About me: (I hate to put this at the beginning, but my web guru said the about-me should go next to the photo which should be at top.)
I am a lifelong NoVA resident, a former US Government intelligence analyst, and a current IT worker who is running for the 8th in order to seek radical change in the way our government does business. My goals are to remove the racism, the indifference (and even malice) toward the poor and most vulnerable, the homophobia, and the general bigotry that are ingrained into our system of governance. To that end I will fight to end the war on drugs via legalization of all drugs, to cease participation in wars of aggression and choice abroad, to guarantee equal rights and due process for gays (in marriage and everything else), and to end the illegal warrantless wiretapping of US citizens. In short, I will fight for a smaller government that caters toward the people rather than a leviathan bureaucracy that caters toward the rich. I'm also fighting, of course, to eliminate all income taxes on those earning 100k/year or less. |
Platform
My platform in seeking to represent the 8th District in the US House of Representatives might be best described as a sort of libertarian populism. I advocate that, at the top level, businesses and the very rich should be without subsidy and allowed to fail quickly. Simultaneously, at the bottom level, there needs to be a broad safety net. This means universal health care and free higher education for all.
In short, I believe in the exact opposite of our current system in which corporate losses are subsidized, and corporate gains privatized,for the benefit of the wealthy and at the expense of the taxpayer. My platform is further characterized by fighting for an aggressive increase in public transportation efficiency and capacity (trains playing the largest role), the legalization of all drugs and by extension the end of the drug war, the elimination of income taxes on those making 100k/year or less, the total withdraw from our current wars of dubious benefit abroad, and unequivocal support for gay marriage.
In short, I believe in the exact opposite of our current system in which corporate losses are subsidized, and corporate gains privatized,for the benefit of the wealthy and at the expense of the taxpayer. My platform is further characterized by fighting for an aggressive increase in public transportation efficiency and capacity (trains playing the largest role), the legalization of all drugs and by extension the end of the drug war, the elimination of income taxes on those making 100k/year or less, the total withdraw from our current wars of dubious benefit abroad, and unequivocal support for gay marriage.
Trains
I avidly support, and will fight for, the expansion of trains across the US. Trains are:
1) A green alternative to cars.
2) A viable method of reducing congestion.
3) An incredible tool of social justice. Many low income workers cannot afford cars. Cheap and efficient forms of public transportation (trains, buses, and other) increase the number of places and jobs that low income people have access to. Of all methods of public transportation trains offer the most potential and are the most poorly utilized. This being the case, while I support all methods of public transportation, I will fight for the increased use of trains first and foremost.
1) A green alternative to cars.
2) A viable method of reducing congestion.
3) An incredible tool of social justice. Many low income workers cannot afford cars. Cheap and efficient forms of public transportation (trains, buses, and other) increase the number of places and jobs that low income people have access to. Of all methods of public transportation trains offer the most potential and are the most poorly utilized. This being the case, while I support all methods of public transportation, I will fight for the increased use of trains first and foremost.
Taxes
Our current taxation system, no matter what a wealthy complainer would have you believe, is regressive. Not only is labor taxed at a higher rate than capital gains, not only do payroll taxes top out at 106k meaning that millionaires pay a much smaller percentage of their income in payroll taxes than does the working class, but the tax code is riddled with complexities that the wealthy and their high priced tax attorneys are in the best position to exploit.
I propose a vastly simplified federal income tax void of loopholes. Income will be treated as income, no matter whether it is labor, capital gains, or other. The first 100k/year of income will not be taxed. From 100k to 500k income willl be taxed at 33%. Every dollar after 500k will be taxed at 50%.
Allowing the lowest earners to control more of their own income, granting the poor and middle class financial autonomy via elimination of their federal income taxes, would lessen the burden on social programs since many of those using social programs would have more of their own money and thus need less aid. Eliminating payroll and income taxes on the working class would be an immediate raise for those workers who most need it. Additionally, a working class with newly fattened pockets will act as a catalyst to stimulate the economy.
I propose a vastly simplified federal income tax void of loopholes. Income will be treated as income, no matter whether it is labor, capital gains, or other. The first 100k/year of income will not be taxed. From 100k to 500k income willl be taxed at 33%. Every dollar after 500k will be taxed at 50%.
Allowing the lowest earners to control more of their own income, granting the poor and middle class financial autonomy via elimination of their federal income taxes, would lessen the burden on social programs since many of those using social programs would have more of their own money and thus need less aid. Eliminating payroll and income taxes on the working class would be an immediate raise for those workers who most need it. Additionally, a working class with newly fattened pockets will act as a catalyst to stimulate the economy.
Who I Will Represent
I do not plan on representing solely those citizens in the 8th who vote for me. I plan on representing everyone who lives in the 8th, even those who cannot vote. I will fight for more humane laws and living conditions for undocumented workers. I will fight for better treatment for the mentally ill. I will fight to restore voting rights for felons who have served their sentences and reformed themselves.
In short I plan on serving the “people” of the 8th in the broadest possible understanding of the word. The undocumented, disenfranchised felons, children; every citizen needs, and deserves, representation.
In short I plan on serving the “people” of the 8th in the broadest possible understanding of the word. The undocumented, disenfranchised felons, children; every citizen needs, and deserves, representation.
Science and Technology
There’s a strong role for the federal government to support the sort of basic R&D and scientific applications that are not immediately profitable and that private companies later turn into consumer technologies. If there had been no publicly funded Saturn V rocket in 1966 (one of the greatest human achievements) then there would be no privately funded Spacex Dragon spacecraft today.
Current policies cut funding to basic R&D. This is short sighted, the losses impossible to calculate. I will fight to restore funding, via cuts from war expenditures, from the federal government to research scientists.
Current policies cut funding to basic R&D. This is short sighted, the losses impossible to calculate. I will fight to restore funding, via cuts from war expenditures, from the federal government to research scientists.
Legalization and “The War on Drugs”
Let’s be clear since this is the section my opponents will most likely use first in their attempts to ridicule my positions.
1) I support the legalization of all drugs.
2) Any non-violent drug offender who is currently incarcerated is the political prisoner of an unjust regime that is bought and paid for by the dollars of the Prison Industrial Complex and the votes of the fearful and ignorant. I will fight not only for the release of all non-violent drug offenders, but also for financial reparations for the years of life that the government has stolen from those non-violent and wrongfully imprisoned drug offenders.
3) Drug addiction is a medical condition and should be treated as such. Incarcerating someone for having a medical condition is abhorrent, patently immoral, and a poor use of public funds. The addicted deserve and need medical help, not incarceration.
4) It’s basic economics. It is cheaper to provide medical treatment in the form of drug counselling than to harbor an inmate in prison. Ending the drug war will free up the required money to treat drug addicts.
1) I support the legalization of all drugs.
2) Any non-violent drug offender who is currently incarcerated is the political prisoner of an unjust regime that is bought and paid for by the dollars of the Prison Industrial Complex and the votes of the fearful and ignorant. I will fight not only for the release of all non-violent drug offenders, but also for financial reparations for the years of life that the government has stolen from those non-violent and wrongfully imprisoned drug offenders.
3) Drug addiction is a medical condition and should be treated as such. Incarcerating someone for having a medical condition is abhorrent, patently immoral, and a poor use of public funds. The addicted deserve and need medical help, not incarceration.
4) It’s basic economics. It is cheaper to provide medical treatment in the form of drug counselling than to harbor an inmate in prison. Ending the drug war will free up the required money to treat drug addicts.
Privacy and the NSA
When can the NSA listen to your phone calls or read your email? When can the NSA not? As a society we seem to have meekly acquiesced to the idea that the NSA can eavesdrop on us without limit; indeed, we seem to have accepted that any effort to even understand the scope of the NSA’s authority, let alone their actual activity, is an affront to “National Security”. It’s a bizarro world logic that can be paraphrased as “If we have even a basic understanding of how our government works then the terrorists will similarly understand and the terrorists will use that understanding to kill us!”
I reject this bizarre logic just as I reject the current status quo.
Instead, I advocate for clear laws stating explicitly what the NSA can and cannot do and for accountability when the NSA breaks those laws.
I reject this bizarre logic just as I reject the current status quo.
Instead, I advocate for clear laws stating explicitly what the NSA can and cannot do and for accountability when the NSA breaks those laws.
Money in Politics
There’s too much of it. For the bulk of Congress, serving the American public seems to be a distant priority only to be vaguely dreamt of after addressing more primary concerns of reelection and fundraising.
I will be clear about who I work for. I will work for you, the American public. I will refuse all cash donations. I will not accept one cent from any PAC, business interest, corporation, etc. Should I win I will take a salary of 39,000$, the median income for a full time working American. If I want a raise then it will be in my vested interest to implement policy that raises the median income of all Americans. Only then, after the rest of America has received a raise, will I take a raise. (Why should our country's servants make more than our citizens?) In the meantime the balance of my salary will be donated to charities in my district that focus on the most marginalized of my constituents. These charities will include, but are not limited to, the Arlington Coalition for the Homeless and Bethany House (committed to helping women and children who are escaping domestic violence).
I will also post all receipts online, in an orderly and easily searchable manner, for every single expense incurred by my office.
I will be clear about who I work for. I will work for you, the American public. I will refuse all cash donations. I will not accept one cent from any PAC, business interest, corporation, etc. Should I win I will take a salary of 39,000$, the median income for a full time working American. If I want a raise then it will be in my vested interest to implement policy that raises the median income of all Americans. Only then, after the rest of America has received a raise, will I take a raise. (Why should our country's servants make more than our citizens?) In the meantime the balance of my salary will be donated to charities in my district that focus on the most marginalized of my constituents. These charities will include, but are not limited to, the Arlington Coalition for the Homeless and Bethany House (committed to helping women and children who are escaping domestic violence).
I will also post all receipts online, in an orderly and easily searchable manner, for every single expense incurred by my office.
Radical Transparency:
I object strongly to the policy of elected officials holding secret meetings with Big Oil, Big Pharma, Defense Contractors, and others who seek to exploit government to their advantage. As Congressman I will webcast every meeting that I hold with any paid person seeking to “educate” me on behalf of their cause. Afterward the webcast meetings will be archived and made available online for download and streaming.
You are the public. You deserve to know what your elected officials are really doing.
You are the public. You deserve to know what your elected officials are really doing.
Gay Marriage, and Gay Everything
Homosexuals are every bit as human as everyone else, and as such are just as entitled to equality as everyone else in this country. It should go without saying that they have equal marriage rights, equal tax status, and equal everything.
Any opinion to the contrary, without exception, is premised on unsound logic or bigotry.
It should be an embarrassment to every thinking American that this is still an issue in 2014.
Any opinion to the contrary, without exception, is premised on unsound logic or bigotry.
It should be an embarrassment to every thinking American that this is still an issue in 2014.
War
I will never vote to deploy troops abroad unless there is an imminent threat to America. I will never vote to involve American troops in the conflicts of other nations that do not present an imminent threat to America. I will heed George Washington’s warning to avoid entanglements in foreign affairs.
On Obamacare and Health Care in America
I believe in a basic safety net for everyone in America. This includes health care. Everyone in our country should have access to Medicare should that be their choice. Private plans can and should co-exist, but Medicare should be expanded and made available to everyone regardless of age.
Immigration
Ronald Reagan instituted the Immigration, Reform, and Control Act (IRCA) in 1986 which granted amnesty to almost 3 million undocumented workers. I will fight to take President Reagan’s idea and expand it, granting amnesty to all undocumented workers who lack a serious criminal record and seek US citizenship.
I will also fight to drastically expand the number of immigrants allowed into our country. The borders need to be opened to all peaceful people who seek to enter and trade.
I will also fight to drastically expand the number of immigrants allowed into our country. The borders need to be opened to all peaceful people who seek to enter and trade.