Meet the Press Debate with Klein, Giannoulias and Kirk

According to the recent segment of MSNBC's Meet the Press with host Joe Klein the top spot for the upcoming election is the Illinois Senate seat. Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk are now at what would be a verbal fisticuffs over the Senate seat. During the debate on Meet the Press there were many interesting and valid points to think about. Klein easily points out issues of Giannoulias family bank allegedly being affiliated with mobsters. Klein and Giannoulias both point out the facts that Kirk voted for many of the laws passed under the Bush Administration and the early career of newly appointed President Obama and the banter continues.

Throughout the vis-a-vis there's a vast amount of finger pointing; as there usually is between opponents running for a high profile political office. There were several key points that stick out in my mind though. These were the Illinois unemployment rate, access to capital and the future of our deficit.

Though these are common threads in most political debates the statistics involved were hair raising. Since August 2009 the unemployment rate has been steadily over 9 percent. Another unfortunate statistic Kirk pointed out was "we now number our debt in trillions rather than billions. Every American born today owes $43,000 to the federal government the day she or he is born. We are transferring a tremendous amount of debt to the new generation; much of it owed to overseas creditors who expect to be re-paid by our children with interest." For those who are younger than I am without children this number means nothing. For me, I see a dreary path that will take years to mend and will become the burden of my five and three year old.

During this debate Giannoulias made a point that "as a former community banker some more over sites, some more accountability requirement that these banks lend money to help increase access to capital something we've done in the State's Treasurer's office. I think that was a missed opportunity." Although I understand where Giannoulias on this subject, the fact remains these are people and businesses already trying to dig themselves out of very deep wholes. Access to more capital is not only risky but in the long run could put them in an even deeper debt ratio in the future but what happens if the availability to borrow money ends? Meanwhile, will borrowing more money become another bailout crisis that leads down the road of more deficits?

How true the statistics and the mudslinging is only makes my point of view of the candidates for the Illinois Senate Seat more grim. It's difficult to tell which, if either, Giannoulias or Kirk is telling the voters some semblance of truth. Giannoulias is very smooth; similar to a shark in shallow water while Kirk looks like a duck on a smooth pond paddling away underneath. With the choices that have been made by both political figures I'm not sure which way I'll turn come election time. For me, its not about the Democratic or Republican party but about my son and daughter and how these choices will effect their lives.

Click here for Meet the Press Debate.