Robert Marshall: Candidate profile

Bio

Party: Republican

City: Burr Ridge

Office sought: U.S. Senate

Age: 76

Family: Wife, Susan Marshall; Son, Michael Marshall; Daughters, Catherine, Emily and Andrea.

Occupation: Physician

Education: Oberlin College, Harvard Medical School.

Civic involvement: Previous Board of Directors of Berwyn YMCA, Berwyn Kiwanis, Berwyn Development Corporation.

Elected offices held: Trustee of Burr Ridge.

Incumbent? If yes, when were first elected: No.

Website: citizensforrobertmarshall.net

Twitter: marshall4senate

Facebook: Robert Marshall Republican for US Senate

Questions and Answers

1. What have the past three years of Donald Trump's unconventional leadership taught us about politics in the United States? What is the best thing his presidency has done? What is the most significant criticism you have of it?

President Trump is representing the silent majority or people who have not been well represented in Washington. This includes people from the Southern states and Great Plains states and also people in the Midwest whose jobs have been eliminated by poor trade deals. The best things he has done is improving the economy, improving trade deals and improving our relationships with many countries throughout the world. The only significant criticism I have is his limit on the property tax deduction at $10,000, which I would hope to increase if I am elected.

2. What needs to be done to get Congress to work constructively, whether that be senators and representatives of both parties working with each other or Congress itself working with the president?

The best thing we can do to help Congress work together is to elect more Republicans and have the Republicans take control of the House and continue to control the U.S. Senate. If I am elected, this would be a big step in this direction.

If the Republicans controlled both houses of the Congress, this unnecessary impeachment circus show would have never happened.

3. What do you see as the most important issues to address regarding immigration reform? If you oppose funding for a wall, what steps do you support to try to control illegal immigration?

I am in favor of funding to complete our southern wall. We need to have secure borders in order to control illegal immigration. We also need voter I.D. for voting and E-Verify for employment so that illegal aliens do not take jobs away from Americans.

Immigration criteria should be based on three factors.

1. Immigrants should want to love us rather than blow us up.

2. Immigrants should be able to support themselves to a minimal degree so that they are not dependent on our welfare system.

3. I would add that they should be able to speak English to at least a minimal degree or at least willing to learn.

4. Please define your position on health care reform, especially as it relates to the Affordable Care Act.

We need to repeal all parts of the ACA which are unnecessary and keep the parts that are good. We need to have a plan for preexisting illnesses and the Republican Party does have such a plan. We need to be able to keep young adults on their parent's health insurance policy up to the age of 26 or 27.

Health insurance companies should be able to cross state lines in order to sell their policies. We should increase competition between health insurance companies allowing health companies to exist which cater to people with better health conditions. People should be able to customize

their policies so that they are not funding services they will not use. We do this with automobile insurance, we ought to be able to do this with health insurance.

People should be free to not purchase health insurance if they so desire.

Private individuals should be able to deduct their health insurance costs off their incomes as employers are allow to do with their employee health benefits.

5. What is your position on federal funding for contraception, the Violence Against Women Act and reproductive rights?

We should continue federal funding for conception. The problem of abortion should be resolved by prevention of unwanted pregnancies and funding contraception would help do that. I am opposed to late term abortions and all public funding of abortions. I am for parental consent. I believe, however, that abortion should remain legal up to at least 20 weeks.

In cases of violence against women, the women should be believed and not further victimized.

6. What do you consider America's role in world affairs? What are we doing correctly to fill that role? What else should we be doing?

We should downsize our role in world affairs. We have spent far too much money and lives trying to solve the problems of the rest of the world.

It is time for us to withdraw from all of these wars throughout the Mideast and left the people in those parts of the country solve their own problems. We should consider decreasing foreign aid and downsizing our military involvement throughout other parts of the world.

7. Do you believe climate change is caused by human activity? What steps should government be taking to address the issue?

I do believe that there is evidence for global warming and that humans probably have some role in contributing to it. I would oppose, however, any tax changes. I am opposed to cap and trade and a carbon tax or any other further taxes on carbon based energies. We should continue to encourage and subsidize wind generated energies and solar power. We should continue to sustain and encourage nuclear energy.

There are inexpensive solutions to global warming, such as planting billions of new trees and other plants.