Net Neutrality and the failure to raise the Minimum Wage are the latest assaults on the rights of American citizens. One is the liberty of a free internet and the other is necessary to reward hard work. As the administration and it's congressional rubber stamp allows our government to decieve, lie, spy, and end liberty in America, the people of the Illinois 15th district have slowly awakened. Please help John Laesch (IL-14th) and I (IL-15th) get the
Forward Together endorsement.
Net NeutralityAs a strong supporter of Internet neutrality and Internet liberty, I was greatly disappointed by the U.S. House vote on this topic earlier this month.
The Internet is a crucial engine for economic growth and free speech. From its beginnings, it has leveled the playing field for all comers. Everyday people can have their voices heard by millions of people. This is Democracy in its truest sense.
Cable and telecommunication giants now seek to eliminate the Internet's open road in favor of a tollway that protects their status quo while stifling new ideas and innovation. If they get their way, they'll shut down the free flow of information and dictate how one uses the Internet.
Not surprisingly, my opponent, Tim Johnson, has received more than $30,000 in campaign contributions from the large telecommunications firms. As with Medicare Part D and last year's Energy Bill, this is just one more example of Mr. Johnson and other politicians doing their master's bidding, rather than standing up for hard-working American citizens.
Minimum WageThroughout both of my Congressional campaigns, I've repeatedly emphasized my support for a substantial increase in minimum wage. No American who works 40 or more hours per week should be forced to live in a state of poverty. Congress' failure to correct this, while raising their own salary nine times in the past nine years, is just another example of the elitism among our politicians which turns off so many American voters. I was raised by a single parent, and I started working for minimum wage when I was 13 years old, washing dishes and clearing tables in a restaurant. I learned then to respect hard work, and I intend to go to Washington to stand up and speak out for hard-working families throughout America.