Campaign info

Position sought: U.S. Representative, 6th Congressional District

Political party: Democratic

E-mail address: yatesflora@aol.com

Phone: 847-304-1037, 224-456-4039

Address: 618 S Northwest Highway, PMB177, Barrington, IL 60010

Campaign committee:

Website: www.peopleformaureenyates.com

Facebook: Maureen Yates

Twitter: @pols4justice

You Tube: Maureen Yates

Personal info

Age: A very young 76, born on Jan. 27, 1936

Family: Married to Peter for 35 years. I have two daughters in Connecticut; the elder a social worker with a Masters from Columbia U, NY; the younger an early learning teacher with a degree from Hartford. Each has two daughters. We have a son who is in the Chicago Police and married to a high school teacher. They have a 4-year-old son.
I have a stepdaughter living in Sydney Australia with three children, and a stepson in Singapore with two children, giving us a present total of 10 grandchildren.

I have three cousins in Ireland: a retired Naval Commander, the wife of a retired vice chancellor of Galway University and a nun.

Education: I went to an English Grammar School. At 18, I went to work for a trade union, who seeing I qualified for University entrance, sent me on day-release to London University where a gained a degree in English at no cost to me or my parents.

Occupation: I have had many positions from senior office manager to paralegal. Eventually, I set up my own company as a flower arranger and wedding planner.

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: I volunteered for 29 years for a national not-for-profit organization, elected to the board for 12 years, and state president for four. I also lobbied in Springfield for Animal Rights. I worked for the county chair of the Democrat Party in Connecticut. I have been an election judge for eight years.
I worked as a volunteer for Melissa Bean for seven years, ending up on her task force responsible for funding and policy.

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position?

I have lived in five different countries and have learned to deal with differing cultures and diverse people. My experience with Melissa Bean showed how valuable or how destructive politics can be in the lives of Americans. Neither of my opponents have had experience in the political area.

Candidate Questions

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?

The economy must be improved and new jobs created. To fund this effort I would stop the war in Afghanistan as soon as possible. I would bring back our military and non-military personnel from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Europe to save lives and billions of dollars.

I would pass the President's jobs bill and set up an active jobs fair organization in the 6th District, comprising of small and large employers, universities, technical colleges, human resource professionals, religous leaders and financial institutions. They would identify vacancies, skills needed, and develop local training programs to fill future job growth opportunities. These fairs would highlight opportunities for returning veterans as well as the local jobless.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Official name of your campaign commitee (if you have one).

People for Maureen Yates

How do you define a small business and what can government do to support them that isn't being done?

Small businesses make up the majority of the employent in America, they are therefore vitally important to the economy on a local and national level. They employ between 10-100 personnel and are the first to be hurt in an economic downturn and the last to recover. Small businesses should be rewarded for hiring new people through tax incentives. They should be recognized for their innovations in energy savings, in green initiatives, in integration of minorities.

What steps would you take to reduce the federal deficit? If it includes tax increases, what taxes? And if it involves federal service cuts, which?

As the economy expands tax revenue will increase and the deficit will fall. However the Bush tax cuts should be repealed. They haven't lead to job creation. Stopping the wars and bringing our troops home would give massive savings.

The tax code should be rewritten to simplify the code and remove the subsidies and loopholes for big corporations. Firms exporting jobs should be penalized. When plants are closed and manufacturing jobs sent overseas the companies should pay the unemployment benefits for five years before the federal or state government have to. Firms creating American jobs should be rewarded.

Personal taxes should be fairer, it is absurd that the 1 percent pay less tax than their secretaries.

Governmant waste and inefficiencies should be curtailed to save money and manpower.

What should the government do to create more jobs?

Pass the President's jobs bill. Rebuild our infrastructure of roads, bridges and schools. The construction industry has been badly hit by the recession putting it back to work would create thousands of new jobs. The increased wages would quickly filter back into the economy to everybodies benefit.

Should there be repercussions for legislators who don’t read bills, and how do you enforce that?

Legislators have a duty to understand what they are voting for. They should not only read new bills before voting they should understand the consequences of a yea or nay vote. Blindly following the party line is one of the causes or our current mess. Of course there should be repercussions for the inept politician. The easiest way to remind them of their duty is to vote them out of office. Representatives such as Peter Roskam who consistently vote against womens' rights should be strongly challenged at election time and brought to heel. Elections are every two years, which is faster than any legislative action would take.

Should the “No Child Left Behind Act” set different measurements than now for economically disadvantaged students, special education students, students learning English as a second language, etc?

I did not approve of this bill as it was underfunded. Its aim was good, but in practice it failed to educte the children. Of course, disadvantaged children of all types need special education. They should be given special assistance to bring them, where possible, into the integrated mainstream. Uneducated people will always be a drain on the economy, especially as life around us becomes high tech at a faster and faster pace.

Should federal immigration policy be changed, and if so how?

You are asking an immigrant! The visa system should be strictly enforced and entrants should be integrated into our lifestyle as quickly as possible. Immigrants legal and illegal are a vital part of our economy with their hard work and ambition they make significant impacts on our country. The DREAM Act should be passed.

What are your philosophies on social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion, and what should government’s role in those issues?

There is not enough love in the world. If people want to marry let them whatever their partner's sex.

I hate abortion, just as any mother does, but we as women must insist on the right to choose. It is up to the woman, her family and her doctor, not the government, to decide. Republicans stress the individual's freedoms in all things except abortion. What about separation of Church and State? Will it exist in the future if some Presidential candidates have their way?

Are there certain things you think could be reasonably taxed (fuel, entertainment, luxuries, etc.)?

What should minimum wage be and through what method should increases be determined?

It should be at least $10/hour, probably $15, as the economy improves. It should be set by an index based on the cost of lifes' necessities (food, heating, gas, transport, childrens clothes, medicines, etc.) that are critical below the poverty line. This index should truly reflect the cost of the basic esentials and be adjusted annually.

How would you find a better balance between relieving the tax burden and funding services?

Funding essential services such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is vital to a large section of our population and should not be ccurtailed. Taxes should be raised to continue to pay for these services. The $110,000 cap on FICA payments should be removed. This would generate enough money to make Social Security secure ffor years to come.

Introducing a tax on financial transactions would raise considerable sums with little damage to the core economy.

Bi-partisanship is given a lot of lip service by congressional members. Tell us how you would work with members of the opposite party?

I would seek out those opposition members, who like me, believe in serving their communities, not themselves. The reason why Congress has only a 9 percent approval rating is because its members have become inward looking political hacks. They have forgotten who elected them and who they represent. I would try to change this suicidal trend by extending the hand of friendship to like-minded representatives sho put the country first.

Do you think some or all of the health care bill should be repealed? What can the government do to provide more access and affordability to health care?

Basically the Health Care Act is a good act. It provides basic medical coverage to the people who can least afford it. However, after 2014 when it comes into greater force there will be areas requiring modification, but until then we should wait and see. Eventually I would like to see a single payer in force. In the meantime such actions as allowing Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate on the price of drugs, in the same way as the Veterans Administration has, should be allowed. There should be a greater urgency in switching to computerised record keeping to improve efficiency, reduce errors and save costs.

What should government’s role be in private sector finance?

The government should be the guardian of such finance. Self-regulation is no longer an option. The frequent interchange of personnel between Wall Street and Washingtonshould be stopped. Too many of the perpetrators of the last recession are still in jobs, either in Washington or Wall Street. When are we going to see prosecutions of the crimes committed in the sub prime mortgage fiasco?

Tax financial transactions.
Bring back the Glass-Steagal Act.
Stop inside trading in Congress.

Who are your political heroes and why?

Senator Bernie Sanders- A man of ideals with excellent beliefs. He is consistently thinking and acting on behalf of the people. I support him wholeheartedly.

Senator Dick Durbin- An example to us all as how to act and behave in Congress. A steadying influence on his party and Washington.

President Obama - He has taken us from the brink of chaos to a recovery. He has tried to keep his campaign promises in a hostile political environment. He has stopped the war in Iraq and about to in Afghanistan. He has decimated al-Qaeda and decapitated Osama bin Laden

Following the troop withdrawal from Iraq, what do you think is the future of the war on terror?

The lesson to be learned is that a large standing army is not essential in a fight against terror. Small Seal teams are a very effective weapon against such enemies. Electronic espionage has proved very effective when linked to drones. This strategy would obviate the need for very expensive new aircraft and other military hardware.

Have you ever been convicted of a felony, sued successfully or had a restraining order placed against you? If so, please explain.

No. No. No.