District 73
Kim McCarthy (D) |
Rick Perales (R) |
Bio: I am a long-time small business owner and entrepreneur in the Miami Valley. I have been residing in Greene County since emigrating from Australia over two decades ago, and I am the mother of three school-aged children, whom I live with among a menagerie of animals in Sugarcreek Twp. I am an accountant by trade, and have the Australian equivalent of a CPA, which I’m currently using professionally in my work with a local CPA firm. I’ve been involved in my community for many years as a socially and politically engaged, civic-minded citizen, working for environmental sustainability issues, anti-human trafficking efforts, and support for the needy. My political work has included my ongoing attendance at Greene County Commission meetings for the past two years, which has helped to directly inspire this effort to serve in our Statehouse, as I have become aware first hand how the state has such an influential effect on the conditions of our local communities. I want to get rid of the current culture of corruption that exists in the Statehouse, that is preventing it from effectively addressing the many needs of the middle and working class families of our state. |
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What legislation do you support regarding the cost and availability of healthcare? Medicaid expansion definitely needs to continue. Frankly, healthcare for our citizens should not be a political issue. Disease does not recognize class or political affiliation. Untreated infectious diseases threaten us all. Untreated medical conditions become more serious and much more expensive to treat, eventually costing all of us. Uncompensated health care means that doctors and hospitals have to increase their charges to insured or directly paying patients. It is this cycle why we end up with $25 dollar aspirins, and a hospital stay bankrupting people. To really solve the bulk of our healthcare accessibility and affordability problems, we need a Medicare For All, single payer insurance system (akin to what every other industrialized nation in the world has). Such a system has been shown to demonstrably reduce costs and improve outcomes, particularly in comparison to our current system, which is by far the most expensive in the world, and yet has middling to below average health benefit outcomes for the money spent. This is why I support measures like the recent House Bill HB440, a very doable plan for creating a single-payer, non-profit health insurance program, which would cut costs and make healthcare accessible for all Ohioans. |
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What do you view as the most important issue in ohio? I believe we need to have a comprehensive plan to address the addiction epidemic that includes evidence-based prevention and self-regulation programs, mental health counseling, and employment services that address the problem at its core. By implementing neighborhood-based programs to identify needs we can provide holistic supports for people battling addiction and their families. We cannot jail away the problem. We need to address the issue of addiction and get people back to a productive life. |
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How do you plan to address the opioid epidemic? Firstly, we need to be sure that Medicaid expansion continues, if not implementing an actual Medicare For All system, so that we have the healthcare tools to help those in need, as well as defend our communities from this epidemic’s ravaging effects. Also, medicinal marijuana has been shown to be an effect treatment for opioid addiction, and should be made available to those in need. We need to move the fight against opioids out from the criminal justice system and into the realm of public health treatment. Criminalizing addiction is not helping solve the problem. We throw way too many people into prisons, but no matter how many people are incarcerated, the drug problems in society continue on unchanged. Incarceration is extremely expensive and simply throws good money after bad. We also need to question what are some of the social and economic causes for this rampant epidemic of addiction. It’s not a stretch to see how a sense of hopelessness in the face of the lack of opportunities and good jobs among communities suffering from deindustrialization, inescapable debt, etc, can leave some people feeling there is no recourse out from their situations, thus turning to pain-numbing escapism through drugs. |
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What is your stance on gun ownership, including personal ownership, arming teachers in schools, and the sale of guns? I support people’s rights to own firearms, and I also support any practical legislation that helps to reduce the gun violence problem that our country is experiencing. This is a multi-faceted problem that will not be fixed by gun control legislation alone. I want to see more research into this epidemic, so that we can actually address the situation with knowledge, not just speculation. We need to recognize that the epidemic of gun violence is a public safety issue, not a political one. Responsible gun owners know that supporting the Second Amendment goes hand in hand with common-sense solutions towards reducing gun violence. Continuing on with ‘business as usual’ in the face of the deadly facts regarding the levels of gun violence in our country is not acceptable. As for specific legislative measures, I oppose so-called ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws. And like the solid majority of Americans, I support universal background checks and bans on bump stocks. I also oppose arming teachers, and especially allowing students to carry firearms in schools. We could and probably should use the requirements of CCW as a model for more general gun safety legislation. |
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