Prior to my first run for U.S. Congress in 2004, I worked as an account manager for a data integration firm and had many large multi-nationals as clients. I felt I had a pretty good understanding of what was happening in my field as far as growth and outsourcing.
What was keeping me up at night, and helped inspire my run, was the question: where are the jobs that pay a living wage going to be for the next generation? As a mother of two college students, that is the generation of my own sons and their peers.
As a candidate I started to look into my district for the potential areas of economic opportunity and possibilities for future job growth. What I have learned over the course of the last year and half steeled my resolve to make a second run at the seat currently held by Henry Hyde (IL-6).
http://www.cegelisforcongress.com
I know that we live in a global economy and I do not believe that we could or should change that reality. What concerns me is, that as a country, we are not trying to achieve the balance necessary to compete in the global market. We have seen unprecedented trade deficits and we are faced with two economic global powers; the European Union and China that are outpacing us in growth. There is belief among some that the free market will eventually right itself, but that does not take into account the political reality that countries like China have governments that have no problem regulating trade and manipulating the currency exchange.
Attempts by Congress and Illinois' own Senator Durbin to stop the currency manipulation have fallen on deaf ears in this administration. In addition much of our national debt is owned by the EU, Japan and China. Regardless of our military strength I believe that puts us in a precarious bargaining position. We are the world's superpower based first on our economy and then only second on our military.
The situation is particularly dire in my district, IL-06. We have one of the largest manufacturing bases in the country, we are home to O'Hare Airport, United and American are our largest employers, and residents of the sixth district often commute to large technology companies like Lucent, Motorola, and SBC, which hug the district. As I go around my district, jobs and economic security are major issues.
Our current Congressman Henry Hyde has fought the modernization of O'Hare Airport, even though it would bring somewhere between 50,000 to 195,000 jobs to the area. Many of these jobs are union jobs that pay a living wage. The airlines are now capped as to how many flights they can bring in and out of O'Hare because the current airfield can not handle the traffic. O'Hare is the world's busiest airport and 60% of all air traffic in the US goes through O'Hare. It is the economic engine of this district.
The current Bush budget proposal plans to cut the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which offers training to factory owners and workers, by 57 percent, from $109 million to $46.8 million. This cut could result in $1.49 billion in lost sales and 28,480 manufacturing jobs. Small manufacturers will also forgo $516 million in new investments and the U.S. Treasury will lose $378 million in tax revenue. It also proposes to eliminate Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for firms which were funded at $12 million in fiscal year 2005. This program helps hundreds of small manufacturing firms cope with a loss of sales due to foreign imports. For example, not a single factory in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Iowa that qualified for TAA services has closed. As you can see, these are programs that directly affect my district. The continued assault on small business and the production of good paying union jobs should be of concern to all of us.
With the many excellent universities in the Chicagoland area, it would seem that technology jobs would also be growing, but in fact there has been an exodus of those jobs from the region as well. The outsourcing of computer jobs has left many well trained technology experts without comparable work. It does not surprise me to hear that the consumer confidence index is down.
Sound economic growth is the basis of a Democracy. I believe that the Government can do more to stimulate growth than just offer tax cuts to the wealthiest 2% of our population. Targeted programs and tax cuts offer us the best possibility of providing living wage jobs for our citizens. While I believe there should be a safety net, what I most want to leave the next generation is the ability to have jobs and careers that not only provide a living wage, but produce the quality of life that members of my generation were able to obtain.
I often say that in order to solve a problem we must first define it, then analyze it and finally act on common sense solutions. I have made this run for Congress based largely on abilities to look at complex problems and provide guidance and solutions. It is my desire to leave the country in a better place for the next generation that keeps me going.
It is my knowing that there are many people out there that are willing to pull together to make this happen that allows me to sleep at night.
Christine
http://www.cegelisforcongress.com