SEN. DURBIN ADDRESSES HEALTH CARE

JOLIET TOWNSHIP - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin made a campaign stop Friday
afternoon at the Mount Zion Baptist Church and talked about the threat of
terrorism, America's health-care system and other community concerns.

About 20 people gathered in the sanctuary of the Zarley Boulevard church.
Many of them were local politicians, who, like Durbin, will be on the
November ballot. Because quite a few of them were judges, Durbin joked a
little about that.

"Who's in the courthouse? That's what I want to know," he said, getting a
laugh from the crowd.

But much of the discussion was more serious. Many people have asked him
lately if they should celebrate on the Fourth of July. Durbin told the
group to go about their business on the holiday, despite the warnings about
possible terrorism.

"If we linger in fear, in darkness, in shadows, that's exactly what our
enemies want to see," he said, although he urged everyone to report
anything that seemed unusual to the local police.

A little later in his discussion, he talked about several issues related to
health care. Durbin wants drugs and other medical treatments to be
available to all. He also is concerned about the costs and chided drug
companies for spending more on advertising than on research.

And he noted the nation's shortage of nurses. Although it's a big problem,
there is at least one way to start solving it on a local level, he noted.
Parents should encourage their children to embrace math and science instead
of fearing those subjects. Then more people would consider nursing as a
career, he said.

During the question-and-answer session about Durbin's speech, Charlotte
Droogan, a Bolingbrook resident and third-grade teacher, talked about her
concerns about illegal drug use.

"I see a great deal of money going into the war on drugs, but I see very
little going into education and treatment," she said. Durbin acknowledged
that the system is better set up to punish drug users than to help them.

While wrapping up the hourlong session, Durbin answered a question about
the future of O'Hare International Airport and the proposed Peotone airport.

"I support a bill that would modernize O'Hare and build Peotone," he said,
adding that both projects would bring jobs to northern Illinois while
building the local transportation system.