Date: 08 Mar 2000
Time: 06:12:12
Remote Name: 24.30.137.96
Virginia, March 7 (Par Daily) - The name of an Iranian-American running for the U.S. Congress, is on the primary ballot Super Tuesday (today) in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Cyrus (Kourosh) Homayounpour, a long-time resident of Montgomery County, is looking to be the democratic candidate in November's election for the 8th Congressional District seat in Maryland.
According to his news release, Homayounpour is active in the New Democrats of Montgomery County and the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). If he wins the primary, he will challenge the incumbent, Republican Congresswoman Connie Morella, in November.
Espousing the centrist New Democratic platform, Homayounpour's three Basic campaign principles are opportunity, responsibility and community. "I believe in opportunity for all and special privilege for none; an ethic of mutual responsibility where rights come with responsibilities; and an understanding that it all comes together in a community where values shared by most Americans are respected: work, family, education, individual liberty, and faith," says the candidate.
Homayounpour says, if elected, he will focus his efforts on four Policy areas: education reform, healthcare reform, Social Security reform and tax reform.
*On education, Homayounpour supports the "Three Rs" initiative proposed by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, which moves beyond the Conventional left-right debate and its false choice between more federal spending and more local control, and advocates adding a third component: high standards and real accountability for results.
* On healthcare, Homayounpour proposes adopting a "Patients' Bill of Rights" that would emphasize quality of healthcare (competency of Providers, customer service, and health outcomes), give patients the right to sue their HMO's if critical care is denied solely based on cost, and establish "healthmarts" (cooperative supermarkets for buying health insurance) that would increase choice and access.
* To Homayounpour, Social Security reform means, "keeping the Social Security Trust Fund healthy so that it will not dry up in twenty, thirty or fifty years- or ever!" To achieve this goal, he believes in putting a stop to the siphoning off of the Social Security surplus by Congress that goes on even today. He notes, "We must keep the economy healthy and growing so contributions to the Fund keep increasing." Homayounpour would fight against raising the eligibility age or the Social Security tax rate or both.
* Homayounpour's tax reform plan has two main components: a set of targeted tax cuts to return part of the surplus to the people, and a tax simplification plan where every section of the Internal Revenue Code is simplified over 5 years. Chief among these targeted tax cuts would be an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit to help the working poor and the millions of Americans who have left the welfare rolls for the job market.
Homayounpour says he will be a leader and an advocate for Federal Government employees and their rights, making the passage of the increase in thrift savings plan contributions for CSRS employees.
On foreign policy, Homayounpour ranks the Middle East peace process And commitment to Israel's security and well being as the number one priority, and believes in the continued U.S. involvement in the process until a comprehensive peace agreement is signed between Israel and all her neighbors.
For the past 14 years, Homayounpour has been on the staff of University Continuing Education Association in Washington, DC. He currently serves As UCEA Director of Membership and International Relations. UCEA is a non-profit, higher education association that promotes excellence in the programs of accredited colleges and universities that serve the needs of some 6.5 million adult, part-time students.
Prior to joining UCEA, Homayounpour worked in the private sector as controller for a retail corporation with branches in 5 states.
Homayounpour and his wife, Shohre, have been married for 26 years and Have lived in Montgomery County for 23 of those years. Their daughter, Ned, is a graduate of Richard Montgomery High School.
Homayounpour holds an M.A. in International Relations from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Area Studies (Near & Middle East) from the University of London.