Another look at Jacob Turk; Where does he stand on the issues?
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by Bob Beigher
What do we know about Jacob Turk? One thing that we know is that his father served as a Marine in the Korean war, but what of Turk? His bio tells us that he is a Marine Corps veteran, but what was the nature of his service? Obviously, he did not serve during the Vietnam War, if he had, he would have listed that service on his website. That is nothing to criticize, it is enough to say that he served in the Marine Corps, but since every google hit on Jacob Turk and Marine Corps, only tells us that he served. Many of us served during peace time, and there is nothing wrong with telling the people the whole story, especially during an election year when he is using his Marine service to garner votes.
We also know that for 12 years he had been a single parent, but we know nothing of why. His website states that he “believes in parents as the molders of our children rather than government programs. He claims to support public education; does he realize that public education is a “government program”? Lee’s Summit schools are great molders of children. They offer them the opportunity for a great education if they do their work and have supporting parents. So, three cheers for Jacob Turk if he truly does support public schools, but would he support federal money to aid public education, or does he believe in privatizing schools?
He tells that he has been a small business owner. A person who is proud of his business would probably identify it. His bio reports: “He knows the struggles and rewards of entrepreneurship and how government can enhance opportunity or hinder it.” The Democrats in the Congress passed a bill to aid small businesses. That bill was held up by the Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Finally, just recently, the bill was passed and much needed aid was passed into law. As reported on CNNs Market Watch Website, the bill was passed by a 61 to 38 vote in the Senate. That means, that as with other important legislation, 38 of 41 Republicans voted against the bill. That law has made $30 billion dollars available to help community banks offer loans to small business. The community banks would make payments to the Treasury on that money; those payments could be reduced to as little as 1%. Payments would be reduced by 1% for each 2.5% of increased lending to small businesses. The 238 Democrats voted to pass the bill that helped small businesses and community (small business) banks, but all Republicans from Missouri and Kansas voted “NO”. All but three Republican Congressmen voted “no” or did not vote. We already know that the new health care law will provide aid to small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees. No congressional republicans voted for that bill. How would the “small businessman,” Jacob Turk have voted on the issue?
His bio states, “He believes education is the path to success in America.” It goes on to say, “He understands how decisions in Washington impact our opportunity to pursue and achieve higher education, and knows the impact of the nation’s student loan programs on graduates.” If student loans are so important to Jacob Turk, would he support the new low cost student loan program that was included with the new Healthcare plan? Would he favor keeping the new Pell Grants that were included in that bill? Turk claims to want “smaller government” what is it that he wants to cut? Does he want to cut food stamps for the poor and Medicaid for the poor and elderly? Would he want to privatize Social Security or to raise the retirement age for our younger workers? Rather than to rely on employer pension plans, from Turk’s bio, we find the following, “In this age of a changing workplace, Jacob believes in giving you ownership of your retirement benefits and healthcare coverage.” So, if your employer now has a retirement program, he would put that responsibility into your hands. In fact, many employers have ended their employee pension plans and now offer only 401k plans. That makes you, the employ responsible for providing your own retirement income from your 401k plan. How would you invest your money to provide for a secure retirement future, and for a secure amount of funding to pay for your health insurance plan? Since September of 2007, millions of jobs have been lost and stock market values have plunged. Those losses wiped out half of the value in most 401k plans. Would you trust the stock market with your money? From its high in October 2007, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had declined 6086 points by the time that President Obama was inaugurated. Since then, the Dow has rebounded to 11003 As of October 8, 2010. That reflects the fact that investors trust the economic policies that have been put in place with little or no Republican support.
Through the years, Republicans have fought against minimum wage increases. Missouri voters supported a minimum wage increase by a vast majority. Where does Jacob Turk stand on that issue? Where does he stand on Social Security and Medicare? He has already stated that, “In this age of a changing workplace, Jacob believes in giving you ownership of your retirement benefits and healthcare coverage.” That sounds like he would want to privatize Social Security and Medicare. Do we really want someone like Turk to represent the 5th district of Missouri?
Bob Beigher
