Turek talks health care, campaign reforms

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate meets local voters

Declaring himself to be a "common sense prairie populist who is working for Iowans" Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek rallied with voters Wednesday morning at Friendship Haven in Fort Dodge.

The state representative from Council Bluffs said making health care more affordable and campaign finance reform will be his top priorities if he is elected.

He was joined by Democratic former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin at the event, which was attended by about 90 people.

Health care, Turek said, is a "human right."

He said if he is elected, he will work to reverse recent cuts to the Affordable Care Act which he said have deprived 110,000 Iowans of their health care coverage.

Turek added that he wants to put "guardrails" on insurance companies that will make it clear that doctors, not insurers, will make health care decisions for patients.

"The government has an obligation to take care of the most vulnerable from the cradle to the grave," he said."That is an obligation we fall far too short on far too often."

The candidate said he wants to get private equity out of nursing homes, health care and housing. Private equity, he said, has driven up costs for consumers.

He said he will work for passage of a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case, which cleared the way for unlimited political spending by corporations and labor unions. He called Citizens United the "single worst Supreme Court decision in United States history."

"We have got to get dark money out of politics," he said.

He said he supports a measure he called the Disclose Act which would require every single dollar contributed to political campaigns to be accounted for.

Turek decried the war against Iran as "another forever conflict with no strategy." He said Iowa has been disproportionately hurt by the increased fuel prices caused by the war.

He said if elected, he will work to implement the War Powers Act, constraining President Donald Trump from carrying on the war without congressional approval.

To preserve Social Security, he called for having more income liable for the Social Security tax. That tax is now levied on the first $165,000 or so of a person's income. According to Turek, that means billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos pay Social Security tax for the first few minutes of each new year while everyone pays all year.

"It is time to make billionaires pay their fair share," Turek said.

He said that would generate $3.4 trillion for Social Security over a decade.

Turek faces Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson. The winner will replace U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican who chose not to run again.