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Pritzker interview with Arab American newspapers

Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker sat down with The Future News Newspaper (Al Mustaqbal) which is the largest Arabic and English bi-lingual newspaper in Illinois to discuss issues he hopes to address if he wins the Nov. 6, 2018 election for governor.

The interview was conducted by Future News Newspaper publisher Mansour Tadros.

J.B. Pritzker from his election campaign Facebook Page at UFCW union endorsement.

J.B. Pritzker from his campaign Facebook Page at UFCW union endorsement.

Tell us about yourself.

أخبرنا عن نفسك
لقد قضيت حياتي في القتال من أجل العدالة الاجتماعية والاقتصادية وتوسيع الفرص في المجتمعات عبر ولاية إلينوي أنا فخور بعملي الذي يقود الجهود المبذولة لبناء النظام البيئي للتكنولوجيا في الولاية

I’ve spent my life fighting for social and economic justice and expanding opportunity in communities across the state of Illinois. I’m proud of my work spearheading the effort to build up the state’s technology ecosystem, which has made Chicago one of the top ten startup hubs in the world. In addition to helping create the Illinois Venture Capital Association, Excelerate (now Techstars Chicago), Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, and ChicagoNEXT, I founded 1871, a non-profit small business incubator. 1871 brought together educational and civic resources to support startup businesses and has already created more than 7,000 good paying jobs in Illinois. More than 500 businesses do work there. Illinois was named one of the top ten technology startup hubs in the world, and 1871 was named the leading business incubator in the world.

I have also been a national advocate for early childhood education for over 20 years, including organizing the White House Summit on Early Childhood Education for President Obama in 2014, and I worked with dedicated Holocaust survivors for a decade to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which teaches more than 120,000 Illinois students, teachers and other visitors each year to fight bigotry, hatred and intolerance.

What are your plans for the education system in Illinois?

ما هي خططك لنظام التعليم في ولاية إيلينوي
توفير التعليم العام الجيد يبدأ بالتعليم في مرحلة الطفولة المبكرة. أصدرتُ خطة مكونة من خمس نقاط لتعليم الطفولة المبكرة ستضمن استفادة كل طفل من المشاركة في رياض الأطفال ، وتضع الولاية على مسار نحو مدرسة تمهيدية عامة للأطفال البالغين من العمر ثلاثة وأربعة أعوام.

Providing a quality public education starts with early childhood education. I released a five-point plan for early childhood education that would make sure every child benefits from participation in kindergarten, puts the state on a path towards universal preschool for three and four year olds, increases access to the Child Care Assistance Program, expands birth-to-three services, attracts teachers to fill high need positions, and invests in our education infrastructure.

We also need to increase state investments in public education across the board so that we move away from relying upon local property taxes and move toward the constitutional requirement of having the majority of our education funding come from the state. We can get there with a progressive income tax, which will also allow us to reduce dependence upon the regressive property tax system. It’s time for a tax system where those who can afford it pay more, our middle class and those striving to get into the middle class get relief, and our kids get the education they deserve. I want to bring back vocational training to our high schools. Young men and women who decide not to go to college should be able to graduate high school and build careers without a college degree. Those who want to go to college should be able to do that without getting strapped with debt for the rest of their lives.

J.B. Pritzker for Governor full page Ad in The Future News newspaper, the largest circulation Arab American newspaper in Chicagoland and Illinois.

Do you have a plan to address the rising cost of healthcare?

هل لديك خطة لمعالجة ارتفاع تكاليف الرعاية الصحية
أعتقد أن الرعاية الصحية حق ، وليست امتيازًا، ولهذا أنا أفضّل التغطية الصحية الشاملة. يجب على الدولة أن تفعل ما بوسعها للتحرك في هذا الاتجاه في أقرب وقت ممكن ، وقد طرحت خطة من شأنها توسيع نطاق التغطية على الفور. خطة خيار التأمين الصحي العام

I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege, which is why I favor universal health coverage. The state should do as much as it can to move in that direction as soon as possible, and I’ve put forward a plan that would expand coverage right away. My public health insurance option plan, called IllinoisCares, would allow even more Illinoisans to be covered and would give middle class families and small businesses a break on the high cost of health insurance. I will work with legislators and healthcare stakeholders to implement this public option to provide another choice in the health insurance marketplace. It will act as a buffer against rising premiums and market uncertainty – at no cost to taxpayers. I will work with community partners and lawmakers to ensure stable investment in consumer-led, community-based programs that give Medicaid consumers the tools they need to live independent, meaningful lives in their communities.

What is your plan to create more jobs in Illinois?

ما هي خطتك لخلق المزيد من فرص العمل في ولاية ايلينوي
تتضمن خطة خلق فرص العمل الخاصة بي التركيز على جذب وبناء الأعمال الصغيرة ، وبناء البنية التحتية ، والاستثمار في التعليم العالي ، ورعاية اقتصادنا الزراعي

My job creation plan includes a focus on attracting and building up small businesses, building infrastructure, investing in higher education, nurturing our agriculture economy, and jumpstarting manufacturing. It’s especially important that we help communities that have suffered years of disinvestment across the state by giving small business owners and new entrepreneurs the attention and resources they need to thrive, like access to capital, training, and mentorship. My plan for economic inclusion is specifically designed to expand opportunities for minority workers and small business owners across the state in order to reverse the systemic disinvestment in communities of color.

There is a new culture of hate and divisiveness coming from the White House. How will you fight against that as governor?

هناك ثقافة جديدة من الكراهية والانقسام تأتي من البيت الأبيض. كيف ستقاتل ضد ذلك كحاكم
إن خطاب دونالد ترامب البغيض وجدول أعماله المتعصب هو هجوم على المجتمعات في جميع أنحاء ولاية إيلينوي ، وخاصة مجتمعاتنا العربية والشرق أوسطية والمسلمة وجنوب آسيا. بدلا من توحيد بلدنا لبناء دولة أكثر تسامحا ومزدهرة للجميع.

Donald Trump’s hateful rhetoric and bigoted agenda is an attack on communities across Illinois, especially our Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities. Instead of uniting our country to build a more tolerant and prosperous nation for everyone, he has built his political career on divisive attacks that are tearing apart families and attacking the foundation of our American values. Unlike Donald Trump, my values have led me to become a civil rights advocate for decades. It›s why I protested at O’Hare when Trump’s Immigration Executive Order was issued in January.

As governor, I will make Illinois a welcoming state where everyone is treated with dignity and provided with an opportunity to achieve their full potential. I will enhance funding for immigrant and refugee services, oppose a federal registry program based on race, religion, and country of origin, and I will seek diverse input and ensure all Illinoisans have a seat at the table and a voice in their government.

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rayhanania

Managing Writer at The Arab Daily News

RAY HANANIA — Columnist

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

"I write about three topics, the Middle East, politics and life in general. I often take my life experiences and offer them in an entertaining way to readers, and I take on the toughest topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict and don't pull any punches about what I feel is fair. But, my priority is always about writing the good story."

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992. Hanania began writing in 1975 when he published The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper which was distributed through 12,500 Middle East food stores in 48 American States (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues for the Arab News in Saudi Arabia at www.ArabNews.com, Middle East Monitor in London, the TheArabDailyNews.com, www.TheDailyHookah.com and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has also published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday Newspaper in New York, the Orlando Sentinel Newspapers, and the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Palestinian, American Arab and Christian, Hanania’s parents originate from Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

The managing editor of Suburban Chicagoland Online News website www.SuburbanChicagoland.com, Hanania's columns also appeare in the Southwest News Newspaper Group of 8 newspapers.

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