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Candidates' Biographical Information |
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for:
United States Senator, Pennsylvania |
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April 24, 2012 Pennsylvania Democratic Primary |
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Candidates' Positions and Views on Other Issues where Information is Available: |
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The report below lists the candidate responses to Biographical Information issue questions. The responses were provided by Joseph John Vodvarka and Bob Casey, Jr. or were obtained from their websites. The candidates select the issues and questions for which they want to provide a response. The first link is a report of all the issues and questions made available to the candidates. Many issues and questions had no responses - links are only provided where we have information. If there are many candidates for this office, you may have to scroll down to compare all responses. |
| Biographical |
Joseph John Vodvarka - D
Website
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Bob Casey, Jr. - D
Website
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| Age: |
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53 |
| General: (goals, objectives, views, philosophies) |
The reason that I'm running for US Senate is because America needs a Senator that vividly understands what manufacturers in this country are going through. The biggest problem that we face now is that we have no market for the products we manufacture in America and that is due to our current system of trade, which is free trade. The original intent from the politicians that got us into these trade agreements was that it was going to create manufacturing jobs in America; that it was going to be a huge selling opportunity to the rest of the world. However, since then it has been nothing but a job killer with 1/3 of the manufacturing jobs in this country lost over the past decade and a trade deficit with many of the countries it trades with!
A possible solution is fair trade which would levy taxes on imports from countries that don't have the same standards as us. This would also help to resolve another problem which is our crushing national debt; the taxes collected must be used to pay down the debt and used for that purpose only.
To put it simply, the greatest security that a person can have is to earn a good living and it is the duty of the government to provide a climate in which business's may thrive and allow their citizenry to achieve a higher standard of living. What America needs now are new leaders in office, leaders that are of the people and for the people, not politicians who write laws to better their agenda and certainly not lawyers! If you believe that America needs a leader that is from the working class and has raised a family with the skills and knowledge he has acquired, then I'm your man. |
At a time of great unease both in Pennsylvania and across our country, Bob Casey is running for the U.S. Senate because he wants to help bring much-needed change to Washington.
Bob Casey believes Pennsylvania deserves a senator in step with the values and concerns of its citizens. And he believes this country deserves a government committed to changing the direction of the United States.
As a U.S. Senator, Bob Casey will focus on creating jobs, restoring fiscal responsibility, lowering the cost of health care, improving education, safeguarding Social Security, protecting our environment, and strengthening homeland security.
Bob Casey believes in a government that reflects our shared values like watching out for each other, preserving the dignity of our most vulnerable, and taking responsibility - both personal responsibility and fiscal responsibility.
Unfortunately, too many people in Washington are pushing a narrow, intolerant ideology that says to people - "I'm right, you're wrong, and you don't know better."
The current leadership in Washington believes in the politics of divide and conquer. Bob Casey believes we should unite and prosper. We simply don't have time to waste on partisan political battles while young men and women are dying halfway around the world, in real battles that matter. |
| Personal: (gender, age, marital status, spouse, children, residence) |
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Born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Bob Casey is 46 years old. He and his wife, Terese, were married in 1985 and live in Scranton with their four daughters: Elyse, Caroline, Julia and Marena. Casey is the eldest son of the late Governor Robert P. Casey and his wife, Ellen. Throughout his public career, Bob Casey has been guided by the legacy of his father, and an inscription on the state office building in which he works that reads "All public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor." |
| Education: (schools, colleges, major, degrees) |
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Bob Casey, 46, graduated from The College of the Holy Cross in 1982 and spent the following year teaching fifth grade and coaching an eighth grade basketball team in inner city Philadelphia for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He received his law degree from Catholic University in 1988 and entered the practice of law in Scranton. |
| Profession: (profession,work experience outside politics) |
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Bob entered the practice of law in Scranton in 1988. |
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| Political: (offices held) |
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As a two-term Pennsylvania Auditor General and now as State Treasurer, Bob Casey has compiled an impressive record of accomplishment. In fact, when he was elected State Treasurer, Bob Casey received more votes than any other candidate in Pennsylvania history.
He has been a fiscal watchdog who made nursing homes safer, child care more affordable, government more accountable, and led the fight to reform Megan's Law to better protect Pennsylvania communities and children.
As Auditor General - the Commonwealth's independently elected fiscal and public safety watchdog - Casey aggressively fought to stop waste and fraud involving tax dollars and improve the effectiveness of government services and agencies. His efforts directly resulted in changes that have saved Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $1 billion.
Bob Casey will bring this same accountability to Washington. He'll fight to end no-bid contracts, sweetheart deals, and wasteful spending. Perhaps more importantly, he will work to hold the administration accountable rather than being a rubber stamp for failed economic, fiscal, and foreign policies. |
| Religion: (religious affiliations and beliefs) |
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| Accomplishments: (awards, achievements) |
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As a two-term Pennsylvania Auditor General and now as State Treasurer, Bob Casey has compiled an impressive record of accomplishment. In fact, when he was elected State Treasurer, Bob Casey received more votes than any other candidate in Pennsylvania history.
He has been a fiscal watchdog who made nursing homes safer, child care more affordable, government more accountable, and led the fight to reform Megan's Law to better protect Pennsylvania communities and children.
As Auditor General - the Commonwealth's independently elected fiscal and public safety watchdog - Casey aggressively fought to stop waste and fraud involving tax dollars and improve the effectiveness of government services and agencies. His efforts directly resulted in changes that have saved Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $1 billion. |