Chicago Tribune - Questionnaire

Interview

Chicago Tribune - Questionnaire

1) Would you have voted in favor of the TARP legislation approved by Congress in 2008? Do you think Congress should approve a stimulus package this year? Please assess the competing proposals from the Obama administration and Democrats and Republicans in Congress. What should be the priority in a stimulus package, if you support one?

I would have supported the TARP legislation passed in 2008, but I believe that serious provisions and regulations need to be set to protect the everyday borrower in this country. During that vote the banking industry was in, and still is, in major crisis. The TARP money was a lifeline to the financial industry, but it is important for Congress and the Federal Government to make clear that if they are borrowing federal monies, there are significant regulatory issues that should be imposed, and they must meet those guidelines. The current stimulus takes a 35,000-foot view of how the public sector should fund operations. But this bill has become a pork lover's paradise. If I were currently a member of Congress I would insist that my colleagues view this as a package to stimulate the economy, create jobs, keep Americans in their homes, ease their debt burdens, renew vital infrastructure, and boost Hope in the American worker. Nevertheless, I would support it; we have to create jobs and restore faith in the American spirit. A suggestion I would give to the current Congress would be to justify each dollar spent and compare that investment to jobs created. Creating sustainable well-paying jobs for our hard working men and women will always be a top priority for me.

2) President Obama supports increasing U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan. Do you support a deeper U.S. involvement there, and toward what goal?

I do support troop increases in Afghanistan. I believe that we must continue to hunt Bin Laden, his allies, and those who wish to do harm to this country and destabilize the Middle East. The end goal in Afghanistan in my mind is a working democracy, a nation where Afghan people do not have to live under the tyranny of the Taliban. Troop increases will restore security there, but the end goal must be to do more than eliminate the Taliban, it should be to assist the Afghan people in building a solid government. Unlike Iraq, we were actually greeted as liberators. The past Administration lost sight of the mission in Afghanistan and moved on to Iraq. This allowed for greater insurgency and fundamentalist factions to grow their strengths around the Pakistan/Afghan border. We must enlist the Afghan people to begin to defend themselves while providing strong resources to assist in the capturing of these criminals and bringing them to justice.

3) Should Congress expand government-funded health care to cover all citizens? How exactly should a government health care program be structured? Please explain what steps you would take to contain costs.

Health care in this country should be available to all citizens. It is a travesty that we live in the wealthiest country in the world, and citizens still go without health care and other basic needs. I would implore the Congress to support the current administration's plan, to get all Americans a minimum basket of affordable and accessible choices, to include mental healthcare, and which ends pre-existing exclusions to coverage. I would utilize my policy background to assist the Administration in drafting agreeable law that could actually get passed and be a dramatic improvement for all Americans.

4) Give us your views on tax policy and entitlement spending. Should marginal tax rates be raised for people who earn more than $200,000 a year? Should the inheritance tax be abolished or extended? What difficult steps would you take to control the costs of Social Security and Medicare?

In 2000 the country showed their first budget surplus in over 70 years. We had a balanced budget. Over the past 8 years that balance has been squandered. I believe taxation should be fair and responsible. Marginal rates should most certainly be raised for people who make more than 200K. During the 90's the tax code did not give these extensive tax cuts, while today working Americans feel the brunt. This is the University of Chicago economic policy at his best, and it has never worked despite the fact that it's influence is still felt today. Economic theorists may write in detail about this question, but I believe in assisting the greater number of Americans with our tax policy, in an effort to grow the economy from the bottom up, not the top down. The inheritance tax needs to be reviewed. There are many cases that the national media cites where someone inherited 200 million dollars and is not taxed. There are also stories about middle class families inheriting much less and feeling a major tax bite.

Medicare should be fixed after a full review of the health care industry in this country and implementation of President Obama's Health Care plan.

Social Security on the other hand, will need significant adjustment. As this economy prepares for the largest generation in American history to retire, we must ensure that the promises made to these citizens are kept. Social security dollars must be in a true 'lockbox" and protected in every budget. And individual investment accounts are not the answer, either. Can you imagine the dire strait we would be in if a large chunk of our social security dollars were in the market during the recent crisis? Additionally, we can also shore up this system by re-instating the payroll tax on income above 250K.

5) Whom did you support in the 2006 primary and general election for governor? Please explain the reasons for your support.

I was not actively involved in the 2006 gubernatorial primary due to the ongoing investigations. I am a Democrat, so I did vote for Blagojevich. It is not one of my prouder moments in participatory democracy, now more so than ever. I will say however that some of the Governor's health care programs are top notch. And ensuring that children receive proper health needs should be a priority of any society.

6) Do you support a constitutional amendment to allow voters to recall public officials? How would you have voted on the recall amendment that was approved in 2008 by the Illinois House? Please explain your thinking.

I do support a recall amendment. I believe that any question of such magnitude should be given to the voters. I also believe that the amendment should be written to protect the government from frivolous recalls.

I would have voted for removal of the Governor. At the time of the proposed recall, the governor had been indicted, the state government was under mass scrutiny, and I did not feel that he could fulfill his constitutional duties as governor.

7) Do you think the U.S. Senate should have accepted the appointment of Sen. Roland Burris by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to a vacancy in the U.S. Senate? Should the legislature have called a special election?

It was the governor's legal right to appoint a senator, and Sen. Burris has a great history of public service to the state of Illinois. I do not, however, believe that the Senate should have accepted the appointment on the grounds that the Governor did not have the faith of the legislature, was on the verge of being impeached, and was in no appropriate position to be making appointments of this magnitude. However, I would have supported a suggestion from Blagojevich, to be appointed after the legislative branch either cleared him from wrong doing or impeached him. It would have been a strong declaration in democracy and our system if Gov. Quinn would have accepted that suggestion and appointed Mr. Burris. I believe that may have renewed the people's faith in the system, and would have been an act of statesmanship too often overlooked by career politicians.

8) Whom did you support in the 2006 primary and general election for president of the Cook County Board? Please explain your thinking.

I supported Com. Claypool. Although John Stroger had a long history of service to the community, the replacement of his name on the ballot with his son's was one of the biggest boondoggles in Chicago's political history - which says a great deal about the size of said boondoggle. The entire situation is yet another example of career politicians forgetting that government service is about just that, SERVICE. And our elected officials have a responsibility to our citizens to be fair, honest, and up front. They are here to serve the people, not the other way around. Looking back I am very proud of my support of Com. Claypool.

9) Should the 1-percentage-point increase in Cook County's portion of the sales tax be repealed?

Yes. We currently have the highest sales tax in the country and the Cook County budget has been in shambles for years. Chicago politicians forget that there are many communities outside of the city limits. Communities with businesses in the 5th district that feel a major hit because buyers will drive a matter of miles to avoid the tax. Those communities are without a voice when challenging the vast Chicago machine that drives Cook County government. And this tax is a clear example of poor government policy.

10) Tell us: What have you done? What are your specific accomplishments in government or public service? What difference have you made?

I'm not a professional politician. Instead, I served my country as an officer in the U.S. Navy; a pilot for Delta Air Lines; and a union activist before getting involved in the Obama campaign.

Second, I didn't just pound the pavement for the campaign, I also wrote policy papers on transportation, infrastructure and veterans' issues - and I built relationships with the officials who are now implementing these policies in Washington. Third, I am a proud mom of six great kids, and I know what it's like to struggle to pay the bills. The most important thing to voters today is their jobs, their homes, and their health. Finally, in my personal life I volunteer directly with the homeless and workers at the bottom of the economic ladder.

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