By Diane Strand
They were all liberals, arguing the disastrous war in Iraq should end and the troops should come home. The three men vying for Rep. Dennis Hastert's 14th Congressional District seat also supported universal health care for the American people.
In some cases, the differences were in the fine points, though the youngest and most experienced candidate among them-John Laesch-tried to ratchet those differences into higher profile.
A crowd of about 150-180, mostly Democrats, filled NIU's elegant Altgeld Hall auditorium for a candidate debate sponsored by College Democrats. The Feb. 5 primary will decide who takes on the Republican candidate in the November 2008 election.
Republican candidates include Kevin Burns, Chris Lauzen, Jim Oberweis and Mike Dilger.
Laesch is a carpenter with experience in U.S. Navy intelligence and the only U.S. veteran of the three. His strongest position is on the war - he opposed it from the beginning and decided to run for election because of it. And he was the only candidate of the three calling for cutting off funds for the war - saying that was the eventual technique that shut down Vietnam.
Opposing him was Bill Foster, a Fermi Lab scientist and a millionaire businessman from Geneva whose literature says he supported Barack Obama in the latter's senatorial campaign in 2004-“because he took a clear and principled stand against the war.” Foster's literature describes him as “a scientist with a formula to turn Hastert's seat blue.”
Jotham Stein is a lawyer from St. Charles who entered the race “because politicians aren't fixing the real problems we face.” He calls for immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, and promises to use his negotiating skills to bring high-tech businesses to the 14th Congressional District. He said he is passionate about global warming and child welfare.
The debate was moderated by Matthew Streb, NIU assistant professor of political science. In addition to a set of nine questions, five questions were taken from the audience. There was strict compliance with time limits.
Following are some candidate's positions on a variety of issues:
Illegal immigration
Stein noted there are 12 million illegal immigrants in the country and said he supports a temporary worker program, but Congress has voted against it. He called for comprehensive legal reform, with a visa system responsive to the needs of both businesses and workers. He added, “We must be sure that we don't have a second class worker program...and that we offer a path to citizenship....with the exception of drug traders, terrorists and felons.”
Foster said, “We shouldn't be unrealistic as to what border security would accomplish. Workplace enforcement is the key. We need a system where an employer can verify who the immigrant is, with a worker ID card. We need to negotiate a system of temporary working visas so the economy can continue functioning.”
Laesch said the poverty rate in Mexico is 28 percent and added, “We have to make fair trade part of the discussion on immigration.” He also rejected “Bush's two-class system of workers” and said , “I think border security should be part of the discussion on Homeland security.”
Medicare
Foster said, “I believe we should move to a universal health care plan. We should consider which system is the least expensive, using a marketing approach. I would support extending that on a national basis.”
Laesch said, “The simplest way to fix Medicare...is to have a single payer health system. Most working families are facing high insurance rates, high premiums and high deductibles. The overall cost of (overhead) for Medicare is 4 percent; for private systems, it's 40 percent.”
Stein suggested paying for Medicare by “collecting on the tax gap,” legitimate taxes that are not being collected now. “There is $40-50 billion a year that could be saved; Secondly, we should make the system more efficient. Third, we should roll back unfair tax breaks for the wealthy” that were put in place by George Bush.
Sen. Jim Edwards position on withdrawal from Iraq
Laesch said, “There are no veterans running in the Republican Party...From the beginning, I am the only candidate who has said, ‘Cut the funding for the war. I agree with Sen. Edwards at least logistically, that it would take about three months to pull out.”
Stein said, “It could be one or two or three months....Let's leave that to the generals, withdrawing troops in as safe a way as possible. We can't impose democracy on Iraq-it's up to them.”
Foster said, “The issue is how do you appropriately apply pressure to George Bush. We'll be able to have our
voices heard in January and early February (with the primary election). We must put together the right team...”
The role of NIU in the coming years
Stein said, “One of our biggest (roles) is to integrate the Ph.D. programs (with the business sector). Our Ph.D. programs are the best in the world and 90 percent of those who complete Ph.D.s do not go into academia but business. We also have to watch out for tuition increases and let students give national service, and pay off their loans more quickly.”
Foster said, “I have been proud to see NIU's progress...” He supported open source textbooks. “I think (the sale of textbooks) is a racket. The books could be put on the Internet and they could be printed out (saving hundreds of dollars for students).” He also supported university “incubators for business” and said he worked his way through school and had a business on the side. I am going to be a friend to small businesses, to strengthen them...”
Laesch said, “I'm still the only one here wanting to end the war by cutting funding. We have been spending $500 billion on the cost of war. Why don't we change our priorities? We could cover educating kids from kindergarten through college and pay for all of them (with the same money).”
Ideas on energy policy
Laesch said, “We need to move to renewable energy. People should get tax breaks (for energy-efficient windows, for example). When technology is more affordable, people will use it more and more.” He mentioned wind mills as an energy source and added, “I am a big fan of high speed rail.”
Stein said, “We need to face global warming..We're too dependent on foreign sources, and there is a limited amount of oil in the world and a limited amount of coal...I have a 10-point plan to (address) global warming.”
Foster said, “As a scientist, I believe global warming is at least 50 percent of our own doing. We should choose the cheapest way (of alternative energy).”
What committee assignments would you request in Congress
Foster said he would choose Appropriations because it's the most powerful, but as a freshman representative he probably wouldn't get it. “That's where the power is,” he said.
Laesch said, “I would like to be on the Veterans' Committee,” saying the country promises them health care when they enlist, then fails to follow through in some cases when they return. He also said he would like to be on the Intelligence Select Committee, and said 96 percent of Congress never reads the intelligence reports made available to them.
Other comments...
* Stein boasted his skill as a lawyer in negotiating “with big egos.” He also said he could work well with Republicans in the traditionally Republican 14th District.
* Laesch noted that Iran was supportive of this country after 9-11, but said Bush has exacerbated tension by calling Iran part of the axis of evil. Stein said he would support a preemptive attack on Iran if it was capable and likely to attack the U.S. with atomic weapons
* Most of the candidates indicated there should be changes in fair trade agreements, emphasizing quality of life needs for workers and attention to environmental problems. However, Laesch said he does not support NAFTA or CAFTA, which he said have cost Americans thousands of jobs .
