Grace Lin

Grace Lin is the Republican candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 8th Congressional District (map) of New York. She is the Republican nominee seeking to challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler (R-N.Y.). She ran unopposed in primary elections which took place on September 9, 2008.

Bio
Grace Lin is the Republican and Conservative candidate for the US House of Representatives in the 8th Congressional District. Grace aims to restore fiscal responsibility, invest in alternative energies, repeal ethanol subsidies, work on portability of health insurance, and focus on education reform.

If elected, Lin would be the 3rd youngest member to be elected to the US House of Representatives and would be the youngest member to serve a full term. Lin would be 24 on the day of election and 25 upon swearing in per the US Constitution. William Charles Cole Claiborne of Tennessee was 22 when elected in 1797 and John Young Brown of Kentucky was 24 when elected in 1849.

Lin believes every American should have choices in their elected officials. She believes that a two-party system is critical in keeping elected officials accountable to their constituents and to properly vet issues.

Prior to her run for US Congress, Lin served in elected office for 4 years as the Committeeman for the 20th Ward in Chicago, Illinois earnings the title of the Honorable Grace Lin. She was the youngest in Chicago history elected to the post. During her time as a Committeeman she appointed election judges, voted for party leadership, and ran candidates for State Senate.

Lin originally grew up in Massachusetts and later attended high school at Philips Exeter Academy where she published a math proof. She earned a Bachelors of Science from the University of Chicago where she was a triple major in economics, mathematics, and statistics. At the University she won the Yim Chen Merit Scholarship given by the University for excellence in academic performance.

Her work in the private sector has included working at Gately Business Group Consulting, a start-up advising companies on insurance plans and costs. There she learned a great deal about both health care policy and insurance. In addition, she worked at UBS Investment Bank in Electronic Volatility Trading.

Currently, Lin works in the financial industry in New York City. Outside of her political involvements she has made time to take inner city children to the zoo, sort clothing for the homeless, and help homeless children with arts and crafts.

Positions, record and controversies
According to her Web site, Lin believes that listening to the issues that citizens face and helping to find solutions to those issues is at the heart of every congressperson's job. Below are some of the issues that Lin believes are critical to making the 8th Congressional District a "more vibrant, energetic, and safe place to live."

Energy: Lin wants to invest in alternative energies including wind power, solar power, and hydropower. She believes that increasing energy supplies will be key in lowering the price of energy and keeping the economy vibrant. Lin said she will urge everyone to try and save energy where possible on a personal level while the government and the private sector look for solutions.

Ethanol Subsidies: LOin advocates repealing ethanol subsidies. As corn products are turned to ethanol for oil, she says, this causes a staple food to raise in cost. According to Lin, high food prices are both a domestic and international problem. By eliminating this subsidy, Lin hopes to use the funds toward reducing the deficit.

Gas Tax: Lin is for keeping the gas tax. According to her Web site, a gas tax will create incentives for Americans to look for alternative energies and to conserve. She argues this will also have environmental benefits resulting from lower usage.

Transportation: Many times the government has mechanisms that evaluate the safely of our bridges and roads, Lin says, but often times the advice does not translate into action. She wants to make sure we actively address issues when bridges, tunnels, or roads fail safety standards. Safety for Americans is a top priority for Lin and safe bridges, tunnels, and roads are important.

Lowering Taxes: Lin believes that New Yorkers often make more efficient decisions with their money in comparison to the government. Individuals often have greater agency over their own money, and Lin wants to cut red tape by lowering taxes and giving Americans more say in where their money goes. In particular, Lin said she will seek tax cuts for small businesses to encourage entrepreneurship, stimulate the economy, and lower unemployment. Americans have one of the largest corporate taxes globally and for the US to continue to be competitive on a global scale, she said a lower corporate tax rate will be essential.

The Economy: Currently, the US is in a very volatile economic situation and by January the economic landscape could change drastically. Lin supported the $700 billion economic stimulus package. Particularly, she notes that the total cost of the total plan will not be $700 billion but because the government is buying securities that will payback interest, dividends, and principal over time. This is a program that will cost significantly less. Lin believes this package was necessary to rejuvenate the credit markets which are important in funding American business operations, fueling employment, and growing the overall economy. On the other hand, Lin believes that the government should not buy equity stakes in American banks. Control of US banks should be private. She feels the government does not have a core competency in running banks but moreover that there could be conflicts of interest in the government regulating banks and being a major shareholder.

Health insurance: Lin says competition is essential in lower costs, encouraging innovation, and quality care. She wants to make sure that there is ample competition between health insurance plans to achieve these goals. At the same time, Lin wants to work on increasing the portability of health insurance and to work on tort reform.

Education: Lin supports a school voucher system. She wants to make sure that Americans have choices in what schools their children attend. Giving families access to school vouchers, she says, allows them to choose schools that are the best suited for their children. School vouchers would involve families much more directly in choosing which schools to fund. Lin believes that if good education is a precondition to receiving funding, schools will have greater incentives to perform at higher levels.

Retirement Plan: Lin believes that full benefits should be paid out to individuals who are close to retirement. For those who are further from retirement Lin advocates for partially private Social Security accounts for Americans to have flexibility in their investment decisions. Moreover, these semi-private accounts would give Americans more transparency to plan ahead for their retirements and to more clearly evaluate their full retirement needs and savings. Lin feels the Social Security system currently is not sustainable. Lin wants to work towards finding a sustainable solution that works for Americans from this year to the next hundred years.

Technology Reform: Lin is a strong proponent of technology development. She believes technological innovation leads to job creation. She hopes to abolish the internet sales tax. She wants to create incentives for e-commerce to grow the American economy.

2008 election
Lin is the Republican nominee seeking to challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler (R-N.Y.). She ran unopposed in primary elections which took place on September 9, 2008.

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Party Lines
Lin was selected as the official candidate for the Republican and Conservative parties. To find more information on other candidates, visit party websites below.:


 * New York Republican Party
 * New York Conservative Party

How to vote for Lin
Polling places will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

Voters can only vote at their designated polling place. Residents can find their polling place follow the link below:

NYC Board of Elections - Poll Site Locator

Contact information
Official Lin for Congress Web site

Mailing Address Vote for Grace 140 East 46th Street New York, NY 10017

Email: [mailto:votegrace@gmail.com votegrace@gmail.com]

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:New York and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * Grace Lin for Congress campaign website
 * 2008 Race Tracker page on New York’s 8th Congressional District
 * New York State Board of Election
 * National Journal
 * Washington Post
 * Fox News
 * Chicago GOP
 * The Chicago Maroon
 * Vote-USA
 * Cook County Clerk's Office
 * Grace Lin's facebook group
 * Grace Lin for Congress campaign website
 * Grace Lin's Congressional Blog
 * Become a Grace Lin Facebook Supporter
 * Votimus