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Office you seek
US House of Representatives, NC6

Occupation
Physician

Age
59

Address
1110 Sunset Dr., Greensboro, NC, 27408

Web site
www.teresasuebratton.com

Party affiliation
Democrat

Elective experience
President, Honor Counsel, High School; Secretary, Vanderbilt Medical School Class of 1974, years 1, 2, 3; Treasurer, President-Elect, President, Greater Greensboro Society of Medicine.

Other relevant experience (boards and commissions)
Moses Cone-Wesley Long Community Health Foundation's Community Health Improvement Fund Board, 2000-2004; the Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Association's Board of Directors, 2003-2006; BCBS of NC Physician Advisory Group, 1997-2004; Guilford County Asthma Coalition, 2000-present.

Family
Married for 32 years with 3 children, a daughter-in-law and a shepherd dog, Max.

Why have you chosen to run for this office?
I believe that it is time for a change in Washington. We need affordable health care for all Americans, good paying jobs and an education system that prepares people for these jobs, a clean, safe, healthy environment, a reallocation of our resources from Iraq to our problems here at home and restoration of America's reputation for peace, prosperity and human rights.

What distinguishes you most from your opponent?
My education; my experience as a physician over 26 years of seeing patients from all socioeconomic levels; my experience as a child and environmental advocate; my experience as a wife and mother.

I advocate a health care system that is director toward long term wellness with primary age-appropriate preventive care, chronic disease management and mental disease parity. I want to insure portability without increased cost, catastrophic coverage that does not bankrupt families and a public health system that complements the education and care delivered in the doctor's office. I support cost-efficiencies such as electronic medical records and evidenced-based medicine.

Key qualifications you would bring to the job
I believe that my experience as a physician uniquely qualifies me to advocate for a comprehensive change that helps all children and their families receive affordable health care. My experience as a child and environmental advocate qualifies me to work for the health of the 6th congressional district, health which demands good paying jobs, an educational system that can provide the passport to opportunity in America and a healthy environment. My experience as a small business owner helps me to understand the problems of small businesses, the producers of many of the new jobs that are being created.

List your top three campaign issues and your stances on those issues
My top priorities are an affordable health care system for all Americans, good paying jobs with an educational system that can prepare people for those jobs and a clean, safe, healthy environment in which the effects of global warming are minimized.

What is your position on congressional earmarks?
We do not have unlimited resources so we cannot spend frivolously but I will support necessary projects in our district and work with my North Carolina colleagues for the benefit of North Carolina and District 6.

What measures should be taken to boost the sagging national economy?
Secretary Paulsen and the Federal Reserve under Ben Bernanke have taken measures to alleviate the liquidity crisis in the financial markets and this, with the support of other countries who do not wish us to fail, will likely result in improvements in the next year. The mortgage crisis must be addressed as well. We need improved liquidity in the form of new mortgages through the FHA, encouragement to lenders to renegotiate loans and a change in the FHA conforming loan limit. The financial regulatory systems need to be funded and new entities such as the mortgage broker need to be more strictly regulated. Securitization of mortgages needs to be scrutinized so that risk is not hidden. We need to increase the education of consumers about mortgages. Regulation of the financial system needs to be evaluated; if overlapping regulatory agencies are inefficient and counterproductive then the creation of a single regulatory system, such as the British Financial Services Authority, may need to be considered. Our citizens need to be able to stay in their homes and need good paying jobs to provide for their families. We need to encourage small business development and fund retraining of transitional workers in our community colleges.

When and how should the U.S. remove troops from Iraq?
The troops should be removed as quickly as is responsibly possible.

Submitted April 11, 2008