Independent

John Hartman

Edwardsville

Age: 56

Divorced

Children: None

Job: Chief financial officer

Phone: (618) 656-2944

Web: hartman2012.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HartmanForCongress

Twitter: HartmanCongress

E-mail: john.hartman@hartman2012.com

Education: B.S. in business administration, Washington University; M.A. in teaching, Johns Hopkins University

Previous offices: --

Qualifications: I have a solid understanding of the problems; I have carefully determined what I believe are the best solutions; I have the ability to advocate for them in the U.S. House; and I will use my respect for the opinions of others to collaborate with them.

Top issues: Four huge issues face this nation, but we need public financing of campaigns like the Citizens Election Program in Connecticut to get at them. Through this means we could restore equality and trust in our democracy. Then we could address our deficit by letting the fiscal cliff policies take effect, accompanied by a short stimulus under Pay-Go. We could hand our posterity a planet similar to the one we inherited by limiting greenhouse gases. We could learn from countries with much more efficient and compassionate health care systems. We could use Lincoln's patient confidence in justice to guide foreign policy.