Voice of the Working People
The economy is broken. The wealth gap has never been more out of control, the poor are getting poorer while the mega wealthy are greedily hoarding more wealth than can be spent in a thousand lifetimes. The middle class has shrunk from 70% of the population down to 30% of the population in just the last twenty years. It's time for a new approach.
Trickle-down economics has been promised since the 1980s. For the amount of time we've waited for a trickle, it's time for a flood. It's time for trickle-up, because if you give money to working families they'll spend it, pumping it into their local economies. If you give money to the mega wealthy they won't even notice it.
Fair wages, worker protections, strong unions, easier collective bargaining, a stop to union busting, an end to price gouging, accountability for predatory lenders and corporate owners.
Protecting Rights
The rights of individuals nationwide are under attack at a scale not seen in this country in generations. The overturning of Roe v. Wade marked the first time precedent had been ignored to rescind the unquestionable right for women to have control over their own bodies, the right to make their own healthcare decisions.
The LGBTQ+ community are under attack as we're seeing with laws passed nationwide, overreaching executive orders, campaign promises of the far-right.
Undocumented immigrants are being apprehended in schools, churches, outside court houses by unidentifying federal agents. Even citizens, permanent residents and visa-holders are being apprehended, detained and sent to foreign prisons in violation of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Make no mistake - we are living through a fascist regime. As a Colorado State Representative, with my legal education, I will pass statewide legislation to protect all Coloradans from any unconstitutional, discriminatory insanity this administration throws our way.
Housing
Colorado has a housing affordability crisis. The market is simply out of reach for anybody who neither inherited nor purchased thirty years ago. Young families cannot afford homes, and homelessness cannot be ignored. There is a need in Colorado for low-income affordable housing, a reduction in properties that sit vacant, and rent control.
Healthcare
It is time for Medicare for All in Colorado. Healthcare is a human right. Improving and securing the health and wellbeing of its citizens is the bare minimum a state should be expected to do. Coloradans deserve the choice between a public option and continuing to funnel profits into private insurance companies that are beholden to shareholders through expensive premiums while they deny as many claims as is within their power.
Healthcare includes mental healthcare. An estimated 59% of Coloradans suffer from a mental health issue, yet mental healthcare remains a luxury. This is not okay. Access to affordable mental healthcare, including an annual mental health checkup, will be a top priority once I'm elected to the Colorado House.
Criminal Justice Reform
Through the legal profession I've witnessed firsthand how poverty is criminalized and over prosecuted, creating a cycle that's difficult to escape. Justice should focus on rehabilitation and addressing the root cause of crime. Coloradans should be helped, not hurt or hindered, in their journey to recovery. No prison should be for-profit in the state of Colorado, as there should be no incentive to depriving our citizens of their freedom.
Environment
The climate crisis is real, humans are causing it. We have just entered the sixth greatest mass extinction event this world has ever seen, humans are causing it.
It is our duty, as Coloradans, to be on the right side of this issue, to fight for a clean state, a healthy environment, thriving animal populations. To prevent the destruction of lands within our borders, to prevent the extinction of plant and animal species within our borders. To minimize the pain and suffering we inflict on animals for human enjoyment. As State Representative I will be on the forefront of this issue to maintain our beautiful Colorado for generations to come.