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Posted: Friday, 06 November 2009 9:26AM
Quiet debate for GOP candidates for Ill. governor
Bob Roberts Reporting
WBBM Newsradio 780
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(WBBM) -- Although the shootings at Fort Hood, Tex., were hundreds of miles from the Hilton Chicago Hotel's Continental Ballroom, it figured prominently in the first debate by the seven Republican candidates for Illinois governor.
"When it comes to homeland security, you go with professionals, not politicians," said State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R- Hinsdale).
Businessman and former state Republican Chairman Andy McKenna agreed, saying, "You've got to put effective people in charge."
Conservative commentator and media relations specialist Dan Proft said the sharing of intelligence must be better integrated at all levels, so that local, state and federal agencies can work with maximum effect.
State Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) said there is no more important job in state government than Illinois Emergency Management Agency director, and said the job demands a professional. But he also said the shootings at Fort Hood make a case for controversial legislation that would allow licensed gun owners to obtain permits to carry their weapons concealed.
"It would help to respond to cases like this, as well as the tragic incident that occurred on Northern Illinois University's campus," Brady said.
A gunman fired on students attending an earth sciences class at NIU's Cole Hall on Feb. 14, 2008, killing five others in a matter of moments before taking his own life.
The candidates discussed a wide range of issues, ranging from how Illinois should address the economic downturn and its own spending imbalances to the health care debate.
DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom said each year, every state agency should be required to build its budget from zero up, justifying every position. Dillard said he sees no reason why "millionaire senior citizens" should be allowed free mass transit rides, while there is insufficient money to finance scholarships for needy college students.
Businessman Adam Andrezejewski said spending should be cut and a statewide audit undertaken to determine where it can be done most effectively. McKenna spoke of a program to provide financial assistance to young entrepreneurs, while Brady spoke of a $1 billion cut in business taxes, and a $2,100 per job tax credit for businesses. Proft called for a 50 percent cut in both the personal and business income tax rates, with commensurate state spending cuts.
Most said that if given the chance to opt Illinois out of a federally-run health plan, they'd do so.
"If I wanted to be part of socialized medicine, I'd move to Europe," Dillard said. "As governor, I'll be damned if I'm going to let a socialistic Washington shove a new mandate down the taxpayers' throats in Illinois, especially if it's health care."
Former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, a cancer survivor whose family members also have been hard hit with health problems, said the health care delivery system needs change, but said the proposals put forward by President Obama won't work.
"Obama's plan is too costly," Ryan said. "He's trying to take on too much and I don't agree with most of what he wants to do."
Andrzejewski said state licensing officials should make doctors' disciplinary histories more readily available online.
The Illinois Republican Party sponsored the 90-minute debate. Republicans who paid $250 per person filled the ballroom and remote locations across the state. A party spokesman said the debate raised an estimated $100,000 for the GOP warchest.
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