Personal PAC 2008

CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Protecting the Lives and Health of Illinois Women

In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the decision to have an abortion is a private one to be made by a woman, in consultation with her physician, without government interference. Since 1973, the Illinois General Assembly has either passed or attempted to pass numerous bills which seek to dangerously restrict access to abortion.

                1).     If the Illinois General Assembly were considering a law to criminalize all abortions, except
                      procedures necessary to prevent a woman’s death, would you OPPOSE this legislation?

            (X)Yes    ( )No

            Reason: I believe women should have the right to choose if they will bring a pregnancy
            to term especially if it may not be a life or death case but it can be a risk for other major
            medical conditions that will affect her long term health. I also believe there should be a
            choice in rape and incest cases. The woman had no choice in most of those cases and should
            not be reminded further about what someone did by having to go to term carrying a child she
            did not want in the first place. Plus there is more of chance she will suffer long term medical
            conditions the longer she has the child in her from whatever disease the attacker might have
            had at the time of the attack.

   2).     Would you OPPOSE changing the law or amending the Illinois Constitution to criminalize
            abortion in Illinois?

            (X)Yes    ( )No

            Reason: Same as number 1.

   3).     Would you SUPPORT legislation to codify and protect private reproductive decision making in
            Illinois law?

            (X)Yes    ( )No

            Reason: Same as number 1.

Mandatory parental notification or consent before a minor may obtain an abortion can be a very difficult personal issue at first glance for parents and legislators alike. Despite Illinois’ unconstitutional 1995 parent-involvement law, good family communication is not something that can be legislated. In the few states where mandated parental involvement has been enacted, the documented results show, not a decrease in teen pregnancy, but delays in services with serious health consequences. In some cases teenagers have died at their own hands, at an illegal abortionist, or at the hands of a parent who has committed incest. Because it is important to protect the health and lives of teenagers in crisis situations, nearly every respected medical and public health organization in the U.S. is now on record opposing parental notification and consent laws, recognizing that judicial-bypass provisions do virtually virtually nothing to help young women and result in larger court backlogs. These organizations include the American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Public Health Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychologists, Society of Adolescent Medicine and Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A recent study in Texas showed that many pregnant 17 year olds are postponing their abortions for weeks or longer until their 18^th birthday to avoid the parental notice law there. Other teenagers are now going to the internet where there is no shortage of predators who will take their money and promise drugs to terminate a pregnancy, making the internet the new “back-alley” with illegal and dangerous abortion information for frightened teens to escape parental notice laws.

On June 29, 2007, New Hampshire repealed its “Parental Notice of Abortion” law, recognizing that such laws are completely unworkable, waste taxpayer’s money and only result in horrible consequences for teenagers who cannot consult their parents. In signing the repeal law, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch stated, “I strongly believe parents should be involved in these decisions, providing important support and guidance. Unfortunately, that is not possible in every case.”

4).     Would you SUPPORT legislation to repeal Illinois’ 1995 Parental Notice of Abortion law?

         (X)Yes    ( )No

         Reason: I feel that today’s children are not getting the support and guidance they should
                   because the parents have to spend more time away from home to financially support their
                   families due to the high costs of living and the low worker raises.This is leading us to a
                   breakdown of the family in this country where children don’t feel they can talk to their parents
                   about important issues like this. We do not need children have babies that they can not
                   support, making it even harder on the families, or worst yet adding the amount of children in
                   the care of the state adding to working class having to pay out more in taxes and giving the
                   American people more lower class citizens in the future to help support since most of these
                   children fall into the same cycle of their mothers since they do not get the support and
                   guidance they need to make the right choices in their lives or the financial support to finish
                   school or go on to college.

 
In 2007, HB317, “The Adolescent Health Care Safety Act,” was narrowly defeated in the Illinois House. This legislation would have given pregnant teens, especially those from violent and abusive homes, the option of seeing a caring professional or adult family member in seeking help about pregnancy. This legislation would have resulted in more parents being brought into the abortion decision as well as more teen victims of sexual abuse and violence getting legal intervention to protect them from future harm.

     5).     Would you SUPPORT legislation that expands the categories of people a pregnant minor can
    consult in seeking an abortion to include adult family members, clergy, a trained professional such
    as psychiatrist, clinical social worker or advanced nurse among others?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: I feel in cases where there is sexual abuse and/or violence inside the family all children
    should be able to go to someone outside the situation for help. A lot of times even other family
    members know what is happening and will not help for any number of reasons including denial, fear
    of violence on themselves, or not wanting the public or other family members knowing about what
    is happening leaving the child on their own in something they can not and should not have to
    deal with on their own ever.

Recently, legislators have taken it upon to tell physicians how to practice medicine, forcing doctors

to put aside their best judgment and opt for inferior medical procedures which put the health and

lives of women at risk.

     6).     Would you OPPOSE legislation in which the government would decide what medical care a
              physician may provide to patients throughout any stage of pregnancy?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: All patients have the right to have any procedure available that has been approved by the
              medical community to insure the best possible outcome in their treatment and the treatment of
              their unborn child.

     7).     Would you OPPOSE legislation that places bans on abortion procedures but does not include an
              exception to protect the woman’s health?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: The health of the mother should always be the priority. The mother can try for another
              child later and does no good for the child or the family if they lose their mother just so the child
              can live.

Informed consent is already required for all medical procedures. Recently, some states began to require mandatory anti-abortion lectures. Most of this legislation requires a physician to recite a predetermined litany of biased information about the “risks” of abortion without requiring a discussion of the significantly greater risks of pregnancy and childbirth. Physicians are already obligated under law to discuss the appropriate risks and alternatives to all medical procedures, and to obtain the informed consent of a patient before proceeding. A mandatory anti-abortion lecture violates the physician-patient relationship and is nothing more than patients being forced to review state mandated anti-choice propaganda.

     8).     Would you OPPOSE legislation mandating that a physician who performs an abortion be required to
              first show a patient materials about fetal development at various stages during pregnancy, and
              other state-mandated information designed to dissuade a woman from having an abortion?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: I believe that it should be up to medical community to make sure that all treatment
              options be presented in a fair, even, and non-biased view showing all the risks of each giving the
              choice to the patient to choose what is best for them.

There have been attempts to single out abortion as the only medical service for which there should be a mandatory waiting period between the time a woman signs the consent form and the actual performance of the abortion procedure. These laws do nothing to assist women in making the decision to seek an abortion and are designed by opponents of abortion to harass women who choose to terminate a pregnancy. Most women who live outside the Chicago area must travel long distances to a clinic. The waiting period forces them to make two trips. Even in Chicago, a waiting period requires a woman to take two days off of work to visit the clinic for no actual, medical reason. These laws are yet another governmental intrusion into the physician/patient relationship and can cause delays that threaten a woman’s health, or result in a denial of services.

     9).     Would you OPPOSE legislation requiring a waiting period between the time that a woman signs a
             consent form and the time that her abortion procedure is performed?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: There should be no delay especially when the health of the patient could be affected. By
              the time a woman signs the consent form there she has thought about what she is done many
              times over and knows exactly what she wants to do by then.

Medicaid covers a wide range of medical services including pregnancy-related matters. In. 1977, Illinois singled out abortion as a medical procedure no longer covered under Illinois’ Medicaid programs. In 1994, under court order, Illinois began paying for abortions that are medically necessary to protect a woman’s health. Denying Medicaid funding for abortion costs both taxpayers and families. Approximately three-quarters of the women who are denied Medicaid funding for abortion have one anyway, usually at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. Many borrow from their rent or grocery budgets which means their families must do without basic necessities. Sometimes, because it takes time to secure the money, the woman has to obtain an abortion at a later stage, when the procedure is even more expensive and poses a greater risk to her health. Some resort to an illegal or self-induced abortion, risking their lives.  The cost of a first trimester abortion is approximately 68% of the basic monthly grant for a family of three.

     10).    Would you SUPPORT restoring abortion coverage under the state Medicaid plan?

     (X)Yes    ( )No

               Reason: For the three-quarters of the women that will have them anyway, it would bring aid to
               them sooner which would let them do it sooner which would be a safer time for them. For the
               one-quarter that can not find the money else where which leaves the only option to have the
               baby which causes either further hardships on their families or another person to be put into
               the public aid system, It then adds to the cycle of more people being put into the public aid
               system which then would cost the taxpayers more than it would have to pay for the abortion in
               the first place which would then stop the cycle.

     11).    Would you SUPPORT legislation to restore state employee’s health insurance coverage for
              abortion?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: All people should have the right to any procedure which will keep them healthy and safe.

     12).    Would you SUPPORT legislation that would make it illegal to prevent a patient or staff person from
               entering or leaving a medical facility, while at the same time protecting First Amendment rights to
               free speech and assembly?

     (X)Yes    ( )No

               Reason: Every person has the right to have any medically approved treatment without any
               interference from any person or Group. Every person has the right to perform their legal job
               without interference from any person or group. Everyone has the right to let their opinions heard
               as long as it does not interfere with other people’s right to do whatever is legal.

 
In its ongoing assault on reproductive rights, the anti-legal abortion movement has hijacked the issue of stem cell research for political purposes. Not unlike its opposition to all forms of artificial birth control and its opposition to emergency contraception for rape victims, the anti-abortion movement is using opposition to stem cell research to establish as public policy (versus privately held religious doctrine) that life begins at conception without respect for a woman’s health and life. Thus, support of stem cell research is essential to protecting reproductive rights.

     13).    Would you OPPOSE legislation banning embryonic stem-cell research?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: Even if the new findings that stem-cell research can now be done without the use of
              embryos, I would oppose any legislation that bans embryonic stem-cell research. They approve the
              procedure of artificial insemination which then disposes of the left over embryos after the best are
              implanted. Instead of disposing the embryos, they could be used for the research.

Many anti-choice organizations perform ultrasounds on women as a tool to scare and intimidate them from choosing abortion. Often these ultrasounds are performed without any medical supervision. Because of concerns for safety, the Federal Food and Drug Administration, American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine, and the American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors oppose the practice of performing ultrasounds without medical supervision. Both California and Texas have taken action to ensure that medical supervision is provided when performing an ultrasound on a pregnant woman.

     14).    Would you OPPOSE legislation that would require a woman to view an ultrasound before she could
               have an abortion.

     (X)Yes    ( )No

               Reason: It adds to the cost of treatment for an un-needed procedure that has no use in to
               perform the procedure.

     15).    Would you SUPPORT legislation requiring medical supervision when an ultrasound is performed on a
               pregnant woman?

     (X)Yes    ( )No

               Reason: I believe the use of any medical equipment should only be used by properly trained and
               supervised personnel.

     16).    Would you OPPOSE state funding of so-called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” that refuse to provide
               non-biased, medically accurate information about all legal options to women facing unintended
               pregnancies?

     (X)Yes    ( )No

               Reason: I believe that everyone has the right to be told of every medically approved treatment
               option and then given the choice as to which one they want and should be held in the confidence
               of there doctor.

  Reason: See numbers 18 &19.

It is estimated that up to half of all unintended pregnancies and abortions can be prevented through greater access to Emergency Contraceptives (EC). EC is not an abortion drug. It is a safe, effective, FDA approved method of preventing pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. Since EC must be taken within a limited time period to be effective, and because the sooner it is taken the more effective it is, it is imperative that women have quick access to the medication. Unfortunately, some women are forced to waste time because their access to EC is impeded by the requirement of obtaining a prescription from a physician or by pharmacists who refuse to dispense the medication. Under many circumstances these delays cause women to miss the window of opportunity and risk unintended pregnancy.

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: I believe that a requirement for any pharmacist or pharmacy to obtain their license should
              be that they have to agree to fill any prescription without delay.

     22).    Would you OPPOSE legislation that would allow pharmacies and/or pharmacists to refuse to fill
              prescriptions and send customers away without being served?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: I believe that a requirement for any pharmacist or pharmacy to obtain their license should
              be that they have to agree to fill any prescription that has been approved by the FDA no matter
              what it is for.

Pro-Choice Leadership

In many other state legislatures, pro-choice legislators have made protecting the fundamental right to make reproductive decisions privately and without government interference a top legislative priority. Most often, this firm belief in protecting women’s lives and health has been not only in votes cast, but in the expression to the political leadership of conditional support for an agenda based on guarantees that abortion rights will be protected from further attacks. These attacks, of course, are always made on the most vulnerable-young, poor, rural, and now, women whose health would be jeopardized by carrying a pregnancy to term.

     23).    Will you diligently express to your Party Leader the importance of promoting a pro-choice agenda?

    (X)Yes    ( )No

              Reason: I believe that this country was founded on the belief that people should have the right to
              choose what is best for themselves and that we need to keep the right to keep doing so. I will
              remind the Party Leadership that we as Democrats believe in making sure the people are given the
              right to choice for themselves in as many areas as possible and not to be taking away any of those
              choices.

Right  To Life

Candidate Survey 2008

1. Do you favor legislation that would prohibit abortions, except to prevent the death of mother?

(  )Yes    (X)No

Reason: I believe women should have the right to choose if they will bring a pregnancy to term especially if it may not be a life or death case but it can be a risk for other major medical conditions that will affect her long term health. I also believe there should be a choice in rape and incest cases. The woman had no choice in most of those cases and should not be reminded further about what someone did by having to go to term carrying a child she did not want in the first place. Plus there is more of chance she will suffer long term medical conditions the longer she has the child in her from whatever disease the attacker might have had at the time of the attack.

2. Do you favor legislation that prohibits tax-payer funded abortions, except to prevent the death of the mother?

(  )Yes    (X)No

Reason: Same as number 1.

3. Do You favor legislation prohibiting physician-assisted suicide?

(  )Yes    (X)No

Reason: I feel there comes a point where no matter what the medical community can do for a person, it is not right to keep someone alive that can not function or have any participation in life. Just to keep someone alive because we can is not right. It costs their family in both emotional pain by watching that person lie in a bed and not be able to do anything and it adds to the cost of the medical bills they will have to pay after. The only ones that will benefit from this would be the medical community.

4. Do you favor legislation prohibiting the use of tax dollars for human embryonic stem cell research?

(  )Yes    (X)No

Reason: It has now been found that we do not need to use embryos to make the stem cells from.

5. Do you favor a ban on all types of human cloning, whether for implantation (into the womb) or “therapeutic” (cloned for stem cells) reasons?

(  )Yes    (X)No

Reason: With the shortage of compatible organ donors, I think we should do everything we can to find a way to clone organs to help people be able to remain healthy functional members of our society.

6. Are you an incumbent?

(  )Yes    (X)No

McHenry County Board Member District 6

Website: ANDREWGEORGI.ORG

Email: AGEORGI@ANDREWGEORGI.ORG

Have you ever been convicted of a felony of misdemeanor?

I have never been arrested.

Occupation: Quality Engineer

Government Experience: Democratic Precinct Committeeman of Hartland and McHenry County Registrar

Education: 3 Assoc. degrees from College of Lake County: Website Design / Micro Applications / Business Management

1. What are your top priorities if elected?
1. Make McHenry County government for the people by the people.
2. Find other sources of income other than property and sales taxes.
3. Spend tax money wiser by getting the most out of the goods and services the county buys.

2. What past decision made by this elected body did you most disagree with and why?

The pay raises for the County Board Officers and department heads. I don’t agree that the County Board Officers should be paid over $100,000.00 a year.

3. What are the county’s top transportation needs and what can be done to address

them?

            We need to plan roads that bypass the center of our towns that will help us

Save gas by stopping gridlock, and promote the fast movement of people

and goods to help bring in business and jobs to the county.

4. Has the county been a good steward of tax dollars?

No because they raised the salaries of the County Board Officers and department heads. They also have left the way the department heads spend our money without good guidelines as to what is a true government expense and what is a personal or political expense.

5. Should the county purse a regional conference and event center project?

We should look into any way to bring in new business and jobs to the county. The only problem

with a conference and event center is the transportation system is not up to the added traffic it would

bring into the county.

Office you are seeking: McHenry County Board District 6

Incumbent: No

How long have you lived in this village/district? 2 1/2 years

Occupation(s): Quality Engineer

For how many years? 8 1/2 years

Political Experience: None
Appt. Precinct Committeeman of Hartland 10/07

McHenry County Deputy Registrar 10/07

Military service and honors:

Sgt. U.S. Marines 1980 to 1990 3 Navy Unit Citations

(Incumbents) Missed meetings: N/A

(Incumbents) Years at post: N/A

Non incumbents:

How many meetings attended: 0

Do you currently hold another office? No

Will you resign or remain in other office? N/A

Question 1: Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is that? What will be your main priority in office?

a.)    It is time to make McHenry County Government for the People, by the People.

b.)    Spending reform

c.)    Road Project reform

d.)    New Income Sources for the county

e.)    Making McHenry County the leader in Green Technologies.

Question 2: For incumbents and non-incumbents: If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of important initiatives you’ve led. If you are not an incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.

Answer:  With my background in the family general contracting business I believe I can help review and

evaluate the county's contracts to find places to save money and help better plan the county's road

 projects. With my quality background in process improvement I feel I can help reform the way the

county does business.

Question 3: The county board this year sold about $50 million in bonds to fund road improvements with plans to repay the loan with future motor-fuel tax revenue, a reversal of a longstanding policy to wait until the money was in place before initiating a construction project. Do/did you agree with that policy shift and what are some of the specific projects upon which you believe the money should be spent?

Answer: I feel we need major road reforms now that will help get rid of grid lock and give us a road

system that will bring business, jobs, and other sources of income to the county.

Reason:  I feel we need to improve routes 31, 14, 47, 120, 173, and 176 to handle the increased traffic

from all the new residents. I know that most of these roads are state controlled but we should be pushing

the state and federal government for the funds we need to improve these roads and work with on a plan

that will use future growth into consideration. One that should have bypasses around the high population

areas.

Question 4: 2008 is the last of the county’s three-year, roughly $300,000, contract with a federal lobbyist hired to represent McHenry County’s interests in Washington, D.C. Do you believe this is a wise use of taxpayer money and should the county renew the contract, retain another lobbyist or drop the idea entirely next year?

Answer: I feel that our elected federal representatives should be looking out for the interests of those

who elected them and we should not have to send money that should be used on services and projects

here in the county.

Reason:  After a long search of the county’s website and looking through many County Board meeting

minutes, I only found one $300,000 grant from the federal government which our lobbyist had anything

to do with. It did look like they did help the county by showing them how to promote the projects at both

the state and federal level which looks like talking to our state and federal representatives about what we

need.

Question 5: The board is exploring the creation of a multi-million dollar county campus near its courthouse and administration building in Woodstock. Do you support the concept of a county campus and, if so, what new facilities should be built on it?

Answer: I believe we should have one central location for all our services so that people don't have to go

all over the county to take care of their needs with the county. If we do build this or any other county

building, I believe we should use the best green technologies we can.

Reason:  I believe one central location will save the people both time and gas helping us to relieve traffic

in the county. I also think we need to think about doing everything we can to use the latest green

building systems in both our new construction projects and upgrading the existing county buildings to

help save energy, reduce our costs, and help the environment.

Question 6: County Board Chairman Ken Koehler recently said the will help fund a study for a Fox River crossing along Longmeadow Parkway in Kane County, but that’s where the county’s financial contribution to the project would end. Given the likelihood the bridge would serve thousands of McHenry County residents and ease traffic in downtown Algonquin, do you believe the county should contribute more to the project or do you believe, like Koehler, the county needs to spend its road dollars in the county? Explain your answer.

Answer:  I think we need to use our money in improving our roads to rid grid lock and if that means we

have to design something to connect to the new bridge we should do it.

Reason:  Downtown Algonquin has to be one of the top three grid lock areas in the county and we need

to do whatever we can to fix the grid lock problem there. I believe we need to work with Kane County to

not only plan for this bridge but how we can connect our road system to it to help our people also.

Question 7: Transportation continues to be a major concern throughout McHenry County, primarily in the southeastern and northeastern corners. If elected, what specifically, would you do to expedite improved transportation funding for the county? What would you do that’s different from what’s previously been done? Be specific.

Answer: I think we need to add an east/west expressway across the county that connects to RT.12, Rt.

14, Rt. 31, and Rt. 47. I think we need to redesign these same routes to be expressways like Palatine Rd

is in the Wolf Rd. and Milwaukee Rd area where there are bridges at those intersections with a frontage

 road along each side so you can get to the homes and businesses along those roads.

Reason: We not only need a better road system that moves our people and goods better, we need to think

about a better mass transit system. Our bus system in this county is almost non existing and our train

system has schedules that are so limited that the people in District 6 have no real choice but to use private transportation. I think as we fix our road system, we need to think about including our own train system like the one Chicago has that goes in the middle of the expressway out to O’Hare airport.

Question 8: Experts predict portions of McHenry County will not have adequate water supplies by 2030. If elected, how will you ensure the region has enough water? Be specific.

Answer: I would work with the state and federal water departments and follow their suggestions on how

to conserve and clean up our watersheds.

Reason: As we all have read in the papers lately, we have a problem with protection of the water we

have. I feel strongly about going after those people and businesses that have and still are damaging our

current water supplies. I also believe that we need to think about designing our conservation areas in the

county with reservoirs that we can use for both our drinking supplies and enjoyment. I know that using

surface water is more costly than using wells but there will be a time when wells will cost us more

because of the depths we will have to drill down to get to the water and the cost of making that water

usable.

Question 9: What, if anything should the McHenry County Board do to ease growing concerns about the immigration issues which have turned volatile in so many communities. If elected, what specifically, would you do about the increasing number of illegal immigrants in McHenry County?

Answer:  As someone that works with people from many different backgrounds, I think we need to

reform our immigration requirements from one based on who can afford the fees to one that looks at

how well they understand how to speak, read, and write our language and how well they understand our

laws. I would also give our local law enforcement the ability to enforce our existing laws on illegal

immigration. When we find someone here illegally, we should find out where they are working and

 investigate that company and bring charges against them. If we stop the ability for people to work here

illegally by going after those that hire them, they will have to come here legally and we can know who

we have here in our country.

Reason:  We need to make sure that the people coming here to work are qualified to not only do the

work but to be able to function in our country by understanding our laws and customs. The history of

this country has been one that the people coming here, came because they liked our way of life and

wanted to become Americans and they learned our laws, language, and customs. Most of the people

coming here today still feel that way but there are many that are only here to take what we have and

return it to their country of origin. They are demanding the rights of our citizens without being citizens

like education, health care, and welfare. These are rights of our people, not the rights we give to the

citizens of other countries. They refuse to learn our language and have forced both our government and

businesses to provide interpreters to convert everything into their native language. Adding to the cost of

doing business in this country. We have special forms, television stations, radio stations, and newspapers

in languages other than English to cater to them. This is not giving them the motivation to be part of this

country. They are also costing us jobs, and higher costs in both health and automotive insurance since

most do not have either.

Question 10:  Please list the names of all relatives employed by or involved in contracts with McHenry County, their relationship to you and their position or area of business.

Answer:  None.