Issues

My commitment is to protect the rights of all people to peacefully live as they see fit.

• Healthcare: Rightfully, many Americans are concerned about healthcare. Unfortunately, healthcare has become a complicated mess for many, with insurance denying care and constantly changing laws from Federal and State governments. We need to work together to bring stability to individual care and make sure that Americans are not financially devastated when receiving necessary treatment.

• Military: Recruiting in the military is low and rates are declining year over year. The servicemember is the most important and crucial part or our military. People who have never served are redefining what it means to be a service member. There is less incentive to join, with many seeing better opportunities in the civilian sector. We need to demonstrate as a nation that we will take care of those who serve. We need to make sure that servicemembers have the best opportunity to develop personally and take care of themselves and their families. This means increasing basic pay and keeping allowance and housing in line with inflation and the increased cost of housing.

• Immigration: A person is not illegal. Undocumented immigrants who are peacefully living within our borders should have a legitimate and easy path to becoming citizens. Those coming to America to try and build a better life for their families should be given a path to stay here and offer their talents to better our nation. We should not be walling off our country and instead engage diplomatically with other countries to make the world a better place for everybody.

• Mental Health: We need to stop with the stigma attached to mental illness and other mental health issues. Most people with mental illness are able to work and be productive in many ways and with proper medical treatment, can live fulfilling lives. Many who seek out treatment are demonized after receiving a diagnosis and lose career opportunities or have other restrictions placed on them. This leads people to neglect and try to ignore their mental health struggles, which can lead to other problems. We need to promote mental healthcare and not restrict the opportunities and rights of those who do seek out treatment to better their lives.

• Veterans: Veterans' benefits are attacked relentlessly by people all over the political spectrum. You can find reports from the Congressional Budget Office and threats from the newly created Department of Government Efficiency that suggest limiting veterans' benefits because they cost too much. If we cannot afford to take care of American troops after they serve, we cannot afford to go to war. Military retirement and veterans' benefits are earned and we cannot take these away from those who sacrificed so much for this country.

• LGBTQ+ Rights: The LGBTQ+ community has been a topic of concern for a long time. At one time in our country, people could not live authentically and had to follow a normative standard set by a restrictive society. Those who did live authentically faced many struggles, but persevered and fought for the rights we have today. Unfortunately, those rights are being attacked. Conservative legislatures in some states are going after people's right to marry and are working to overturn the Supreme Court Decision that proved this was a constitutional right. Restrictions for transgender people have been the subject of many laws over almost a decade. We need to fight all of these attacks and work to develop solid protections for the right to marry and the right to identify as your authentic self.

• Abortion: Abortion is a sensitive subject and rightfully so. The decision to have an abortion is never easy and should be a private matter for the person and not subject to government interference. Being pro-choice does not make a person anti-life.

• Gun Control: If our goal is to reduce firearm related deaths, we need to look beyond gun control laws. We need to look at solutions that reduce violence overall. Some of these solutions are improving the salaries of Americans and increased access to healthcare. With failures of law enforcement and an overall fear of mob violence, many have looked for ways that they may defend themselves and their family. We should not restrict people's ways of defending themselves at times like this.