Candidate Profile: Joel David Funk
Name: Joel David Funk
Hometown: Mascoutah, IL
Age: 36
Occupation: Farmer and Insurance Broker
Position seeking: US House of Representatives District 12
Party: Democrat
Incumbent: No
Website or social media page: funkforcongress.com www.facebook.com/funk4congress
Why are you running and why should people vote for you? I am running for Congress because I have seen first hand both at home in Southern IL and deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria what the cost of failed leadership is. Our communities are struggling, and the people feel like the economy isn’t working for them. There is deep anxiety about keeping the jobs we have, not being able to find work that can support our families.
Our roads and infrastructure are lagging behind, we don’t have access to the doctors and hospitals we need, and our taxes are not working for us. Mike Bost has had years in Congress and his role in the Republican Majority to try and fix this - and he has shown us only failed leadership and empty promises. Bost tells us that the country is going to unite post-impeachment because of the excellent economy - this is tone-deaf. Telling us no, we should ignore the reality of kitchen table economics shows what happens when our Congressional rep refuses to host town halls where he could hear from the voters.
What would your goals be, if elected? My two highest priorities are the conclusion of the forever war our country has been fighting for almost two decades and bridging wealth inequality. We are bankrupting ourselves through misguided and illogical military interventionism and letting that rob our domestic priorities and needs.
We are quickly reaching a wealth inequality gap not seen since the Great Depression. Far too many of us have seen all of our bills go up, but our wages stay stagnant. We are facing maximum employment, but we are required to work two jobs to make the bills. Housing costs have skyrocketed, but our access to loans and the ability to save is even more restricted.
We have to invest in our communities, and support the people on the ground who are trying to build businesses, create economic opportunities, work with our schools, and our labor unions to grow our workforce. Let’s end the wars and invest in ourselves
What issues are most pressing for your constituency? We have heard from voters via our events, being out in the community, and our polling that the people of the 12th District feel like they have gotten a raw deal.Decent jobs that will cover the costs of raising a family and have benefits are hard to come by.
Far too many of our neighbors have lost so much they can’t afford to stay in the community, and their kids have to leave to find work and build a future. Our infrastructure has languished for years, and we have watched as our labor rights have been chipped away. Now many of our communities are hanging on by a thread.
We need real and ongoing economic investment. We need to address disparities in education, access to health care, so we don’t have to drive an hour to a doctor. We need to make sure our farmers and our small towns are not pawns in a trade game where we lose. We need our taxes to come home and be put to use building our communities.The voters of IL-12 want to know that we have a plan for the future rather than just hanging on.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Candidate Profile: Joel David Funk."