Foster, Oberweis face off on health care
In the first of only five joint appearances before the March 8 special election, Republican Jim Oberweis and Democrat Bill Foster squared off at the offices of The Beacon News, a sister publication of The Courier News, in Aurora on Tuesday.
The two are competing to replace Dennis Hastert in the 14th District congressional race. During the interview, the candidates emphasized their differences on everything from the economy to the war in Iraq to illegal immigration.
(Heather Eidson/Staff Photographer)
• Video: Iraq
• Video: Immigration
• Video: Health care
• Video: The campaign
• Video: Local issues
• Candidates ramp up campaign spending
• Foster: Would reverse some of the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 and would cut spending.
• Oberweis: Would make Bush tax cuts permanent and would cut spending.
Iraq
• Foster: Would leave a timeline for troop withdrawal up to the experts and would use congressional power to limit future war funding.
• Oberweis: Also would leave a timeline for withdrawal up to the generals on the ground but opposes limiting war funding.
Illegal immigration
• Foster: Would create a guest worker program, allowing illegal immigrants to stay in this country and work while in line for citizenship, and would assess an impact fee for those workers and the employers who hire them; wants ID card for easy status verification.
• Oberweis: Opposes impact fee plan, calling it an "amnesty tax," but would allow immigrants to work while waiting for citizenship as long as they return home every 10 months; also wants ID card for easy status verification.
Health care
• Foster: Wants universal health care; would vote for federal medical care for all children.
• Oberweis: Wants a more flexible system that is less dependent on employers and allows people to buy the level of health care they want.
One of their sharpest points of divergence, however, came on the issue of health care.
Foster said if he is elected, he would vote for universal or near-universal heath care coverage. He praised European countries and Canada for their universal systems and said he would advocate federally providing basic health care to all the nation's children.
Oberweis disagreed, saying the country needs to move away from employer-based health care systems and into a more flexible model that allows people to buy the level of health care they want. A proponent of the free market, Oberweis derided the universal health care systems Foster praised, saying sick people from those countries come to the U.S. for fast, reliable medical care.
The candidates disagreed on how to improve the economy as well, with Foster criticizing the policies of President George W. Bush and advocating reversal of some of the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003.
Oberweis believes that would be the wrong direction for the country and wants those tax cuts made permanent.
On the issue of the war, Foster, who has described himself as a "vote for change in Iraq," presented a position that seems to mirror that of his opponent. He suggested listening to the generals on the ground and gradually withdrawing troops based on their recommendations, a position Oberweis has held since the campaign began.
However, while Foster denied wanting to remove all funding for the war, he and Oberweis still disagree on whether to use congressional purse strings to effect change. Foster has suggested adding conditions to bills that would not allow the president more funds to use in Iraq, a practice Oberweis opposes.
Oberweis again criticized Foster for his proposal to create a guest worker program for illegal immigrants who wish to become citizens, and then assess impact fees against the workers and employers who hire them. Oberweis calls the plan an "amnesty tax," a slap on the wrist for employers who hire illegal immigrants, but Foster said the only ones who would be able to get jobs would be those in line for citizenship.
The meeting turned tense a few times, as Oberweis criticized Foster for not agreeing to any public debates before the March 8 special election -- his campaign pulled out of the Elgin League of Women Voters forum, scheduled for today. Oberweis said Foster is avoiding these debates because "my positions are in line with the voters of this district."
"In this district, his views don't fit," he added.
And Foster said his biggest regret during the primary election was not standing up for State Sen. Chris Lauzen, who Foster believes was harshly treated by the Oberweis campaign. He drew a sharp line between himself and his opponent and repeatedly called himself the candidate for change.
"Eleven days from now, there will be one more vote for continuing the policies of George W. Bush and giving him a blank check, or a vote to change direction," Foster said.
