National Policies

I will work with experts in the field to produce legislation that strengthens the Endangered Species Act and helps protect all animals from abuse and cruelty. Most Americans say animals need legal protection (62%, 2015 Gallup) and I intend to work toward that. Education is also a big part of creating a greater group of individuals who care for animals and follow through with action.

Cryptocurrency is a newer form of currency exchange that should not go unexplored. However, we must ensure proper consumer protections, make sure companies are adequately capitalized so they don't collapse, and ensure adequate security. Read More

Debt is the amount of liabilities owned by the U.S. The deficit is the difference in the amount earned versus how much is spent. Our national debt is $31+ trillion and keeps rising beyond our income. Our national deficit is nearly $90 billion. While the debt is complex the most comforting part about it is that we mostly owe ourselves. To that end, the answer to a good, balanced budget is to keep working on closing the gap between what is earned and what is spent. 

As the director of a human rights and civil rights agency as well as being the ADA and Title VI Coordinator for an entire city, it is my duty to ensure equitable treatment for all. It is my privilege to continue beyond any election. In order for civil rights laws to achieve their ultimate goal and purpose they must be expanded to ensure more protections for more people. Read More

Corporations must pay their fair share. If corporations are given lower taxes or end up paying none it should yield more good jobs and livable wages. It's time we enforce this trade off and work together to achieve this goal. Additionally, we need to continue developing up-to-date tax treaties with foreign countries and agree on principles that better reflect today's multinational and digital world. Read More

Being tough on crime doesn't necessarily mean harsher laws or adding on more police. It means investing in the police we already have by providing them with the tools and resources they need to be stronger and better. It means transparency. It means investing in crime prevention programs and providing our police with a multicultural education and community policing training.  Read More

As a former schoolteacher I've had the experience of teaching in public, private and charter schools. I know what it feels like to teach in all three settings, and I can tell you the goal is the same: to give children the ultimate education experience. To that end, my conclusion is that public schools remain a fully funded guarantee and option. School choice may act as an alternative in communities that decide it, but these schools should never take away funding from public schools. 

Indiana, along with the rest of the country must invest more time and research into transitioning to cleaner energy. It doesn’t matter if there is proof of global warming or not. We don’t need evidence or research to convince us to care for what we already know is our only home in the universe. Read More

The United States is home to 2+ million farms and farmers that feed Americans every day. Indiana is home to nearly 100,000 of those farmers and more than 60,000 farms covering 19 million acres. Farmers are how we survive. To that end, they need a different voice in D.C. They also need greater access to healthcare, more say over the distribution of their own products, and greater property rights. I will work hard to ensure they have these things along with greater access to technologies that allow them to exceed goal production. 

We must strive to create and maintain good relationships with those who will respect our culture, our fundamentals and our ideologies. To that end, we must find ways to safeguard our interests while maintaining international relationships for the good of all humanity. Let's work with international governments and agencies to achieve better communication while spreading the democratic message worldwide. Read More

In order to ensure a more democratic system we must work hard to accurately represent Americans and their ever-changing interests, desires, and needs. We must find new, innovative ways to ensure the representation of all people through data collection, surveys, and establishing an online center where we can find the results of this information and use it to make better decisions for all. Reform also includes basic things like requiring legislators to actually read bills and make them public before they vote on them, merging, and consolidating federal agencies to save money, and greater transparency with regard to how legislators spend taxpayers’ dollars. 

It’s time we put an end to gun violence once and for all and stop pretending we can’t do anything about it. I am not against one's right to bear arms more than I am for the technological advancement thereof and the regulation of sales of guns and ammunition. Read More

I believe in government funded healthcare options and proposals for programs, such as Medicare for All. I'm also a strong advocate for new healthcare and hospital systems which use sliding fee scales to guarantee healthcare to individuals based on their income. There should be more transparency, regulation and control over rising costs (including for prescription drugs). Providers must submit an itemized list of all charges to patients before providing care if possible. Read More

We must work together to redefine what it means to make it easier for Americans to acquire a home, afford rents and mortgages, and avoid unnecessary costs and fees. Additionally, Americans deserve less barriers with regard to acquiring good credit for goods and services which will require greater scrutiny and a review of credit bureaus, financial institutions, and their processes and procedures.

Human trafficking is a real and present danger. An estimated 27 million people, including 1.2 million children, are held in slavery worldwide despite the fact that in every single country slavery is outlawed. The underground network runs deep and is vastly hidden. To that end, more research is needed from experts in the field to create legislation that will directly shake up the market. Read More

We have an obligation to welcome all immigrants, but we must have order. Immigration reform should ensure a proper and safe transition from undocumented to documented. It should include such things as protections from immediate deportation and a means to acquire proper identification. Those immigrants who have served in one of our branches of military should receive top priority for pathways to citizenship. Legal immigrants whose taxpayer dollars have been used to ensure Americans' benefits should also be provided an option to receive a portion of the benefits they've paid into.

Indiana is the "Crossroads of America." If we are to continue to live up to this name, we must continue to ensure that all of America's roads and highways provide drivers with the ultimate experience. Let's continue to invest in our nation's infrastructure. 

The industry is changing and so is the demand. We need to focus on the REAL unemployment rate and equip people with better job training. Employees shouldn't face immediate termination in the face of new technology but should be given a chance to learn how to operate it. I will also work hard to make it difficult for employers to terminate employees at certain times of the year and under certain conditions.  Read More

I believe in the federal legalization of marijuana and additionally, any further research and study into naturally occurring remedies. Additionally, Big Pharma and the FDA must invest more time, attention and energy into researching naturally occurring medicines and ensuring better food options for the American people. 

I come from a family of veterans. I will work every day to ensure that our soldiers...past, present, and future, have everything they need. Period. Read More

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration team is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Combined, this research and space exploration program is vital for the maintenance of life on earth and the advancement of humans in the universe. 

Nuclear weapons do not discriminate between military personnel and civilians; they cause environmental devastation and genetic damage that affects future generations. I think we can all agree that a world free of nuclear weapons is a world free of the possibility of the annihilation of mankind. I promise to work toward building cooperation and trust amongst our allies and leaders of foreign nations to achieve safety and security for all.  Read More

I will work hard to ensure that social services remain for those truly in need and help create sustainable individuals and communities. Read More

Children do not belong in adult prisons. Additionally, we must put an end to the capitalization of mass incarceration. It starts with a close look at the level of offenses and sentences. The entire cash bail system needs overhauling. Our present offenders need more rehabilitation and protection from cruel and unusual punishment. Ex-offenders and offenders must be protected from offender discrimination and voting rights must be re-established. 

Reparations is the act of “repairing” something. In this case, we address repairing the African American generational wealth gap created by the conditions and longevity of slavery and the Jim Crow Era. More research and advice from experts is needed in this area to address the following: type of legislation and if more groups should be added to the benefit and for what reasons. Finally, on the national level, these same experts must address the argument of how reparations may be ruinously expensive. 

I will work hard with the President and Congress to ensure that this legislation remains for as long as possible while we explore new options for retirement for Americans that want it.  Read More

Sexually transmitted diseases continue to rise due to drug use, poverty, unstable housing, and reduced access to sex education. Each year, nearly 20 million more people are infected with some type of STD in the U.S. With the advice of experts in the field this epidemic should be targeted and greatly reduced through the development of medicines and new systems of monitoring. 

Student loan debt includes nearly $1.5+ trillion dollars borrowed from over 43 million Americans. Canceling this debt could mean someone else picking up the tab: (US) taxpayers, so let's find a way to make sure that doesn't happen. Let's also ensure that we create legislation that brings special attention to this type of debt by making it special from all others. Let’s change the law allowing students to discharge this type of debt in bankruptcy, expand the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and get colleges and universities in on bearing some of the risk when students default on their loans or can’t find a job that aligns with their field of study. Read More

Everyone wants the benefits of paying taxes without paying them. The bottom line is this: If you want a better life, you must pay your taxes! I believe in a proportional tax system with exemptions for low-income families and qualifying credits for those who qualify.

It is equally as important to protect ourselves from both international and domestic terrorism. We eliminate one terrorist leader only for them to be replaced by a greater one. Creating a martyr is not my idea of victory. We must do more. To that end, we must not only rid these groups of their terrorist leaders but we must prevent the rise of new ones. We do that by preventing the spread of their message, eliminating their resources as much as possible and developing new, strategic ways of stopping them from acquiring followers. 

Voting rights and election fraud is a matter of national security. In the words of Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, "We fight, get beat, rise and fight again." We cannot give up fighting for voting rights and against election fraud. We should also stop relying on those who depend on it to advocate for change. If we spend millions of dollars on space exploration, then we can spend millions exploring new ways to better our democracy!

I am not against the electoral college more than I am for its reform and moving towards establishing a national popular vote interstate agreement. Gerrymandering should be against the law and HAVA (The Help America Vote Act) should be amended to include standards for better security. While we develop greater research into online voting, paper ballots should be used in conjunction with electronic records followed by post-election audits.

The United States has formally declared war against foreign nations at least five separate times, each upon prior request by the President of the United States. To that end, I believe the President must seek the advice and approval of congress members before initiating war or any act relative to war.

I promise to defend and protect women's rights. This is non-negotiable. I do not believe in the undue influence of government infringing on women's rights at any level. Read More