| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | more mobile clinics were put in impoverished and |
| I believe with strong leadership, hard work and a | | | | rural community's potential medical issues could be |
| dedication to problem solving, we can improve the | | | | identified early and treated. This would help to |
| lives of our society and create a new vision for | | | | combat the high volume of patients visiting |
| Northern Virginia. | | | | hospitals and help reduce cost. Additionally, we |
| The Economy | | | | should provide tax credits to small businesses to |
| There is an enormous need to improve the | | | | help healthcare become affordable care. To |
| economic climate within our communities | | | | combat the high volume of patients we should |
| throughout northern Virginia. Thousands of families | | | | provide more mobile clinics in impoverished |
| throughout NOVA are struggling to afford the | | | | communities. Tax credits should also be made |
| expenses associated with life, including childcare. | | | | available to individuals and families that make |
| To help families within NOVA I support President | | | | below the poverty level. Lastly, waste, fraud, and |
| Obama's strategy to expand the child and | | | | abuse in the Medicare system must be rooted |
| Dependent Care Tax Credit to help provide relief | | | | out to keep the long-term stability of our |
| for parents and care givers. Currently only 35 | | | | Medicare system for seniors. |
| percent of the first $3,000 incurred from childcare | | | | Implementing these reforms must be done in |
| expenses by a family with one child and a family | | | | order to meet the challenges of our nation. The |
| with two or more children the first $6,000. The | | | | costs of healthcare are driving more Americans |
| credit is not refundable, therefore upper-income | | | | into bankruptcy and making our businesses less |
| families unreasonably benefit while families that | | | | competitive to foreign competitors. These |
| earn less than $50,000 a year obtain less than a | | | | reforms would reduce our deficit and begin to get |
| third of the tax credit. I advocate reforming the | | | | our fiscal house in order. I will be a strong believer |
| Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to ensure | | | | in healthcare reform. |
| low-income families to receive more credit for | | | | Education |
| their child care debuts. | | | | Our education system has many issues and in |
| Additionally, it is imperative that we create training | | | | need for solutions to combat challenges that |
| programs for clean technologies. | | | | Americans are faced with everyday. Our children |
| I advocate for additional funding to expand federal | | | | are falling behind in comparison to other |
| job training programs to include green technologies | | | | developing nations. To provide our children with a |
| training, like advanced manufacturing and | | | | bright future the United States must be at the |
| weatherization training. This type of job training | | | | forefront of innovation. First, we must support |
| program will help fuel our economy and create | | | | children with special needs and invest in early |
| sustainable green jobs. | | | | childhood education, because the period before a |
| I support President Obama's plan to help expand | | | | child enters into kindergarten is the most critical to |
| lending to small business through tax cuts and | | | | their educational development. To attain this goal |
| assistance to community banks. The program is | | | | we must dramatically increase funding for Head |
| designed to have $30 billion in returned cash for | | | | Start and other Parent Readiness programs that |
| the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) made | | | | have proved effective in getting our children |
| available to help smaller banks lend to local | | | | ready for their education. Funds must be allocated |
| businesses. Small businesses are the fabric of our | | | | properly to ensure that classrooms are managed |
| economy it is imperative that we provide financial | | | | efficiently and effectively. |
| support to create jobs, ignite entrepreneurship | | | | Second, we must improve our K-12 education |
| and innovation. | | | | system. I talked to many parents across northern |
| Health Care | | | | Virginia and listen to their concerns about the |
| The Healthcare system in this country is broken | | | | increasing dropout rate and if American students |
| and I will fight to fix the system. The United | | | | are being prepared to compete with the world. To |
| States pays more than any other industrialized | | | | achieve this goal, funding must be provided in |
| country, yet lacks national coverage for all | | | | order to bring technology and up-to-date |
| Americans. At the same time, healthcare is | | | | textbooks into the classrooms. Additionally, we |
| inextricably linked to our future fiscal health. | | | | must rebuild crumbling schools and reward |
| Therefore, in order to reduce costs and improve | | | | teachers based on merit and provide incentives to |
| quality for all Americans, three principles must be | | | | attract quality teachers. I support the President's |
| met in any legislation that passes congress: (1) | | | | Race To The Top Program and will advocate to |
| national coverage; (2) ending insurance company | | | | reform the No Child Left Behind Act to support |
| abuses; (3) providing choice and competition in the | | | | schools that need improvement. Additionally, I |
| market. | | | | believe that our school days and hours should be |
| To meet these principles healthcare reform must | | | | extended, so that our children are getting not only |
| contain several different provisions. First, we must | | | | high quality education, but as much education |
| find a plan to increase the number of Americans | | | | throughout the year as our global competitors. |
| with healthcare. If done properly, it would expand | | | | Third, we must expand access to higher |
| the insurance pool, include more Americans and | | | | education. The high school education that gave our |
| reduce the costs of premiums. Second, | | | | parents and grandparents a career is simply not |
| Americans must be protected from the worst | | | | enough in today's fast-developing world. Today, in |
| insurance company abuses by ending their | | | | order to purchase a home, support a family and |
| practices of denying coverage due to pre-existing | | | | retire comfortably, a college education is a |
| conditions, capping total coverage, and dropping or | | | | necessity. Unfortunately, college and other |
| reducing coverage when people get sick and need | | | | advance training has become unaffordable for |
| it the most. Additionally, reform should mandate | | | | many Americans that is why I support expanding |
| how much of a patient's premium must go | | | | Pell grants and tax credits to families to help pay |
| toward their care, as opposed to the marketing, | | | | for education. |
| profits and salaries for insurance companies. | | | | Expanding these programs will be costly, but they |
| To provide choice and competition into the | | | | are worth the investment. I believe that |
| market reform should include a national exchange, | | | | government has the responsibility to invest in its |
| whereby individuals and small businesses can join | | | | future leaders, inventors and communities. We |
| together to expand the insurance pool for | | | | cannot compete globally if we are not developing |
| cheaper insurance. Included within this exchange | | | | better products and technologies. Failure is not an |
| should be a national option. A national option would | | | | option we must improve our educational system, |
| be non-profit and have the ability to provide | | | | as a member of Congress I will push to refocus |
| comprehensive care for the best price. Including | | | | our Nation's effort to strengthening our intellectual |
| an American option in the exchange would keep | | | | capital. |
| private insurers costs from rising and keep them | | | | I believe with the right values, dedication, |
| honest. | | | | leadership and communication a new vision for |
| To keep health insurance affordable our system | | | | Northern Virginia is possible. Let's make it happen. |
| must shift to preventative care. For example, if | | | | |