The way we have tracked economic progress in our country shows a disconnect between “good numbers” and the quality of life for everyday Americans. While we face the difficulties caused by poor regulation, the idea of a free market has also justified a great deal of exploitation and suffering. There are monopolistic forces that need to be broken up, and we need market regulations that empower those who wish to bring their American spirit to the market place. We also need to build a sustainable economic infrastructure. If the private sector fails to produce enough to meet the needs of the people, then the government can and should step in and fill the gap and to set the standard for others doing business.
AI and automation have disrupted employment in America. Transitioning away from fossil fuels will cause even more disruption. It is important that those caught up in these transitions are supported as they find a new way to contribute to society.
Building a strong and sustainable economy requires we address other issues such as healthcare, housing, and education.
- Pro Act
- End Trade Wars
- UBI funded by 1% flat tax.
- Sustainability Projects
- Market Accessibility Bill (to be written)
- Remove barriers to education/retraining
The one thing we can all agree on is that the cost of healthcare in our country is outrageous, not to mention we have such poor outcomes compared to other developed countries. Providing universal healthcare is not only morally imperative, but will also reduce overall healthcare costs by eliminating administrative expenses.
The government should have a right to negotiate drug prices on behalf of the people, and to crack down on price gouging from hospitals. Where the private sector fails in our healthcare industry, the government should step up to provide infrastructure and services.
Reducing the cost of education will cascade into lowering the cost of healthcare professionals, reducing the overall costs of healthcare.
- Medicare for all.
- Price negotiations on all drugs.
- Regulations to address perverse incentives (volume vs outcome driven).
- Policies promoting a healthy food supply.
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Rural hospital pilot programs.
- Reduce costs for education and training for medical professionals.
Owning a home to raise a family has become a pipe-dream in America, and especially in Utah. Renters have become priced out as would-be owners become renters. We have families out on the street as private equity buys up housing stock, intentionally holding units vacant to maximize revenue. Construction incentives skew towards the wealthy, and American trade policy is less conducive to construction in general.
Homelessness is hard. It’s hard on the person. It’s hard on society. Ensuring everyone has access to a place they can call home should be a goal for our county, and for Utah.
- Ban private equity from the housing market.
- Create a fund to invest in affordable housing projects.
- Work out trade deals to support housing construction.
- Housing first policies.
Bettering one’s self should not cost as much as it does. If we would teach a man to fish, then it only makes sense to make his education accessible. We also find ourselves in a rapidly changing world with an increasing need for retraining.
Having an educated population is not just good for the individual receiving an education. We all want to live in a world full of capable people who can contribute their talents to society. Democratizing higher education and eliminating the cost for students would increase professionals in key industries. Doctors and lawyers, for example, could accept lower pay if they didn’t have higher education expenses to account for, bringing down the cost of healthcare and legal engagement.
Our technological advancements have created both opportunities and challenges to educating our children. We should leverage technology where it can be helpful, and properly fund public education to create a holistic educational experience. Universal school breakfast and lunch would help ensure students have a better chance for success.
- Discharge all remaining Federal Student Loans
- Support Public Education
- Free school breakfast & lunches k-12
- U.S. Institute of Higher Learning (USIHL)
- Online accreditation
- Free for students
- Bachelor’s programs
- Refit Universities
- Expand USIHL for medical and law fields
Having reliable access to healthy and nutritious foods greatly increases health outcomes in communities. We are facing challenges in both affordability and in the healthiness of the food we produce for ourselves. Decades ago, we traded off healthiness for affordability of our foods. Later corporate giants squeezed food producers and exploited consumers to sacrifice affordability for profits.
- Universal SNAP
- Break up big agriculture.
- Ban forever chemicals
- Innovate food production to restore health and nutrition
We cannot choose what family we are born into. Nor should that be a limiting factor for a person to grow and become a capable and functional citizen of our country. Investing in our children’s upbringing is some of the most meaningful investments we make to our future as Utah and as a country.
- Free daycare
- Pay caretakers
Our youth are increasingly having mental health crises. Social media, and unregulated algorithms are contributing to increased fear and anxiety, and have subverted the value of face to face interactions.
- Smartphone and social media regulations for minors.
Our world is changing at an accelerating rate as we continue to make groundbreaking technological and scientific advancements. The impacts of advancements in medicine, energy, construction, automation, transportation and AI have been both a boon and a burden for Americans.
We must take a serious look at how we are using our technological capabilities, and how they affect our people, our families, and our communities. Our lawmakers are responsible for providing laws that protect people from fraud, theft, and abuse that new technologies enable. Congress can do more by also providing legislation that guides technological development into enhancing the lives of Americans.
Congress must be up to the task to understand new technologies enough to be able to consider the economic, environmental, societal, mental and physical impacts they have in our country, and around the world.
- Regulate data center construction and operation.
- Data privacy
- Public tech infrastructure
- Personal data exchange
- Social media and commerce algorithm regulations.
The United States has prioritized profits from fossil fuel extraction over our own ecological security. Climate change is real, and we have failed in many ways to act responsibly about it. We must build a sustainable, carbon neutral infrastructure for our food production, construction, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and computing needs. This will likely require carbon capture projects. Now is the time for us to gather our imagination and our American Spirit because building this infrastructure provides substantial economic opportunities.
Environmental protection is crucial as whole ecosystems face collapse. It is also true that environmental regulations have been too burdensome in many cases. If we are to be serious about protecting our environment, we must reform our regulations, and provide a regulatory infrastructure that streamlines compliance.
- Carbon tax
- Decarbonizing projects
- Grid energy storage infrastructure
- Finance sustainable innovations
- Streamline environmental compliance
ICE has trampled on our 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 8th amendment rights. This agency has been created and used instead of addressing the hard questions of immigration reform. We must dissolve ICE, and assign essential functions to existing agencies. We must also put forth a comprehensive and adequately funded immigration policy to maintain order at the border, and to ensure that those who come here are treated fairly under the law.
Our democracy is under threat, and is going to hold up for only so long unless we reinforce it with civic participation, innovation, and infrastructure. Our constitution starts with “We the people” because this is our country, and our government. It is time we the people form a government that is responsive to our will. It starts with voting rights, and election rights. Financial hardship should not prevent a citizen from public service, nor from having a fair say in our government.
We must also root out the political corruption in our systems. Politicians have come to rely on large dollar donors to fund their campaigns. This causes an unspoken obligation to be responsive to the needs of these donors, rather than the needs of the people in their districts.
- Dissolve ICE
- Fund immigration processing
- End Citizens United with a constitutional amendment.
- Impeach corrupt federal judges
- Election day as a national holiday
- Publicly funded elections
Our country has seen an influx of immigration over the years. Much of this can be tracked to the hardships that our foreign policies have placed on citizens of other countries. Whether it be crippling sanctions or regime changes, we have created instability for others who then come here for refuge. We can address immigration in large part by changing our foreign policies to be less oppressive or disruptive to other countries.
Many of our foreign policies have promoted egregious human rights violations. We have also cut funding for vital assistance to those who will die without it. If we want a more peaceful world, then we must wage peace more aggressively than we wage war. We also have a global climate crisis to address, and we are more likely to resolve it through global cooperation rather than with global conflict.
- Enforce the Leahy Law
- Sanction West Bank Settlers
- Return President Maduro
- Lift unfair and oppressive sanctions.
- End Drug War
The Trump Administration has been a disaster for our country both domestically, and on the world stage. We have threatened enemies and allies alike, and are pushing other nations to move away from the US dollar with all of our economic instability.
This administration has trampled on Americans constitutional rights, and seeks to undermine our democratic institutions. They not only dodge accountability themselves, but they also seek to provide cover for federal agents who need to be held to account.
The solution is straightforward. We must impeach, convict, and remove this administration. This includes the President, Vice President, and most of the cabinet. We must dissolve ICE and hold them accountable for criminal actions.
We must then work to repair what damages we can to our government, and restore funding to institutions such as USAID.
There are quite a few outstanding demands held by the American people that have not been adequately addressed by Congress. The rise of MAGA is in large part because of this neglect. There are plenty of proposed legislation, such as Medicare for All, banning private equity from the housing market, and breaking up corporate power over our food supply. These policies would provide enormous relief for Americans, and help set us on a productive path forward.
We are not going to fix all of our problems overnight. Policies like Medicare for All may help reduce the cost of our healthcare system, but it would still be too costly. This is where we work towards longer term solutions to bring down costs.
Providing free higher education will help retrain and reskill our citizens will allow them to join in this ever changing economy.
Many solutions will require infrastructure build outs. This is where we lay the foundations for a healthy, educated and thriving population to move sustainably through the 21st Century.