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Foster, Khouri disagree on business regulations, ways to improve economy

Both candidates for the 11th U.S. Congressional District seat are business owners, but their philosophies on the government's regulation of businesses and ways to improve the economy vary greatly.

Democrat Bill Foster of Naperville, who is seeking a third term, started Electronic Theatre Controls Inc., a company that manufactures theater lighting equipment, when he was 19. The company now provides more than 1,000 jobs.

"That's something I'm very proud of, keeping jobs in the Midwest," he said.

But Foster's Republican opponent, Tonia Khouri, criticized him for having his business in Wisconsin, where he grew up, instead of in the 11th District, which covers parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties, including Aurora, Naperville and Bolingbrook.

"I am a local business owner. My business is in Aurora," she said, referring to her company, Green T, which provides lawn care, window replacement and carpet cleaning. "My business is in the district employing local residents. I'm involved in this community; I know this community."

Khouri, of Aurora, says she would support measures like the Review Act, which would require more review of business regulations before they are implemented.

"There's a lot of small businesses in our district that are being killed by regulations," she said.

Khouri points to her experience as chairwoman of the DuPage County Board's economic development committee as experience that would be helpful in Congress. During her time on the committee she voted to keep the tax levy flat, opposed a progressive tax and helped start the Metro West Manufacturing Workforce Collaboration, which trains the unemployed and underemployed for full-time manufacturing jobs.

"Education and jobs is the only way people break free from poverty," Khouri said. "It's something that's not discussed enough. My opponent is only discussing it now because he knows I'm passionate about it and it's part of my platform."

But Foster disagreed and said he has spent most of his time in Congress repairing the damage created by the philosophy that Khouri supports.

"Education and jobs is a slogan. You need policies that actually create education and jobs," he said. "Passion is fine, but if your policies actually destroy our economy, it's not fine. My opponent talks about poverty, but the poverty was created by the financial catastrophe of the policies she supports."

Foster said he supports a combination of responsible spending cuts and the closing of deductions and loopholes that benefit special interests instead of average citizens. He also favors most of the features in Hillary Clinton's tax plan and is proposing legislation this fall to fix the formula that determines how much the state pays into the Highway Trust Fund, since it currently pays more in federal taxes than it receives in federal spending.

Foster said certain deregulations for businesses not only cause trouble for the economy, but also the environment.

He referred to pollution problems that Downers Grove and Lisle have been struggling with for decades because unregulated businesses dumped chemical waste that contaminated the groundwater.

"There is a need for sensible regulation, and I support that," he said. "This mindless mantra of deregulation drove us into debt and wrecked our economy."

Khouri maintained, however, that she fundamentally disagrees with the growing government.

"Of course we need regulation," she said. "We need reasonable regulation. Right now, it's overburdening our small business and killing entrepreneurship."

She added that while Foster touts that the economy has improved while he has been in office, she doesn't think it's growing enough.

"You can talk about jobs all your want, but they're not good-paying jobs," she said. "They're part-time jobs, There's millions of people that are unemployed right now and underemployed."

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