Democratic candidate for Illinois House in the 14th District: Arthur Noah Siegel

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The Chicago Sun-Times sent the candidates seeking nominations for the Illinois House of Representatives a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing the state of Illinois. Arthur Noah Siegel submitted the following answers to our questionnaire:

TOPIC: Top priorities

QUESTION: Please explain what your specific cause or causes will be. Please avoid a generic topic or issue in your answer.

Answer: No response

Arthur Noah Siegel

Running for: Illinois House of Representatives 5th district

Political/civic background: worked on Bernie Sanders campaign

Occupation: business owner Construction

Education: studying music, electrical engineering, EMT training, trucker driving training

Campaign website: arthursiegel.com

TOPIC: Top district needs

QUESTION: Please list three district-specific needs that will be your priorities. This could be a project that is needed in your district, or a rule that needs to be changed, or some federal matter that has been ignored.

ANSWER: No response

TOPIC: Pension debt

QUESTION: In 2017, Illinois’ unfunded pension liability ballooned to at least $130 billion. Do you support re-amortizing this debt? Please explain your answer. And what is your position on a constitutional amendment that would reduce the liability of the pension debt?

ANSWER: No response

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TOPIC: Minimum wage

QUESTION: Cook County and Chicago are on their way to paying a $13 hourly minimum wage. Many suburbs in the county, however, have opted out of the wage increase. Should Illinois raise its minimum wage from $8.25 an hour? Please explain. And if you favor an increase in the state minimum wage, what should it be?

ANSWER: Minimum $25 an hour or higher

That will bring in millions in tax dollars

TOPIC: Marijuana

QUESTION: Should recreational marijuana be legalized in Illinois? Please explain.

ANSWER: I support legalizing marijuana.

The act of 1937 that should have never made marijuana illegal in the first place.

It will bring in lots of revenue for the state as well.

TOPIC: Casinos

QUESTION: Would you support more casinos in Illinois, including in Chicago. What about casinos? Please explain.

ANSWER: Opposed casinos

We have to stop having shortcuts on producing income for the state of Illinois having more casinos is not a good long-term solution for the economic interests of the state we should support small businesses that will build long-term jobs.

TOPIC: Property tax freeze

QUESTION: A property tax freeze in Illinois has been proposed frequently since Gov. Bruce Rauner took office. What’s your position? If you favor a freeze, how many years should it last? Should the freeze exclude property tax increases to service the debt, make pension payments or cover the cost of public safety? Again, please explain.

ANSWER: I support it at this time. Once we figure out how are property our being assessed.

As soon as possible hopefully within a reasonable amount of time.

Regarding to Public Safety I think we half to analyze how the police are getting trained.

TOPIC: School funding

QUESTION: A revised school funding formula was approved this year by the Legislature and the governor, but a bipartisan commission has concluded that billions more dollars are needed to achieve sufficient and equitable funding. Should Illinois spend more on schools, and where would the money come from?

ANSWER: We could save a lot of money by closing down all the charter schools and opening up only Public Schools we spend 75% more on charter schools.

Considering a lower payout on the pensions

Legalizing marijuana that should bring in millions of dollars a year.

Raising our minimum wage a living wage and I believe that’s $25 an hour I should bring in millions of dollars in tax to the state

TOPIC: Opioids

QUESTION: How can the Legislature best address the problem of opioid abuse and addiction? Please cite specific laws you have supported or would support.

ANSWER: No response

TOPIC: Guns

I think we got to respect the Constitution 2nd Amendment this is an issue for a federal level but I think cities should decide on regulations/ ordinances.

QUESTION: Do you support a state ban on gun silencers? Please explain.

ANSWER: I oppose silencers for guns because they are designed for killing people.

QUESTION: Should all gun dealers in Illinois be licensed by the state? Please explain.

ANSWER: Yes. It just makes sense we want to know who’s buying these weapons

QUESTION: Should family members be empowered to petition courts for the temporary removal of guns from emotionally or mentally disturbed people who may be a danger to themselves or others? Please explain.

ANSWER: Yes people with mental illness are unpredictable and with a firearm it could be deadly.

TOPIC: Medicaid

QUESTION: What would you do to ensure the long-term viability of the state’s Medicaid program? Do you support continued Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? Should the state continue on a path toward managed care for Medicaid beneficiaries? Should everyone be permitted to buy into Medicaid?

I support continued expansion under the Affordable Care Act

Medicare for all

TOPIC: College student exodus

QUESTION: Illinois is one of the largest exporters of college students in the country. What would you do to encourage the best and brightest young people in Illinois to attend college here at home? Does Illinois have too many state universities, as some have argued?

ANSWER: Well first I want to make it very clear that I’m against for-profit education. I believe everyone has the right to learn and we have a duty to the future of this country and the state of Illinois to be educated.

TOPIC: Gov. Rauner

QUESTION: Please list three of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s principles, or decisions he has made, with which you agree. Also please list three of the governor’s principles, or decisions he has made, with which you disagree.

ANSWER:

1. we got to get off fossil fuel energy for the grid and go completely green energy.
2. No more charter schools
3. Medicare for all
4. Term limits on leadership positions in the general assembly
5. Raising minimum wage to living wage and I believe that is starting at $25 an hour