of using foreign oil, Giuliani wants an increased use of ethanol, clean coal technology, nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, and wind-generated power. He is also a supporter of nuclear power. Additionally, Giuliani would implement subsidies for alternative fuels and drill for oil in the U.S. In environmentally sound ways. Citations: 1. Giuliani Says His Energy Plan Would Aid Planet, Fight Terror (8/7/07) Mayor Giuliani is promising that his plan to wean America from foreign oil would aid the planet and curtail funding for terrorism, though some of his energy-related prescriptions could be a tough sell for environmentally conscious California voters. 2. Giuliani Says Nation Lacks Energy Policy (11/21/07) Support energy independence because of its importance to national security. Supports greater reliance on nuclear power, ethanol-based fuels and hybrid vehicles. Support alternatives to oil. 3. Transcript for November 27 (11/21/07) Affiliated with law firm that lobbies for coal-fired power plants, heavy emitters of air pollutants and carbon dioxide, a gas associated with global warming. Environmentalists say the firm played a significant role in persuading the Bush administration to roll back major provisions of the Clean Air Act. His consulting company has also represented energy clients.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Free Trade
	Stance: Supports Description: Little is known about Giuliani's stance on trade. His endorsement by Steve Forbes, a prominent voice for free trade, may be indicative of Giuliani's position. Giuliani's economic advisor, Stanford University's Michael Boskin, has said Giuliani supports free trade "but also wants to make sure countries such as China are playing fair." Citations: 1. Republican Candidates on Trade (7/26/07) How Giuliani hasn't said much about free trade.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Global Warming
	Stance: Believes in global warming and supports achieving energy independence Description: Mayor Rudolph Giuliani believes that global warming is a phenomenon. He supports achieving energy independence to address the effects of global warming. Citations: 1. Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/5/07) "I think we have to accept the view that scientists have, that there is global warming, and that human operation, human condition contributes to that. And the fact is that there is a way to deal with it and to address it in a way that we can also accomplish energy independence, which we need as a matter of national security. It's frustrating and really dangerous for us to see money going to our enemies because we have to buy oil from certain countries. We should be supporting all the alternatives. We need a project similar to putting a man on the moon. That project started with Eisenhower. It was carried out by Kennedy and then Johnson and then Nixon. And that was two Democrats and two Republicans working (inaudible) Democrats working in the national interest." 2. Transcript for November 27 (11/21/07) "I think we have to accept the view that scientists have that there is global warming and that human operation, human condition, contributes to that. And the fact is that there is a way to deal with it and to address it in a way that we can also accomplish energy independence, which we need as a matter of national security. It's frustrating and really dangerous for us to see money going to our enemies because we have to buy oil from certain countries. We should be supporting all the alternatives. We need a project similar to putting a man on the moon." - Giuliani 3. Interview with Rudy Giuliani (11/21/07) "Whatever your scientific conclusion about global warming, whether it's manmade or it isn't or whatever, the reality is ... if you don't have restrictions on China, if you don't have restrictions on India, our contribution, ultimately, is going to be minor. We could put all these restrictions on ourselves and have just as much arguable global warming if China, India, some of these other countries that are going to be contributing a lot more to this don't become part of some kind of system to create alternatives."

	Rudolph Giuliani on Guantanamo Bay Detainment Camp
	Stance: Leave Guantanamo the way it is for now Description: Mayor Rudolph Giuliani would not close the Guantanamo bay detainment camp. He also would not rule out closing the detainment camp. He said he would have to examine the current conditions at Guantanamo Bay before he made a decision. Citations: 1. Do We Remain on Offense? (8/29/07) Giuliani supports the detention camp at Guantanamo. He said in a June 2007 interview with the Wall Street Journal that he believes the allegations of prisoner mistreatment at Guantanamo have "been grossly exaggerated, and many of the reports that I see are that it's not terribly different from any other prisons." 2. Guantanamo Bay puzzles candidates (8/19/07) "I'm not inclined to agree right now that we should necessarily close Guantanamo," former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said in New Hampshire, a few days after Powell's interview. "I'd have to go look and see what are the conditions today." ... One divide among Republican candidates concerns how to get information from suspects. McCain has rejected "waterboarding," a practice in which prisoners are held under water, which he says is tantamount to torture. Giuliani and Romney have not ruled out waterboarding specifically; they support "enhanced" techniques. "I would tell the people who had to do the interrogation to use every method they could think of," Giuliani said at the June 5 New Hampshire debate. "It shouldn't be torture, but every method they can think of."

	Rudolph Giuliani on Gun Control
	Stance: Supports Gun Control Description: As mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani supported a federal gun license, a ban on assault weapons, and tough nationwide regulation of guns. Recently, he has stated that he supports hand gun regulation. He has consistently supported the right to own a gun guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the second amendment. Citations: 1. Giuliani: First Amendment Protects Gun Owners (7/26/07) Mayor Giuliani supports the first amendment right to carry and bear arms. 2. Rudy Giuliani on Gun Control and NRA (7/26/07) Mayor Giuliani states he believes that there should be harsher penalties for gun users, that the people are the problem, and that he cannot understand why the NRA opposes the assault gun ban. 3. Giuliani on Gun Control (7/26/07) Mayor Giuliani favors gun control for hand guns. 4. Rudy Giuliani on Federal Gun Control Licensing (7/26/07) "My personal solution to it is that congress pass a law that subjects gun ownership to the same licensing requirements that driving a car is subjected too. So that you have to get a license, pass a test, pass a physical test, pass a mental test, then you can get a gun. But the licensing requirements would be stringent including you having to show that you can legally and successfully handle a gun, that you know what to do with it." 5. Rudy Giuliani On Gun Control, Immigration & 9/11 (7/26/07) Mayor Giuliani defends his position on gun control. 6. Giuliani's Speech at NRA Doesn't Reassure Skeptics (10/25/07) Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to persuade members of the National Rifle Association to look past his lengthy record of pushing for tougher gun control by saying that his views on this issue had been changed by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Health Care
	Stance: opposes socialized medicine, make private insurance affordable through tax deductions, provide health care vouchers to poor Description: "What I would do is change the whole model that we have for health insurance in this country. The problem with our health insurance is it's government- and employer-dominated. People don't make individual choices. It's your health Citations: 1. Rudy Giuliani on Health care (7/10/07) Rudy Giuliani on Health Care. 2. The Presidential Candidates on Health care (7/10/07) Comparison of candidates positions on health care. 3. Mayor Giuliani on Health Care (7/10/07) Giuliani discussing his position on Health care during the Republican Presidential debate held by CNN on June 5, 2007. 4. 2008 DMR/ IPTV IA Republican Debate (Part 2) (12/19/07) Rudy wants to create an exemption to allow people to buy their own health care.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Immigration
	Stance: Tamper proof id cards for everyone in the U.S. from a foreign country, build a fence, and have strong border patrol, provide a path to citizenship. Description: In April 2006, Giuliani went on the record as favoring the US Senate's comprehensive immigration plan which includes a path to citizenship and a guest worker plan. In February 2007, in a meeting with California Republicans, Giuliani was quoted as saying "We need a [border] fence, and a highly technological one." Giuliani also reiterated his support for some sort of path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants after a process to be determined, but added that at the end of the process the immigrants should "display the ability to read and write English" and must assimilate into American society. He does not believe in deportation of illegal immigrants and advocates a "tamper-proof" national ID card and database for illegal immigrants. Citations: 1. Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/5/07) "The problem with this immigration plan is it has no real unifying purpose. It's a typical Washington mess. It's everybody compromises -- four or five compromises. And the compromises leave you with the following conclusion: The litmus test you should have for legislation is, is it going to make things better? And when you look at these compromises, it is quite possible it will make things worse. The organizing purpose should be that our immigration laws should allow us to identify everyone who is in this country that comes here from a foreign country. They should have a tamper-proof I.D. card. It should be in a database that allows you to figure out who they are, why they're here, make sure they're not illegal immigrants coming here for a bad purpose, and then to be able to throw out the ones who are not in that database." 2. Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07) "The reality is, the focus on immigration should be to know everyone who's in the United States. We should have a tamper-proof ID card; we should have a database in which we can identify the people who are in this country. I know something about security. I think I've had more experience at having to secure a city, having to deal with security in the Justice Department, than, I would say, anyone on this stage. And the reality is, we've got to be sensible about immigration. If we do the kinds of things that some of the people here are talking about, this country's going to be in greater danger; it is going to be more insecure; we're going to face a situation in which terrorists like the Fort Dix people, three of whom were illegal, can find a big underground to hide in. So we need a fence. We need a technological fence; we need a tamper-proof ID card. And we need a way that people who are working in this country can come forward, sign up for the tamper-proof ID card, get in the database and start paying their way." 3. Here's how to fix America's immigration problems (8/27/07) Rudy Giuliani outlines his plan for immigrants. 4. Rudy Giuliani says immigration is good (7/24/07) Giuliani says immigration is vital. 5. Rudy Giuliani wants more immigration (7/24/07) Giuliani wants more immigrants and wants to implement a visa lottery 6. New York Officials Welcome Immigrants, Legal or Illegal (7/24/07) Mayor Rudolph W. Giuiliani gave an even more spirited defense of illegal immigrants, virtually urging them to settle in New York City. Standing before television cameras, he criticized the growing hostility toward illegal immigrants across the country as simplistic and unsophisticated. 7. Giuliani Touts Senate's 'Comprehensive' Approach to Immigration Policy (7/24/07) Giuliani criticizes the President's immigration plan and likes the compromise the Senate was looking at where immigrants were identified through new fingerprint and photograph technology or special identification cards so they could become taxpayers and so terrorists couldn't hide as easily. 8. Rudy Giuliani On Gun Control, Immigration & 9/11 (7/24/07) Giuliani talks about a tamper proof id card to weed out bad immigrants.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Iran
	Stance: Use diplomacy, but military engagement is better than Iran with nuclear weapons Description: Giuliani has said the United States should proceed diplomatically with Iran, but that "we will use a military option if we have to." At the first Republican presidential debate, Giuliani said a military strike would be "very dangerous" but nuclear arms in the control of "an irrational person" like President Ahmadinejad was more dangerous. Citations: 1. Republican Debate Transcript, Simi Valley California, May 3, 2007 (8/6/07) "It really depends on what our intelligence says. I mean, the reality is, the use of military force against Iran would be very dangerous. It would be very provocative. The only thing worse would be Iran being a nuclear power. It's the worst nightmare of the Cold War; isn't it? The nuclear weapons in the hands of an irrational person, an irrational force. Ahmadinejad is clearly irrational. He has to understand it's not an option; he cannot have nuclear weapons. And he has to look at an American president and he has to see Ronald Reagan. Remember, they looked in Ronald Reagan's eyes, and in two minutes, they released the hostages." 2. Rudy Giuliani Talks with Sean Hannity (8/13/07) "I think the president has made the points that has to be made that it's unacceptable, that it's -- what they're doing with displaying people and the kind of thing Iran is doing, unfortunately, is reminding us of, you know, the late 1970s. I think Tony Blair has to take a very, very strong position. I think we have to support him in that. And I think, I guess maybe if I could summarize it. I think Ahmadinejad has to see -- has to see Ronald Reagan, because as soon as they saw Ronald Reagan putting his hand on the Bible they let the hostages go." - Giuliani 3. Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/13/07) A debate which one of the topics is Iran.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Iraq Plan
	Stance: Supports the war in Iraq, opposes timetable for withdrawal Description: "The former New York mayor supports the war, saying Iraq has to be seen in the context of a broader threat to the US. He has backed George W Bush's surge strategy, but has said some way to evaluate progress in Iraq is needed. He opposes setting any kind of timetable for withdrawal, a move proposed by the Democratic-led Congress in a bill vetoed by Mr Bush." Citations: 1. Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/6/07) "I believe that this terrorist war began way back in the 1970s. They attacked us in 1993 in New York. They attacked us again in 2001 in a horrible way. And I believe that what we're doing in Iraq, if we can get it right, is going to help reduce the risk for this country. And if we get it wrong, this is going to be much, much worse for us. And part of what we have to do and we haven't done right is take on that responsibility of nation-building. We created that responsibility for ourselves when we overthrew Saddam Hussein, which we did very effectively. It was one of the greatest military actions in American history, overthrowing Saddam Hussein. But we didn't accomplish the second step. People can only embrace democracy when they have an orderly existence. And we have to help provide that. We didn't want that role, but it is our role. And we have to train our military to do it. We should probably have an IraqStat program, in which we measure how many people are going to school, how many factories are open, how many people are going back to work. We had to get into the nitty-gritty of putting an orderly society together in Iraq. It is not too late to do it. And I'd just like to ask, I'd just like to ask one question I didn't get to ask before, when you said, if General Petraeus comes back in September and reports that things aren't going well, what are we going to do? But suppose General Petraeus comes back in September and reports that things are going pretty well. Are we going to report that with the same amount of attention that we would report the negative news?" 2. Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07) "First of all, that isn't exactly what I said. I was talking about the timetable for retreat that the Democrats passed in Congress, in which they did something extraordinary and that I've never heard of in the history of war, which is to give your enemy a schedule of how a retreating army is going to retreat. That was irresponsible, highly irresponsible. What the Republicans did, or suggested, I don't think is the right approach either. And I think Senator McCain is correct, these people do want to follow us here and they have followed us here. Fort Dix happened a week ago. That was a situation in which six Islamic terrorists, who were not directed by al Qaeda but claimed to have been inspired by them, were going to kill our military in cold blood at Fort Dix. It was a 16-month investigation done by the FBI and the United States Attorney's Office, and thank God they caught them. But we have to remind ourselves that we are facing an enemy that is planning all over this world, and it turns out planning inside our country, to come here and kill us. And the worst thing to do in the face of that is to show them weakness." 3. Rudy Giuliani on terrorists' war against US, part II (7/11/07) Video of Rudy Giuliani discussing his position on Iraq during a Presidential debate. 4. 2008 Election: Key Issues (7/11/07) Candidates positions on the war in Iraq. 5. Mayor Giuliani on terrorists' war against US (7/11/07) Giuliani commenting on whether or not it was a mistake to invade Iraq.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Line Item Veto
	Stance: Supports Description: "A constitutional line-item veto would allow the President to fight for the national interest by cutting wasteful special interest programs without contributing to gridlock by vetoing an otherwise sound bill." -Giuliani Citations: 1. Rudy's Plan to Restore Fiscal Discipline and Cut Wasteful Spending (10/14/07) "A constitutional line-item veto would allow the President to fight for the national interest by cutting wasteful special interest programs without contributing to gridlock by vetoing an otherwise sound bill." -Giuliani

	Rudolph Giuliani on Medical Marijuana
	Stance: Against Description: "I believe the effort to try and make marijuana available for medical uses is really a way to legalize it. There's no reason for it," the former New York mayor said during a town hall-style meeting at New Hampshire Technical Institute. He also said there are better alternatives. "You can accomplish everything you want to accomplish with things other than marijuana, probably better. There are pain medications much superior to marijuana," he said. "We'd be much better off telling people the truth. Marijuana adds nothing to the array of legal medications and prescription medications that are available for pain relief." Citations: 1. Giuliani Rejects Medical Marijuana Use (7/23/07) Giuliani speaking out against medical marijuana 2. Giuliani Rejects Medical Marijuana Use (7/23/07) Same as before kind of

	Rudolph Giuliani on Military Funding
	Stance: Increase military funding to increase amount of troops and invest in newer technologies Description: On cutting cutting military spending; Giuliani responded with a prompt no: "It's already been done. Clinton cut our military budget by enormous amounts in the 1990s, and it left us in a position where we can't face the dangers we're facing right now." He said he would look for wasteful spending in the military, but would instead reinvest that in increased troop strength and newer technology. Citations: 1. Rudy Giuliani: Asked About HIV, He Answers With 9/11 (8/14/07) Giuliani says he wants to increase the military budget.

	Rudolph Giuliani on National Deficit
	Stance: Budget like a business, cut the amount of civilian federal employees Description: Giuliani wants the government to start budgeting like a business by... * Stop anonymous earmarks. * Require mandatory sunset clauses for all Federal programs. * Require Congressional Budget Office cost estimates for all legislation before it is voted upon. * Create separate capital and operating budgets. * Bring generally accepted accounting principles to the Federal government. His plans also include.. * Reducing the federal vivilian workforce by 20% through attrition and retirement. * Further decrease the size through technology and privatizaton. * Require agencies to identify at least 5% to 20% in spending reductions. * Propose a constitutional amendment establishing a presidential line-item Veto * Establishes a government-wide accountability program ["GAPStat"] * Allows the Office of Management and Budget to evaluate effectiveness and hold Congress accountable for the programs it funds. Citations: 1. 2008 DMR/ IPTV IA Republican Debate (Part 2) (12/19/07) The Federal Government has to restrain its spending because it causes a national security problem. 2. Rudy's Commitment to Restore Fiscal Discipline (10/7/07) Rudy says he will cut fiscal spending. 3. Rudy's Plan to Restore Fiscal Discipline (10/7/07) "All spending is discretionary. Read the Constitution. Congress has to appropriate it; the President has to sign it. All spending is discretionary and it has to be looked at from the point of view of, can we afford it now? Is it appropriate to pass it on to the next generation? This is what I did in New York City. I restored fiscal discipline ..." - Rudy Giuliani 4. Romney, Giuliani spar over budgets (10/11/07) This article summarizes the GOP debate in Dearborn Michigan on Tuesday October 9, 2008. It focuses on the disagreement between Romney and Giuliani about their spending histories.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Net Neutrality
	Stance: Uncommitted Description: Giuliani has not yet taken a stance Citations: 1. '08 Candidates Split Over Net Neutrality (7/10/07) Article discussing net neutrality and various candidate positions.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Nuclear Power
	Stance: Supports nuclear power Description: Giuliani supports nuclear power as a way to achieve energy independence. Citations: 1. Giuliani Says His Energy Plan Would Aid Planet, Fight Terror (8/10/07) Nuclear power is among the list he outlines in energy we should be using.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Same-Sex Marriage
	Stance: Opposes same-sex marriage but supports civil-unions Description: Rudy Giuliani believes marriage should be strictly between a man and a woman but that the rights of gays should be protected by providing a civil union. Citations: 1. Meet the Next President: Giuliani tops in early GOP polls (7/2/07) Giuliani opposes a federal ban on gay-marriage and supports civil unions. 2. In a Southern Foray, Giuliani Helps a Friend but Skirts an Issue (7/2/07) "I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, that it should remain that way, it should remain that way inviolate, and everything should be done to make sure that that's the case," Mr. Giuliani said in response to a reporter's question. "But I also believe that you should allow for the protection of legal rights for people who are gay and lesbian." 3. Giuliani reiterates opposition to same-sex marriage (7/2/07) "Unlike what some of my opponents have said, I'm not in favor of gay marriage," he said. "I have consistently said marriage should be between a man and a woman. I do think that people who have a sexual orientation one kind or another should not be discriminated against."

	Rudolph Giuliani on School Vouchers
	Stance: Supports School Vouchers Description: While mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani sought to implement a school voucher experiment to improve the cities school system. Citations: 1. Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's 2000 State of the City Address (7/26/07) "I am also going to continue to point out, and continue to fight for a voucher program in New York City. Because I believe that the experiment in Milwaukee is something that should be tried in New York. Let me try to explain to you my thinking about this: I think our school system is in such bad shape that we do not have the room to exclude any experiment that might help our children, and that is proven to work somewhere else. Our children are entitled to all the good ideas, all the innovative ideas, and every new thing that is helping education elsewhere. In Milwaukee, the poorest 15% of the parents have the same choice that the richest 15% have. They can select the school they want for their child. From every report that I get, the children who have the opportunity for that education are doing terrifically. I believe that we should try that in a district in New York City. We should try it for three or four years and see if it improves the education of children. If it does improve the education of children, then who cares about all the theories of the voucher opponents? If it doesn't improve the education of children, then we'll move on to something else." 2. Giuliani Altering School Voucher Plan (7/26/07) This news article describes the criticism that Mayor Giuliani's school voucher program received in New York City. 3. 12 Commitments: I Will Provide Access to a Quality Education to Every Child in America (10/15/07) Giuliani speaks on the general principles we need to strive for in education.

	Rudolph Giuliani on Social Security
	Stance: Supports private retirement funds as part of social security Description: Giuliani believes that the country must fix the Social Security system. As a solution, he favors allowing some investment in private accounts. According to Michael Boskin, Giuliani's senior economic policy advisor, "Giuliani agreed that long-term costs and solvency are an issue and that private accounts should be part of the solution," adding that "people should have some choice' in how their accounts are handled." Citations: 1. Inside Giuliani's Economic Thinking (8/13/07) Article discussing Giuliani's positions on economic issues.