By Patrick Baron
BLOOMINGTON – To celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin took a tour through the McLean County Museum of History to reflect on Bloomington’s rich past.
At the museum, Durbin examined the wares and trinkets of a time gone by. He asserted his pride in being a native of central Illinois and expressed happiness over the amount of history kept safe in the museum.
“I’m a big history buff and I’m really proud, being from central Illinois and living here all these years, to see what’s being preserved here for school kids and for others interested in sharing part of it,” said Durbin. “What’s great is not only the older history of McLean County, but they’ve even got beer nuts and Steak and Shake. This is the real deal here, people shouldn’t miss this.”
However, Durbin was sure to not keep his head buried too deep in the past, taking time to discuss topics weighing on the minds of the people, such as healthcare. Regarding the Affordable Care Act, Durbin explained he would like to see it repaired, rather than repealed with no alternative to take its place.
“What the insurance companies tell me is [they’re] not going to write policies if [they] don’t know what the rules are,” said Durbin. “[They] have to know what the rules are for the policies and what the likelihood is beyond one year that [they’ll] be able to stay in business.”
Durbin also took a moment to give his views on Planned Parenthood in response to the large rally held in Bloomington on Saturday. Durbin explained how no taxpayer money goes toward funding abortions, but other key health services instead.
“The federal law expressly prohibits any federal dollars from being spent on abortions – period,” said Durbin. “And of all the services offered by Planned Parenthood, three percent are for abortion services; 97 percent are for STD testing, cancer screening, and family planning. So overwhelmingly they’re putting the money into things that most people agree are needed.”
Durbin also explained he wants to be as open and inclusive as possible in order to engage in civil discourse about subjects like healthcare.
Patrick Baron can be reached at patrick.baron@cumulus.com.
