Chris On The Issues
Our Environment and Planet
Our environment and planet must be protected above everything. We are only here because of them. Everything we emit into the atmosphere interacts with the existing balance and has a cost. We have put trillions of tons of CO2e into the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution. It is changing our climate, and we must reckon with it. And we must better regulate the chemicals we otherwise pour, spray, or dispose of into the environment, much of which we release without properly understanding the impact. Greater producer and seller responsibility is necessary to mitigate how our economic activity impacts the environment.
Immigration
We are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Native Americans were the first here, and we must never forget how the land was taken from them. Our country is strong because of the talents and perseverance immigrants have brought and continue to bring. Our immigration policies should not be based on paranoia and scapegoating immigrants for problems in our country. Those coming to America seeking work, when there is clearly work to do, should be welcomed. And anyone seeking to work or visit should be welcomed for reasonable durations unless they have been convicted of crimes.
Our Economy
Fair and level marketplaces, economic certainty from a stable government, and companies and organizations competing to be more efficient are the backbone of why America has succeeded economically and drives innovation. Tariffs, protectionism, and antagonistic relationships with other countries jeopardize this. Wealth inequality that creates stark differences between the “haves” and “have-nots” threatens stability and a sense of fairness. Capital formation and direction are very important, but that capital should not be so concentrated that a very few control the economic fortunes of the many. We must fight the selfish and unprincipled who take advantage of our free markets.
Public Financial Management
The US must balance its budget. It should not run budget deficits unless the economy is in a recession. It must have a debt reduction program to reduce the burden on future generations. Government Inspector Generals should be re-empowered to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, and newly empowered to cut spending that no longer serves the public interest.
Our Democracy
We need greater trust and accountability in our public institutions. Our democracy may be old, but it is weak, and Americans have gotten so used to our underperforming democracy that they have stopped clamoring for change and reform, and show an enormous degree of apathy. The problems start with our election process and the current system that our two major parties have built. Elected officials must raise huge sums of money to be elected in our current system, and then they are beholden to the groups and people who gave them money. So our entire government agenda revolves around those with money—or special interests—and results in elites capturing government and running it to serve themselves. If we are to stop this elite capture, we need reforms like term limits and restrictions on campaign spending. These reforms will come when people turn from apathy and vote for people outside our two major parties.
Taxation
Taxes should not be excessive and should incentivize savings and good behavior. The tax code should be as clear and understandable as possible and should always be progressive. Payroll tax should include all levels of income. Capital gains tax should be more than income tax rate, and markedly higher for short-term capital gains. We need a suitable tax base, but it must be collected in as fair and transparent a manner as possible, and government spending must always be done frugally so the public feels tax dollars are not being wasted.
Healthcare
Affordable healthcare is a right. The US may have the best doctors and hospitals in the world, but when they can only be accessed by the few, we have a poor healthcare system. Because healthcare is a right, and there are minimum levels of care that go along with that right, cost management is critical. A single payer system may be most fair, but it must allow patient choice of doctors and treatments, and the continuation of innovation and motive for strong professionals to enter the healthcare profession. Health insurance companies, pharmaceutical and therapeutic companies, diagnostic and device companies, and other health services companies must all be subject to greater cost controls. The healthcare marketplace is different because it does serve basic rights, and it must be regulated as such.
Housing
Shelter is a right, and housing should be affordable for any working family. Home ownership is critical to the building of financial security, savings, and good credit. Young people must feel like home ownership and financial independence are in their future. For-profit companies and investment groups should not be allowed to buy large numbers of single-family homes and squeeze the housing market further. And tariffs must be stopped that raise the cost of inputs for building homes.
Social Safety Net
Advanced countries have strong social safety nets that ensure basic needs are met while not putting the country into debt. Means-based programs help ensure this, and the US must continuously scrutinize programs to ensure that assistance is targeted correctly. Our social security system is not broken because we cannot afford it, its broken because we have underfunded it, borrowed from its core trust fund for other spending, and directed much of the program benefits to those who have the “means” to forego the assistance. It is a good idea to have everyone positioned to benefit from invested savings accounts, but it is generally a bad idea to privatize social safety nets.
Law Enforcement
Just and fair law enforcement and policing are critical parts of a civil society. Societies without them struggle to create security that enables all parts of life to function. Violent crime must be met with stiff consequences, but consequences that try to rehabilitate. Law enforcement officers put their lives at risk and do difficult work that is frequently examined by the public; they should be appreciated for their valor. But we should always expect them to act professionally, within the law, and to protect all people’s rights. There should be clear and responsive avenues to address instances of abuse of authority. States and local governments best police themselves; national law enforcement forces often lose sight of the communities where they are working.
Voting
Voting should be highly encouraged and made easy. Mail-in ballots have improved access to voting, and objective evidence shows this. Verification of eligibility should be required to vote, and personal IDs should be the primary way of showing this for in-person voting, but if eligible voters do not have valid IDs, states must be prepared for alternative verification checks. Gerrymandering of any kind is an abuse of public trust.
Technology and Innovation
Technology should work for the good of people and the planet. We are at a crossroads with technology and ethics. Notice, consent, and public input are necessary principles as we grow the footprint of technology and collect more information about people. Growing users, gathering more data points, and generating more revenue are not an end unto themselves. There must be clear and meaningfully higher benefits to quality of life and human progress if people and the planet are going to pay a cost.
Our Roll in the World
Our foreign policy must be one of leading by example, empowering multilateral institutions, protecting fundamental human rights, and valuing all life equally. We must lead with development and diplomacy. Military force that takes lives should always be a last resort; it is wrong to treat human life elsewhere with less value, and it is enormously expensive to wage war. Our military spending must shrink, and we must expect more nations and multinational institutions to pick up responsibilities. We must trust others in the world.