Who should I vote for in the 2008 Illinois 11th District House of Representatives Race?
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Halvorson has received many awards for her work in health care while serving in the state senate including Freshman Legislator of the Year by the Illinois Health Care Association, Distinguished Legislator of the Year from the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill, Outstanding Legislator of the Year from the Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association and Legislator of the Year by the South Suburban Area on Aging. Her policy is simple and progressive: affordable and accessible health care for all Americans. Halvoson's mother contracted breast cancer not long ago, and she remembers her mother having to go to the doctor and beg for health care. Halvorson to the Southwestern Star: "She had to negotiate every bill. Her doctor knew she had no health insurance...it's so degrading when you have to go to your doctor and beg for care...We have a moral obligation to do better, because there are just too many families out there being crushed by medical expenses, even if they're lucky enough to have health insurance in the first place. The only way we're going to lower health care costs for everybody is to ensure people can afford and access quality health insurance and preventative care." Check out the whole article here. Side: Debbie Halvorson
Halvorson’s Health Care As a member of the Illinois State Senate, Democrat Halvorson claims to have created the first program in the nation that lowered prescription drug costs for seniors and the disabled. She supported a program that helped purported thousands of children and poor families get affordable health insurance. She, as her Party, wants to move to a path of universal coverage. She wants the federal government to negotiate down prescription drug prices from pharmaceutical companies. She also wants small businesses to lower employee premiums through collective bargaining. Side: Health care
Halvorson: Withdraw fro Iraq, Diplomacy, and Troops Halvorson believes that the Bush Administration misled the American public into war with Iraq. She calls the war “intractable” and calls for a withdrawal of troops. In place of the military, the Democratic contender says that America needs an “image and policy makeover” and emphasize diplomacy. As a stepmother of veteran, she pleas that troops need to be well-equipped with armor in the battlefield and with health care and jobs when they return. Side: Iraq
Halvorson: A Teacher Focuses on Education As a recipient of the “Education Hero” award by the Illinois Education Association and the Governor’s Award of Education to Career and a former teacher, Halvorson pledges to recalibrate education to fit within a global economy. She calls NoChild Left Behind “short-sighted and under-funded.” She wants to revise it and add performance measures, shrink class sizes, and higher qualified teachers. Exact metrics and feasibility, though, remain open questions. Side: Education
Halvorson: Lessening the Burden on Current Workers Halvorson admonishes that the gap between the rich and middle and lower classes is widening and that the job and financial environment has become volatile. She has the support of a number of labor organizations including the Citizen of the Year from the Will-Grundy Central Trades and Laborers, the Statesman of the Year by the International Union of Operating Engineers, the Business Advocate of the Year by the Chicago Southland Development Inc., and the "Woman of Steel" by Nucor Steel in Kankakee. She pledges to ease worries of workers with affordable health care, better childe care, and affordable college. These policies notwithstanding, she offers few solutions to workers and the unemployed who are suffering through economic hardship now. Side: Economy
Halvorson: Go Green. By What Means? Halvorson calls the effects of global warming and pollution “indisputable.” She pledges to move towards higher environmental standards and clean, renewable energy. This move, the Democrat, believes will both improve the economy and ensure national security from foreign oil. She does not specify, however, what standards, which forms of alternative energy, how long this will take, and what effects the moves will make on current economic players. Side: Energy
Here are some disturbing notions concerning Ozinga for the middle class to consider come November. As a self-made millionaire with his own concrete company, Ozinga has supported Bush's tax cuts for the very rich because they are in his best interests. As such a successful businessman, Ozinga has begun to suggest some strange ideas for American transportation, including the sale of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (EJ&E;) Railway to Canadian National Railway (CN). Though Ozinga has steered away from those issues on the campaign trail, the media is attempting to bring them to light and discuss why Ozinga Transportation (Marty Ozinga's company) was an early supporter of the deal. Halvorson's campaign manager called Ozinga out supporting on his own private interests at the expense of the people of Illinois:"Marty Ozinga is playing games with voters. Why does he refuse to put his mouth where his money is? Until he does, one thing is clear: Marty Ozinga is only representing his own bottom line."
Supporting Evidence:
Marty Ozinga: buying and selling with American property?
(progressillinois.com)
Side: Marty Ozinga
Emily's List, the top pro-abortion group, listed Debbie Halvorson (D) among the seven congressional candidates they will financially support in their effort to establish a solid pro-abortion Congress in November. The endorsement will be a valuable addition to Halvorson's race against Republican Marty Ozinga in which she has already accumulated a campaign purse nearly $100,000 heavier than her Republican rival (as of June 30th, according to www.cqpolitics.com.) The pro-abortion group has stated, "With every one of these races tightening by the day, and a right-wing base so energized for these extremist Republicans, we must do all we can." Side: Emilys List
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Ozinga: Ambivalent on Free Trade Ozinga believes that his experience running his family’s business, a company with 1200 employees will enable him to do the same for Illinois and the country. His stance on trade, though unspecific, appears similar to Democratic plans. He supports free trade but he states, “we need to protect American jobs.” When the Republican candidate says that we need to re-evaluate trade policies, it is unclear how he would change trade agreements such as NAFTA. Side: Economy
Ozinga’s Republican Economics Ozinga has adopted the Republican ideological economic agenda. He believes job growth will come from reducing taxes, repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax, extend the Bush 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, and eliminate the estate tax. In an economic environment where low taxes have pervaded for the past years, his argument of job creation may raise doubts. On the other side of the balance sheet, Ozinga wants to cut spending through reforming earmarks and making federal agencies more efficient. Notably, he also wants to pass a blanced budget constitutional amendment. Side: Economy
Ozinga’s Market-based Approach to Health Care Ozinga believes that health care costs will drop with market-driven health care solutions go into play. He ridicules a government-run system, claiming that it will be inefficient. He supports tax credits for individuals without employer-backed coverage, lowering premiums through the collective bargaining of businesses, tax-free health savings accounts, and medical malpractice caps to stem rising costs. Like his Democratic opponent, Ozinga will allow the federal government to bargain with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription prices. Side: Health care
Ozinga and Energy Independence Ozinga supports a market-based approach to clean, renewable energy development. He, like his Democratic opponent, believes that investing in energy alternatives will lead to job growth and new industries. Energy independence is his mantra. He believes that the sooner we relieve our dependence on foreign oil, the sooner America will become more secure. It is unclear, however, how his market-based approach differs from the investments that Democrats also pledge to make. Side: Energy
Ozinga’s Energy Plan: More Oil On top of investing in future alternatives, Ozinga follows the Republican line of more drilling. He wants to drill in ANWR, offshore, and the Bakken Oil Formation in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. He will offer tax credits for refinery expansion and construction. In stark contradiction to his pledge to invest in future fuels he wans to eliminate the EPA “boutiqu Fuel” mandate which requires that petroleum be mixed with expensive blends of fuel. He also wants to temporarily stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Side: Energy
Ozinga: For Guns, Against Abortion and Gay Marriage Republicans seem to be the only party talking about values this election. Ozinga is no exception. He believes it is a right to bear arms under the Second Amendment. He is careful to also say that he wants to “harshly penalize” violent criminals who have guns. He opposes “abortion-on-demand.” It is unclear what he means by this. He may be open to extreme cases of rape or a threat to the mother’s life. Finally, he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. No gay marriages; otherwise, he claims, homosexuals would have “special rights.” Side: Values
Incumbent congressman Jerry Weller has voted for the final version of the Wall Street bailout bill. But Halvorson is in a bad position to claim that she would stop spending like this, and since Weller is outgoing, Ozinga can now distance himself from this and other votes that were cast in support of the Bush administration, most notably on the Patriot Act and war in Iraq. Side:
 Marty Ozinga (R) |
