US Senate hopeful Bob Casey Jr. made a campaign stop at the Elk County Fair

KERSEY - Pennsylvania Treasurer and US Senate hopeful Bob Casey Jr. made a campaign stop at the Elk County Fair on Wednesday night where he spent an hour meeting his supporters and listening to their concerns.

Health care is a primary concern for Casey.

"It's an economic issue for businesses. They can't afford the cost of health care," he explained. "Since President George Bush took office and Sen. Rick Santorum assumed a leadership position in the Senate, 714,000 Pennsylvanians have lost their health insurance. Santorum doesn't have an answer for it."

Casey supports legislation introduced by Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas to create a Small Employers Health Benefits Program.

The plan is based on the successful Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which has provided wide benefit choices at affordable prices to federal employees for decades.

Casey said he will help make sure that all the homeland security recommendations of the independent and bipartisan 9/11 Commission are effectively implemented. In its recent report detailing lack of progress on the homeland security front, the Commission awarded the Bush administration and Congress with five Fs and 12 Ds.

"I think they have failed miserably," Casey said.

Casey slammed Santorum on his rubberstamping of the Bush administration and oil company subsidies.

"I have made it very clear I am voting against the Santorum subsidies. That's a big difference between us. You should also know Mr. Santorum is number two in all of the Senate and Congress of oil contributions."

Santorum passed an energy bill this summer that contained $2.6 billion in subsidies for the oil and gas industry. This was at the same time that Americans were paying record gas prices.

When asked about a national ID card and Santorum's support of it, Casey said, "He's for a lot of things that are extreme. I don't think that's the answer. I really don't."

He felt that securing the border was important and making employers responsible for hiring legal workers only is the first step towards homeland security.

"I think the most important thing you have to do is crack down on employers who are violating the law right now. Rick Santorum voted against a measure to toughen enforcement of existing laws targeting employers who hire illegal immigrants. I would have supported that amendment. Further, President Bush and Senator Santorum have had five years to secure the border and they've failed. The number of illegal entrants from Mexico has increased 87 percent during the Bush Administration."

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