Rep. Costello has said he wants “Making Prescription Drugs Affordable for Seniors”

“One of the reasons why I opposed the Bush Administration's plan to offer benefit cards to seniors is because I don't think it will truly lower the cost. In the face of this program, the Administration announced that Medicare premiums would rise by almost 20% in 2005. That is why, in the last Congress, I cosponsored H.R. 3707 to give the Administration the power to negotiate with drug companies to lower the cost of drugs so our seniors don't have to import drugs from Canada or pay significantly higher prices for prescription drugs,” according to Rep. Costello.

MY RESPONSE:

Mr. Costello makes a good point that prescription drugs are too expensive in our country, but his suggestion is nothing more than a band-aid trying to stop a wound from bleeding. This is not just a senior citizen issue; it is the middle and lower income family problem as well. I am in total agreement that senior citizens are hit hard, but you need to look at all the facts. In this district only 15% are senior citizens; Mr. Costello doesn’t even recognize the other 85% who are struggling, even people who have insurance.
Our country needs to look seriously at implementing a Single Payer Health Care Insurance program. There are too many people without insurance, and many times those who do, such as senior citizens, still cannot afford prescriptions. I have talked to many seniors about their expenses. I personally know a senior citizen who requires medication that costs him over $400 a month out of pocket. This is not just a problem for seniors, as many people working don’t have insurance to cover daily required medication, and this causes a rippling effect by requiring more medical attention in the future.
By enacting a Single Payer Health Care program, everyone will have coverage, reducing the middleman, the insurance companies, and resulting in lower costs of medical care as well as medication. Many people want to compare this method to Canada where they indicate people are on waiting lists to get care. Proper planning of a program can prevent this; after all, this is nothing new in our current health care system. My late wife passed away waiting for care which was stalled 6 weeks because of insurance and doctor requirements. Many people suffer this same fate, but we can fix this if planning and procedures are put in place correctly. This means “project management expertise”, which I have, but the majority of our congressional leaders do not have. Elect me in November and allow me to work on making changes in how we implement projects, and to help other members of Congress appreciate the need to understand proper planning. Unless we do something soon, many more people will die for no reason!

Please pass this on to your friends, family, co-workers, and post places where possible to get the message out that District 12 needs a leader to pursue changes.

Rep. Jerry Costello comments include:

“Fighting for Working Men and Women”

“We've seen it throughout Illinois - small towns hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs that have gone overseas. My position continues to be one of fair trade, not free trade - which is why I opposed NAFTA and any free trade agreement that does not guarantee levels of protection for American workers.

“We've seen more and more ‘outsourcing’ - using foreign companies to do jobs once held by American workers - something supported by the Bush White House. I'm pushing hard in the Congress to put an end to this practice and keep these good jobs here at home.”

“Stop Adding to our Children's and Grandchildren's Debt!”

“As a supporter of the federal balanced budget amendment, I was pleased at the progress made in the '90s when we went from a federal deficit to a federal surplus. Unfortunately, President Bush's agenda of tax cuts for the very well off, along with the war in Iraq, will cost us trillions over the next decade - and put us in a position of record-setting deficits once again. I will continue to oppose legislation that puts our nation in the precarious position of spending funds we don't have - and adding an onerous burden to the futures of our children and grandchildren who will be forced to pay it off.”

MY RESPONSE:
My belief is that economics must be based on communities. This country will only survive if the middle class is financially healthy; however, today we are in the midst of a middle class disintegration. We are witnessing corporate greed that is basically battling for world domination to build their own financial empire, passing over the middle- and lower-income workers, and in the process removing basic services from their offerings to the consumer. The corporate market system is based on competitiveness, while their greed exploits people to sustain their profiteering. Downsizing and offshoring has become the customary business approach in the last ten years, while we see many CEOs raid corporate assets. In this district you will find areas devastated as large employers have closed down operations to move to other countries for lower wages. And in some cases, the plan has cost the company more than it was worth, as the competency of offshore workers fails to meet the standards established by the skilled American workforce. As a result, the companies fail and close.

Mr. Costello indicates he is fighting for the working person and is against adding debt to our nation, but as I look around this district I do not see any results that have shown any exceptional leadership. Unemployment is up in every county in this district on an average of 2.5% from 2006 to 2007. These statistics are available from the Illinois Labor Force Report. Since 2000, the population has decreased nearly 5% in the district. However the population did increase slightly in St. Clair County, Mr. Costello’s home — which is no surprise when you see that some of the top recipients of federal funding are in his home county of St. Clair, which received nearly 50 million dollars. Other areas of this district must be given equal attention as well, which doesn’t seem to fit into his agenda.

And don’t forget about all the corporate donations Mr. Costello has received over the years from companies like Federal Express, AMR Corp, UPS, and Wal-Mart (2006).

I feel the real answer to this is to repeal NAFTA and get back to a form of local-economy-based system, where local governments and the people in the district have more control. We must begin by putting human needs as well as the environment in the forefront, and become creative in ways to bring business back to this district. By revitalizing local economic activity by removing special favors to corporations, we can bring prosperity back to this district. But it takes the voters to look to new leadership to make this happen.
Support my campaign, and I will be a leader to encourage initiatives and ideas to bring jobs back to our district. I will make sure you see me frequently, including town hall meetings as often as I can, and if the technology is available we will do web-casts to allow interaction with you.

It is important that you pass this newsletter on to your friends, family, and co-workers. Hang them up on public bulletin boards. I encourage you to set up house parties for me to meet people, or challenge your local leaders to set up a meeting with me to have personal discussions of how their area needs help. I am working to be your representative for the entire district, not just one area as we see year after year.

Over the next few weeks I will be addressing issues Jerry Costello has listed on his campaign web site: http://www.costelloforcongress.com/issues.html as well as my Republican opponent, Tim Richardson, Jr. which has his issues on his site at http://www.peopleforrichardson.com.

Mr. Costello’s Issue:

Protecting Scott Air Force Base

For 75 years, Scott AFB has played a critical role in our national defense and in our local economy. In 2005, the Department of Defense undertook its Base Realignment and Closure process, reviewing facilities nationwide for termination. Not only did Scott survive the BRAC closure recommendations but missions were added that should help secure Scott well into the future. In my view, Scott's growing role makes it a critical asset for Illinois and the nation. In the past, I have fought to protect Scott and will continue to do so in the future.

Mr. Richardson’s Issue:

War

The war effort was well needed. All people should have the ability to make a choice in any country. However, we need to create a plan that would ensure the safety of our troops and start a withdrawal of our troops. Too fast will do harm to the troops as well as our repot with other countries in the area

MY RESPONSE:

It is true Mr. Costello has worked extremely hard to keep Scott AFB open, and it is an important role in national defense and local economy. Mr. Costello is elected to represent the entire District 12, but his record will show that he only concentrates his efforts in the St. Clair County area. Can we afford to keep losing population because he has no leadership to persuade businesses to start or stay in this district?

Mr. Richardson’s issue on war is a true “Hawk” attitude. Even though Mr. Costello says he opposes the war in Iraq, he has continued to vote for spending money on the war. Violence is morally wrong, and does nothing to correct the problems at hand. It is our duty as leaders to show how negotiations can change a situation. Fighting and war never solves the problem, as it will leave underlying issues, no matter who wins the battle. It is important to vote for peace and learn to work with people. We must resist the pressure of being the "policeman" of the world. The United Nations was formed after World War II for the purpose of world peace.

Our government needs to rein in corporate power as well to include campaign finance reform and corporate codes of conduct. The military industrial corporations need to be controlled and stop the wasteful budgets and authorizing obscene no bid contracts to favor campaign contributors.

I challenge both opponents, Mr. Costello and Mr. Richardson to a series of 3-way debates this year to allow the citizens to hear us speak on the issues.

Greens Protest The Exclusion Of Antiwar Candidates From Democratic And Republican Primary Debates
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

Barring of Kucinich, Gravel, and Paul amounts to censorship of candidates whose positions are unacceptable to the Democratic and Republican parties, major media, and their corporate sponsors, say Greens

First Green presidential candidates' debate set for San Francisco on Sunday, January 13

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders and candidates protested the exclusion of Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, and Ron Paul from primary presidential debates sponsored by major news organizations.

Greens noted that Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Gravel, and Mr. Paul hold strong positions against the Iraq war and other Bush policies, in agreement with most Americans but contrary to the positions of other Democrats and Republicans running for the White House.

Mr. Kucinich, like the Green Party, favors single-payer national health care, unlike his fellow Democratic presidential candidates and the major media, which rely on corporate campaign contributions and advertising dollars from insurance firms, HMOs, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Mr. Kucinich was excluded from an ABC TV debate on January 5.

The six candidates for the Green Party's presidential nomination, all of whom oppose the war, will be featured in upcoming Green debates. The first debate will take place in San Francisco on January 13 . The nomination will be decided at the Green Party's 2008 national convention, July 10-13 in Chicago.

Jody Grage, treasurer of the Green Party of the United States: "In democratic elections, voters have a right to be informed about all the candidates whose names they'll see on the ballot. Fox and ABC TV have violated the public interest and their licenses to use the publicly owned airwaves. They're acting like the official news bureaus of dictatorships."

Jason Wallace, peace activist, Iraq War veteran, and Green candidate for Congress in Illinois (11th district) : "It's no accident that Kucinich, Gravel, and Paul -- the most vocal opponents of the Iraq invasion -- are getting shut out of the debates. While the Democratic and Republican parties and big media conglomerates try to close down serious public discussion over the Iraq war, the Green Party's 'Peace Slate' will continue to represent the opinion of most Americans, whom poll after poll have shown oppose the war. On Election Day 2008, the only truly antiwar candidates on the ballot will be from the Green Party or another third party or will be independent."

Rodger Jennings, Green candidate for Congress in Illinois (12th District) : "The Democratic and Republican parties and media companies like Fox and ABC have censored the opinions of the majority of Americans, who want to see a quick end to the Iraq War. It's revealing that Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee won in Iowa. Among the frontrunners within their respective parties, they've been the most critical of President Bush's foreign policies. But Mr. Huckabee has only criticized the Bush Administration's strategic blunders in Iraq, rather the war itself. While Mr. Obama has opposed the war, he only favors a vague and delayed timetable for partial withdrawal of troops, which suggests that the occupation will continue in some form regardless of which Democratic frontrunner might be elected in November. Mr. Obama has also added his voice to the military threat against Iran, and says nothing about holding the Bush Administration and war profiteers accountable for their crimes. Unfortunately, voters are being denied the chance to hear the real antiwar candidates and are being told that Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, and Ron Paul shouldn't be taken seriously."

John Walsh, Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party delegate to the Green Party's National Committee: "In recent elections, the Commission on Presidential Debates, the corporate-owned body controlled by the two established parties, has only allowed Democratic and Republican presidential candidates and has barred Green, independent, and other candidates from participating. We urge all Americans -- especially those who oppose bipartisan warhawk policies on Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran -- to speak out in demand of fair elections and election coverage, and inclusion of all qualified candidates in the debates, regardless of their positions or party memberships."

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

Green Party Speakers Bureau
http://www.gp.org/speakers

Green candidate database for 2007 and other
campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml

Our country is in a crisis mode when you look at the health care community. In June, 2007 the CDC issued a statement that nearly 15% of our citizens are not covered by any kind of health care. That is over 40 million people! Even people with health care have not received the care they expect. Take, for example, the recent death of Nataline Sarkisyan, 17, in California. Her health insurance company refused to allow a transplant until it was pressured to approve the procedure, but by that time she had already succumbed to liver failure (see http://www.phillyimc.org/or/2007/12/43868.shtml>.

Today there are too many people without insurance or with inadequate insurance. Insurance companies are allowed to make life-and-death decisions for people instead of allowing the patient and doctor to decide the best medical care. Many doctors fail to take the urgent steps to save patients lives because they fear lawsuits or are concerned that the insurance company will not pay. We cannot keep allowing this structure to continue. Innocent people will continue to loose their lives because of corporate greed and the failure of our government to act in their best interest.

The people of this district must realize that their current representative does not have their best interest in mind. Jerry Costello has voted no on limiting medical malpractice suits, capping damages and setting time limits on medical lawsuits, and voted no on establishing tax-exempt medical savings accounts. The American Public Health Association has give Mr. Costello a rating of 56% for his health-care record, which is a failing mark. Can you continue to support someone who has this low a rating on such a critical subject? There is an old saying to remember, that if you are not part of the solution, then maybe you are part of the problem.

It is my view that our country needs to look at single-payer health care. By doing this we can streamline a majority of the paperwork and reduce the middle man, the insurance companies. Allow doctors to consult with their patients and decide the best care that is available for them have access to. This means everyone, not just the rich, will have access to transplants, cancer treatments, and more. The single- payer health care system will allow for quicker decisions to be handled for critical needs. Personally, had my late wife been able to get critical care sooner, she might be alive today. Unfortunately, the medical system made her wait six weeks, and during that time, she lost her battle and died. Recently we saw a similar tragedy in the case of Nataline Sarkisyan in California. We must make this a priority for our citizens. No longer can we sit idly by and allow insurance companies run our medical community.
If you elect me to the U. S. Congress in the 12th District, I will work for better health care. I will be standing with you in your battle, and do everything in my power to ensure better quality of life for future generations.