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Febrary 1, 2008

Crowded race for Congress

News-Sun, Jim Newton

In a scrappy, crowded 8th Congressional District race, four challengers hope to eventually unseat two-term incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean.

In the Democratic primary, Lindenhurst resident Randi Scheurer is squaring off against Bean, while Ken Arnold and Kirk Morris, both of Gurnee, and Steve Greenberg of Long Grove are battling for the Republican nomination.

Scheurer, an anti-war activist whose husband, Bill, ran unsuccessfully against Bean in the 2004 Democratic primary, said she is running because Bean has not addressed issues she feels are most important to district residents -- health care and ending the war in Iraq.

"I do not feel she reflects the values of the Democratic Party. I feel she reflects the values of the Republican Party," Scheurer said.

Bean said she believes the security situation has improved in Iraq and wants to see the local government play a consistently larger role in the country's future.

"I continue to support legislation with responsible guidelines for phased reduction and redeployment of U.S. troops' focus from sectarian violence to fighting terrorism and training Iraqi forces," Bean said.

Bean said the economy has returned as a major issue, and she is supporting the House version of the stimulus bill, also supported by the president, as one measure of jump-starting the economy.

On immigration, Bean says Congress needs to fulfill its original promise to secure U.S. borders before dealing with the more complex issue of illegal immigrants already in the country.

The Republicans

Arnold said his platform issues include national health care, retirement income plans, fair foreign trade, securing U.S. borders and the economy and jobs.

Arnold, a Minuteman who said he joined the group at its inception in 2005, said he backs local efforts such as Waukegan's request for federal 287(g) status, and supports a national health-care plan.

Greenberg is running on a platform dedicated to lowering taxes, ending wasteful spending and demanding greater accountability from all federal departments and emphasizing strong national defense.

Greenberg is a strong proponent of lowering corporate taxes, claiming that it will result in the location of more businesses and jobs within U.S. borders.

On the Iraq war, Greenberg said, "I believe Iraq today is better off for what George Bush did in the long run. We have to see if the people will step up and embrace Democracy."

On immigration, Greenberg said the country needs to finish securing its borders and that he doesn't favor any type of amnesty program for illegal immigrants.

Morris said he is running for the 8th District seat because the issues he is most interested in cannot be solved at the local level.

"The issues I have the most passion for are federal issues -- immigration, taxes, health care and the economy," he said.

Morris said he favors the use of virtual fencing and electronic surveillance to secure U.S. borders, which he said would be much harder to penetrate than a brick-and-mortar wall.

He also said he has no interest in amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"If you don't have proper identification, you are illegal, period," Morris said. "If you are found here illegally, you and your family should be deported immediately."

Morris, who lost his son, Geoffrey, in the Iraq war in 2004, said he does not support a specific timetable for the withdrawal of troops. "My timetable is when we're successful," he said, adding that U.S. troops "have performed magnificently in rooting out militants.

Providing incentives such as tax breaks for companies with at least 80 percent of their employees in the United States is one measure that Morris said could help improve the economy.

( http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/770718,5_1_WA01_8THCONGRESS_S1.article# )





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Randi Scheurer email me			Febrary 1, 2008 Crowded race for Congress News-Sun, Jim Newton In a scrappy, crowded 8th Congressional District race, four challengers hope to eventually unseat two-term incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean. In the Democratic primary, Lindenhurst resident Randi Scheurer is squaring off against Bean, while Ken Arnold and Kirk Morris, both of Gurnee, and Steve Greenberg of Long Grove are battling for the Republican nomination. Scheurer, an anti-war activist whose husband, Bill, ran unsuccessfully against Bean in the 2004 Democratic primary, said she is running because Bean has not addressed issues she feels are most important to district residents -- health care and ending the war in Iraq. "I do not feel she reflects the values of the Democratic Party. I feel she reflects the values of the Republican Party," Scheurer said. Bean said she believes the security situation has improved in Iraq and wants to see the local government play a consistently larger role in the country's future. "I continue to support legislation with responsible guidelines for phased reduction and redeployment of U.S. troops' focus from sectarian violence to fighting terrorism and training Iraqi forces," Bean said. Bean said the economy has returned as a major issue, and she is supporting the House version of the stimulus bill, also supported by the president, as one measure of jump-starting the economy. On immigration, Bean says Congress needs to fulfill its original promise to secure U.S. borders before dealing with the more complex issue of illegal immigrants already in the country. *The Republicans* Arnold said his platform issues include national health care, retirement income plans, fair foreign trade, securing U.S. borders and the economy and jobs. Arnold, a Minuteman who said he joined the group at its inception in 2005, said he backs local efforts such as Waukegan's request for federal 287(g) status, and supports a national health-care plan. Greenberg is running on a platform dedicated to lowering taxes, ending wasteful spending and demanding greater accountability from all federal departments and emphasizing strong national defense. Greenberg is a strong proponent of lowering corporate taxes, claiming that it will result in the location of more businesses and jobs within U.S. borders. On the Iraq war, Greenberg said, "I believe Iraq today is better off for what George Bush did in the long run. We have to see if the people will step up and embrace Democracy." On immigration, Greenberg said the country needs to finish securing its borders and that he doesn't favor any type of amnesty program for illegal immigrants. Morris said he is running for the 8th District seat because the issues he is most interested in cannot be solved at the local level. "The issues I have the most passion for are federal issues -- immigration, taxes, health care and the economy," he said. Morris said he favors the use of virtual fencing and electronic surveillance to secure U.S. borders, which he said would be much harder to penetrate than a brick-and-mortar wall. He also said he has no interest in amnesty for illegal immigrants. "If you don't have proper identification, you are illegal, period," Morris said. "If you are found here illegally, you and your family should be deported immediately." Morris, who lost his son, Geoffrey, in the Iraq war in 2004, said he does not support a specific timetable for the withdrawal of troops. "My timetable is when we're successful," he said, adding that U.S. troops "have performed magnificently in rooting out militants. Providing incentives such as tax breaks for companies with at least 80 percent of their employees in the United States is one measure that Morris said could help improve the economy. ( http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/770718,5_1_WA01_8THCONGRESS_S1.article# )