Candidate for Minnesota House of Representatives - District 12B in 2022 Minnesota General Election.
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Get StartedWith this increased and more regulated requirement, I believe they should also be paid more, including more incentive for reporting misbehavior internally. Qualified immunity isn’t right; police are to uphold and enforce the law, not abuse it. Learn more
"Defunding" the police isn’t a realistic solution, but "blue lives matter" as a response to racial injustice doesn’t serve a benefit either. In this instance, two polarizing narratives arose without any willingness to discuss the ample gray middle. Learn more
I believe we all too often empower police to use excessive force, and treat any violation as something more criminal in nature than it is. Police are not the judge, jury, and executioner. Everyone has a right to due process, and there’s no denying the disparity in treatment between white people and people of color. Nobody chooses their ethnicity, but they do choose their profession. Learn more
I believe we should stress the responsibility working in law enforcement carries, and adjust accordingly. More education should be required to become a law enforcement officer than it does currently, with a national minimum level, and regular training on mental health and de-escalation. I also support body cameras and the right of the general public to film encounters. Learn more
I believe that the state of Minnesota should legalize cannabis and use the tax revenue generated to fund treatment programs for all addictions. Part of that funding should be used on education programs to reform how we view and treat substance abusers vs. drug dealers. One is a criminal, the other is not. Learn more
We MUST prioritize protecting small family-owned farms. They are important to our community. If corporate farms continue to gobble up the small family farms, it won’t be long before a small handful of corporations control our entire food supply. Need I say more? Learn more
For far too many years, public education has been under-funded and stretched to the limit, resulting in a loss of job skills, employment opportunities, and critical reasoning skills. It’s time to prioritize funding our schools to give our children the best possible educational opportunities. Their futures depend on it. Learn more
I believe we should incentivize recycling by passing bottle bill legislation in Minnesota. To date, only ten states have passed such a bill, and large corporate interests often lobby against them due to an increased cost of production. But the list of things that can be made from recycled material continues to grow every year, providing new opportunities for such programs, as well as creating jobs. We should strive to reduce single use plastics in general, as well as implement the use of biodegradable hemp- based plastics. Learn more
Preserve and expand the right to vote, and democracy. Learn more
Voting is our most fundamental right as Americans. We must protect and defend that right from these obvious efforts to suppress voting. Learn more
Raising the minimum age for purchase/ownership of assault-style rifles to twenty-one, with a mandatory waiting period for acquisition. Learn more
Requiring background checks for all gun purchases that includes searches for violent crimeconvictions & domestic violence convictions, as well as mental health patients who have demonstrated documented violent tendencies, and mental health issues that required prolonged hospitalization for safety reasons (to themselves and/or others). Learn more
Emotions run high on the subject of guns, but I find that the majority of responsible gun owners agree that common sense gun laws protect the general public as well as protecting gun owners. When asked point blank, most agree that an AR-15 doesn’t belong in the hands of a paranoid schizophrenic. They also agree that steps should be taken to keep all guns out of the hands of unsupervised children. Learn more
It’s a little known fact that our tax dollars often subsidized the development of the medications that we then pay inflated prices for, thanks to big pharma spending millions to influence our representatives to first get the subsidies and then to block price regulation. This needs to change. Learn more
Why do we have deductibles and copayments when we already pay premiums every month? That is paying twice—largely to sustain an insurance middle-man industry which can deny coverage or payment, even when it is deemed necessary by medical professionals. Doctors shouldn’t have to fight insurers to get their patients the care they require, and no one should have to risk bankruptcy to take care of their health. Learn more
We need to apply common sense to this issue to assure that those who need help, receive help, whether it’s help overcoming addiction, or help managing chronic pain to assure a decent quality of life. Learn more
I also believe the retirement age for Social Security is too high and should not be raised further. Many plan their lives in accordance with when they can retire and qualify. They shouldn’t be forced to continue working into their seventies just so we can kick the can down the road, especially when so many are struggling with health issues in their sixties, after working hard for so many years already. We weren’t born to work, pay bills, and die. Everyone deserves to retire while they still have the health to enjoy it. Learn more
I believe we need to remove or raise the income cap for contributing to social security. The current limit is $110,000. Doing so would resolve current and future social security short-falls. It is important that we protect this popular program for current and future recipients. Learn more
Closing tax loopholes, reforming tax law, and making the richest Americans pay their fair share. Learn more
A living wage is a wage that ensures all of a person’s basic needs are met while allowing enough of a buffer to be able to put something away in savings. Many larger corporations rely on public assistance to subsidize their employees so that they don’t have to pay a living wage, offer full-time employment, or benefits such as health insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacation, or paid family leave. This needs to change. Learn more
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