Our political system doesn't work. Even if a politician has the best of intentions, they are inherently limited (or prevented from succeeding entirely) by money. First we have to prove that winning without money is possible. We have to overturn Citizens United, which allowed unlimited amounts of undisclosed funding to be funneled into campaigns - but we can't do that by continuing to participate in that system. Money will always be a major part of the system as long as we allow it to be. Campaigns need money for advertising, merchandise, campaign offices and staff - But they don't have to.
The reason it takes so much money to win an election is because candidates have to be sold to us. We can end that. If you agree with a politician's stance on the issues, and you want to help them win, you need to help spread their message and convince others to do the same. That's it. In the last decade advances in communication technologies and access to them has significantly leveled the playing field. Television ads cost thousands, even millions of dollars, but social media posts - and more importantly - conversations with your friends and family, are free.
These are the tools we have, they are powerful, and more than enough to win. However, they only work if we are willing to use them. I don't want your money, and I shouldn't need it. If these issues matter to you, please tell others about my campaign. We can't change the conversation if we aren't willing to speak up. That means spreading the ideas of those you believe in, every opportunity you get, with every tool you have.
Medicare for all = A single payer system. It isn't just the right choice morally, it's the right choice economically. Medicare for all does not take away your doctor or nurses, it just changes how healthcare is paid for. Additionally, as millions in the U.S. unfortunately learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, we should never have healthcare tied to your employment. For all these reasons and many more, I proudly support passing S. 1129 to save our country thousands of lives, and billions of dollars.
Julian Assange has been in prison for exposing our war crimes. Edward Snowden had to flee the U.S. and hasn't been able to return because he proved the NSA was illegally spying on us. They are guilty of telling the truth. Their treatment is a terrifying precedent to set for journalists, whistleblowers, and the integrity of our First Amendment. That is why I support the bipartisan house bill H.Res. 1175 to #FreeAssange and #PardonSnowden.
All farming subsidies should promote and support small family owned farms that ensure and enrich both our farmers and the health of our environment - AKA our future. Currently we subsidize and provide tax breaks for major corporations engaging in the worst farming practices. These companies then also avoid paying their fair share of taxes thanks to our corrupt tax policies designed to benefit the top 1%: So they get paid to poison our land and water, crush small family farms, and then avoid paying any taxes that might help repair the damage they've done. It has to stop. I will work with small family farmers to create policies promoting farming practices that ensure their economic future without compromising our environment. Additionally, to protect the future of our farmers we must stop urban sprawl which is why I support the initiatives of 1000 Friends of Iowa.
Net Neutrality should be guaranteed and protected by law. The internet has proven to be an essential part of our infrastructure, and so we should work to ensure that every home has full access to it and it is owned and operated - by us. The internet should be treated as a locally owned and operated utility, supported by state and federal funding as needed.
If a business needs the government to save it from going under, it should be nationalized. Bailouts should only be issued directly back to taxpayers in the form of direct stimulus checks - if at all. As a taxpayer, you *might* have received a check for $1,200 out of the 2.2 Trillion dollars spent on the CARES Act. The rest of that money went to special interests and campaign contributors A.K.A. the 0.01% This should infuriate you. Our "capitalist" country is really luxury socialism for the rich and rugged individualism for the poor. Margaret Thatcher once said "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Not here in the U.S. though, because they just print more money and shift the debt onto the backs of working people, while they shift their money to offshore accounts and buy stocks in multinational corporations.
It's about time Iowa joins the "radical leftwing states" of Arizona, Alaska, South Dakota, and Montana and Decriminalize Marijuana for recreational use. Drug addiction is not a criminal issue, it's a societal issue. It's unbelievable that Marijuana is still (or even ever was) illegal. Keeping marijuana illegal (or any drug for that matter) essentially guarantees it will end up in the hands of children. Drug dealers don't care whether or not you're old enough to buy it, or even that what they are selling you is safe for consumption. Decriminalizing marijuana is the only way to guarantee that marijuana is pure, safe, and only in the hands of adults. Taxes collected from marijuana sales should help fund mental health care facilities, addiction and drug abuse education programs, as well as help address social inequality. Marijuana charges should also be expunged from criminal records.
Our constitution was written on hemp. Hemp ropes were used by colonizers to sail across the Atlantic to reach the U.S. in the first place - Without it we wouldn't be the nation we are today. Our founding fathers celebrated and even cultivated hemp, for both its industrial versatility and for recreational enjoyment. Hemp is a sustainable and renewable resource that can be used for too many needs to list, and countless uses we haven't even been allowed to realize. A mostly racist, decades-long propaganda campaign was undertaken to make marijuana illegal in the first place. This was not done because of its medicinal benefits, or as a tactic to curb drug use, but because of all its industrial potential. It would help us navigate many of the extremely difficult issues we're facing from energy demands and the climate crisis.
To represent you best I must first know the issues that matter to you most. If you don't see an issue that's important to you, tell me why it matters to you!
This campaign is just beginning and I want you to help it grow.
Salvatore Aleto Jr. for Iowa's 1st Congressional District - All Rights Reserved.
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