Why Candidate Debates Are Important

This week, I , Congressman Peter Roskam, to meet me for a series of town hall-style debates in the eleven weeks we have left until the election.  I am very much looking forward to an exchange of views in front of the voters for one simple reason: Mr. Roskam and I disagree on how to solve most of the problems that face our country.  For that reason, I believe that voters deserve to hear from both of us so that their choice for Representative is clear.

That is not to say that we don’t agree on some things.  We both agree that the economy needs to be strengthened so that businesses can create more jobs.  Congressman Roskam has voted for bills that he says would do this by eliminating regulations and retaining tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.  He has also twice voted for the Paul Ryan budget that would cut the taxes of the wealthiest people even further and turn Medicare into a voucher program. 

On the other hand, I believe that continued weakness in the economy is the result of too little demand for the products of our businesses.  If more people had good jobs, more people would be able to afford to buy the things they both want and need.  They’d be able to buy a new car, which would strengthen the auto industry, or purchase a new home, which would help put the housing market back on its feet.  For that reason, I believe we must focus on economic growth through initiatives like investing in our infrastructure – repairing crumbling roads, bridges and schools – in order to put more people back to work and get more money circulating in the economy.

Unless Mr. Roskam and I debate, though, this and other differences in our outlooks may not become clear.  Our paid advertising, frankly, will tell you one point of view, either his or mine.   The voters deserve to know how we would each propose to:

• Preserve Medicare (or turn it into a voucher program)
• Protect our environment (or reduce environmental regulations)
• Reform our tax code (make it fairer? or more beneficial for the richest Americans?) and
• Determine the priorities for our nation.

I am a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) so I am trained to delve into the numbers to understand the facts and develop solutions.  I hope that Congressman Roskam accepts my invitation to debate so that we can discuss the problems facing our nation and what Congress should be doing to solve them.