Q&A with Sauerberg
1. Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what? What will be your main priority?
On 9/11, like so many other Americans, I was working in my office, treating patients, when I realized our lives had forever changed. In a post 9/11 world I became acutely aware of how important our elected leaders in Washington were to the safety and security of our families. I began to look closer at our elected officials and it became clear to me that the senior Senator from Illinois had become completely out of touch. Sadly, after 37 years on the government payroll, Dick Durbin has forgotten who he is supposed to represent. Instead of working for his constituents Senator Durbin has joined forces with the most liberal of liberal special interest groups to dole out legislative favors to left wing interests. My main priority would be to reverse the course Dick Durbin has set in DC by returning our Illinois values to Washington.
2. For incumbents and non-incumbents. If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of important initiatives you've led. If you are not an incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.
Dick Durbin and the professional politicians in Washington have failed us on immigration, on healthcare, on taxes, and on controlling runaway spending. When I am representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate, I will fight for an immigration policy that secures our borders and one that will not reward law breakers with amnesty. I will work to pass meaningful healthcare reform that gives individuals more control over their own healthcare, a system that eliminates fraud and waste, and a system that ends frivolous lawsuits. I will sponsor legislation that will require openness and transparency in all Congressional proceedings and legislation. No longer will the professional politicians be able to hide their actions from taxpayers. I will be a leader in Senate when it comes to eliminating wasteful pork-barrel spending and will fight to keep taxes low on hard-working Illinois families.
3. In which ways, if at all, would you alter U.S. policy in Iraq and Afghanistan? How would you characterize the effect of the U.S. "surge" in Iraq? What objectives, if any, must the U.S. still meet before it begins to withdraw troops?
I believe in a system of economic, political and military benchmarks to hold the Iraqi government accountable and to make it clear that Americans are neither giving Iraqi politicians a blank check nor approving of the status quo. Giving our enemies in Iraq a withdrawal timeline will lead to the loss of more American lives and destabilize a region that needs stability. The surge in Iraq is working and a genuine victory is in our grasp that will leave a secure Iraq and ensure the safety of American interests.
4. What short-term steps, if any, would you advocate to keep gasoline prices in check?
First and foremost, we must drill safely off-shore and in the Alaskan tundra, as well as expand our domestic oil refining capabilities. We should also reduce federal and state gas taxes and tap the strategic oil reserve to give consumers immediate relief at the pump.
5. Please list the key elements of your preferred long-term energy policy. Rank or rate the relative importance of domestic oil exploration, conservation and alternative-energy development. What part, if any, should ethanol play in U.S. energy policy?
No matter what the politicians tell you, there is no silver bullet to end the energy crisis facing us today. Nuclear power alone won't do it, investing in alternative energy sources like wind and solar alone won't do it either, neither will expanded domestic drilling alone do it. The truth is that we will only end the current energy crisis when we adopt a comprehensive energy plan. Unlike Dick Durbin, I have a comprehensive plan to end the crisis. Instead of offering cheap election year gimmicks like windfall taxes and empty threats of lawsuits, I have a comprehensive plan that will lower prices at the pump today - and create a future where we are free of our reliance on foreign oil. In addition to expanding our reliance on nuclear power we must also expand oil production and refinement. This means voting to lift the ban on drilling off-shore and voting to end the ban on drilling in the Alaskan tundra. These steps, coupled with decreasing federal gas taxes and tapping the strategic oil reserve, can help relieve the pressure that sky-high gas prices are putting on individuals, families and businesses in Illinois. Long term we must encourage new technologies and alternative energy sources by expanding tax credits for research in these areas.
6. What steps, if any, should Congress take to promote economic recovery? What steps by the federal government might make the nation's economy worse?
The worst thing to do in a struggling economy is raise taxes. To promote good paying jobs, I support making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent and eliminating the alternative minimum tax (AMT). When I am in the Senate, I will work to lower taxes while balancing the federal budget by eliminating wasteful government spending and reducing overall government spending. Additionally, we need a United States Senator who recognizes that the global economy is a reality, and as such, will work to pass trade agreements - like the Colombia Free Trade Agreement - that will give Illinois businesses an opportunity to compete internationally.
7. Do you favor or oppose a larger federal role in health-care? Either way, why and what should the federal role be? What, if anything, should be done about rising health care costs and Americans who do not have health coverage?
Yes, the federal government should be involved in making affordable, quality health insurance available to all citizens. Socialized medicine, however, is not the answer. As a Doctor, I deal with this issue everyday and I know for a fact the system, while working for some, is broke. That is why I have created "Your Healthcare - Your Choice" to make sure all have access to at least basic healthcare coverage. First, in order to promote coverage for every man, woman and child in the United States through the private sector, the government needs to encourage portability, competition, accessibility and individual ownership of quality medical insurance. Second, to protect patients and providers and to dramatically reduce healthcare costs we need to end frivolous lawsuits. Third, we must encourage innovation and promote best-practices at all levels of our healthcare system. Finally, without ending fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid we cannot fundamentally reform our healthcare system. We can reform our healthcare system, make quality affordable healthcare available to all, and do so without increasing costs to the federal government.
8. Would you maintain or scale back federal tax cuts made during the past eight years? Either way, why? How, as specifically as possible, would you try to reduce federal budget deficits and the national debt?
Illinoisans deserve real tax relief. To provide such tax relief our tax system needs a dramatic overhaul. The system needs to be fairer, flatter and substantially simpler. The first step in any discussion of reforming our tax code is protecting the tax relief that Illinoisans enjoy today. We should make permanent the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. We should eliminate the alternative minimum tax and we should encourage investment and savings by continuing to tax capital gains and dividends at lower rates. Congress and the President should look closely at the flat tax, fair tax, or any other proposals that will create a fairer, flatter and substantially simpler tax code. Dramatic overhaul of our tax code, however, is a long term goal that is going to require a tremendous amount of public pressure on Washington. Additionally, we need to reduce the need for higher taxes by reducing the federal budget and ending the era of special interest pork barrel spending. Second, we need leadership in Washington that will prioritize spending and stop passing the buck to the next generation of taxpayers.
9. The current Congress could not agree on immigration reform. What would you do to advance reform in a divided Congress, and, briefly, what should the key policy elements be?
In stark contrast to Senator Durbin's radical left-wing approach to our immigration crisis, I offer common-sense principles that would guide my approach to this issue. I will not offer the same failed answers that Dick Durbin and the Washington crowd offers. Instead, I will fight: 1. to secure our borders, 2. to oppose any effort to provide amnesty or incentives to illegals and, 3. to immediately deport illegal immigrants upon completion of serving prison time if they break our laws. Additionally, Congress has funded building a fence, and they - including Senator Durbin - have failed to ensure it was built. I will work to build the fence and ensure current immigration laws are enforced.
10. In what ways is the U.S. government successfully defending citizens against terrorism, and in what ways is the U.S. failing in that regard?
The fact that we have not been the victim of a domestic terrorist attack since 9/11 is a testament to the government's vigilance in protecting American citizens. The Patriot Act has been, and continues to be, an effective tool in protecting us against terrorist threats. We still, however, need to do more. We need to secure our borders to insure that terrorists do not sneak across our porous southern border. We need to continue to stay on the offensive fighting the global war on terrorism - working to root out extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan.