Dan Kairis, U.S. House of Representatives 14th Dist.

Candidate Full Name: Dan Kairis

Office: 14th Congressional District

Party: Green

Email Address: kairisforcongress@yahoo.com

Web Site: http://kairisforcongress.com

Campaign Name: Kairis for Congress

Campaign Office Mailing Address: Kairis for Congress P.O. Box 188 South Elgin, Il 60177-0188

Phone: 847-695-3195

Survey Questions (Character limit of 2,000 per response)

1. Please tell us about yourself, your background and why you believe you are qualified to hold this office.

Age: 60

Marital Status: Married 38 years to Allynn

Family: Two sons: Joshua Bradley

Education/Degrees: Attended Oswego Public School District 1960-1967 Graduated 1968 East Aurora High School Bachelor of Science Elementary Education Northern Illinois University

I feel that the varied experiences I have had allow me to see issues from many different perspectives. I began my political activities many years ago as a Republican, but turned to independent groups when I became disillusioned with the flaws and faults of the two major parties. My most recent political experiences include working on the United We Stand America bylaws committee, serving as the former State Chair Reform Party of Illinois, and serving as the former Treasurer of the United Independents Party. I am currently the chairman of the Kane County Greens.

2. Why do you want to be elected/re-elected to this office?

The two main established parties have become corrupted by the large amount of money buying their influence. The big oil industry has stopped any implementation of an environmentally sound energy policy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The financial institutions have influenced legislation detrimental to Americans' credit. The pharmaceuticals have influenced legislation that puts their profits ahead of Americans' health. The list is endless regarding the undue influence that big campaign contributions have had on politics on all levels. I can give the voters in the 14th Congressional District the opportunity to change the Illinois political atmosphere. The citizens deserve better.

I, along with the other Green Party candidates, have taken a pledge to refuse all corporate and special interest donations, thus eliminating the unfair influence that has been so common to the Illinois political scene.

3. What specifically do you think differentiates you and your candidacy from others in this race?

The above is the biggest difference between myself and the other candidates for the position. If our current members of Congress would spend more time taking care of the problems they have created instead of trying to raise money for their next election, we would not be trillions in debt. We could solve our energy problems, would not have an unemployment rate of over 10%, would not be witnessing the destruction of our manufacturing base, or have millions of people losing their houses. We can look directly at the legislation passed by Congress that has caused many of these problems.

4. What steps should be taken to reduce the huge government deficits and debt?

We need to stop the exportation of American workers' wealth to other countries. My 2020 Green Energy Plan would reduce our dependence on foreign oil and provide 5 million $50,000 jobs for Americans. We also need to renegotiate foreign trade policies to make them more equal to save even more jobs.

We also need to close the tax loopholes for multi-national corporations that shield their taxes in off shore accounts and trade practices.

5. Please state your views about the Health Care Plan proposed by President Obama and enacted by Congress.

The proposals coming out of Washington will only make matters worse. 30% of our health care costs go to administration. Nearly 60% of personal bankruptcies are caused by overwhelming health care costs. It is obvious the current system is not functioning nor will the current proposals solve these problems. The problems are caused by the special interests that have had their legislation passed for their benefit at the expense of the citizens. We need to look at ways to reduce the expenses of administering the system. A single, standardized, medical form would be a start. We should also look at real tort reform. Possibly putting caps on the amount of money attorneys could collect would help reduce the monetary effects of lawsuits. We might even take a truly bold step in researching the cost savings of eliminating health insurance and putting that money directly into the cost of health care.

6. Should Congress allow the Bush Tax Cuts to expire or should they be reinstated?

It is time for the richest of the rich to pay their fair share of taxes and to end the tax breaks to the most affluent. The following excerpts provide the reasons:

The rising concentration of income can be seen in a special New York Times analysis of an Internal Revenue Service report on income in 2004. Although overall income had grown by 27% since 1979, 33% of the gains went to the top 1%. Meanwhile, the bottom 60% were making less: about 95 cents for each dollar they made in 1979. Furthermore, only the top 5% made significant gains ($1.53 for each 1979 dollar). Most amazing of all, the top 0.1% -- that's one-tenth of one percent -- had more combined pre-tax income than the poorest 120 million people (Johnston, 2006).

But the increase in what is going to the few at the top did not level off, even with all that. As of 2007, income inequality in the United States was at an all-time high for the past 95 years, with the top 0.01% -- that's one-hundredth of one percent -- receiving 6% of all U.S. wages, which is double what it was for that tiny slice in 2000; the top 10% received 49.7%, the highest since 1917 (Saez, 2009).

And the rate of increase is even higher for the very richest of the rich: the top 400 income earners in the United States. According to an analysis by David Cay Johnston -- recently retired from reporting on tax issues at the New York Times -- the average income of the top 400 tripled during the Clinton Administration and doubled during the first seven years of the Bush Administration

Many of the recipients of this massive transfer of wealth are the same people who provide the massive campaign contributions to the two entrenched parties.

7. What are your views on illegal immigration and proposals for immigration reform?

It is obvious finding a compromise solution to the problem has eluded the current and past administrations. Too many special interests have tainted the process of finding a solution. Many believe those here illegally have been exploited and deserve all the rights of citizenship. They do not take into consideration the rights of those who are following the proper procedures. Those who want to deport them immediately do not take into consideration the facts that our broken immigration policies have encouraged immigrants to ignore our laws. I would propose a moratorium on deportations for two years. Anyone here illegally would then have two years to put their personal and business affairs in order. Once their move back to their home country was verified, they would then be allowed to apply for legal immigration and citizenship.

Candidate Endorsements

IVI-IPO (Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization

100% rating from "Project Vote Smart" Political Courage Test