Justin is running for Senate so working class and poor Vermonters can vote their values. The poor need the resources and time to fully engage in civic life, both on Election Day and in the workplace.
Our Federal government should provide this!
Giving Vermonters the Resources to Engage in Civic Life
- A Living Wage for All: The government should provide a Living Wage for all workers- not a minimum wage. Pass a Living Wage for all workers!
- A Universal Basic Income for All: The government should provide a monthly check to all citizens as an allowance to engage in our democracy – Pass a Universal Basic Income for all!
- A Medicare-for-All System: The government should take healthcare out of the hands of private insurers, and those dependent on workplace health plans. Pass a Medicare-for-All healthcare system!
- Decrease Working Hours: The government should lower the hours worked as part of the “work week”- we cannot be an informed citizenry if our bosses demand all our time!
- Support Children and Families: We must support families and children. Expand the child tax credit, provide free, government sponsored childcare services, and provide federal support to our teachers.
- Make Election Days Federal Holidays: The government should encourage democratic participation by making all election days federal holidays.
Take from those with Resources to Provide for our Poorest
- Take Hoarded Wealth from the Rich: We must pay for these programs through aggressive taxation both on income and on consolidated wealth. The federal government must use their resources to find and appropriately tax the hoarded wealth of the millionaires and billionaires.
- Cut bloated Military Spending: Over half of the federal budget goes to national security. It must be cut drastically so we can spend it on social programs.
Democracy in both our Political and Economic Lives
- Workplace Democracy: The government must demand that all businesses adopt Workplace Democracy- workplaces run by and for the workers. Workers should have democratic meetings- paid for by the bosses – to discuss workplace practices, worker and management pay, compensation, benefits. Layoffs are to be decided democratically, not at the whims of tyrannical bosses. And all accounting – including pay – must be transparent to everyone in the workplace.
- Worker’s Right of First Refusal: Before selling or dissolving a business the workers should get the option to buy all workplaces and run them themselves.
- End Big Money in Politics: The federal government must pass a constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited big money in politics. It must ban private money influencing elections, and instead replace it with a limited pool of public money for all candidates.