Economy

To rebuild our economy, we need to return to our core priorities.  We can no longer keep spending trillions overseas in wars of choice, and we cannot rely on the worn-out cycle of booms and busts.  The mortgage crisis taught us that what happens on Main Street has a profound effect on Wall Street and vice versa.  In this case, however, those of us on Main Street did not benefit from a government bailout.  Now, we must look for solutions with an eye toward shoring up our nation’s beleaguered middle class and investing in Main Street where our tax dollars will have the most impact.  People’s day-to-day challenges run the gamut from lack of health insurance to failing schools to joblessness and limited access to capital.  That is why Cheryle supports an economic recovery plan, which makes critical investments in infrastructure, renewable energy, health care, and education.  Our government must embrace diverse and sustainable models for economic development that support and reward entrepreneurship, innovation, and development of new technologies.  America’s ability to remain competitive globally depends on revitalizing our economy in ways that benefit more people.

Entrepreneurship

As the CEO of the Chicago Urban League, Cheryle has first-hand experience dealing with the issues small businesses face, and she understands that entrepreneurs are the lynchpin of job creation and economic growth.  When she became the first woman to head the storied civil rights organization, Cheryle changed its focus from social services to economic development.  As part of that effort, she launched an initiative that provided a high-octane boost to minority-owned businesses in Chicago by pairing them with support services ranging from strategic consultants to financial advisers.  The goal was to help business owners expand and hire more people from their communities.  It worked.  A third class of NextOne business owners is now going through the program.  In 2007, Cheryle launched the Entrepreneurship Center in conjunction with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University to aid African-American entrepreneurs.  To date, close to 3,000 businesses have used the center’s services.  As a senator, Cheryle will always be an ally of small business owners and entrepreneurs. 

Jobs

This recession has led to the highest U.S. unemployment rate in more than two decades.  Yet, funding for job training and education programs remains critical to our country’s economic future  The result: hundreds of thousands of displaced workers looking to upgrade their skills, return to school, or learn a trade have no place to turn.  Restoring job-training dollars, embracing green technologies, and providing tax breaks for small businesses is the swiftest path to recovery.  The current state of the job market is proof that dramatic cuts to federal funding for job training and education programs under the Bush administration have weakened our workforce and hindered America’s overall global competitiveness.  In order for the country to prosper again, Cheryle believes we must fund education and training programs that will create a diverse, flexible workforce for today and the future.

Taxes

Large tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent of Americans under the Bush administration have placed a disproportionate tax burden on the middle class.  It is time to relieve that burden and cut taxes for middle-class families earning less than $250,000 a year.  Likewise, small businesses are bearing an excessive tax burden compared to multinational corporations, which have access to sophisticated tax avoidance strategies and can incorporate overseas.  We can change that imbalance by eliminating capital gains taxes on small business and providing tax incentives to companies that create domestic jobs and keep them here.

Consumer Credit and Protection

We need tough financial reform that will end the disastrous lending practices by big banks and credit card companies that led to the economic crisis and financial ruin for so many honest, hardworking families.  The federal government must do more to protect Americans from unscrupulous payday lenders whose sky-high interest rates trap poor and working class people in an unending cycle of debt.  She supports a strong Financial Products Safety Commission that will protect consumers from unfair credit terms and toxic mortgages.  Cheryle believes the federal government should push banks who have received bailout funds to open the credit tap again so qualified homebuyers can get mortgages and small business owners have access to credit.  In the Senate, Cheryle will always work to protect consumers and homeowners.

Health Care

Cheryle believes that we must guarantee every American access to quality, affordable health care.  It is outrageous that some insurance companies provide incentives for employers to deny people coverage.  Pre-existing conditions must be covered and the practice of charging women higher rates must end.  Pregnancy, for example, should not be considered a pre-existing condition as it is now in a number of states.  The pool of uninsured Americans has grown to 47 million.  Millions more have inadequate coverage, and healthcare costs are rising faster than wages for almost all of us.  Cheryle is a strong advocate for a robust public option that will provide a government-run insurance plan that competes with private insurers and drives down costs.  Cheryle also will fight to protect and improve Medicare and health care for veterans.  Cheryle is a strong proponent of investing in preventative health care to minimize the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Cheryle also believes we can and must pass meaningful health reform without compromising women’s access to reproductive care.  The Stupak-Pitts amendment recently passed in the House would cut abortion coverage that women in Illinois and across the nation currently have.  It would even prohibit women from using their own private money for such coverage.  A recent George Washington University analysis found that this amendment would end up eliminating nearly ALL abortion coverage - for ALL women.  That’s wrong.  It would be a major shift in U.S. policy.  It is a false, cynical choice to choose between affordable health care and protecting women’s reproductive rights.  And frankly, it is outrageous - if not surprising - that conservatives are trying to hijack healthcare reform to legislate this major restriction on reproductive rights.

We must ensure that women are not presented with a false choice between comprehensive healthcare reform and full reproductive health care.  We must keep a promise to women that nobody’s coverage is reduced by health reform legislation, and we must not cut out poor women from access to needed care as we reform and expand healthcare coverage.  We need more than a vote for women in the U. S. Senate – we need a voice.

Obesity

Over the last 25 years, Americans have become increasingly overweight.  Illinois has the 27^th highest rate of adult obesity in the nation (26 percent) and the 10^th highest rate of overweight youths aged 10 to 17 (35 percent).  The problem is even more extreme in the Hispanic and African-American communities. Our healthcare costs are growing along with our waistlines, which are reflected in the rise of chronic health conditions such as diabetes.  Illinois has fallen behind 19 other states that now have nutritional standards for school lunches, breakfasts, and snacks that are stricter than current USDA requirements.  Cheryle believes we should provide healthy food and beverages to students; increase the available of affordable healthy foods in communities plagued by food deserts; and increase the frequency and duration of physical activities in schools.  She also supports employers who provide workplace wellness programs.

Women’s Rights

As someone who values freedom, privacy, and liberty, Cheryle believes a woman’s right to choose is a personal decision, not one that should be made by politicians.  In the Senate, she will always fight to protect the right to choose.  In Washington, Cheryle will be our strongest opponent against more insidious encroachments on women’s right to choice like the Stupak-Pitts amendment, the Hyde amendment, and parental notification laws.  Cheryle also supports stronger enforcement of court orders of protection against violent offenders and will fight for stiffer penalties for stalkers and those who commit violent acts against women.  Our government must enforce equal pay legislation, such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act passed in January.  She also supports strengthening the Family and Parental Leave Act to allow time off for parents to care for infants, sick children, and ailing parents.  Cheryle will also be a leader in strengthening child support laws and better enforcement of them.

Education

Cheryle firmly believes that every child deserves a quality education regardless of zip code, family income, race, or ethnicity.  That is why she sued Governor Blagojevich for an education funding system that led to underfunded and inadequate schools, which violated the state’s Civil Rights Act.  During tough economic times, investing in education is one of the most important investments we can make, and preventing cuts to public school budgets is critical to our recovery and our long-term economic well-being.  Illinois allocates only 37 percent of its budget to education, which ranks it 49 out of 50 in state funding.  The federal government spends only seven percent of its budget on education.  We must support our teachers and provide adequate funding for urban and rural schools.  Unfunded federal mandates deny public schools the resources necessary to reach higher levels of achievement.  The focus should be on helping failing schools and increasing the number of children eligible for early education programs such as Head Start.  Cheryle will work to make college more affordable, by investing in community colleges, increasing the number of Pell Grants available to four-year university students, while also encouraging life-long learning and job skills training.

The Obama administration should appoint a youth violence czar to coordinate efforts across agencies and units of government to stem the tide of serious violence among school-age children

Cheryle is the only candidate who worked to put herself through school and did not grow up a multi-millionaire.  In the Senate, Cheryle will fight for quality schools as one of the most important investments we can make – critical to our children’s ability to compete in a global economy.

Energy

America’s reliance on fossil fuels has put our national and economic security at risk.  It has not done much for the Earth’s atmosphere either.  This is a sad legacy for our children and future generations.  Cheryle believes that investing in clean, domestic renewable energy sources must be a top priority.  Now is the time to harness American ingenuity to create new sources of energy that will last long after oil runs out.  By doing so, we will create jobs in our cities and rural communities that cannot be shipped overseas.  We must act now to limit our dependence on foreign oil and address the global climate crisis through increased support of research and development.  We must stand up to the oil lobbyists and special interests that have impeded progress on these issues over the last eight years.

Environment & Climate Change

Climate change is real and it is accelerating—pollution from power plants, factories, and cars is damaging the air we breathe and altering our delicate ecosystem.  Cheryle strongly believes that America must act immediately to reduce greenhouse gases and exposure to toxic substances that put our families, our communities, and our planet at risk.  Whether we are concerned about the impact of pollution on our health, the weather, or both, we need a concerted effort by government and business to solve this problem together.  That means upping mileage standards for American cars, increasing penalties for polluters and rewarding good corporate citizens for reducing emissions.  It means conserving open space and protecting our nation’s wildlife.  Cheryle also supports efforts to restore Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes, which are a national treasure.

Immigration

An estimated 12 million immigrants are living and working illegally in the United States.  We must provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, one that requires them to pay their fair share of taxes as they work their way toward becoming Americans.  Such a plan should require those seeking citizenship to pass a criminal background check, maintain a good work record and study English.  It also should include fines for being in the country illegally.  We must secure our borders and punish employers who are undermining law-abiding competitors by hiring illegal workers at substandard wages.  This combination of measures is a common sense solution that will help us return to being both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.

Same-Sex Marriage

As the CEO of the Chicago Urban League, Cheryle has fought for civil rights for all people.  That is why she is in favor of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, and in favor of providing the same legal rights to same-sex civil unions as those provided to married couples. Civil unions are an effective way to extend rights to gay and lesbian partners, an issue where states have been far more progressive than the federal government. More and more gay couples are having children or adopting them.  When gay couples split up, these children should have their interests protected by a court just as children of heterosexual couples do.

Veterans

We need to improve health care and education benefits for the military personnel who proudly defend our nation.  They also must have access to economic opportunities when they return home from duty around the world.  It is critical that the Veterans Administration has adequate resources on the ground to help veterans who live in areas such as the Quad Cities and Rockford that do not have a VA hospital but are suffering from severe combat-related disabilities and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Rights of People with Disabilities

We must continually press for full enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and fight attempts to roll back the hard-fought gains embodied in this landmark civil rights legislation.  The proposed federal Community Choice Act, which would provide federal funding for in-home care and support services for the disabled, should be passed. 

Reducing Gun Violence

We need to strengthen background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill and do more to punish violators of concealed weapons laws.  However, gun control programs do not work on a piecemeal basis.  Although Chicago has one of the country’s toughest anti-gun measures, shootings claimed the lives of 36 Chicago public school students in the 2008 academic year alone.  Cheryle believes we have to stand up to the gun lobbyists who want to lift handgun bans and to gun enthusiasts who oppose a new ban on automatic weapons, a favorite of drug gangs and other criminals.  Local communities should have the right to enact common-sense gun laws, and states should be able to prohibit concealed weapons regardless of the laws of other states.  Additionally, Cheryle supports additional funding for effective violence prevention programs such as COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services), which employs problem-solving techniques to address violent crime.

FOREIGN POLICY

Afghanistan and Pakistan

Cheryle Jackson was the first candidate to call for an end to the war in Afghanistan so we can bring U.S. troops – and the hundreds of billions in U.S. dollars – home and start investing in domestic challenges we face right here in Illinois: quality education for every child in Illinois; affordable health care for every Illinoisan; and the clean energy manufacturing jobs that are the future of our state’s economy.  The U.S. has encouraged Pakistan to do more to fight the Taliban, which essentially had taken over large swaths of Pakistani territory.  Pakistan is currently waging war with Muslim extremists in the south but this threat is not going away any time soon.  We must reevaluate our approach to the country and the region.  In Pakistan, al-Qaeda’s recruitment and training of militants has led to further anti-American/anti-West sentiment in the region.  We must work with the Pakistani government to combat these villainous forces from within.

Iraq

While Iraq has made some strides since the U.S. invasion in 2003, the loss of nearly 4,400 American troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians haunts the histories of our respective nations.  This war has undermined America’s national security, economic security, and moral authority around the world.  Cheryle supports the president’s plan to withdraw troops by 2011 as the best course of action.

Nuclear Proliferation

Efforts by Iran and North Korea to develop nuclear weapons are unacceptable because of the threat these volatile regimes pose to their neighbors.  The Obama administration has wisely abandoned the Bush administration’s policy of non-engagement with these countries but progress in halting their nuclear development has been start-and-stop.  Cheryle supports continued non-proliferation negotiations with both countries.  She also believes that as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, the U.S. and Russia must set an example and follow through on the nuclear disarmament road map reached this summer that calls for both countries to cut their arsenals by up to a third.

Israel

Israel and the United States share common values and goals and Israel has been one of our staunchest allies since its formation.  Cheryle believes it is in the best interest of the United States, and our security, to continue to invest in a safe and secure Israel.  She is hopeful that under the polices of the new administration that Israel may finally be able to achieve its long stated goal of co-existing peacefully with its neighbors.  As a member of the Senate, Cheryle will do everything in her power to support Israel and to protect the safety of its people.

Africa

Africa is an important continent that often is forgotten in our foreign policy.  The U.S. must continue its efforts to fight poverty and disease in the world’s poorest region, but it also must ensure that foreign aid is not being diverted by corrupt politicians to meet their own ends.  To help Africans help themselves, the U.S. should increase its support of micro-finance lending programs that help families, and particularly women, start and build small businesses.  A successful example of how this works in the private sector can be found in Chicago.  World Bicycle Relief, a non-profit formed by SRAM, the Chicago bicycle gear manufacturer, and Trek Bicycle Co., has provided specially made bikes to dairy farmers in the central African country of Zambia.  The dairy farmers took out micro-loans to buy the bikes, which they use to transport milk to a milk collection co-op.  The program has helped small farmers in Zambia increase the size of their herds and their income because less milk spoils on the way to the co-op.

China

China has grown into a super power, and the importance of the U.S.-China relationship cannot be underestimated.  Yet the relationship is fraught with tension because of fundamental differences on everything from human rights to currency valuations.  Cheryle believes the U.S. must continue to push China to guarantee its citizens personal freedoms and end its persecution of those who espouse religious or democratic principles.  China’s rapid industrialization has come at the expense of the environment and China must be encouraged to aggressively reduce its air pollution, which has become a worldwide issue.  Economically, China has accumulated vast leverage by buying the debt of U.S. and European countries.  Yet its undervalued currency continues to give it an unfair advantage in the world market that increases the trade imbalance in China’s favor.

International Women’s Rights and Health

The New York Times magazine in August declared that women’s rights are the “cause of our time.”  One woman dies in childbirth for every 100,000 live births in Ireland.  That number is 1 in 2,100 in Sierra Leone. Millions of women continue to be forced into sex trafficking and child marriage while millions more are denied the freedom to pursue an education or a career.  That is why a growing number of international agencies have come to the realization that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and religious extremism.  Cheryle supports equal rights for women around the world and will support funding for programs that improve health care for women, increase educational opportunities, and bring women into the economic mainstream.