Rebecca Scheider

Rebecca Schneider

Schneider, Rebecca (Democrat)

Phone: (480) 833-5101

Email: schneiderforcongress@gmail.com

1927 E Hampton Ave, Unit 154 Mesa, AZ 85204

Age: 46 (born:12/20/63, Did not respond.)

Arizona since: 2001

Occupation: Overnight library supervisor, ASU, since 2006; library paraprofessional/branch manager, Maricopa County Library District, 2001-2006; special projects coordinator/circulation supervisor, Wilkinsburg Public Library, 1995-2001.

Marital: Single

Religious preference: Christian

Education: B.S., psychology, Slippery Rock University (PA), 1987.

Political experience: Precinct committeeman since 2008; candidate for U.S. House, AZ CD 6, 2008.

Memberships have included: GEMDems, SEIU, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Emily’s List, NOW, Progressive Democrats of America, Democracy for America, Humane Society of the U.S., People for the American Way, True Majority, Earth Just, Union of Concerned Scientists.

Interests: Outdoor activities, reading, advocacy, animal rescue, singing, games, cards, politics.

Issues

Political influence: George W. Bush. His policies are what drove me to become more politically active and informed and to seek office.

Top priority: The economy and jobs. District 6, Arizona and the nation desperately need job development as quickly as possible along with regulation of banking that will prevent this type of economic meltdown from happening again.

Respected opponent: Scott Smith, mayor of Mesa. He seems willing to entertain new ideas and genuinely seems concerned with the welfare of his city.

Wall St bailout: I was adamantly against that bailout and continue to be. The Republican mantra of “free enterprise” should have dictated that these companies fail or succeed on their own, yet the taxpayers were forced to bail them out after they were reckless and greedy. The bailout also was very poorly handled and the monies were not directed or regulated as to their purpose. This led to abuses in paying out bonuses to CEOs and others who had failed in their jobs as well as the egregious use of those monies to buyout competitors and buy U.S. Treasury bonds to make money off the American taxpayer twice with the bailout monies.

Stimulus Act: I think this has helped a great number of people keep their jobs, and it also helped mitigate the depths of this economic depression. I know this bill allowed Arizona to continue providing some services to the disadvantaged and to somewhat protect education from even greater cuts. The extended unemployment benefits have been critical to many displaced workers. I do wish that more of the monies had been directed to help people facing foreclosure keep their homes. Without all these monies, though, Arizona would have been even more financially devastated than it already is.

Health care overhaul: I am not at all happy about the recent health care package. It simply is a huge giveaway to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries without really addressing the underlying issues at all. Some small benefits will come out of it, such as not denying insurance to those with pre-existing conditions. But overall, the bill does not save money, does not cover everyone and does not fix the ills in the industry.