Cliff Heinzer

Partisan bickering in Congress makes it difficult just to pass a budget. Grandstanding has replaced negotiating; many members focus more on generating soundbites than passing the legislation their constituents need. With 90% of the House in non-competitive districts, primaries determine who will go to Washington. This pushes both parties toward extremes rather than common sense at the moderate center. Voters deserve better from their representatives.

A surge in inflation rarely has a single cause and is generally the consequence of decisions made years earlier. Too little competition among the corporations that dominate our economy, printing trillions of dollars to support Wall Street, and massive tax cuts that benefitted the wealthiest Americans combined to create an economic environment so volatile that all it took was a supply chain shock to set off explosive inflation.

Support legislation that takes a common-sense approach to reducing gun violence; and no one should be denied an opportunity for employment, education, or promotion; worry that they will be treated differently by officials, banks, businesses, or the police; or lose the right to vote because of who they are. We should not have to fear loss of employment or freedom of expression because of beliefs we hold (incitement to criminal activity, violence, insurrection, or violent overthrow of the government excepted). We should not see books removed from library shelves because they make others uncomfortable. Yet these are concerns for many of us today. That has to change.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade set the clock back 50 years on the protection of women’s freedom, health, and privacy. If elected, I will: Never forget that decisions on reproductive health belong to a woman and her physician, not the government; Press vigorously for passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act that prohibits government restrictions on abortion services; and Support legislation that prevents states from prosecuting individuals and groups who help women control their own health decisions.

Over the past several years, many of us have become increasingly concerned about crime and gun violence. The causes of crime are complex. Too often, following a shooting, we learn that the perpetrator was known to pose a threat beforehand. Offering our thoughts and prayers after the fact is of little consolation to the victims and survivors.

Traffic jams on Interstate 95 and other roadways in the district are common and unpredictable. Over-priced, foreign-owned, single direction toll lanes are not the solution. As our communities continue to develop, the problems will only get worse if we do not take action. Our commuter rail is inadequate.

Over the past four decades, working Americans have seen their economic prospects decline while the wealthiest Americans have gained a greater share of the rewards. Pay has not kept pace. Childcare is increasingly unaffordable. Many of us do not feel secure about our prospects for a rising standard of living.

Our democracy is under assault. Opportunists promote fear, market conspiracy theories, question the legitimacy of our elections, and employ threats of violence. Many Americans feel disenfranchised and alienated. Autocracy is gaining traction overseas; we must not allow that to happen here.

All too often, those who have served the United States find themselves at the mercy of an indifferent bureaucracy. The VA has yet to achieve the standards we should expect. Inflation is complicating the retirement plans of former military members and civil servants alike. We must stop politically motivated attacks designed to intimidate and silence government workers.

I grew up in a time when rivers caught fire, housing developments were built on waste dumps, and smog shut down cities. There has been progress, but we need to do more to reduce the risk we face from climate change. In our district, the rapid advance of suburban sprawl makes the preservation of our remaining green space ever more important.

Our smaller communities are suffering from decades of inattention and have never fully recovered from the 2008 recession. Today, they are forced to grapple with many of the same problems facing urban and suburban areas, but without the same resources. Young people are leaving these communities because the cost of entry into agriculture has soared beyond reach.