Gun Safety
In the aftermath carnage of mass shootings at schools, stores, churches and parades, we need sensible gun laws to keep people safe. No one needs weapons of war unless they are in the military nor do they need high capacity magazines. You don’t hunt with semi-automatics. Linda is not against hunters having rifles. She grew up in the west and learned to shoot with a .22. You don’t hunt with bullets that rip through the flesh of an animal nor the bodies of children, parade attendees, church members, the tragic list goes on and on. Mental health funding definitely needs to be increased, but other countries have mentally ill people at the same rate we do. We need sensible policies that keep guns out of the hands of people who are unstable. Sensible gun laws include requiring background checks for private and gun show sales as well as a national red flag law. Requiring a license before a gun purchase is sensible.
Building a Healthy Community
Families need a secure community that provides education, jobs, infrastructure to get to work and school, affordable transportation and stable food sources. Our community is under stress. Inflation and high interest rates are hurting many of our community members. Donations to food banks are down at a time when the need is greatest. Many families are struggling to pay for groceries and fuel for their cars; we must tackle inflation at its source. We need to do better. Linda is committed to the permanent elimination of state sales tax on nutritious foods.
A healthy community includes good schools to educate citizens. It includes childcare options to allow mothers and fathers to work, knowing their children are safe and happy. Linda’s daughter and son-in-law and their friends struggle with finding daycare for their children in this post-pandemic world. Children are our future. Let’s make certain they are protected and cared for properly.
Climate Change
We have an existential threat to our future: Climate Change. The Supreme Court ruling limiting the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions is deeply concerning. Right now, farmers, homeowners and businesses are suffering huge financial losses due to the extreme oscillations in the weather with severe storms in the summer and winter, droughts, and flooding with “once in a century climate events” that now occur frequently. Avoiding catastrophe is more cost effective than ignoring a costly problem and hoping it will go away. Subsidizing dirty, inefficient and expensive energy doesn’t make sense, especially when in contributes to climate change.
While it isn’t possible to immediately transition to 100% renewable energy, using a less polluting alternative like natural gas is far better than burning coal. Increasing energy efficiency saves people’s pocket books and the planet. Simple things like insulating the home are effective.
As a research scientist, Linda worked on numerous projects designed to safely conserve energy and reduce costs to businesses. We can lower carbon emissions and create jobs. Linda believes that Illinois must use the power of competitive markets to encourage energy innovation and create clean energy jobs.
Fixing many of the existing environmental policies shouldn’t require political conflict. Linda is committed to logically assessing the facts and working with leaders on both sides of the aisle to build our Illinois’ clean energy infrastructure and make Illinois an innovator in a rapidly growing sector of the global economy.
Women’s Reproductive Healthcare
Accessible, affordable and high-quality healthcare is important in developing a healthy community. We are fortunate to have so many excellent healthcare facilities in our district. Healthcare includes women’s reproductive care and care for babies and children.
Choosing when or if to have children is a highly personal decision and it includes the right to privacy. Family and privacy are inherent rights in our democracy, and they are under threat. People need control of their own bodies.
It is apparent that legislation protecting our rights at the state level is critical. Reproductive decisions belong between a woman and her doctor, not dictates from politicians. At this time, women’s rights are no longer protected at a federal level. An opinion issued by the Supreme Court stated that even birth control may not be guaranteed as a right. Same sex marriage could be on the table. Privacy laws could be upended. Doctors in Texas and Ohio risk being sued for providing health care that was routine even prior to Roe v Wade: a D&C has been standard, routine health care to remove a miscarried fetus to avoid risking a woman’s life or future fertility. The procedure is now forbidden under some state’s laws. Microbiologists know that avoiding infections and septic shock due to partial miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy is critical. Forcing doctors to wait until a woman is near death to start treatment is cruel and unnecessary.
Protecting women requires electing experts who understand the issues and can reach across the political divide. Linda will work hard to ensure reproductive health care decisions are made between a woman and her doctor, not by politicians.