The Independent Platform of Angel Rivera For Illinois Governor 2006

Illinois has 12.8 million residents, making it the fifth most populous state in the country. Its central location has been a boon for its growth, as it is accessible by any imaginable means of transportation.

In Chicago, we enjoy one of the world’s most prominent cities—so much so that it is making an earnest bid to host the 2016 Olympics. Our suburbs include developed cities and towns teeming with historic, cultural and recreational resources. Our infrastructure is equipped to welcome and nurture numerous industries.

So why aren’t we doing better?

To begin an honest, if uncomfortable, answer, we must look to the top. During the past few elections in Illinois, the voters have demonstrated extreme dissatisfaction with the available choices for governor. And they have good reason for their upset:   professional politicians and those who are willing to weather a campaign storm have been the candidates traditionally endorsed by our two-party system. Elections, after all, are about choice.

My campaign is for the voters of Illinois—one that is based on issues important to them, not fine-sounding rhetoric and cynically timed pre-election initiatives.

Today, former Gov. George Ryan appears headed to prison over rampant corruption during his public-office tenure. And the current governor’s reform pledges have rung hollow amid a string of revelations that point to a brazen network of insider dealings that fleece taxpayers. Is there no limit to this shameful abuse of power? Have you had enough?

EDUCATION is the key to opportunity, job growth and reducing crime. Despite relative prosperity, Illinois has languished near the bottom of all 50 states in the Union in funding public education. It is currently 49th, an indictment on our lackluster effort to provide the education and skills that our youths need to secure their best possible future. I will place a higher priority on education—it is an investment that will reap huge dividends in our local communities for years to come.

Under my administration, the success of our educational system will be measured by:

• A decrease in dropout rates.
• An increase in high school graduates, as well as an improvement in college entrance exams that lead to higher-education admissions.
• College and trade school graduates who have the cutting-edge skills in demand by our current and future employers.
• Producing competitively employable global human resources that encourage employers to stay and attract new employers to come to Illinois.
• Its role in spurring job creation and retention, which occurs only in an environment that encourages companies and investors to do business in our state and with our state. I will actively seek potential employers that are interested in good business practices.

Healthcare is where I have spent the bulk of my career. As a result, it is my passion. Government leaders who seek to parlay the healthcare issue into political gain must be prepared to answer tough questions. I intend to pose them repeatedly in my campaign.

While some focus on the daunting nature of trying to create and expand healthcare coverage for all residents in Illinois, I prefer to tackle the issue with this question: What are the quality-of-life social and economic costs of the current, inadequate system?

The failure to create universal healthcare coverage results in a much larger economic burden on the system than the politically tough but proper investment in creating good, responsible healthcare programs for everyone.

In 2005 alone, the estimated cost of healthcare provided to Illinoisans without insurance was about $1.8 billion, according to the Illinois Hospital Association. That staggering figure has grown dramatically in the past decade.

The lack of health insurance is a financial drain on hospitals, employers, the uninsured and underinsured, and their families.

Uninsured Americans:

• Lack preventive care which leads to more serious illness, which leads to more costly, longer hospitalizations and treatments. (Longer days off work and therefore less income to the individual and/or family).
• Are four times more likely to use emergency rooms as a routine place to receive medical treatment.
• About 30% fail to fill prescriptions or skip recommended test and treatments.
• Are three times more likely to die in the hospital than those with insurance.

In recent months—just in time for campaign season—we have seen the implementation of healthcare programs that claim to provide the solution. Time will tell how effective they will be. At best, however, the current administration is merely addressing the tip of the iceberg.

A much larger and more relevant obstacle to overcome is the chronic Medicaid funding shortfall. This financial insecurity places the long-term viability of the All Kids program in peril, and threatens to further shift the economic burden onto doctors, hospitals and pharmacists.

One must wonder whether the recently unveiled plan is simply campaign propaganda, conveniently timed shortly before the election. I, for one, am skeptical that these programs are real, fiscally responsible and budgeted measures that will provide good, responsible healthcare coverage for children and their families. And what about the vast majority of the population who have already celebrated their 18th birthday?

Consider the following statistics from the Illinois Hospital Association and other industry sources:

• 1.8 million Illinoisans, or one in seven, do not have health insurance. Among adults without insurance, three quarters are working.
• One quarter of workers in small business are without health insurance.
• 13% of near-retirees are without health insurance.
• Lack of health insurance is particularly severe (one quarter) among young adults.

The bottom line is making health insurance more affordable. Currently, costs are simply too high for too many people to afford even to pay their premiums.

I will support legislation that expands healthcare programs and makes insurance more affordable. I will explore all options that create quality, responsible healthcare coverage for families and children of Illinois.

We can do better!

Many Elderly and People with Disabilities in Illinois are vulnerable. When Illinois struggles to balance the budget, these individuals all too often bear the brunt of cutbacks that create more bureaucracy that tightens eligibility and eliminates critical medical services.

These are not “throwaway” people—nobody fits that description. Entire families are affected by the negative impact of decisions that continue to slash at the fabric of families as well as society’s core values. We must be socially responsible and resourceful in finding ways to improve the quality of life and care for these individuals.

Every day, the elderly are faced with huge medical deductibles and the rising cost of medications. Often they are forced to make impossible economic decisions: Fill my prescription or buy food and pay the rent? This squeeze undermines their health, strains the medical system and imposes an undue burden on their families.

I know there is a better way, and will work diligently to implement a plan that dramatically improves this terrible problem.

We can do better!

Political Reform needs to occur now! Enough talk about it—I will promote immediate action.

There must be transparency with special-interest groups and their influence on political finance.

There must be enforceable limits to individual, organizational and corporate funding of campaign finance.

I will urge non-partisan public interest groups to conduct research and push for reform to promote public involvement in government, and to seriously address the role that money plays in political campaigns. I won’t just talk about governmental integrity, accountability, and transparency—I will put it into action.

We can do better!

Forget the mud slinging and the dirty politics, stick to the issues. I will continue to talk to the residents of Illinois and work on the issues that matter most to them. I am a qualified candidate who can lead our state. I will remember that I am, first and foremost, an employee of this state’s 12.8 million residents. As our Founding Fathers intended, I am here not to be served, but to serve.

We can do better!



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Copyright ©2006 ANGEL RIVERA FOR ILLINOIS GOVERNOR. All rights reserved.