ELECTION PREVIEW: U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski defends Indiana District 2 seat against Joe Bock

Oct. 19--GOSHEN -- The upcoming Nov. 4 general election will see Republican incumbent Jackie Walorski face off against Democratic opponent Joe Bock in a bid to retain her title as U.S. Representative for Indiana's 2nd congressional district for a second term.

Following is the biographical information of each candidate, as well as answers to several questions related to their candidacy for U.S. Representative, District 2:

Jackie Walorski

Age: 51

Address: Elkhart

Education: Bachelor of Arts, Taylor University

Employment: Representative, U.S. House of Representatives

Related experience: State representative, Indiana legislature, 2005-10

Hobbies, community service: Lakeville Lions Club; play guitar and garden

The economy continues to have slow growth coming out of the 2008-2009 recession. Is there anything Congress should do in the coming year to spur a more rapid expansion of the economy?

The American people deserve a responsible, balanced budget and Hoosiers know a balanced budget creates jobs. When I served in the Indiana legislature, our team was able to turn a budget deficit into a surplus. We need more of that Hoosier commonsense in Washington, where you don't spend more than you have. I supported legislation that achieves the goal of a balanced budget that will foster a healthier economy and help create jobs. By tackling the debt, this will help grow our economy today and ensure the next generation inherits a stronger, more prosperous America. We need common-sense solutions to get the country back on track. We need a budget that will foster a healthier economy and help create jobs and target wasteful spending and reform the drivers of the debt.

The issue of immigrants coming into the country illegally has been before Congress for some time. What action, if any, would you prefer Congress take to resolve the issues surrounding illegal immigration?

Our immigration system is broken and needs reform. As the House works to craft our own bill, we must recognize the complexity of this issue and treat reform with fairness and careful consideration. I encourage the House to focus on designing a workable system to address critical issues like border security and a visa entry-exit system, tracking individuals entering and leaving the U.S. on temporary visas for improved national security. Second District Hoosiers have already shared valuable feedback with my office, and I hope they will stay in touch to relay opinions and ideas during this process.

A June Gallup poll found public confidence in Congress had dropped to a new low with half of those polled having "very little," and another 7 percent having no confidence in Congress. What will you, as a member of the U.S. House, have to do to win back that confidence?

When I was elected to Congress, I made a promise to represent your interests in Washington, and fight for Hoosiers. My dad was an Air Force veteran and South Bend firefighter, he taught me about the value of public service. Since then, I have dedicated my career to helping others. My mission to help others continued in Indiana when I had the chance to serve in the state legislature. In an effort to fulfill my promise, I've continued to help others in Congress where I've worked across party lines to get things done. I wrote a bipartisan law to combat military sexual assault, supported the violence against women's act, kept propane costs low and protected our nation's veterans. I've been grateful for the opportunity voters have given me to serve on their behalf and I'll continue to work with Congress, regardless of party or politics, to fight for my constituents.

About 8 million people have signed up to obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Attempts to repeal the act have failed. In coming years, should Congress continue to attempt to repeal this law or should members work to improve it?

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the health care law will cost almost $2 trillion and reduce employment by 2.5 million jobs by 2024. I recently visited an orthopedic instrument manufacturing company in Mishawaka, that is now being hit with a new medical device tax. The company's owner told me the tax will make life-saving medical devices more expensive. We need to reform our health care system, but ObamaCare has been poorly implemented and not met its promises, which is why it should be dismantled, repealed and replaced. I support eliminating pre-existing conditions so that no one can be denied health coverage or treatment or charged more based on health status and allowing young adults to stay on their parents plan. Patients need more control, not less, because they, along with their doctors, are the only ones who can really say what works for them.

Joe Bock

Age: 56

Address: South Bend

Education: Ph.D., School of International Service, American University; MSW, University of Missouri; BSW, University of Missouri, Summa Cum Laude (1980).

Employment: University Of Notre Dame, Eck Institute for Global Health/Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies -- teaching professor, director of global health training, director of external relations.

Related experience: 1986-1992: Missouri House of Representatives, Jefferson City, Mo. -- chair of the energy and environment committee and vice-chair of the Commerce Committee.

Family: Married to Sue Lyke, with two children, Nicholas and Jessica.

The economy continues to have slow growth coming out of the 2008-2009 recession. Is there anything Congress should do in the coming year to spur a more rapid expansion of the economy?

We should repair our roads and bridges and update our electricity grid. To pay for this, we should cut tobacco subsidies that cost taxpayers roughly $33 billion a year, and we should negotiate lower prices for pharmaceuticals for Medicare. Indiana small businesses are being crushed under uncertainty and burdensome regulation from Washington. I'll fight to make it easier, not harder, to start an Indiana small business and work to enhance small business tax credits -- including credits for hiring veterans. Northern Indiana has historically been a manufacturing powerhouse. The loss of manufacturing jobs has hurt our middle-class families. I'll fight to keep good paying manufacturing jobs and I'll encourage entrepreneurs to bring new jobs to our communities. And I'll work against unfair trade deals. There's no reason to "fast track" more experiments with job loss.

The issue of immigrants coming into the country illegally has been before Congress for some time. What action, if any, would you prefer Congress take to resolve the issues surrounding illegal immigration?

Like my church, in accordance with Catholic social teachings, I support immigration reform. We need a comprehensive and bipartisan solution. It needs to be fair to all concerned, including those who have waited to enter our country legally. Any plan I could support would require immigrants already here illegally pass a background check. In addition, we must respect the rule of law and require that fines be paid. Our recent experience with the flood of children immigrants from Central America into our country is a humanitarian crisis that reflects our broken immigration system. It is a travesty that the Speaker of the House was unable to bring up an immigration bill earlier this year. Obstructionists in Congress need to step out of the way. We need to call on the international community to address the reasons parents are sending their children to our country.

A June Gallup poll found public confidence in Congress had dropped to a new low with half of those polled having "very little," and another 7 percent having no confidence in Congress. What will you, as a member of the U.S. House, have to do to win back that confidence?

The games in Washington have to stop. The government shutdown, which was supported by Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, cost our economy an estimated $24 billion. And threatening to default on our debt not only hurts our bond rating, it also jeopardizes the American dollar as the preeminent world currency. Members of Congress need to represent the people who elected them, not special interests and not party leadership. Often, politicians get elected and then their self-image changes. They can't imagine themselves not being in office, so they do whatever they need to do to stay in power. There are three changes that need to be made to restore faith in our government. First, there should be campaign finance reform. Second, both major parties need to agree to discontinue gerrymandering districts so that members of their party are easily elected and re-elected. That works against the accountability of our elected officials. And, third, there should be term limits for members of Congress.

About 8 million people have signed up to obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Attempts to repeal the act have failed. In coming years, should Congress continue to attempt to repeal this law or should members work to improve it?

The Affordable Care Act should never have been passed in such a high-pressure, rushed fashion. The problems with the initial rollout were inexcusable. Someone should have been fired for gross incompetence. People throughout northern Indiana are positive about two provisions. First, they are relieved that people with pre-existing conditions can now get insurance coverage. And, second, young people and parents are happy that children under 26 can stay on their parents' policies. I would not be in favor of repealing these two provisions. There are other parts of the Affordable Care Act that should either be repealed or fixed. For instance, is it the best approach to have insurance provided through employers? In addition, high quality policies are expensive. Policies that are cheaper tend to have high deductibles which are out of reach for many people.

___

(c)2014 the Goshen News (Goshen, Ind.)

Visit the Goshen News (Goshen, Ind.) at www.goshennews.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services