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Politics & Government

Democratic Dold Challengers Talk Medicare, Taxes

Find out where 10th District candidates stand on major issues.

The three Democratic Congressional candidates seeking the nomination to unseat  sat down with Patch last week to explain their positions on major issues facing the 10th District.

A three-part series that explores where the candidates stand on topics like social security, tax policy and education continues Wednesday with Social Security and taxes.

Social Security

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All three candidates —,  and  — disagree with the plan created by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to alter Medicare and Social Security. 

Dold voted in favor of the plan. 

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“Social Security and Medicare are promises we have made to the current generation and a promise we need to retain for the next generation,” Schneider said. 

The 50-year-old Deerfield resident acknowledges that Medicare is growing increasingly difficult to maintain because health care costs are rising faster than the rate of inflation. He is open-minded to reducing Social Security costs, but does not want to raise the retirement age for all. 

“For some, working until 70 is easy,” Schneider said. “For others, making it to 65 poses significant obstacles.” 

Sheyman, 25, agrees that cost containment is necessary to keep Medicare afloat. He would not tinker with Social Security at all. 

“Social Security works. It’s fully funded through 2036,” the Waukegan resident said. “If you were a small business owner and you were fully funded for 25 years, that would look pretty good to you.” 

McKenzie, 29, refers to the days before Social Security and Medicare as the reason to maintain those programs for America’s senior citizens. 

“People worked all their lives and had nothing,” he said. "The elderly were the impoverished.” 

Though McKenzie wants to maintain the two programs, he would simplify areas of the Internal Revenue Code that relate to retirement savings.

“We need to make IRA’s less complicated and more accessible for people,” the Wheeling resident said. 

Taxes

McKenzie, a tax lawyer who helps people before the Internal Revenue Service and Illinois Department of Revenue, wants a tax system that's easier for people to understand. He would make only one child tax credit and do the same for education.

“We need to simplify the tax code,” he said. 

McKenzie ties spending and taxes together, though he stopped short of calling for an elimination of the 10-year-old Bush era tax cuts.

“If we cut our way out to pay our bills, tax rates can stay low,” McKenzie said. “At the end of World War II, tax rates were as high as 80 percent. We knew we had to pay our debt."

Sheyman is clear the Bush era tax cuts have to go. He blames those revenue reductions, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Great Recession as the reasons for the excessive deficit of today. 

Schneider is more general about taxes. Before he changes tax rates he wants to be certain of the condition of the economy. 

“We’ll look at whatever the circumstances are. I’m open to evaluating the entire tax code to find new ways to raise revenue,” Schneider said. “Those blessed to have more should carry more of the burden."

Clickthat dealt with creating jobs and tackling the federal deficit. Check back tomorrow for the final part, when the candidates discuss health care and education.

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