League of Women Voters
of Elmhurst - Voters Guide for the General Primary Election |
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Matt Burden |
| Introduction: Thanks Laura and thanks to the League of Women Voters. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I'm Matt Burden and it would be an honor to serve as your next State Representative. My opponents and I have a lot of similarities, from being fiscally conservative, to supporting the sanctity of life, to promising to cut taxes, create jobs and balance the budget. But we have our differences too. For 20 years I served my country in the U.S. Army and am a proud veteran. I'm a business leader that has real business management experience. And I'm not an elected official beholden to anyone, nor have I cut backroom deals with state and local politicians. Others may say it, but I WILL restore honor and integrity back to state government and rebuild our Grand Old Party. I look forward to your questions and meeting each of you after the debate. Thank you. 1. Illinois is struggling to balance its budget this year and may face a $12 billion deficit in 2010-2011. Given the recent reduction in Illinois' bond ratings to A2, what are your specific solutions for alleviating our state government's fiscal crisis? Illinois doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has
a spending problem. Taxes are not the solution. We must rollback taxes
and fees, pass a balanced budget at 2003 spending levels, renegotiate
long-term contracts, and we must do forensic accounting that cuts government
bloat and waste. We must implement creative and proven business strategies
to our health care and pension system, keeping our promise with those
we owe, but asking more of current and new state employees. We must not
allow no-bid contracts to occur. And we must elevate our bond rating by
restoring stability to our government and the marketplace. This can only
happen by electing qualified leaders to serve in Springfield and end Illinois’
corrupt reputation. As your State Representative, I will protect your
hard earned money by bringing fiscal discipline, conservative economic
strategies, and stability to Springfield. 2. Do you favor or oppose limits on campaign contributions by individuals and interest groups? Should limits apply to contributions made by political parties and by funds controlled by the leaders of the House and Senate? Please explain I believe in 1st Amendment Rights, but corruption in Illinois is so deeply rooted in our system that we will need to take some drastic measures in order to right the wrongs. That’s why we must seriously consider limiting campaign contributions. Unlike some of my opponents, I’ve not received large contributions from friends, family, lobbyists, or interest groups. Instead, I’ve eliminated any possible conflicts of interest by running a fiscally smart competitive campaign supported by hard working men and women. In addition to contribution limits, we must consider term limits on leadership positions in both the House and Senate, removing the abuse of power that continues to plague Illinois. We must also demand more transparency of funds, revenues and expenses controlled by political party leaders. We must end the free flow of money by special interest groups, individuals, and political parties that are corrupting our politicians.In addition to contribution limits, we must consider term
limits on leadership positions in both the House and Senate, removing
the abuse of power that continues to plague Illinois. We must demand more
transparency of funds, revenues and expenses controlled by political party
leaders. Like you, I’m fed up with the years of corruption on both
the state and local levels. With your support, we can clean up government
in Illinois. 3. The National Census will be counted in April of this year and Illinois is likely to lose 1 seat in Congress, perhaps more, if Illinois residents fail to respond to the census. Should the new Illinois legislative and congressional districts be drawn by an independent, nonpolitical organization, or should that power stay with the legislature? If you support a change, explain how that should be done. It’s no secret that the legislative and congressional boundaries created by the partisan legislature are severely flawed. Gerrymandering by the General Assembly is the ultimate insult to all of us. We’ve seen how modern mapping and demographic technology has been abused to strengthen the stranglehold on citizens by the party in power, while protecting incumbent politicians, some who are not qualified to serve. That’s why I believe the boundaries should be drawn by an independent, non-partisan organization. We must move away from the illogical boundaries currently establishing many districts. In order to effectively achieve this, a separate redistricting agency should be appointed from relatively non-partisan sources with requirements for adequate representation from all major political parties. As State Representative, I will introduce legislation following creating the independent agency before the new map is drawn following this years census. 4. What policies do you support to resolve the financial issues confronting the Illinois public school districts? Our children deserve a quality education, unfortunately
our state and federal governments are lacking in their responsibility.
That’s why we must begin by having complete transparency in public
school funding and spending. FOIA requests should not be required to know
how our schools spend our tax dollars, and online school ledgers should
be shown in real time, easy to understand formats, and standardized across
districts. This will help us determine our spending efficiency and effectiveness.
In addition, we must move education forward into the 21st century and
fund innovation in education. Students thrive and learn in engaging, digital
learning environments. Schools need to be able to compete with the digital
world that students live in today – growing up with technology is
already a part of their lives. Enabling students to take virtual classes
as a part of a larger curriculum can increase their digital expertise
while lowering school costs. As State Representative, I will fight to better our children’s education and provide it to them in a smart and fiscally responsible way. 5. Given the current economic climate, would you support a salary freeze or reduction for Illinois’ elected officials? Our economy is in crisis, people are losing their jobs, taxpayers are financially hurting, yet our current elected officials have used loopholes in the voting process to increase their salaries nearly 18-percent over the past two years. Not only do I support a salary freeze, I believe government must be representative of the people and lead by example. As your State Representative, I will take a pay cut, just as so many of our constituents have been asked to do. As State Representative, I will pressure the powerful political leaders of both legislative chambers to eliminate the cost of living increase loopholes and make clearer the voting procedures for pay raises. Voters must know which elected officials vote for their own pay raise, and which ones are more fiscally responsible. I firmly believe it is an honor and privilege to serve
as your state Representative; it is not a career! 6. Recently, federal funding has become available to the states for a myriad of projects to develop green technology and reduce green house gas emissions. What actions do you advocate to reduce the Illinois carbon footprint? For too long Illinois has been shortchanged of federal dollars. Either our government leaders have been narrow-minded or bogged down in turf wars for their own political gain. While they benefit, we suffer. Illinois now has the obligation to tap into the billions of federal dollars set aside for green technology. We must seize this opportunity and work toward a more sustainable future for our families, and our economy. We must also provide tax incentives for business that support green initiatives – but tie these incentives to job creation and retention. Too many banks and businesses are sitting on TARP money and not investing it in jobs creation and retention.As for reducing our carbon footprint, Illinois must commit to solar and
wind power and dedicate resources to build transmission lines and power
storage facilities. We must also commit funds for inter and intra state
rail, which is infinitely better for the environment and for business.
As State Representative, I’ll work with federal, state and local
officials, Chamber’s of Commerce and Small Business Administration
to put green technology money to good use for all of us. 7. Illinois ranked 48th out of 50 states in job growth between 1997 and 2007, according to the 2009 Alec-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index. What specific steps should Illinois lawmakers take to enhance job creation and expand the economic base? What do you see as the greatest obstacle to job creation here? Do you favor lowering the Illinois minimum wage? As a proven business leader who worked as a manager at a Fortune 100 company, I understand the realities of operating a business in this fragile economy. As State Representative, I will introduce legislation that creates incentives that will bring or keep good paying jobs to Illinois and rebuild our economy. Illinois is hemorrhaging jobs and university graduates to nearby states. The most significant factor in job flight is not the minimum wage rate, but the amount of taxes and fees put on corporations and small businesses. The Democrats controlling our government have imposed over 300 new taxes and fees on businesses over the past 6 years. We must repeal them now. In addition, Illinois has a very expensive workers compensation requirement and favors tort heavy litigation, and mix in “pay to play politics,” it’s easy to see why corporations and small business choose to leave or suffocate. First, we must put a tourniquet on the hemorrhaging of corporations and small businesses and jobs by lowering the cost of maintaining a business in Illinois. We must address workers compensation and recommended benefits to ensure Illinois is more competitive with other states. And we must reduce health care costs that are choking the financial lifeblood of small businesses and corporations. These three simple financial incentives will encourage corporations and small businesses to not only stay in Illinois, but add high-paying quality jobs that strengthen our quality of life and support our economy. As State Representative, I will end the “pay-to-play
political tax” and the “tort tax,” restore financial
and economic stability, and pass legislation that provides a stable and
fair competitive environment. 8. Please address the academic achievement gap between white and minority students, and between students in property wealthy and property poor communities -- in your district and throughout Illinois. What policies would you support to boost student achievement in your district and statewide? Teaching is one of the noblest professions in the world and I’m proud that my wife chose to serve our community as a teacher. We also have two school-age children in public school, so we know first-hand the importance of a quality education. Unfortunately in many areas of education, we are failing our kids. We must set higher educational standards, more accurately track student achievement, and improve the quality of teachers and administrators. We must re-engage parents in the education process. Schools can make all the changes we ask of them; we can recruit the top teachers; but if students are not supported in loving homes that value education we will never move forward. In order to increase student achievement we must provide all students access to a first-class, 21st century education. We must support higher educational standards and recruit and retain the best and brightest to serve as teachers. We must track student achievement. And we must hold specific schools or even teachers accountable for not turning out desirable results. We must put our student’s education above everything else. If teachers are not doing their job, then they need to be retrained or replaced. If a school continues to fail then options must be provided. No child should be forced to attend a failing school when there are alternatives that could be made available, simply by allowing students to move their funding with them. This includes raising or eliminating the cap on charter schools and ultimately vouchers if necessary. As State Representative, I will work with the Department
of Education, local school boards, districts, teachers and parents and
sponsor and support legislation that gives our students the quality education
they deserve. 9. Positive DNA tests and dead carp have provided evidence that Asian carp have moved over nearly ten miles up the CalSag Channel and Ship Canal above the electronic barrier installed to prevent them from entering Lake Michigan. Do you consider this a concern and if so, what solutions would you recommend and fund to prevent the carp from entering Lake Michigan? Asian Carp, and other invasive species, can cause great damage to our economy and ecosystem. We must do what we can to protect and preserve our lakes and rivers and our economy; however, we must act judiciously and not rush to judgment for political expediency as other states have done. I think Illinois is taking the right approach. The electric barriers appear to be working and closing the locks should be our last resort, but always remain a viable option. In the coming weeks there will several governmental hearings on the subject, along with the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a lawsuit brought on by other states. It’s important we hear from the Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife, the Illinois EPA and Department of Natural Resources, and Great Lakes organizations who have been leading the efforts to stop the Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes. As State Representative I believe we must support every
effort, including flood proofing the electric barrier and re-engineering
local watersheds, to protect the $7 billion dollar commercial fishing
industry, while not damaging or slowing down our economy by rushing to
close the locks.
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