More Positions on Policy Issues
This paper is a compilation of policy positions addressing some of the major themes that will define my campaign.
It must be understood that this Position Paper is not intended to cover all issues and positions. Many of these positions are items taken directly from the Democratic Party Platform that I wish to highlight. Others are positions that are my take on the Party Platform and positions from the Obama Campaign. Others are issues that are my unique positions that I want to put forth and would pursue as an elected legislator.
As a Candidate for the Senate, I support the Michigan Democratic Party Platform
Topics covered in this section
All of our citizens deserve access to a system of affordable, quality health care. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that has failed to provide a health care program that services all of its citizens. I am committed to a system of national universal health care, as quickly as possible. As our economy worsens more people will lose their jobs and their health care. One of the primary causes of bankruptcy in this country is persons not being able to pay for their healthcare.
As steps toward widening health care coverage, I support taking the following actions:
· Provide portable health care.
o Lifetime or even longtime employment with one employer is less frequent in today's economy.
o Health care should be portable from employer to employer at an affordable cost and managed by the employee.
· Reform HMO practices.
o Reform HMOs so doctors are not prevented from prescribing medically appropriate treatment, and patients can get redress that includes the right to sue HMOs for wrongdoing or negligence.
o We should guarantee coverage for second opinions, and make sure all patients can keep their doctor even if their insurance changes.
· Legalize and Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
o This research holds great potential for helping millions of people by curing many of today’s incurable ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and spinal cord injuries, among many others.
o The only embryos to be used for this research are unwanted and slated for destruction.
o It is wrong to destroy these embryos rather than use them to help save lives.
· Protect Medicaid.
o Every effort must be made to protect and expand the Medicaid program that provides health insurance for the poorest, particularly people with children, the handicapped and the elderly, who otherwise cannot afford it.
· Expand prescription drug coverage.
o I support the Democratic efforts to make prescription drugs affordable and accessible to all.
· Improve childcare and nursing home conditions.
o We need to ensure conformance to appropriate safety standards, good hygiene practices, and appropriate caregiver training.
o Corporations that profit from the care of children, the elderly, or the handicapped must be held accountable for the safety and quality of their service.
· Improve services to the mentally ill.
o The lack of adequate resources for the publicly funded Community Mental Health programs and the continued discrimination against the mentally ill by health plans and insurers have compounded the challenges faced by those needing these services and their families.
o Many people populating our jails and prisons suffer from mental illnesses.
· Improve services to returning veterans.
o Michigan's brave veterans, both U.S. service men and women and members of the Michigan National Guard, often return from active duty with severe medical conditions.
o Many have failed to receive needed care or are not able to access care, both for their physical injuries and psychological problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
o We must do everything we humanly can to provide adequate care for those who have given so much.
· Create a Patient’s Bill of Rights.
o I support a comprehensive Patient’s Bill of Rights.
The Michigan Supreme Court in recent times was controlled by money interests that consistently gave rulings favorable to those money interests. There is currently a case before the US Supreme Court, arguing that a litigant has been denied due process, where his adversary gave the deciding judge a three million dollar campaign contribution. West Virginia does not require that judge to recues himself and neither does Michigan law. We must explore ways to provide greater judicial independence to the courts. The Judicial candidates are supposed to be non-partisan, but in Michigan they are chosen by the political parties. We need to explore alternatives for selecting judges, including judges being appointed by the Governor and approved by the Legislature, similar to the federal process.
The citizenry and the legislature need to seriously explore all the pros and cons and study the research concerning legalizing cannabis and taxing it.
· Michigan spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year in law enforcement, court, jail and prison costs on marijuana issues.
· Hundreds of millions of revenue could be generated in taxes.
o The state could tax its sale to adults similar to what they do for liquor and cigarettes.
o Between the savings and the increased revenue for the state, the total impact could be over a billion dollars.
o It is estimated that marijuana may be the state’s largest single agricultural crop, at 14 billion a year.
o It does not make sense that the state’s largest agricultural industry is completely unregulated and untaxed.
· This move would have a major impact on reducing government costs and free law enforcement and the courts to concentrate on more serious crimes.
· Legalization would cut into the enormous untaxed profits that growers now realize.
· Regulation would also protect the users from tainted product that may cause health problems, for which society ends up paying.
We need to expand efforts to educate and train prisoners, and help them deal with substance abuse and mental health issues, so they can reenter our communities with a chance at successful rehabilitation.
· Michigan prisons and jails must stop serving as our mental health institutions.
We must increase our activities dedicated to crime prevention by stopping the costs and problems before they occur. Building more prisons is not an anti-crime program. We need to reassess sentencing guidelines, which are a major cause of escalating prison costs.
As a state we spend an excessive amount of public funds incarcerating prisoners. “The state prison system is eating massive, unsustainable holes in the state budget.” (John Bebow, Correcting Corrections’ Budget Growth, Oct. 2008)
Prison costs have soared much faster than the prison population (Senate Fiscal Agency)
· For the past decade, prison population has hovered within a couple thousand inmates of 50,000.
· During this time the overall prison budget has skyrocketed
o From $1.4 billion in 2001
o To $2.1 billion this year.
When I first started working with State Government in the mid 70s
· The Dept of Corrections was only 2% of the state general fund. (1974)
· Today the Dept of Corrections is 22% of the state general fund. (2008)
o These are resources that could be going to education, substance abuse programs and mental health to help prevent persons from entering the corrections system.
o Many of the persons in our correction system have major substance abuse and mental health problems that have caused them to enter the corrections system.
Michigan’s prison incarceration rate is high.
· The length of time in prison in Michigan is above the national average. Michigan’s length of stay is 4.3 years.
§ That is twice the rate of Ohio
§ Three times the rate in Illinois. (The Justice Center)
· In 2007, a quarter of all state prisoners (11,822) were incarcerated for non-violent crimes. (Citizen Research Council of Michigan)
In recent years, a number of laws have been enacted that have severely limited the ability of citizens to seek legal redress for damages. For example, legislation was enacted to prevent citizens from suing pharmaceutical companies or retailers for damages who sell defective products.
· These restrictive laws adopted in response to special interests have hurt ordinary people. They have adversely affected the rights of citizens to get legal redress for damages and should be reversed.
· Citizens should be able to sue HMOs if they cause serious injury to patients through wrongdoing or negligence.
Voting is the most basic and essential form of democratic participation. Early voting stations in other states has led to increased voter turnout and minimized long lines on Election Day. Michigan is one of handful of states that require a voter to state a reason for voting absentee.
- I strongly support election reform that would allow for early voting and no reason absentee voting.
Michigan disenfranchises many registered voters from voting, due to arcane laws and practices. Many young people and poor people move often after they are registered to vote and do not update their Voter’s Registration. Even if a registered voter has not moved and shows up in the wrong precinct to vote, they are denied the right to vote.
- I would support change that allows a duly registered voter to be able to cast their vote anywhere for statewide and national elections.
- I would support same day registration that other states, such as Wisconsin and Minnesota have enacted.
- This allows a person to show up at the poll day of election, register and then they are able to cast their vote the same day.
- This would greatly help students and persons who move frequently to exercise their right to vote.
- This allows a person to show up at the poll day of election, register and then they are able to cast their vote the same day.
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