We believe Dan Seals is the right person to represent us because he offers a bright vision and the best chance at a common sense voice in Congress. We like his views on issues like education, health care, civil rights, and the economy.
Please read below to learn more about Dan’s views, and join us in supporting Dan today!
Civil Rights – Racial Profiling
A person’s race, religion, ethnicity, and national origin should have no bearing on how they are viewed or treated by the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, we know from our own history that this has not always been the case. Dan is adamantly opposed to this unjust and ineffective practice and will support legislation that bans racial profiling by federal agencies.
Civil Rights – Hate Crimes
Hate crimes are committed against individuals, but they affect entire communities. Dan believes in enforcing stronger penalties for hate crimes and supported the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expands federal hate crime laws to include crimes motivated by the victim’s perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The act also provides federal authorities with a greater ability to assist state and local law enforcement with investigations into bias-motivated crimes.
Economy
The Administration’s efforts to avert an economic depression seem to be working, but we still have more to do if our economy is going to work for more Americans. Controlling the costs of health care, energy, and higher education will leave families with more money in their pockets. Pro-growth policies that encourage R&D and small business growth will create jobs. Finally, paying down our national debt and making our educational system more competitive will spur long term growth for generations to come.
Education
At the starting line of life, every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn and succeed. That’s what education is all about. From early education to adult education, we need to make changes in order to become more competitive, and ensure each child has an equal opportunity. Our challenge is how to fund a world-leading educational system when we are so deeply in debt. We should focus on expanding early education programs like Head Start, overhauling laws like No Child Left Behind—which is leaving too many children behind—and work to make higher education more affordable. We also need to encourage African-American parents to increase their involvement in their children’s education, and we should work on decreasing resource disparities so that every child receives a quality education.
Investing in Early Education
Study after study has shown that Head Start is an effective tool for helping children—especially poor children—to get off on the right foot and reduce the achievement gap that forms over time. For every dollar we put into Head Start programs, experts estimate our society gets $9 of benefit. Increased funding to this program is a winning issue for our country and our children. So, Dan’s goal is to make Head Start universally available. In the interim, we can increase the bang for the buck this program creates by ensuring Head Start teachers meet higher education standards and Head Start administrative staff have more stable funding streams to guarantee continuity for Head Start students.
Health Care
A recent Chicago Tribune article noted the increasing disparity in the health status of blacks and whites, according to a study by the Sinai Urban Health Institute. The study suggested that poverty, segregation, and access to health care all play a role in this disparity. Read the article here.
Health care is a right, not a privilege, as Sen. Ted Kennedy said. Our system costs too much and covers too few. If we do nothing, we know what will happen: costs will continue to rise by 10 percent annually, hundreds of thousands more families will lose insurance each year, and businesses will continue to be put at a competitive disadvantage as they shoulder a health care burden that competitors overseas do not. Almost every other industrialized country has figured out a way to address these problems. We can do the same here. Dan thinks the emphasis should be on lowering costs, improving patient outcomes, and providing a public option for the uninsured.
Youth Violence and Gangs
Gangs are not just a city problem. According to the Chicago Police Department, gangs exist in virtually every community in the Chicago area—city and suburb alike. Where gangs are, violence and drugs often follow. The perpetrators of criminal activity should be punished. However, prevention is the best method of controlling youth violence and gang activity. We must invest in early childhood education, work with parents to increase their involvement in their children’s education and lives, increase the availability of after-school and anti-violence programs for children, and provide parent and community awareness programs.
In the words of Dr. John Marquez, who himself grew up surrounded by gang violence: “I can say with confidence that from every angle and with every tool I’ve examined this, conditions such as youth violence are really cries for help from disadvantaged communities.” We must remember these are children who are lacking something they need, and do our best to fulfill our nation’s promise to them from the start.