Candidate / Official Response to 2008 Survey

Score Summary

Overall Score: 96%

Issue Breakdown:

War, Global Warming, & Constitutional Liberties:

95%

Health:

100%

Economic Justice:

93%

Democracy:

100%

Name:

Kevin O'Connor

Party:

Green Party

Elected Office:

State Representative

District:

Incumbent:

Office Location:

Brookfield Illinois

Phone:

708-975-7739

Fax:

Website:

War, Peace, and Constitutional Liberties

Issue #1: War and Peace

The overwhelming majority of Americans are opposed to the war and occupation in Iraq; concerned that its eventual two trillion-dollar price tag robs money from pressing domestic needs; and alarmed at the idea of waging future wars for oil. In addition millions of voters are appalled that the annual $700 billion U.S. military budget represents 50% of the total federal discretionary spending and is equal to the combined military spending of every nation in the world.

Comment:

I support bringing all our troops home immediately, starting with the Illinois National Guard, and as safely as possible. Their efforts are needed here during tragic disasters and events like Hurricane Katrina's aftermath and the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota. It is imperative that the Illinois National Guard be redeployed back to the states without delay, and by doing so, will send a message to Congress that they have the authority to bring home the rest.

Question 1A

Do you support a rapid withdrawal of all U.S. military forces and armed private contractors from Iraq (within 120 days), the restoration of 100% Iraqi control over their oil resources, and a redirection of war funding toward social and environmental needs at home, as well as humanitarian and reconstruction aid to the Iraqi people?

Yes

Comment:

Our presence in that region over the past few decades has caused much of the instability which we see today. We need to close Gitmo and all secret prisons around the globe as well.

Question 1B

Do you support a dismantling of all U.S. military bases in the region?

Yes

Comment:

Choosing a diplomatic route can reduce tension and help us reclaim the integrity we had with most of the world prior to invading and occupying a sovereign nation. Many people praised Reagan for his diplomatic discussions with the Soviet Union in hopes of ending the Cold War. The Kyl-Lieberman saber-rattling amendment should be repealed immediately.

Question 1C

Do you support stepped up diplomacy with Iran, rather than belligerence, coupled with a "no war" pledge?

Yes

Comment:

I also believe military funding to Israel should be cut heavily or completely. They are a sovereign nation and need to be dependent of foreign aid for national security and military training or arms building. Given this philosophy of the United States offering monetary and military aid, an independent Iraqi government may begin begging for spare change to beef up their security in the region too.

Question 1D

Do you support an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, guaranteeing Israel security and justice for Palestine?

Yes

Comment:

Absolutely.  I am a strong supporter of organizations such as True Majority who work to pressure politicians to reduce government waste and use the savings to "strengthen American families and communities." But even cutting our military spending by 50% would still leave us as the largest standing military strength in the world!

Question 1E

Would you support a massive and immediate 50% reduction of U.S. military spending and a transfer of these funds to pressing domestic needs as well as a new foreign policy based on diplomacy, rather than force?

Yes

Comment:

I've been in favor of every call for impeachment as introduced by Cynthia McKinney, Dennis Kucinich, and Robert Wexler. I also believe that Congressional officials should continue to introduce and support calls for impeachment of Vice-President Dick Cheney (then George W. Bush) post-term to potentially strip all pension benefits and ban him from running for political office ever again.

Question 1F

Do you support the current articles of impeachment in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee charging Vice-President Dick Cheney with high crimes and misdemeanors for illegally provoking the war in Iraq and threatening to start a war with Iran?

Yes

Comment:

I am also very opposed to the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, the Real ID Act, and the No Child Left Behind Act (it has usurped control of public schools from their respective local governing bodies)!

Question 1G

Do you support the full restoration of our Constitutional liberties, including an immediate repeal of the Patriot Act and all other unconstitutional laws and policies, such as warrant less wiretapping, the Military Commissions Act, and the Detainee Treatment Act?

Yes

Comment:

I am fully supportive of transparent government actions, and with an academic background in law enforcement I truly believe that the initial investigation was not handled properly. My only reasons to be skeptic over this "new" investigation would be how much taxpayer money would have to fund it and is it too late? If Presidential candidates are still using 9/11 rhetoric in their public speeches, then voters listening are still obviously interested in knowing exactly what happened over 5 years ago at the World Trade Center site and abroad.

Question 1H

Given that millions of Americans, 42% according to a May 2006 Zogby International poll, believe that the U.S. government and the 9/11 Commission "concealed or refused to investigate critical evidence that contradicts their official explanation of the September 11th attacks," and that "there has been a cover-up," would you support a full release of all evidence, and a new, truly independent, and comprehensive investigation of all the events of September 11, 2001, as well as the highly suspicious anthrax terrorist attacks that followed 9/11, with subpoenaed witnesses forced to testify under oath?

Yes

Continue to Climate Issues

Climate Crisis

Issue #2: Global Warming

Millions of Americans are alarmed by the prospect of our current climate crisis turning in to a full-blown climate catastrophe, and support the idea of a massive Green New Deal to conserve energy, make the transition to clean renewable energy, create millions of "green collar" jobs, and drastically reduce climate-destabilizing greenhouse pollution so as to stay below the dangerous tipping point of 450 parts per million (ppm) of atmospheric CO2?

Comment:

Some of those goals may be very difficult to achieve, but there is no harm in trying to make this world a better place. Lt. Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, has established a Special Task Force on the Condition and Future of the Illinois Energy Infrastructure. I think he's put the ball in motion for environmental issues, but we need dedicated people like me involved within the legislature to ensure goals are met and higher goals are set for future generations.

Question 2A

Do you support an immediate and ongoing crash program, comparable in scale and urgency to the Marshal Plan after World War II, to convert the U.S. economy to clean energy, implement major energy conservation measures, and transfer clean energy technologies to other major greenhouse gas producing nations, so as to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions? Specifically would you support a legislative package requiring an immediate freeze on climate pollution, a 10% reduction in U.S. greenhouse gases within three years, a 30% reduction by 2020, and a 90% reduction by 2050; coupled with a requirement that 50% of all industrial, farm, and home energy be generated from renewable sources by 2040?

Yes

Comment:

my reason being is that the United States is still a "developing" country when it comes to greens solutions.  I feel it's necessary to put out fires in our own backyard before we can do it halfway around the globe.  In the future this seems like it is a possibility in connecting with other cultures and improving the overall quality of life on this planet, but realistically, I don't think we should be worrying about international air travel tax, etc. to finance green energy in other sovereign territories yet.  This is probably a project for the distant future though, unless we can create higher standards here very soon.

Question 2B

Would you support an international currency or capital transfer/transactions tax (often called a "Tobin tax"), a carbon tax, and an international air travel tax to finance the transfer of hundreds of billions of dollars of green energy technologies to India, China, Mexico, Nigeria and other major greenhouse gas producing nations?

Undecided

Comment:

Closing corporate loopholes and ending archaic subsidies is a great way to help balance the budget and create competitive economic options. I am, however, opposed to offering subsidies to corporations producing corn-based ethanol (E85).  The corn growers taking advantage of these subsidies are not local, small acreage farmers. They are giant corporate farms that send their products long distances, practically defeating the purpose of subsidies aimed at sustainability.

Question 2C

Do you support a U.S. energy sustainability program that would withdraw $40 billion in annual subsidies from fossil fuels and establish equivalent subsidies for clean energy sources?

Yes

Comment:

I also think the USDA should have more restrictive criteria for determining what is or is not "organic".  The bureaucratic agency is beginning to deceptively label products "organic" when in all actuality the products are tainted or were never genuinely organic in the first place.

Question 2D

Would you support the conversion of 20% of U.S. farmland to energy-efficient and carbon-sequestering organic farming by 2020 and 50% by 2040, with at least 5-10% of the USDAs annual $90 billion budget immediately being targeted to rebuild local food systems and help farmers make the transition to organic?

Yes

Comment:

Not only is some of the logging being done in an unsustainable manner on U.S. land, I've heard that it is being done on private Native American land as well which, if true, is criminal.  Sustainable does not just mean planting other trees too.  Invasive species can destroy an ecosystem or drastically throw it out of balance.

Question 2E

Would you support a ban on unsustainable logging on U.S. public lands and in tropical rainforests, and a restoration of carbon sequestering wetlands and forests?

Yes

Comment:

Automakers have had technology for commercial vehicles at affordable prices to be 100% electric, go 200 miles per charge, and could hit a speed of over 100 mph.  It's time to pressure all the industries that are involved in this game.  I'm in favor of the Illinois Clean Car Act, which is fairly specific in it measures to cut carbon emissions on our roadways.

I am completely opposed to nuclear energy. The waste from nuclear plants lasts for generations and adds to the disposal problem already posed by the nuclear weapons complex. The risks of transportation of the waste are also substantial, which is why it should be banned throughout Illinois. I also support the removal of all radioactive waste from Lake Michigan and safest disposal of the waste from the decommissioned Zion nuclear plant.

Question 2F

Do you support a law requiring American cars to get at least 50 miles to the gallon by 2020 and a moratorium on all new coal and nuclear plants?

Yes

Comment:

I support the creation of green collar jobs aimed at training veterans and inner-city residents.  In Illinois this could be extremely vital to boosting our economic fortitude and reinforcing our mass transit infrastructure.

Question 2G

Would you support the creation of five million new "Green Collar" jobs, with a special emphasis on training and providing jobs for inner-city youth and veterans, to retrofit the nations homes and buildings and conserve 20% of our energy use by 2015?

Yes

Continue to Health Issues

Health Care, Public Health, & Drug Policy

Issue #3: Public Health & Universal Health Care

Preventive health care, natural medicine, and proper nutrition have been linked to a broad range of health and social benefits, including disease reduction, increased academic performance, and lower health care costs. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the U.S. population lacks access to health care, complimentary medicine, and healthy foods. A major solution to this unacceptable situation is to shift to a single-payer, publicly financed, prevention-based, universal health care system. The $350 billion in savings that would occur by eliminating the profit motive and moving to a single-payer system would allow us to insure and promote the health and wellness of our entire population.

In addition, scientific evidence is mounting that Americans' daily exposure to 100,000 different synthetic chemicals (less than 10% of which have ever been safety tested) in our food, water, medicines, body care products, cosmetics, toys, home environments, etc. are undermining our health and creating an epidemic of debilitating and deadly diseases including cancer, heart disease, asthma, allergies, and chemical sensitivities.

The federal government currently censors the dissemination of important scientific research information. For example, food producers and dietary supplement makers are banned from citing scientific research on the health benefits of natural and organic foods, herbs, and vitamins.

Currently, six states have passed "health freedom" legislation (California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island), providing guidelines and making it legal for alternative/integrative medicine practitioners to practice their profession without fear of prosecution.

Comment:

I fully support a statewide single-payer health insurance system in Illinois.  The current system is expensive and inadequate.  Some candidates "universal" coverage plans are shams in my eyes too as they sustain HMOs and other private health insurance agencies which are the problem!  I will work diligently to establish true universal health care for all.

Question 3A

Do you support a cost-efficient, publicly-funded, universal health care program with a preventive focus, a major emphasis on better nutrition, physical exercise, stress reduction, reduced exposure to toxins, and the use of complementary, natural medicine and practices?

Yes

Comment:

Question 3B

Would you endorse the "precautionary principle" as a foundation for public health, environmental. and consumer safety legislation, such as the recent "REACH" legislation in the European Union, whereby corporations are required to register and safety test all synthetic chemicals put into consumer products or released into the environment and demonstrate their safety, or else remove these chemicals from the market?

Yes

Comment:

Question 3C

Do you support the right of consumers to choose the type of health care they want and support the right of practitioners to practice freely within the scope of their licensure?

Yes

Comment:

Question 3D

Would you support legislation that would allow and protect first amendment rights to cite scientific information that supports the benefit of organic and natural foods and dietary supplements?

Yes

Comment:

Question 3E

Do you support strict organic standards and consumers rights to know whether their food has been genetically engineered or irradiated, as well as mandatory labeling for the country of origin of foods?

Yes

Issue #4: Drug Policy Reform

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are in jail for the "crime" of possessing a natural herb, with significant beneficial medicinal properties, marijuana. Many countries have legalized or decriminalized adult marijuana use and possession. More and more Americans believe that drug policy should emphasize treatment over criminalization, not a drug war that erodes Constitutional freedoms, privacy, and law enforcement resources.

Comment:

Question 4A

Would you support local, state, and federal legislation either legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, and a new drug policy, similar to policies in Northern Europe, that institutionalizes "harm reduction," rather than incarceration, as the central pillar of our drug policy?

Yes

Continue to Economics and Trade

Economic Justice

Issue #5: Tax Reform

Large corporations and wealthy millionaires and billionaires in the United States pay little or no taxes, compared to the more egalitarian democracies of Europe, where universal healthcare, subsidized childcare, and free college tuition are the norm.

Comment:

I haven't seen any "trickle-down" in my lifetime as proposed in these tax cuts. Flat taxes are more burdensome on the impoverished and middle class than on the upper class.

Question 5A

Do you support progressive tax policies that create fairness for low-income communities and the middle class, including a repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and an increase in earned income tax credits for the poor?

Yes

Comment:

The marriage between government and corporations needs to end.  I am refusing corporate contributions to my campaign on the principle that elected officials should represent people and not big business. I agree wholeheartedly with 2006 Illinois gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney in declaring "When corporations and governments climb into bed together, it is the voters that end up being screwed."

Question 5B

Do you support ending corporate welfare, closing corporate tax loopholes, increasing the number of IRS auditors focused on corporations, and eliminating offshore tax shelters?

Yes

Comment:

See answer to #1E

Question 5C

Do you support reducing the federal debt while adequately funding non-military domestic programs?

Yes

Comment:

Everyone gets sick and everyone needs to be educated.  Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson 's disease are blind to socio-economic status.  Every student should know by 8th grade that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, but this isn't the case. Not everyone has the financial resources to provide treatment or an education for their children, but those who can afford it should pitch in their fair share.

Question 5D

In general would you support a substantial increase in taxes on large corporations and the richest one percent of Americans (with yearly incomes averaging $1.3 million) to pay for universal health care, subsidized childcare, and free tuition for public colleges and universities?

Yes

Comment:

Question 5E

Would you support a federal micro tax of .1% on the purchase of stocks, bonds, securities and currency, coupled with a federal income tax rate where the first $100,000 of income was tax-free? This micro tax would raise $1.2 trillion annually as opposed to the $400 billion raised currently from taxing those making $100,000 a year or less.

Undecided

Issue #6: Trade, Labor, and Minimum Wage Reform

So-called "Free Trade" agreements like NAFTA, GATT, and CAFTA benefit large transnational corporations, but are increasingly unpopular, because they undermine the wages and living conditions of family farmers and workers throughout the Americas and contribute to environmental degradation and massive immigration by impoverished Latin Americans. Unfair labor laws that discourage workers from collectively bargaining for better wages and working conditions have compounded the damage of these so-called Free Trade agreements.

Comment:

CAFTA should also be repealed.

Question 6A

Would you support a repeal of NAFTA and GATT, so that Fair Trade, environmental sustainability, and a living wage for all become the foundation of our trade policies?

Yes

Comment:

Workers shouldn't be afraid to collectively bargain with their employers. That is why I support the Employee Free Choice Act and a worker's right to organize a union. I would do everything in my power to pass this legislation in Illinois. It's not a coincidence that over the past 30 years as the middle class has shrunk that union jobs have also been on the decline. Passing the Employee Free Choice Act is the first step towards rebuilding the middle class and restore confidence in our economy again.

I will also try to hold local businesses accountable by rewarding companies who employ workers domestically and fine companies who send their work to other countries where wages are lower and human rights abuses are more likely to occur. Its patriotic to employ local citizens in all U.S. businesses, especially when the largest consuming nation is America.

Question 6B

Would you support federal legislation, such as the Employee Free Choice Act, guaranteeing that when the majority of workers in a corporation, an industrial farm, or a sizeable workplace sign union cards, the employer would be required to enter into a collective bargaining process with the workers?

Yes

Comment:

The average sustainable living wage should technically be higher than $8.50/hour nationally, but a minimum wage is not the answer to the poverty issue.

I support a living wage state statute! Based on the region, one's standard of living may differ. Creating a minimum wage merely continues to make the working class struggle for fair wages.

Question 6C

Do you support an increase in the Federal Minimum Wage to $8.50 an hour, moving us more in line with the minimum wage in Canada and Europe?

Yes

Comment:

The United States of America was founded on immigration. The vast majority of us are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants. If we're really concerned about an influx of undocumented immigrants coming here, we'd address the damage caused by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA has drained the Mexican economy as well as most of Central America, destroyed small Mexican businesses, dispossessed farmers from their land, uprooted workers, and depressed wages for the benefit of U.S.-based corporations. I believe it's a very touchy issue that deserves some time to create a comprehensive solution designed to allow a path to legitimate citizenship while securing our border. The fact of the matter is that millions of people have lived in America for years and they've been calling it "home" since Day 1 and it would be un-American to just kick them out!

Question 6D

Do you support immigration reform, whereby the U.S.s estimated seven million undocumented workers are able to obtain a path to legal status?

Yes

Issue #7: Status of Corporations

Corporations are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. They are chartered (licensed) by state governments because it is assumed public benefit can come from offering the privileges of incorporation to private investors. We therefore believe corporations should be subordinate to our democratic processes and that they possess privileges, not inherent rights.

In 1886, however, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a constitutionally unsupported ruling that led to corporations enjoying many protections of our Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment, without the limitations or responsibilities of real persons (i.e. "corporate personhood"). This doctrine has allowed corporations and their directors to corrupt democratic processes, escape accountability for crimes, and prevented citizens from ensuring these creations of the state do not harm citizens.

Comment:

Constitutional rights are meant for people, not business entities. If this is not possible to get through, then I propose a death sentence for unlawful corporations be established or an expiration date such as the average lifespan.

Question 7

Would you support a constitutional Amendment to revoke the Supreme Court's bestowing of constitutional rights upon corporations?

Yes

Continue to Democracy

Strengthening Democracy

Issue #8: Electoral Reform

Only fifty-one percent of eligible voters participated in the last presidential election. Increasing cynicism and concerns over fraudulent elections are infecting our citizenry and undermining the viability of our democracy. In almost all races, the candidate who raises the most money from special interests wins the election. Candidates and elected public officials are forced to spend an inordinate amount of time chasing after campaign dollars, rather than dealing with constituent concerns.

In addition "winner take all" elections, as opposed to Instant Runoff Voting elections (whereby voters are directed to vote for their first and second choice), unfairly marginalize independent parties and candidates, and reduce the scope of the debate in election campaigns.

Comment:

Question 8A

Do you support eliminating the distorting effect of special interest money on our elections and politicians by providing full public funding for all federal, state, and local elections, as well as banning paid political advertising in the media?

Yes

Comment:

Question 8B

Would you support legislation mandating the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to require major TV, newspapers, and radio stations to allot each party and/or candidate free and equal media prime-time to broadcast their message?

Yes

Comment:

I will propose and support legislation to institute Instant Runoff Voting which will allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference. IRV broadens voter participation by accommodating multiple candidates in single seat races and assuring that a "spoiler effect" will not result in undemocratic outcomes. I support any call to abolish the archaic and undemocratic Electoral College. In addition, I will work to create an Open Ballot Initiative giving citizens of Illinois the power to put statewide measures on the ballot and establish Recall Elections to allow voters to remove an elected official from office if need be.

Question 8C

Would you support legislation mandating Instant Runoff Voting in city, county, state and federal elections along with the revision of the Electoral College to reflect the popular vote?

Yes

Comment:

Democracy relies heavily on citizens participating in the governing process. In turn, the respective governing body is supposed to be responsive to the participatory citizenry. One of the optimal factors in seeing this happen would be to make voting easier for everyone, whether it be establishing a national holiday, expanding early voting, etc.

Question 8D

Do you support the declaration of Election Day as a national holiday, instant voter registration, publicly owned and managed open source code for voting machines, laws ensuring that all voting machines are secure from outside tampering, and are publicly owned and managed, as well as local, state, or federal versions of Senate Bill 1980, which requires any voting system used in an election to produce a voter-verified paper ballot?

Yes

Issue #9: Media Reform & Internet Access

It is the responsibility of Congress and all of the nation's 172,000 elected officials to guarantee public access to a diverse range of media voices and information, in order to participate fully in our communities' shared social, cultural, and political life. The Internet principle of "net neutrality" requires service providers to give all users of this public commons equal access. AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and other large companies want to turn the information super-highway into a private toll road. The loss of net neutrality would mean that telecom and cable companies could slow down or even cut off access to websites and email in order to increase their profits or eliminate content that was objectionable to them.

Comment:

Question 9A

Do you support strengthening media ownership regulations, and creating incentives to encourage local and minority ownership, while opposing media concentration and monopolies as a central principle in licensing all modes of broadcast and public media operations; as well as reinstituting the fairness doctrine, so that a full airing of public issues and controversies in the media takes place?

Yes

Comment:

Question 9B

Do you support increased public funding for public broadcasting, and the establishment of public trusts to support independent production of documentary films and noncommercial news programming?

Yes

Comment:

It is imperative that internet neutrality is protected. Our 1st Amendment depends on it.

Question 9C

Do you support legislation to prevent Internet companies from rigging the system to serve only the highest-paying users and discriminate against users they don't like?

Yes

Issue #10: Reproductive Freedom and Civil Rights

Democracy works best when all people have a place at the table. A woman's reproductive freedom, including the right-to-choose, is essential to personal privacy and gender equality. Equal rights and equal opportunity must be a guiding principle of society, especially in view of historic and ongoing discrimination against women, racial minorities, gays, and lesbians.

Comment:

The compromise made in the Roe v. Wade decision must remain untouched.

Question 10A

Do you support reproductive freedom for women, including the right-to-choose?

Yes

Comment:

I fully support the Equal Rights Amendment.