Get Money OUT of OUR Elections!

Candidates for Congress, President, PACs and parties take in staggering amounts of huge private donations to win elections. These legalized bribes ensure laws are enacted to favor billionaires, health insurance/pharma companies, fossil fuel conglomerates, investment banking, tech industries and other interests. So long as elections are financed this way, policies that genuinely improve the lives of working men and women will never happen. We HAVE to take back control of OUR government by taking private money OUT of our elections.

  • No donations. Not ever. Not even from the candidates themselves. What do we do instead?

    1. Create a website governed by the FEC where all US Citizens can have a secure, verifiable account.

    2. Those who wish to run file the proper FEC forms and are given access to a Candidate’s Account, where they can upload photos, videos, state their positions, fill out an issues survey and interact with potential supporters via private message or public comment.

    3. A year before the election, the candidate’s pages are made available to the public, who are invited to compare the candidates and choose those they believe are worthy of a government funded grant. Supporters must live in the district to choose a House of Representatives candidate, in the state for a Senate candidate, and be a US citizen to choose a Presidential candidate.

    4. After a limited time period - perhaps a month - qualifying candidates would each receive the same amount, ensuring all candidates are on equal financial footing.

    5. There are NO private donations. These funds must last through primaries (which should be eliminated) on to election day. If a candidate runs out of money before the election, too bad. Learn to stay within budget BEFORE you get to Congress.

    6. All awarded grants would be subject to the same strict scrutiny by which campaign funds are currently regulated. If money is misspent, all federal laws apply. Unused funds go back to the FEC or Treasury Department.

    Under this grant system, candidates will have to run on the strength of their ideas and the quality of their character, not the size of their campaign’s bank account. Elected candidates will be directly accountable to the taxpayer BOTH financially and at the ballot box.

    We get this done, see how fast we get affordable healthcare, low-cost prescription meds, green energy initiatives, affordable child care, sensible gun laws and fair treatment for working class men and women and their families.

  • Billionaires and corporations should not be able to hide massive donations to organizations that seek to control our elections. Money does NOT equal free speech. If it did, then Elon Musk has A LOT more free speech than you. And corporations are NOT citizens. We allow them to exist to make our lives better. We don’t exist to increase their profit margins.

  • Severely limit donations to PACs that directly support or oppose candidates for office. They are free to talk about issues and advocate for causes and raise funds to do so. But if they endorse or denigrate candidates by name or image, then they are limited to no more than $100/year in donations from any individual or source.

  • We all saw Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other incredibly rich donors to the $245 million inaugural fund, standing front and center at the event. Unlike campaigns, inaugurals are not subject to contribution limits. So for a relatively meager $1-2 million, individuals and corporations can buy favor with an incoming administration, and you know they expect a return on that investment.

    So no private donations to inaugural committees. If there are to be inaugural events, let it be paid for with taxpayers funds. That said, I would much rather skip the pomp and circumstance, have a small swearing in ceremony at the White House, and the President can deliver a brief speech or address the nation from the Oval Office, then get to work. Mark and Jeff and Sundar can watch on TV with the rest of us.

Tax Fairness. Pay down our national debt.

When federal income taxes were introduced in 1913, the lowest rate was 1%, which did NOT apply to the first $3,000 for individuals. In today’s dollars, that’s over $90,000 WITH NO FEDERAL TAXES! The intent was to focus higher rates on high income individuals and the wealthy who could afford them so working class folk could pay their bills and build financial security.

Over the years that approach changed. Now it’s nearly impossible for average wage earners to get ahead, let alone pay their bills. We need to treat wage earning Americans as assets to be nurtured and developed rather than resources to be exploited. Doing so strengthens the economy and is actually better for wealthy folk, who then have a smaller share of a bigger, growing economy instead of a bigger share of a struggling one. So lets change our tax code to provide relief for low-middle income folk WITHOUT cutting services.

  • No federal income taxes on the first $20,000 earned ($40,000 if married filing jointly). That’s more money in your paycheck. Around $2,200/$4,400 per year.

    For a family earning $85,000, it’s an extra $108/month for groceries. For a single person earning $50,000, an extra $89/month towards utility bills.

    Permanent tax relief in every single paycheck for the rest of your working life. And if we can do more while still being fiscally responsible, we will.
    Cost: $1.5-$3 trillion over ten years. 

  • To offset tax cuts at the lower income levels, raise the rate on income over $609k from 37% to 41%. Also, I propose adding an additional top rate of 47% on earned income above $900,000.
    Revenue: Between $1.3-$1.8 trillion over ten years.

  • Billionaires don’t get rich off salaries—they use a tax-avoidance scheme called “Buy. Borrow. Die.” First, they buy a huge amount of stock and never sell it. Instead of paying taxes on their gains, they borrow against those assets to fund their lifestyle, paying only a low interest rate to their bank. And when they die, a loophole called “stepped-up basis” magically wipes out all taxes on those gains, so their heirs can start the same cycle all over again.

    We fix this by taxing massive unrealized gains like regular income, taxing gains above $5 million at death, or adding an excise tax on loans taken out against assets when not used to build a business. These simple steps would help to shift the tax burden from wage-earning Americans and ensure the wealthiest contribute their share.
    Revenue: $825 billion over ten years.

  • Before Trump’s tax giveaway in 2017, the corporate tax rate was 35%. Now it’s 21% – a massive tax cut that’s benefited executives and shareholders, with much smaller gains for typical workers. I propose raising it to 25%, which is competitive with other economically advanced countries.

    Also increase the tax on corporate stock buy backs from 1% to 5%, which would potentially generate another $40 billion in revenue OR encourage companies to reinvest in their businesses, raise wages, lower prices or do other things that would actually help our economy.
    Revenue: $520-$560 billion over ten years.

  • For years, the ultra-wealthy and large corporations have used special tax breaks to avoid paying their share while ordinary Americans pick up the tab. Ending the pass-through deduction for incomes over $400,000 raises $140 billion over ten years.

    Closing offshore profit-shifting loopholes that multinational corporations use to move profits to tax havens brings in $900 billion over ten years.

    And adopting a carbon tax starting at $50 per ton to cut emissions and reduce the deficit generates $1 trillion over ten years.
    Revenue: $2.4 trillion over ten years.

  • Over the last 50 years, wealth inequality has exploded. We are the richest nation in history, yet thanks to deregulation and reckless tax laws, only a tiny number of people have reaped the lion’s share of benefits.

    This concentration of wealth isn’t just unfair—it’s a threat to our democracy, allowing a small oligarchy to buy and wield incredibly outsized political power. To rebalance our economy, let’s enact a 2% tax on wealth over $50 million and 3% on wealth over $1 billion.
    Revenue: $2.4-$3 trillion over ten years.

  • Combined with the other reforms, these proposals could generate about $6.2 trillion, enough to help pay down the national debt, restore essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP to pre–tax-cut levels, strengthen healthcare, and still leave $2,200–$4,400 in the pockets of low- and middle-income Americans.

Affordable Healthcare for ALL Americans

Every man, woman and child in America deserves to have comprehensive health care insurance. All advanced economy nations have this – why not us? I’m going to fight for the creation and funding of a national public option health plan as an alternative to private insurance. A public option – which is what Obamacare was originally meant to be before private insurance money killed it – will ensure real competition in the marketplace that will force private insurers to adapt or go extinct.

While I ultimately believe single payer public insurance is the best solution, if the public option meets the needs of our nation, then great. We need do no more. But my ultimate goal would be to simply have Medicare for All, which I believe is the best way to control costs, including preventive care that heads off illness before it becomes severe and costly to treat, better mental health care before reaching a crisis, and healthier living guidance. Plus it would be easier to understand and navigate.

Healthcare should not be a for-profit commodity. It should be run as a not-for-profit endeavor, with the focus on providing the best care in a way that does not increase our tax burden.

  • We can achieve healthcare for all, but in the interim we must: extend the ACA subsidies that were so callously and maliciously cut by Trump and Republicans. And use revenues from my tax reform plan to actually lower premiums even further.

  • Our federal government can use its enormous buying power to negotiate the price of ALL prescription drugs, especially insulin and other ongoing, vital treatments.

  • Require private insurance companies who profit off of government healthcare contracts to provide basic insurance plans on the ACA.

  • Provide an optional low-cost Medicare buy-in for citizens aged 55-64, which are one of the most underinsured segments of our population and are vulnerable to losing health insurance due to down-sizing or underinsurance due to private companies pulling back on complete coverage.

  • Women and girls - with parental consent - have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies. Access to abortion and reproductive care shouldn’t depend on which state you live in. A national standard, similar to Roe, should be established.

    But as with other rights, abortion care has limits if it conflicts with the rights of others. Based on current medical science, the central nervous system of the fetus, including the brain, has begun to develop at five months, not the six mandated by Roe v. Wade. Meaning there are the beginnings of sensory perception. Therefore access to abortion should NOT be restricted until after the fifth month of pregnancy.

    After that, consideration must be given to the developing fetus, balanced against the health of the woman and with exception for rape or incest. Having said that, and respecting the complexity and profound implications of this issue, I am open to additional science or compelling perspectives. 

  • Medicaid is a vital program that millions of families rely upon, including over 100,000 in our district alone. My Mother relied upon Medicaid to cover medical expenses during her final years. God knows what kind of care we could have gotten for her without Medicaid, so I’m going to fight to restore it to pre-Trump TCJA levels.

  • We have a mental healthcare crisis in our country due to a lack of accessible counseling and therapy. Ensuring more therapists and counselors are available in schools and communities have been shown to reduce violence (including gun violence), unemployment and suicides.

    So I propose we fund federal grants to work with state and local governments to ensure at risk people get the care they need.

Affordable Housing and Rent

Home ownership is a central part of the American dream and one of the most reliable ways families build wealth. But today, there are not enough affordable homes for low and middle income families or starter homes for young couples. This shortage has priced out the workers every community relies on—nurses, police, firefighters, teachers, childcare providers—who increasingly can’t afford to live where they work.

Since 2017, rents and home prices in Bucks County have climbed nearly 50%, far outpacing income growth. More families are now “cost-burdened,” spending 30% or more of their income on housing, while wages have barely moved. The gap between what people earn and housing costs continues to widen.

  • Kamala Harris proposed building 3 million new homes, with tax incentives for affordable starter homes. I support this. And we must stop Wall Street investors from buying up single-family homes meant for families.

  • First-time homebuyer tax credits, interest-rate buy downs, and expanded FHA support can help families struggling with today’s mortgage rates.

  • We need to reduce unnecessary barriers to building affordable housing. The federal government should work with state and local leaders to streamline permitting and update restrictive zoning while preserving essential environmental protections. Promoting smart growth will help Bucks and Montgomery County families and their grown-up children afford a safe, stable place to live.

  • Government-run grocery stores are publicly owned outlets that offer affordable food by operating without profit motives, often in areas with high food insecurity or “food deserts.” The U.S. military already operates such outlets, while New York City is exploring them to combat high prices. This idea already exists and could be an excellent way to combat ever-increasing grocery prices.

Social Security: Fully Fund and Stabilize

Social Security is a promise made by our government to provide income for retired seniors, funded by payroll taxes from a lifetime of working. If there’s no intervention, benefits will have to be reduced beginning as early as 2032. To make social security solvent through 2100, we need to raise $23.8 trillion over the next 75 years. And we need to act right now. This plan achieves 100% solvency without raising retirement age or cutting benefits.

  • Social Security payroll taxes apply up to $176,100. We add a resumption of payroll taxes beginning at $400,000, creating a “donut hole” that avoids taxing middle class families.

    • Keep current cap at $176,100

    • Create a "donut hole" from $176,100-$400,000 (not taxed)

    • Resume Social Security tax on wages above $400,000

    This would generate $800 billion in social security revenue 10 years.

  • The top 3-5% of households in America have investments income that generates over $200k/year and are clearly wealthy enough to contribute to social security solvency. The vast majority of Americans (95%+) will NOT be affected by such a tax.

    Examples:

    • Wealthy investor with $1M investment income: 6% on the amount over $200k = $48,000/year for social security solvency

    • Retiree with $50k Social Security + $199k investment income: Pays nothing (under threshold)

    Revenue: ~$1,100-1,200 billion over 10 years

  • Increase payroll tax gradually by 1.5% over 20 years, in yearly 0.075% increments. At the end of 20 years, the rate will have gone from 6.2% to 6.95%, rising along with an increase in wages/profits for both employee and employer. This will slowly help fund social security through the end of this century.

    Revenue: ~$1,300-1,400 billion over 10 years

    Revenue: ~$1,300-1,400 billion over 10 years

  • Business owners in s-corporations often own or take shares in the company as part of their compensation. By law, they must pay themselves a “reasonable” salary which is subject to social security payroll taxes. But the shares they receive are not, in spite of them being part of their compensation.

    For example, a partnership pays a partner (the S corporation) $600,000. But the S corporation pays its shareholder-employer only $80,000, resulting in avoiding about $18,000 a year in self-employment taxes.

    The other $520,000 is compensation and should be subject to payroll tax. Closing that loophole has been discussed for quite some time. We should close it to achieve social security solvency.

    Revenue: $125 billion over 10 years

  • Switch social security benefit increases to Chained CPI with exemptions for beneficiaries over age 80 and for disabled and survivor beneficiaries.

    Means-test taxation of benefits with inflation-adjusted thresholds (helps middle class) while increase taxation for households with $200k+ retirement income

    Revenue: $275 billion over 10 years

  • Whether documented or not, more immigrant workers = more payroll tax revenue. And undocumented workers pay into social security even though they do NOT get benefits. Providing legal status to law-abiding immigrants helps our economy, while maintain population levels that support our aging population.

Cut Deficit Spending WITHOUT Cutting Services

There’s an incredible amount of waste, fraud and abuse in our Federal budget. If we eliminate government handouts to insanely profitable oil companies and corporate agriculture, wasteful Pentagon spending and cruel, stupid immigration enforcement (think ICE) that actually hurts our economy, we’d take a giant step towards getting our fiscal house in order.
If properly done, we could:

  • Save between $1.9 to over $4 trillion over ten years. 

  • Combined with my tax plan, we could generate net federal revenues between $4-$6.5 trillion

  • The resulting $450-700 billion per year in deficit spending reduction would reduce the current $1.8 trillion deficit by 20-33%

  • Cut Wasteful Spending (10 Year Savings)

    Fossil fuel subsidies: $170-350B

    Agriculture reform: $100-150B

    ICE rollback: $150-300B

    Defense waste: $500B-$1T

    Medicare waste/fraud: $500B-$1T

    Tax enforcement: $500B-$1.5T

    TOTAL:

    $192-430B/year

    $1.92-4.3 TRILLION/ Ten Year Total

Humane Immigration Policy. Effective Border Management.

Masked, armed men in tactical gear kidnapping parents away from their children is inhumane and cruel. We can be tough on illegal immigration while still being compassionate towards families and communities. Arrest and deport actual criminals, not undocumented people who are otherwise law-abiding, working and contributing to our economy. Especially those with families or who have family members who’ve served in our military. Provide a way to get documented with some kind of legal status, pay a fine and get on a path to citizenship.

  • There are many industries and businesses that rely upon the work done by immigrants. At a time when the birth rate in our country is well below what’s needed to sustain or grow our population, it’s simply both cruel and stupid to undermine American businesses by spending hundreds of billions to deport good, law-abiding people.

Election Reform: Fair Policies that Encourage Voting

Partisan gerrymandering dilutes the votes of citizens and helps extremists gain elected office. “It's a great idea to allow political parties or elected officials to draw congressional districts!” said no one ever. We need independent districting commissions in every state to counter partisan gerrymandering.

And it's time to end the electoral college. In presidential elections, the votes cast in our least populated states have up to 3.5 times the weight of votes cast in our most populous states. This is simply unfair and undemocratic. The original reasons for an electoral college, which include giving more electoral power to slave states, are no longer relevant. In 2000 and in 2016, the candidate who got the most votes did not win the election.

  • Politicians should NEVER be allowed to draw election maps. Federally-mandated independent commissions in each state should be tasked with creating fair and balanced districts. The goal should be reasonably balanced congressional districts, not maps designed to give advantage to one party over another.

  • The Electoral College disenfranchises millions of American voters. For example, Pennsylvania is a “winner take all” electoral state. So votes for the losing candidate are essentially wiped out in the final national electoral college tally.

    Plus, voters in so-called “safe” red or blue states are more likely to find excuse to stay home, figuring their one vote won’t make a difference in the final outcome. With a national popular vote, their votes would now always be meaningful.

    A national popular vote would also eliminate so-called battleground states (and thus maybe fewer political ads in Pennsylvania!). It would encourage candidates to visit states and areas they might have ignored in the past. It would also encourage focus on national issues such as healthcare, debt reduction and tax fairness instead of local issues in battleground states. Additionally, it would increase chances for third-party candidates who can focus on grass-roots campaigns across the country instead of spending money trying to win key battlegrounds.

  • Rather than allowing political parties to be gatekeepers that use endorsements and primaries to prevent outsider candidates from advancing to the general election while also shutting out Independents from being involved in the primary process, why not eliminate primaries altogether? And to ensure that so-called fringe candidates won’t act as spoilers who split the vote, allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference. The candidate who gets the highest combined ranking wins.

  • Mail-in ballots are great, but many people prefer voting in person. Rather than cramming all in-person voting into one day, forcing people to stand in line for hours, allow voters to participate according to their schedule, over a week.

Education Investments. Universal Pre-K.

I was the youngest of seven children. Large families were not unusual when I was growing up. But the cost of having and raising children has become so prohibitive that young couples delay starting families and often choose to have fewer children. Given our declining birthrate we should encourage the growth of families and ensure children are better educated and prepared for adulthood.

  • Pre-school tuition can be over $1,400 per month. Universal pre-K would free up $17,500 for a family with one child going to YMCA. And studies have shown that quality pre-K care and education dramatically improves a child’s student performance later on.

  • While U.S. parents typically get 12 weeks unpaid leave, other nations provide months or even over a year of paid leave. The first months are a vital time for child development. We should ensure parents have the time to bond with their new child.

  • Many young people graduate high school with no understanding of compound interest, investment income, mortgages and other skills to ensure they are able to make sound financial decisions when they start adulthood. They frequently fall into into debt as a result. Especially now that crypto currency and other changes to our economy emerge, it’s more important than ever that we teach young people how to manage money and make sound financial decisions.

  • Many young people don’t understand the true value of their role as American citizens in our society. They don’t understand the struggles, the risks others have faced to have the very rights they often fail to exercise, such as voting and free speech. Instead of trying to inspire patriotism by teaching selective history, we should inspire students to take part in our democracy, to feel connected to our government and to understand their stake in the decisions made by our leaders.

  • Many industries and professions are having trouble filling positions that require specific skills, such as electricians, plumbers, welders, HVAC techs, home health aides and other professions. Our economy depends on such skilled pros to function so we should ensure young people understand all the career options available to them.

  • Ensuring teachers are paid well, have the equipment and supplies they need and are trained in the use of equipment and techniques to help their students learn and stay engaged benefits us all. And we should ensure that rural and inner city schools have access to computers and Internet so their students don’t fall behind.

Protect Our Democracy. Defend our Constitution.

People disappeared off our streets by masked thugs in tactical gear. Families torn apart. Journalists and public figures intimidated, sued or prosecuted simply for investigating or criticizing Donald Trump. Barriers to legal voting raised higher and higher. Public servants fired or removed for simply reporting factual data that conflicts with Donald Trump’s falsehoods. Federal troops sent to American cities for no reason other than to intimidate the local population.

Our country is becoming a repressive autocracy, well on its way to a police state where anyone can be locked up with no due process. A partisan Supreme Court and sycophantic Republican Congress is actively enabling this. And our own Congressman, Brian Fitzpatrick, is too fearful of Trump to honor his oath of office to defend our Constitution.

Fitz won’t fight for our American democracy. I will. We must restore and strengthen the guard rails of our democracy and republic.

  • As in done in 43 states, including Pennsylvania, the Attorney General of the United States should be an independent elected office which operates as part of the Judicial Branch of the Federal Government. It’s vital that this position is not under the control of the Presidency or Congress, subject to political influence or pressure. This is the people’s national attorney, not the President’s, and should be accountable only to to us.

  • Donald Trump must be impeached. Not just to protect our Constitution and democracy right now and because he’s committed many offenses which include:

    • Inciting the J6 Riot

    • Pardoning those same rioters

    • Sending federal troops into American cities under false pretense

    • Undermining due process

    • Undermining our election process

    He must be impeached to make clear to our citizens and the entire world that we do not tolerate such actions. Every time a President commits an act for which he should be impeached, then we MUST impeach. If we don’t, we set a precedent for future Presidents to do the same or worse.

    As a country and a people, we are better than Donald Trump. We need to set the bar much higher for our Presidents by holding him and others in his administration accountable for their actions.

Government Reform

There is an unattributed quote from a Founder that states, “We’ve designed a government not to be run by angels, but one that will function even if run by devils.” Meaning that the separation of powers among the three branches, along with protections stated in the Bill of Rights, should ensure proper Constitutional government no matter who is elected.

Sadly, in spite of the best efforts of James Madison and others, those separations and protections are no longer enough to protect us from tyranny and corruption. We must restore and strengthen the guardrails of our democracy and make commonsense changes to halt unethical behavior.

  • In January 2025, Donald Trump pardoned the 1,500 J6 rioters he invited and provoked into attacking the capital. The ensuing violence stopped our democracy for hours. Pardoning these people who acted on his behalf was by far the most egregious abuse of the pardon power.

    But Joe Biden pardoning his son is an abuse as well. The power to pardon has become too political, too transactional, and is often used to shield government officials operating outside the law, free members of mega-donor families and to preclude investigations of of top people in government.

    It will take an amendment, but it has to end. If we must have pardons at the federal level, create an independent commission to review cases.

  • The attack on our capital on January 6, 2021 was a dagger strike at our democracy. A sitting United States President actively undermined our Constitution and elections by lying about fraud and election rigging for nearly a year. After losing the election, he schemed to corrupt the process himself in order to stay in power.

    But Donald Trump was not impeached because he had enough Republican sycophants and party hacks in Congress to protect him. The best chance to impeach AND convict him was a week after J6. Even then, Brian Fitzpatrick would NOT vote for impeachment, in spite of calling J6 “Nothing short of a coup attempt” that the President actively incited.

    Then 43 Republicans in the Senate chose party over country and voted him not guilty during the trial, blocking the required ⅔ majority to convict. Every time we fail to impeach a President when justifiably charged, we set a precedent for future presidents to do similar or worse.

    So I propose the following:

    Impeachment trials should not be held in the Senate. After the House approves articles of impeachment, the Senate vote whether to advance it with a 60 vote majority (or perhaps a simple majority), not the current 67 vote super majority. 

    If advanced, the governors of the fifty states convenes to decide whether to convict, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding. A simple majority vote would be required. That way the final decision would be from fellow chief executives, and allow all levels of our federal system to be heard from.

  • Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act (H.R. 1074): This already-proposed bill would create 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices and schedule one new appointed justice every 2 years, ending the random, political timing of vacancies. Because the bill uses existing years of service to determine rotation, these justices are already over 18 years:

    • Clarence Thomas (34 years)

    • John Roberts (20 years)

    • Samuel Alito (19 years)

  • Personally, if elected I plan to serve no more than three terms. I’ve no ambition for a career in Congress.

    But there are those who serve decades. There is wisdom to be gained from new perspectives and voices who are actually living and working in the community rather than career politicians who become too accustomed to the trappings of office.

    So I propose a limit of five terms for members of the House (ten years total) and two terms for the Senate (twelve years). This will help ensure a “citizen’s mindset” in our Congress rather than a politician’s outlook.

  • Neither the Congress or the Presidency should be paid during a government shut-down. And there should be an emergency fund to ensure highly essential government employees, such as air traffic controllers, continue to be paid.

  • Stock trading by members of Congress has become so blatantly corrupt that private investors pattern their investment portfolio to exactly match leading members of Congress, knowing they have access to insider information that allows them to get rich buying and selling stocks. Clearly a conflict of interest and must be stopped.

Stop Global Warming. Protect our Environment.

Every year we're seeing more frequent and powerful storms, along with extended droughts and fires related to global warming. Yet Donald Trump's policies embrace fossil fuels while cutting back on green energy initiatives. He also wants to cut down trees from millions of acres of public land, at a time when we should be planting more trees to reduce global warming.

And deregulation has allowed micro plastics and other harmful pollutants into our air, water and food supply. Relying on recycling has at best slightly slowed this threat. One approach would be to put the responsibility for reducing or eliminating micro plastics in our food chain on manufacturers of disposable plastics and packaging. Make them accountable for the harm caused by products they produce, as well as the companies that use plastics to package and sell their products. Hopefully, this would encourage them to use materials that are safer for our environment.

  • Impose carbon taxes on polluting companies while promoting and expanding green energy sources such as wind and solar. Expand use of hybrid and electric vehicles.

  • Reducing our carbon output will not be enough in the near term. There are plans to cool the Earth slightly by reflecting some of the Sun’s rays back into space while also “scrubbing” the atmosphere of excessive carbon.

  • Simply restoring our natural carbon removal engines such as forests, grassy plains and other plants goes a long way to reducing the carbon that warms our planet.

  • Tilling the soil to plant crops leads to soil erosion, lower yields and less profitable farms. It also prevents land that would absorb carbon from the atmosphere from helping us control global warming. Non-tilling techniques and equipment exist that solve many problems for farmers. We should support and encourage conversion by farmers to environmentally sound techniques.

Ensure Independent News and Social Media.

Independent, objective news media is vital to any democracy. Allowing corporate control of news organizations and social media (where many get their news) ensures a biased flow of reporting and information. Government can control corporate-owned media by threatening corporate mergers and deals. Billionaire owners can bias the media they control to ensure election outcomes they prefer. There needs to be a government-funded not-for-profit news media agency and social media outlet(s) that are free from corporate ownership, government influence and bias-inducing algorithms.

  • Privately owned media can no longer be trusted. Corporations that control major networks are all too willing to influence the reporting and content to gain favor with government agencies that could influence their bottom line. Additionally, the pursuit of high ratings among network and cable news ensures sensationalized reporting to increase advertising and profits.

    PBS, NPR and other media, independent of private or government influence, should be expanded to compete with biased news sources.

Common Sense Gun Policies

Time and again we’ve watched with horror as massacres happen in schools, college campuses and public gatherings. We have a mental health crisis in America, but we also have a gun culture that pushes for more dangerous weapons in the hands of civilians.
I’ve no wish to unnecessarily restrict anyone’s ownership of guns designed and used for normal civilian use, such as sports, hunting and security. But does it really make sense for civilians to have lethal military-style weapons designed to enable a single soldier to kill 6-8 others with standard weapons?

  • People with dangerous criminal records or mental health issues should not own guns. The risk to others is too great. And if someone who already owns or has access to guns exhibits concerning or erratic behavior, their guns should be temporarily confiscated, pending an evaluation of their fitness to own weapons.

  • The intent of the 2nd Amendment was to preserve the right of states and their citizens to continue operating state militias under the new federal government and Constitution. The states were rightly fearful that after freeing themselves of a tyrant king overseas, they may have to deal with a tyrant President on their own shores.

    For over two hundred years since, the 2nd Amendment was seen as a collective right of the states and their citizens. The states were free to define what weapons should be owned as part of their militias and which were considered normal civilian weapons, subject to state and local regulations.

    This principle was confirmed by multiple court decisions, including the 1939 United States vs Miller decision, which ruled the 2nd Amendment doesn't protect possession of weapons not connected to militia service or suitable for "common defense".

    That changed with the 2008 District of Columbia vs. Heller decision, which ruled the 2nd Amendment to be an individual right, thus curtailing a state’s right to protect its citizens against the use of military semi-automatic weapons. Ownership of these weapons has since exploded, as has the use of them in massacres.

    The meaning of the 2nd Amendment has been undermined over the past fifty years by organization like the NRA and activist judges. We need to follow the intent of James Madison and the founders, which means the federal government is not allowed to interfere in how states run their militias or regulate firearms.

    States – not the Federal government –decide which firearms are legal for private citizen ownership. This right resides in the 9th and 10th Amendments. And what is right for Idaho or Texas may not be right for Delaware or Illinois.