By Mike Riopell - Daily Herald Staff Writer
Daily Herald
Posted Wednesday, November 1, 2006
The 10th congressional district is contested between incumbent Republican Mark Kirk of Highland Park and Democratic challenger Dan Seals of Wilmette.
The 10th district covers much of the eastern half of Lake County and significant parts of the Northwest suburban Cook County.
Q. Incumbents: Describe your main contributions. Challengers: What contributions do you intend to make?
Seals: My main contribution will be pragmatism and sensible center independence. My goal is to lay the groundwork for our future success.
If my agenda is realized we will be more productive, more advanced in a technological sense, and in a financial position to take advantage of that productivity and technology. The net result will be higher standards of living for our people and stronger leadership for the world.
For the average American it will mean access to health care regardless of where they work or how much they make. It will mean they pay less for the energy they use and most likely use new kinds of energy. It will also mean low interest rates, which will help in managing credit card, car, and home loans and encourage investment in our economy.
For our country it will mean a greater ability to address problems both here and abroad because our financial position will be stronger.
As the world ' s most prominent democracy, when we demonstrate that liberal democracy can provide for all its citizens without resorting to force of arms, then internal pressure in other nations will bring change. Our influence will be derived more from economic leadership than military might.
I believe this is a more humane source of power, but one that will work only if we show we can provide for all of our citizens. Freedom, trade, and tolerance are the traits this nation should exemplify to the world and the legacy this generation of American leaders should leave to history.
Kirk: My achievements include saving the North Chicago Veterans Administration Hospital and starting its new $100 million expansion to provide quality health care to our veterans and active duty navy personnel. I also unlocked $135 million in federal funding to fight traffic gridlock by double-tracking Metra ' s North Central Line.
I founded programs for Latina mothers to learn English and the "Projecta Abuelita " to reunite Mexican grandparents with their children and grandchildren in the 10th District. I also started my own program for gifted children - the 10th District Laureates Program that is now in its third year having completed a year of programming on astrophysics and " mini-medical school. "
The protection and restoration of Lake Michigan is one of my top priorities. I led efforts to assemble the $23 million cleanup of Waukegan Harbor. When complete, the Northeast, Midwest Institute reports Lake County property values will go up by $800 million.
With Mayor Daley, I proposed the first federal ban on sewage dumping in the lake and will advance legislation to dramatically cut the mercury pollution of the Great Lakes. I established the Openlands Lakefront Preserve at Fort Sheridan - 77 acres of lakefront bluffs now protected for generations to come.
In Washington, I wrote and executed the political strategy that brought the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act to approval by the House. I voted to override the President ' s veto and will work with Democrats and Republicans to make sure we win this fight. To keep our children safe, I co-authored and passed legislation to protect children from online predators and enacted legislation to make sure pedophiles and dangerous felons are not hired as teachers or coaches.
I wrote the federal laws that now govern the reward program for terrorists, ensure military voting and provide airport security. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I wrote dozens of provisions now in law or language that govern federal programs from the State, Defense, VA, Commerce, and Justice Departments, and FTC. These include increasing our capabilities to fight drug gangs in Chicagoland, lifting the bureaucratic ban on gifts for wounded soldiers, and the installation of the Federal Do Not Call registry.
Q. Has No Child Left Behind improved education? Should it be changed?
Seals: No Child Left Behind has four fundamental problems: it ' s an undefended mandate, forcing local school districts to either raise taxes or cut spending; it forces teachers to teach to the test instead of focusing on education; it ' s overly rigid, refusing to take into account special circumstances of individual children; rather than rewarding successful schools, it punishes struggling ones.
Kirk: Parents have a right to know how their child ' s teacher and school are performing. We should continue to disclose the performance results of schools to parents but we can refine problems we now see in the measurement of education achievement.
We have learned more in the last four years of education measurement than we have in the last 14. This is why I formed an Education Advisory Board in 2001, chaired by Dr. Paul Kimmelman. Working with unions (Illinois Education Association), administrators, experts in Special Education/Limited English Proficiency and parents, we proposed changes to the Act to be debated next year.
Our bipartisan bill (HR 5717), which was endorsed by the National Education Association and co-sponsored by Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), will more accurately and fairly monitor students ' progress, especially special education and English as a Second Language students.
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