As befits the mood of this year's electorate, all of the leading contenders for Illinois' U.S. Senate seat are running against government, or at least stressing that their experience is tempered by independence from politics-as-usual. But it's a stretch to call any of these guys outsiders. Democrat Dick Durbin is in his 14th year in Congress. Republican Bob Kustra spent a decade in the state legislature and is the lieutenant governor. Republican Al Salvi is a state representative. And, by perpetually running against almost everything, Democrat Pat Quinn, who served a term as state treasurer and a stint as an aide to a governor, has managed to build a durable 20-year career in Illinois politics.

With the new federalism getting plenty of debate in Washington, though, we decided to ask each of these candidates just what role they do want government to play. Would they like to see some government programs eliminated? Would they want to see the states take over responsibility for some services? As expected, the candidates tended to follow traditional party positions on the responsibilities of the federal government — the Republicans would reduce the scope of government; the Democrats would save programs designed to help the needy. But we also found that Durbin and Kustra, who are each supported by their respective party organizations, share a more moderate perspective. Both see the

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importance of federal belt-tightening, but neither questions the purpose or the quality of government itself, and neither calls for the total elimination of government agencies or programs.

Durbin foresees some scaling back in the government's role. He says his philosophy is shaped by the reality that government has fewer resources than a decade ago. "We have had to reduce, dramatically reduce, the size of the federal government," the Democrat says. He favors an "almost endless" list of reductions in military spending, reductions in crop insurance and the elimination of tobacco subsidies. And he would substitute private insurance for federal aid after natural disasters.

But Durbin rules out cuts in safety-net programs such as Head Start and the Women, Infants and Children food plan. And he opposes cuts in education. "There are still important roles for the federal government, where I think national leadership is needed. But I am open to the idea of delegating more authority to state and local governments."

He shares that last view with Kustra, who would like to see federal restrictions on the states lifted. "I think we must have a federal government that encourages flexibility and experimentation," Kustra says. "The federal government sends standards down. It sends rules and regulations down. But I'd like to see more experimentation and flexibility."

But Kustra also would use federal powers to advance such causes as charter schools — special schools set up to be free of most regulations — and merit pay for teachers, an idea he has promoted in Illinois. He proposes federal education aid for large urban school districts that experiment with those concepts.

Democrat Quinn and Republican Salvi, meanwhile, outline more radical ideas about the role of the federal government, though their rationales are different.

Salvi believes the less government the better. For starters, he would ax three cabinet departments: Commerce, Energy and Education. He would cut taxes, cut spending and reduce reliance on government programs, from welfare for the poor to subsidies for farmers.

And he would modify environmental regulations, though he says he differs from those Republicans who want to significantly weaken environmental laws. He says his criteria for government involvement is that there be no private entity able to do the job — and that means the government does have some role to play in environmental protection.

However, Salvi would rule out nothing, including entitlement programs, when it comes to budget cuts. Unlike many Republicans, for example, he favors cuts in military spending, arguing that economic problems are a greater threat to national security than military conflicts. He also would eliminate federal spending for the arts and public broadcasting, and grants to Planned Parenthood.

Quinn, meanwhile, defines government as the enemy of working people and the captive of corporate special interests. Rather than devolve power to the states, he would devolve it to citizens' groups. At the same time, though, Quinn wants to see government become more active in promoting the social policies he supports. For example, he would establish tighter regulations on corporations.

"I'm not a fan of big government at all. I think no one is," Quinn says. "I think government has to be strong on behalf of citizens that are vulnerable, however. I'm certainly not wanting to turn over all kinds of important decisions to powerful corporations that are loyal only to the American dollar. I think there is a role for government to protect consumers. We don't need bac-

Most of the Senate candidates are unknowns Five Democrats are running for U.S. Senate. Also running in that party's primary: Jalil Ahmad and Paul Park from Glenview and Ronald F. Gibbs from Chicago. Gibbs, a public relations consultant, is senior vice president of Fleishman-Hillard. He did not respond to Illinois Issues' request for information. Paul Park, a businessman, wants to balance the federal budget and promote economic prosperity. Park has served on Chicago's Economic Development Commission since 1989. He has been ambassador of trade for the city since 1993. Jalil Ahmad is also a businessman. He wants to create jobs. Five Republicans are running. GOP voters can also choose Robert Marshall of Burr Ridge, Wayne S. Kurzeja of Barrington Hills or Martin Paul Gallagher of Danville. Marshall is a doctor. He has run unsuccessfully for state representative, state senator, governor and U.S. representative. He would establish a modified version of the flat tax. Kurzeja did not respond to the magazine's request for information. Gallagher is a self-employed health consultant. This is his first run for office. He did not outline his positions for the magazine. The Libertarians also made it onto the primary ballot in this race. And there's a contest. Two candidates are running: Robin J. Miller of East Peoria and David F. Hoscheidt of Bloomington. Miller is the founder of Liberty Home Automation. He would repeal the income tax and abolish the Internal Revenue Service. Hoscheidt is a lawyer at Ostling, Ensign and Barry. He would pull U.S. forces out of NATO and end the war on drugs. Anthony Man

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Bob Kustva would like to see federal restrictions on the states lifted. He would also use federal powers to push charter schools and merit pay for teachers.

teria burgers in our restaurants. You've got to have safety standards in the environment and food safety." Quinn wants government to encourage movements similar to the citizen-backed efforts he has championed in Illinois. He helped create the Citizens Utility Board, for instance, a group that monitors the state's utilities. He supports a national citizens group to help fight rising cable television costs. He also suggests a national referendum to ask people whether they are satisfied with the federal tax system. And he would push for a commission to search for ways to eliminate waste and corporate subsidies. On social entitlements and social welfare programs, Salvi again stakes out the most radical position. He would gradual shift Social Security to a private system. "Social Security is a Ponzi scheme," he says. "It's going to fail. "No one wants to admit it." He is, in fact, the only one of these four candidates who raises significant questions about the system.

Nor do any of the candidates offer detailed proposals for overhauling the health care program for the elderly and disabled. However, Durbin suggests it would be relatively easy to stabilize Medicare by reducing planned spending by $90 billion over seven years. He says that would require modest premium increases, some payment reductions to health care providers and reduction in waste.

Kustra could accept premium increases in Medicare for "those who have means and can pay." He also favors a managed care program for Medicare beneficiaries, but not if they lose the ability to select their doctors.

Quinn opposes pushing people into managed care instead of the traditional fee-for-service system because, he says, that serves to enrich corporate executives. He wants to implement a universal health care system for all Americans modeled on the traditional Medicare plan.

Durbin wants universal health coverage through employer-based insurance and a publicly financed plan for others. He and Salvi also favor 100 percent tax deductibility for insurance premiums paid by self-employed people. And Salvi supports the idea of medical savings accounts, which would put more responsibility on individuals to control their own costs. All of the candidates want to allow people with pre-existing conditions to get and maintain coverage when they change jobs. And all give low marks to the welfare system, saying recipients should be encouraged to work. Salvi favors eliminating the additional cash benefits to welfare recipients who have additional children. Durbin would be willing to allow states the option to cut those payments. Durbin and Kustra take similar "positions on abortion. Each was first elected to office as an opponent. Each now says he favors a woman's right to choose. Quinn has always favored abortion rights. Salvi is opposed.

Al Salvi would ax three federal cabinet departments. He would cut taxes' cut spending and reduce reliance on government social welfare programs.

All four candidates would curb illegal immigration. The Republicans also favor restricting legal immigration. Kustra wants to increase border patrols and improve detention and deportation capacity for those who are in the country illegally.

But Kustra wouldn't reduce benefits for those who are legally in the country. Neither would Durbin nor Quinn. However, Salvi wants to reduce benefits to immigrants who aren't citizens.

Affirmative action would be eliminated by Salvi. He believes race-based remedies serve to worsen race relations. "If you brought the fence in 20 yards for Hank Aaron every time he came to bat, he wouldn't be the home run king. He'd have even more home runs, but nobody would think he's the home run king."

All four candidates believe the nation faces some racial problems. Salvi believes "we are at a crisis in race relations." He adds, "Two years ago I would have said things are as good in this country as ever. I don't think so anymore. I think we're on the edge. I think we're on the brink of a serious problem, and I think we should take action to try to bridge the gap, to try to work on a more harmonious relationship between the races in this country." Salvi says the gulf first became apparent to him during his work on legislation to encourage adoption across racial lines. "During the process, I realized just how sensitive an issue it is and how far we are apart in our perceptions of the world."

Kustra also says preferences and quotas "serve to divide us as a people," and he opposes them. The two Democrats believe affirmative action is necessary, though Durbin opposes quotas and preferences for unqualified individuals. Quinn says improving the economy is the best way to improve race relations.

The economy is a major responsibility of the federal government, according to these candidates. Durbin believes the best way to help the economy is to improve education. Specifically, he emphasizes retraining for

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workers who lose their jobs, vocational training for high school graduates who don't go to college and preservation of college student loans.

Quinn's central economic proposal is a five-year plan for tax cuts. He wants three-quarters of all taxpayers to pay a 10 percent flat rate, while keeping their deductions for home mortgage interest and charitable contributions. He says his plan would reduce individual income taxes by $100 billion a year for each of the five years, for a total cut of $500 billion — out of $600 billion raised each year by the individual income tax. He says that would not increase the federal budget deficit because the cost could be covered by eliminating unspecified corporate tax breaks and subsidies and through growth generated by the tax cuts. The "corporate welfare" would be identified by Quinn's commission

Salvi's top economic priority is eliminating all inheritance taxes, which he says wipe out farms and small businesses. Taxes are a major theme for Salvi, who supports a flat tax on individual incomes.

Kustra and Durbin also favor some tax changes. Kustra wants reductions in capital gains and inheritance taxes. Durbin wants capital gains relief for farmers and says any other changes in capital gains taxes should be focused on job creation.

International trade is the central element to economic prosperity in Kustra's view. He emphasizes China, which will be the world's largest economy early in the next century. In fact, trade is so important to Kustra that he downplays concerns about human rights violations. He says it's wrong for Congress to debate most favored nation trading status with China each year because it insults the Chinese leadership and achieves nothing but harm for American exports. "I am a free trader. I think there may be ways of dealing with the issue of human rights, but I don't think we can let those stand in the way of our opportunities to expand our markets," he says. "Too many people in Washington today bury their heads in the sand."

The issue, Kustra says, is especially important for Illinois because of

untapped opportunities to sell the state's agricultural products and coal to the Chinese. "There's not another box of cereal that can go on the table of most middle-class American families, but there is a box of cereal that is not on the table of a family living in China today, and that's where the great opportunity is."

Dick Durbin foresees some reductions in government's role. But he rules out cuts in safety-net programs. And he would not cut education spending.

Kustra supports the North American Free Trade Agreement. Quinn rates NAFTA as the worst thing Congress has done in recent years. He is critical of Durbin for voting for it. All four candidates follow standard party positions on a couple of key business issues. The Democrats, Durbin and Quinn, favor increasing the minimum wage. Kustra and Salvi oppose that. The Republicans also oppose any prohibitions on employers who want to hire permanent replacements for striking workers. The Democrats want such prohibitions. Finally, Durbin and Quinn also want the federal government to review gambling as a revenue-generator, as well as the social problems associated with gambling. Quinn believes gambling should not be permitted anywhere unless it is approved by a local referendum. Neither Kustra nor Salvi believes gambling poses a problem, nor do they believe the issue requires federal attention. All the candidates hope the issues yet them to Washington, but they differ on how long they'll stay.

Term limits drew opposition from only one of the four. Durbin says turnover in the Senate and the House this year and in the past couple of elections shows change does take place. "But the voters make that decision," he says. "We value experience in every aspect of our lives. We want an experienced banker, an experienced surgeon. And I think experience in government has value too." Quinn and Kustra promise that if elected, they will limit themselves to two six-year terms. Salvi says he gave himself a limit of three terms in the Illinois House — he will have served two when he leaves after this election — and that made him more effective because he was anxious to get to Springfield and get things done. He says term limits make politicians "look at their job as a sacred trust, rather than kicking their feet up on the desk thinking about how their pension is growing." Yet Salvi adds a caveat. He says if term limits are not added to the U.S. Constitution, he will not limit himself to two terms in Washington because that would deprive Illinoisans of the chance to have him build up seniority and clout.

Pat Quinn wants government to encourage movements similar to the citizen-backed efforts he has championed in Illinois. He would set up a commission to look for government waste.

Quinn says establishing term limits would "protect the public from career politicians. " *

Anthony Man is Statehouse bureau chief for the four Lee Enterprises newspapers with readers in Illinois.

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