1) What is the No. 1 issue in your district and how would you address it?
The number one issue in the 2nd Congressional District is the Peotone Airport. (It is my belief that the Peotone Airport should not be constructed as the project has and will cost the Illinois tax payers millions of dollars at a time when such expenses are above the ability of the state to pay. The airport is also not needed and the project has already placed the people of the Peotone community at a great disadvantage in terms of home values and ability to develop plans for their community’s future. It has also disrupted the lives of thousands of people in that area of the 2nd District.)
2) How would you promote job growth in your district?
I would promote job growth in the 2nd District through greater cooperation and planning with the junior colleges and universities as well as present and potential employers in the 2nd District with the goal of offering training programs and classes designed to meet the present and future employment needs of the involved employers.
3) Should the federal government cut spending and where?
The federal government should cut spending as it relates to foreign aid in the forms of military and other areas of foreign aid. Instead of the current foreign aid policies, the federal government should develop programs that require nations that receive foreign aid to reimburse America for the funds expended to aid those nations. For example, in Iraq, the United States should be reimbursed for the funds utilized in fighting the Iraq war as American tax payers are now being required to pay the cost of the war which includes services to our dedicated members of the armed forces who have been injured during the prosecution of the war. This could take the form of cash payments or payments in terms of development of Iraq’s natural resources in cooperation with American firms. No longer can America afford to extend foreign aid to nations without being reimbursed by those nations. A barter system in under developed nations utilizing the development of the natural resources of the nations America aids would be a method that could utilize American technical assistance to develop those resources to the extent that those resources can be of benefit to the involved nation and be a vital element in the repayment of America. Nations seeking foreign aid in the form of food products including grains, should be prepared to receive assistance from the American farm community and be equally prepared to reimburse those farmers for the technical assistance they receive which will enable those nations to in time feed their own people.
4) If Republican, which GOP presidential candidate do you support?
I am a Republican but at this point I am undecided as to which candidate for president I support.
5) Give an example of something you’ve done that is bipartisanship in nature.
I have worked along with the former Village of Hopkins Park, in Kankakee County, Mayor Sam Payton, a Democrat, in the development of a tornado warning system for that community. I also worked along with Mayor Payton in the development of a new water treatment system for that community.
6) Name one good policy idea that comes from the opposing party.
Funding of early childhood development projects. Development of Head Start Programs.
7) How do you define family values?
In my opinion family values involve the development within the family unit of values that include honesty and respect for the laws and others as well as the development of a strong work ethic.
8) What are your thoughts on the healthcare law?
I believe that all Americans have a right to quality health care and that to deny any American quality health care diminishes the nation as the quality of life in America. I believe that individual contributions to a more flexible health care system, through payroll deductions and federal tax set asides, will aid in providing additional health benefits for those who can afford additional health care benefits through private pay initiatives.
9) Who is your political role model?
My political role model is President Lincoln.
10) What’s on your iPod?
The Bible, Christian music and Jazz.
