MARQUETTE - Children and family issues were addressed when the Upper Peninsula Children's Coalition hosted a candidate forum at the Peter White Public Library Thursday night.
There were 10 candidates for five seats ranging from the 1st District U.S. House seat and state House seats from across the Upper Peninsula.
"These are some pretty serious questions," said Judy Nerat, a Democrat who is running for the state's 108th district when asked about poverty levels for Michigan families.
She pointed out a problem with the $7.40 minimum wage that she said 40 percent of "breadwinners" for a family make.
"How can families even try to get ahead? If you work 40 hours a week at that wage, even the cost of filling up your car (makes it so) it doesn't work out. You end up losing ground."
Mike Falcon, her Republican challenger, said the key was jobs.
"It all goes back to jobs and the 300,000 that have left," he said. "We need good jobs and we need to keep the ones we have."
U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, cited the lack of children's health care as a major issue the federal government has yet to face. He blamed two vetoes by the president of a child care bill that would have insured 198,000 children in Michigan for it remaining a problem that could have been solved.
"We can bail out Wall Street but we can't help our kids?" said Stupak, the 1st District incumbent. "Where is a 5-year-old going to get health care? (The Republicans) might say they should go out and buy it. The cost of health care has gone up 78 percent ... the cost of wages have gone up only 4.6 percent."
His challenger, Republican Tom Casperson of Escanaba, said it's not the highlighted issues that is the underlying problem with today's government, but the government itself.
"I believe the government is broken," Casperson said. "What I am hearing today is that people think the government is the solution. I don't. I think people are the solution. No one talks about downsizing and streamlining the government.
"Look up the term 'socialism' and see where we are heading. If the government can provide something, they can take it away. I think it's time to give the government back to the people."
Other issues that were discussed included the government's role in child care, which Democrat Mike Lahti and Republican John Larson, who are running for the 110th district seat, discussed. Larson said it wasn't the government's job to ensure proper child care.
"The government isn't having the babies," he said before continuing about the need for parents to take the responsibility in finding proper and quality health care.
Lahti disagreed, saying that government should inspect facilities and supported government inclusion in child care.
"I'm for the government, both the federal and the state, spending money to help programs like that," he said.
Another issue discussed by 109th district candidates, incumbent Democrat Steve Lindberg and Republican Doreen Takalo, was the increasing obesity epidemic among the state's youth.
Both agreed that it was a problem, but Takalo said the government had no place telling people how to solve the problem.
"We have to take charge of this ourselves, not expect the government to do it," she said.
Lindberg said the government's role should be one of creating availability.
"I think the government should do things that make exercise and healthy, nutritious foods more available," he said. The other candidates who spoke at the forum were Democrat Gary McDowell and Republican Alex Stobehn, who are running for the 107th district.
In addition to being held live, Charter Communications recorded the forum and will broadcast it on Channel 8 at 7 p.m. today, 5 p.m. Monday, 7 p.m. Oct. 31 and 6 p.m. Nov. 3.
