On The Issues

I believe in putting people, planet, and peace over profit. I always strive to hear as many different voices as I can about a topic, to learn most from those people who are directly affected, and to carefully consider who is helped and who is harmed by any action, legislation, or system. If you have insight into a particular issue that you’d like to share with me, please do.

Here is more information about some of the causes I fight for:

Immigration I believe that no human being is illegal and that families belong together. I work frequently with immigrants and their families, and I hear their stories and know what they’re going through. I am an immigrant myself. I’m always astonished and horrified by the anti-immigrant sentiment that is spewed from the current administration and from people around the country who do not understand the plight of migrants and who are afraid of those who are different. When we truly believe in equality and freedom for all, we see that we share a humanness with each other, and that we must share this world and its resources equitably as well. Man-made borders are insane, and I call to remove them and return to a more natural world.

Racial Justice There is no racial justice in this country and there never has been. From the genocide of the First Nations to the enslavement of Africans to the internment of Japanese, the Chinese head tax, and on and on … to the current school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, police violence against people of color, discrepancies by race in terms of services we should be applying equitably, and many more systemic forms of oppression. Reparations are owed, because multi-generational damage has been done, and is still being done, and our country is directly responsible for that.

Education We must never use education primarily as a means to obtain employment, but as a means to grow as human beings, to be members of civil society, to learn how to think, and to understand the world around us.  I would call to separate education funding from property taxes, as this formula leads to students in wealthier communities having access to better education than students in poorer communities. Equitable federal funding and standards that go beyond the textbooks must be put into place, and the education system should be led by the most important leaders in our society: the teachers themselves.

Healthcare Private corporations should have no business profiting off of people’s health. Nor should they have the power to decide whether a person should live or die based on cost-effectiveness and profit. Universal public healthcare does not mean putting governments in charge of healthcare. It means putting the doctors and other medical care providers in charge, and treating all people, regardless of income level, with the same dignity and goals. This must include preventative care (far cheaper than trying to cure conditions later), mental healthcare, dental, vision, and prescription medication.

Military The United States has the largest military in the world and it is mostly used to invade, destabilize, and influence other countries. The military is one of the world’s largest contributors to climate change but instead of working to fix that, they are working to prepare their bases to handle the environmental changes and the subsequent civil wars and migration that will result. It is vital that we stop trying to dominate and control the world to suit the demands of corporations and the wealthy and powerful. I call to start closing down bases, start bringing troops home, take better care of our veterans, and work together with other countries to collaborate instead of compete, to have dialogs instead of threats and espionage, to build a better world for all people.

Grassroots Democracy Our local communities can be self-sustaining and can serve to keep their elected officials accountable. I call to return the power to the people, to encourage local, independent businesses, to allow communities and neighborhoods to decide their own value and future.

LGBTQ I don’t have to be a member of the LGBTQ community to care about their struggles. But I am, and so I have a deeper understanding of the hate and prejudice that exists out there, and that is used to fear-monger and divide by those on the extreme right of the political spectrum, and that is used for photo ops and campaign slogans by those in the center. Both of the main political parties have been harmful to the LGBTQ community, as well as other oppressed communities. Neither has ever given us access to our rights; we have had to fight hard for them and we continue to have a need to fight.

Poverty and Homelessness Poverty is extreme in this country, and we have the ability and wealth right now to end it. However, those in power have continuously been spinning it as a moral weakness to be poor, so that they can deflect the burden and place responsibility on the poor people themselves, despite the fact that it is the entire system that is to blame and that very few people will ever be able to succeed economically in this system without help, no matter how hard they work or how many jobs they have. A Universal Basic Income is the natural solution, supported by liberals, conservatives, and progressives alike, to ensure that all people can live with dignity, with a roof over their heads and good, healthy food in their stomachs.