10th Dist. candidates agree on Iraq

Business consultant Dan Seals, 36, of Wilmette, is facing Jay Footlik, 42, a consultant on security issues from Buffalo Grove, in the Democratic primary for the 10th Congressional District. The winner will face incumbent Republican Rep. Mark Kirk in the November general election. The 10th District stretches west from Lake Michigan from Waukegan in Lake County, south to Glenview in Cook County and west beyond Arlington Heights. Following are the candidates' responses to a Daily Herald questionnaire.

Q. In which ways, if at all, would you alter the United States' course in Iraq? What objectives, if any, must the United States still meet before it begins to withdraw troops?

Seals. This war has been mismanaged and misguided from the beginning. Today we only have bad options. There is no military solution to Iraq. There is only a political one. Given that, I believe our best approach is a responsible and timely withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. This puts maximum pressure on the Iraqi government to make the necessary decisions to have a functioning government and nation. Chief among these are how to share oil revenue, develop a functioning army, and most importantly, whether or not they want to be a country. Our objective should be to help them with these decisions both before and after our troops are drawn down. Indeed, we should continue to supply our expertise, our money, and even our weapons to the effort -- just no more troops. Democracy almost by definition is not something that can be imposed from the outside. It must be earned from the inside. We can show them the path, but they must walk it, and fight for it, themselves.

Footlik. We can, and we should, responsibly remove our troops from a fighting role by the end of 2008. Here is how we pave the road home:

1. In order to create more optimal conditions for withdrawal, we should emphasize geographic constituencies, which give people more of a stake in the process and increase stability. The administration's current system favors ideological constituencies -- which creates division because they compete on the basis of parties that are Sunni or Shiite, pro-Iran, pro-Baathist, etc. -- and further exacerbates conflict.

2. Militarily, we should use the Murtha plan for stationing U.S. forces off shore, so we can move rapidly in the case of a crisis, but will not be in the middle of warring parties.

3. We need to invest more effort in involving regional partners: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and others, and begin strategic planning for a post-U.S. Iraq, which is especially important to our allies.

Q. Do you favor or oppose a larger federal role in health-care coverage? Either way, why? And either way, what, if anything, should be done about rising health-care costs and Americans who do not have health coverage?

Seals. I favor a larger federal role for two reasons. First, I think it is immoral that over 47 million Americans have no health insurance, and almost twice that many more are underinsured. Second, I think the health-care burden is economically unsustainable. Costs for employers and employees alike have doubled in the last five years, we put the cost of health care into our products making them more expensive, and we spend more than 16 percent of our economy on health care.

Congress needs to develop a national program of health insurance that provides a basic level of health care that is portable and affordable, and I will work for this. Rather than take health-care options away from those who are happy with what they've got, I will push for an affordable alternative (in the style of Medicare) and mandate that everyone have insurance. This will reduce costs by encouraging the 47 million to stop using the emergency room as their primary care provider, by preventing the need for those with insurance to pay for those without it, and allow the government to negotiate for reduced prices.

Footlik. The health-care dilemma in this country is not due to a lack of ideas, it is due to a lack of leadership. The role of the federal government is to lead private enterprise and government toward a comprehensive, integrated solution that covers everyone. Americans should have two choices:

1. Keep your existing coverage; or

2. Access the same quality insurance options that Members of Congress receive (on our tax dollars). And we should start emphasizing preventive medicine, cut excess paperwork and switch to an electronic system, all of which would help lower premiums.

Q. The current Congress could not agree on immigration reform. What would you do to advance reform in a divided Congress, and, briefly, what would the key elements be in your own immigration policy?

Seals. First, secure the border. The best way to pursue this is through more and better trained border patrol personnel, better technology such as motion and light detectors, and the creation of additional holding facilities. On this, Congress should be able to agree.

Second, we must engage Mexico to be a part of the solution. If Mexico is going to have a mature relationship with our country it has to own up to its responsibilities in controlling the flow of people across its border.

Third, we must address the demand for workers. We have to address the employers and the rest of the enabling apparatus that draws people to our country. At the heart of it is having a way for employers to verify that employees are legal to work here, and then to enforce the law.

Four, set conditions for the 12 million undocumented workers already here. There is no realistic way to remove 12 million people. Therefore I am willing to grant a work visa if they can meet the following conditions: Pass a criminal background check, prove financial independence, pay a penalty for illegal entry and pay all the fees that legal immigrants pay.

Footlik. Our immigration system is broken and it needs to be fixed. Advancing immigration reform isn't a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, but a bipartisan issue that can be achieved only through hard work and consensus.

First, we need to enforce our borders and increase border security by improving fencing, adding technology and deploying more border agents where they are needed. Second, we need to deal with the 12 million people living undocumented in our country, overcrowding our schools and placing additional burdens on our towns and communities. These 12 million people are not leaving and to think that we can deport them is unrealistic. The vast majority of these immigrants are hardworking and provide vital services. They are truly pursuing the American dream. We need to create a reasonable pathway to citizenship for them. Finally, we need to crack down on employers who engage in illegal hiring practices.