Herman White: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: Downers GroveWebsite: www.HermanWhiteforCongress.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: 11th Congressional District Age: 67Family: Peggy White, WifeSusie M. White, MotherZepherine Finch, Sister (deceased)Clarence Finch, Brother-in-LawEllen DeBerge, Sister-in-LawMartin Wiora, Brother-in-LawJohn "Red" Wiora, Brother-in-Law12 nieces and nephews2 grand-nephews and 5 grand-niecesOccupation: PhysicistEducation: A.B., Physics, Earlham CollegeM.S., Physics, Michigan State UniversityPh.D., Particle Physics, Florida State UniversityCivic involvement: North Central College (Naperville), Board of TrusteesTeachers' Academy of Mathematics and Science(Chicago), Board of TrusteesEdward Hospital and Health Services Corporation (Naperville), Board of DirectorsNaperville Police and Fire CommissionElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers How will you work to make Congress more productive and effective? What actions are needed to produce a healthy federal budget? Specifically, what changes do you advocate regarding how revenue is produced or what our spending priorities are? In particular, what effect does current policy have on your district and what changes, if any, are needed?Federal spending is a major challenge for the United States and operating within a slow budgetary process creates greater harm to our citizens. We must start by taking action in agreeing to an on-time, fair and balanced budget. The current administration is on track to nearly double the national debt from $10.6 trillion to a projected $20 trillion debt by 2017. As a member of Congress, I will work to stop the fraud, waste and abuse, and start by mandating forensic audits. We must act now to provide better services with fewer costs and be more responsible with taxpayers' hard earned money. I will also join my republican colleagues in fighting for sound tax reform. We owe it to the hardworking taxpayers of the 11th district and nationwide in treating all taxpayers on an equal plane. Despite the fact that the nation's total tax burden has risen to its highest historical levels, it still isn't producing enough revenue to match our obligations. A budget that matches our needs with our revenue and brings our citizens into the process by communicating what the budget is likely to be allows our citizens to plan for the budget year well before it is enacted. Making the hard choices is not the only challenge, but having time to adjust is crucial and shows the way forward to reduce waste and make better priorities.What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? How will these policies have an impact in your district?This topic is very close to me, and I have the tremendous joy of welcoming new family members from a number of different nations of the world. With the recent worldwide attacks and local community unrest, there is no more important time to honestly discuss immigration policies. The United States has welcomed â#8364;#8221; and will always welcome â#8364;#8221; immigrants who enter this country legally. In my profession, I have the good fortune to work with people of all nationalities. We must continue to balance our nation's founding and immigrant history while protecting our citizens to live in a safe country â#8364;#8221; and this is our challenge: balance. No one is disputing that the current immigration system is broken and must be fixed. We need an immigration system that attracts the best and brightest students, and works to improve our nation's globally-competitive economy. Immigration reform must come up with a plan to address the 11 million undocumented people in our country in a compassionate and humane way. I believe if someone came here as a young child, through no fault of your own, and you're going to school and staying out of trouble, you should be encouraged, not punished.Immigration reform can and will improve our global competitiveness and strengthen our economy, thus creating the opportunity for more businesses and jobs in the 11th district.What should be the top priorities in Congress related to the Affordable Care Act? If you want changes, what specifically do you recommend? If you want the act entirely eliminated, please address these questions: Is that politically feasible? If it proves infeasible, where do you see the potential for compromise? If it is eliminated, what would you replace it with, if anything?With more than a decade of service on the Board of Directors of Edward Hospital and Health Services Corporation, I bring a unique set of skills in healthcare leadership and knowledge of healthcare reform. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) needs drastic reform to include the promise of keeping your doctor and at an affordable cost. Our current system does neither. We need a patient-centered solution to this nation's health care crisis. Patients need more control, not less. A viable health plan should cover the needs of an individual patient/family and their primary health care provider.As a free-market Republican, I believe we need a market-based competitive system to lower health care costs, which will solve many related problems in the health care system, including access and affordability.We should reform the ACA and plan for the future. Access to affordable care is just the first step. However, the designers of the ACA failed to consider the next thirty years, when not just access, but also the delivery of affordable healthcare will be in crisis due to the need for more doctors, nurses and highly-trained medical technicians.Strengthening Medicare will help us prepare for the future. The citizens of the 11th district, and indeed the nation, are aging and will need better health care services. We must stop forcing taxpayers to be part of a poorly implemented, expensive, broken promises health care system. Millions have lost their health insurance, cannot see their own doctors and pay more while getting less.What military or diplomatic roles should the United States play to promote peace and stability in the Mideast? Under what circumstances, should we have military forces actively operating?The brave men and women in the United States military have represented us in various lands, by working side by side with the Red Cross after a natural disaster, working in villages to rebuild war torn homes or building morale in war zones with families fighting for democracy. The U.S. military has been a beacon of peace and stability. We need to get back to these basics and be the leading voice in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. If we are to be a leader of peace and stability, we must also protect those ambassadors of peace and hold accountable those who harm our good work. Most importantly, we as a country have failed our veterans, who have made countless sacrifices and served in our nation's armed forces. From veterans dying while waiting for care and over-medication to construction delays and cost overruns, the VA is plagued by systemic problems. American veterans deserve our deepest appreciation and respect. They represent our best and brightest, an all-volunteer force serving with honor and distinction under the most difficult of circumstances. As a member of Congress, I will fight for our veterans.Please list any elected office you have ever run for and what the result of that election was. Have you ever been appointed to fill an unexpired term?I was appointed to the Board of Police and Fire Commission of Naperville, the fourth largest city in Illinois, and served over six years in that post. In these troubled times in many communities of our great nation, experience in public safety is vital for leadership. Attention to and concerns for the safety of our communities is now a national debate. Whether it be our schools, communities, homes or places of worship, safety on a local-to-global scale is a top priority. I am the only candidate for 11th district with the necessary experience to engage in this national conversation.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I believe that we should make every effort to match our vast educational system with the jobs of the next generation. Accessible and affordable education is the key to our nation's strong future. I want to reinvigorate the partnership between the institutions that train our workforce and the industries that hire and utilize that workforce. We should plan this now and be prepared for the next generation to compete and lead in a global economy and a global community.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I admire hospital workers because they care for others. Both my parents worked in hospitals, were great examples of service.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard, and it was okay to explore the world.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I am fascinated the world in which we live, and given more time, I would explore it more.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Actually, I had two favorites: science and music. Science, which became my life's work and music, which gives me great enjoyment.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Explore the world. Give your talents to the world.