By DOUG WILSON
Herald-Whig Senior Writer

Jacob Meister wants to be an advocate for businesses and job creation in the U.S. Senate.

Meister, one of five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in next week's primary election, visited Quincy Monday to meet voters at a coffee. The attorney from Chicago said his background in commercial law, banking regulation, interstate commerce, telecommunications and foreign trade amount to "a winning combination" for the state and nation.

"My 2020 Vision includes 50 specific legislative proposals to keep the economy strong," Meister said.

Among his plans would be to use military technology for wind turbines that has not been put to commercial applications. Meister said the Internet is an example of technology that has changed the world.

"We're importing a lot of our windmills from Germany and India. We need to be making them right here," Meister said.

"I think high-speed rail is the future. We shouldn't be importing that technology from Spain. We should be" building those trains in Illinois, he said.

Meister also wants to see change on the state level. His first move would be to treat Illinois as one state. Meister said some of his opponents in the primary election are too "Chicago-centric" and act as though Chicago is one state and the rest of Illinois is another.

"I'm the only candidate with campaign offices outside metro Chicago," Meister said.

While Congress is considering reforms in U.S. health care, Meister said legislation should "do what is necessary to cover the 40 million people who have no health insurance." He said health care is a right, not a privilege. Meister also believes that everybody is paying more than necessary on health care because of the large number of people without insurance.

Congress is partly responsible for the collapse of the banking system, he said, noting that rules that would have precluded risky investments were suspended. Now the rules need to be reinstituted.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has introduced legislation that would provide new banking protections, and Meister said he supports the plan.

"This is not a Republican or a Democrat thing," Meister said.

Meister, 44, has had to fight for recognition in the crowded Senate race. He has been "snubbed" at some Chicago-area events where only the best-known candidates in the race were invited to televised forums.

Other candidates in the Democratic primary are Alexi Giannoulias, David Hoffman, Cheryle Jackson and Dr. Robert Marshall.

-- dwilson@whig.com/221-3372