Eric Talaska's Political Stances

Civil Rights

Democratic Party Platform Summary: End discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability. Protect voting rights, freedom of religion, women’s right to make their own health care decisions and equal federal rights for LGBT couples or groups. Criminal justice reform, reduce and prevent gun violence.
Racism: All lives matter. Do not acknowledge validity of racism because it is a primitive, barbaric idea and we are all too genetically similar for it to be real. There are some different cultures. I was bullied as a kid and in the Army, so I know how it feels. I have lived a life of diversity, for example most recently I've lived in the public, a frequent patron of Planet Fitness and public laundromats whos patrons are by far mostly minorities.
LGBTQ: No discrimination.
Capital Punishment / Death Penalty: Reduce 50% to apply only to worse 50% offenders with most solid convictions.
Cash Bail Reform: End cash bail due to many not being able to afford bail and prevent the innocent from accepting a plea deal, unless another reasonable solution is found for the innocent who can't afford bail.
Cocaine Sentencing Disparities: Eliminate the disparity.
Mandatory Minimum Sentences Reform: Eliminate to reduce tax payer's burden of incarceration costs. Use money saved for rehab.
Private Prisons: Against unless reform solutions to stop incentive to gain more prisoners and not rehabilitate for release
Rights for Farm Owners and Workers: Ban certain pesticides that harm workers and food consumers. Subsidize organic farming with antitrust and environmental penalties on large agricultural corporations. End discrimination embedded in federal programs. Enact the Fairness For Farmer Workers Act to give legal immigrants rights to include unions and overtime pay.
Animal Welfare: The inhumane treatment of factory farmed animals should be eliminated by 2028, preferably immediately. Those who violate animal welfare rights could be both fined and imprisoned and have their farm taken away.

Education

Democratic Party Platform Summary: All children should have a high-quality education, be able to have happy, successful lives, have access to a quality education and the tools to drive a new environmentally sustainable economy forward. Restore progress made by B. Obama that D. Trump and DeVos rolled back.
Charter Schools: For, but must serve all students, comply with all civil rights and anti-discrimination laws, and be held accountable for student success or face being shut down or at least re-staffed. Shut down or re-staff all poor performing charter schools.
Cost of College and Skills Training: Two phase program. Phase 1: Free, unlimited, accredited online college and skills training for all to include essential on campus discussion groups, labs, trade skills, etc. Students who turn down online education due to a personal choice for traditional college will have to pay and/or rely on scholarships, grants, gifts, loans or working. Phase 2: Free traditional campus college up to four years for students who maintain at least a 2.2 grade point average. Will mandate how much colleges that receive public funding are allowed to raise tuition each year. Reduce the tax-exempt status of schools that aren’t keeping costs down.
Student Debt: Cancel the first two years of college debt, but this program to end by 2028 due to free, accredited online college degrees.
Teacher Pay: Financial support for challenged districts to recruit and retain teachers with better qualifications.
Added Curriculum: Require 'Life Management Skills' from grades 9 through 12. The curriculum will include topics such as mental, physical, social and health. Students will gain skills such as how to manage finances and read and fill out forms. They will be taught about the consequences of drugs and alcohol. Require environmental science and sustainability education at least once between grades 9 and 12.

Environment

Democratic Party Platform Summary: The climate change crisis poses a real and urgent threat to the economy, national security, and children’s health now and in the future. We deserve the jobs and security that come from green jobs. I'm committed to curbing the effects of climate change, protecting natural resources, and ensuring the quality of our air, water, and land for current and future generations of all life. From investing in clean energy to protecting our ecosystems, I will address our biggest environmental challenges for a sustainable future. I will sign up for a commitment in favor of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Cleanups: Invest in cleaning up polluted sites, particularly ones that disproportionately affect low-income and communities of color.
Noise Pollution: (See also Gun Control). Strategies to reduce noise pollution from vehicle alarm activations/deactivations and backup beeps from construction tractors.
Nuclear Power: Work on developing fusion reactors and small modular nuclear reactors which are cleaner and safer than traditional nuclear power plants and reduce dependency of non-renewable energy sources and reduce war conflict risks.
Oil and gas drilling: End new oil and gas leases on federal land and end offshore drilling. Ban fracking everywhere.
Overpopulation: This will require much analysis and care. Abortion rights should be granted to all women of any age or status.
Reducing Carbon Emissions: Strict federal regulations as the fastest method of reducing greenhouse gases rather than a carbon tax. Drastically reduce oil, natural gas and coal consumption by subsidizing clean energy alternatives. Offset remaining emissions by planting trees and building machines that remove carbon from the atmosphere. Act on the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change advice that achieving net-zero emissions worldwide by 2050 is the best chance to avoid the most catastrophic effects of sea-level rise and extreme weather they predict will come if emissions remain unchecked. Help workers who lose jobs in the energy transition.
PSA: Warn the public we have scientific evidence of the sixth mass extinction being accelerated by human activities and what the consequenses are in the not too distant future.
Clean Water: Clean air and water is a sentient being's right, not a privilege. Create a Constitutional right to clean air and water. For humans, we should be able to trust our governments to ensure this. If they fail due to incompetence, etc., there should be a staff overhaul. Make agribusinesses pay for polluting air and water by closing loopholes and increasing law enforcement.
Transportation: Fund bike paths, high speed rail, public transportation and electric vehicle charging stations more with significant tax increases on air transportation (business and personal), new non-commercial vehicles that get less than 30MPG, gas and diesel fuel.
Wildlife: Build five natural overpasses and underpasses for wild animal and pedestrian crossings where risk of being hit by vehicles is highest.
Farming and Climate Change-Crisis: Expand funding for USDA's Conservation Stewardship Program and Environmental Quality Incentive Program with a focus on planting cover crops, using less synthetic fertilizer and building energy efficient infrastructure. Huge incentives such as tax breaks and assistance for cattle farms to convert to a much less carbon-intense method of farming. No government assistance or tax breaks for cattle farms that do not convert. Increase taxes for farmers that don't adopt climate-friendly and humane treatment of animal practices by a deadline of 2024. Tariffs against the import of food that does not meet climate-friendly and fair trade standards. To be clear, beef will not be banned and nobody is going to be told they cannot eat beef.

Health Care Last updated 7/20/2020

Democratic Party Platform Summary: No-one should go bankrupt just because they get sick. I am committed to preserving and protecting the Affordable Care Act and the peace of mind it has brought to us.
Universal Healthcare: Free essential healthcare, health education and gym membership for all. Unessential services such as most surgeries for cosmetic or lifestyle purpose only will be confined to self-pay private practice. Since businesses no longer need to pay for employee healthcare, they will be taxed appropriately to fund universal healthcare at an approximate matching rate. All abled participants are required to take annual online basic nutrition and health education classes as a way to focus on preventative maintenance. Those who refuse to attend and are able to will not be covered for free and will be required to purchase coverage at the market rate. Anyone may purchase their own private insurance as their only insurance or can opt for double insurance of universal and private coverage. Private healthcare will not be forced to close, but many entities will have to come up with new ways to compete. Universal healthcare will eliminate unaffordable medical bills. Gym participation is optional and mainly offered to those who don't have fitness equipment available at their residence or workplace. Universal healthcare should result in fewer unnecessary medical procedures, prescriptions, etc. which would be safer for patients. Since I have started to receive free full coverage healthcare from the Veteran's Administration, my stress level has lowered a lot and I have been able to focus on doing more productive things. I don't want anyone worrying about whether they can get the same good healthcare.
Abortion: No restrictions except patients must be counseled about abortion prior to the procedure, for example, explained what stage their babies are in and thus how far the babies have developed physically and cognitively. Females are to have the right to choose after such consultation. Push Congress to repeal restrictions on federal funds and prevent states from passing laws to restrict access. This is not a pro-abortion policy as much as it is a female's right to choose based on her personal circumstances. Abortion is justified for rape, incest, health of mother and/or baby, overpopulation, inability to afford raising child and other quality of life issues.
Drug Costs: Negotiate drug prices using bulk purchase ability. Reduce certain branded drug patent time frames to allow generics to enter the marketplace sooner. Allow importing safe, high quality drugs from other countries.
Medicare For All: See Universal Healthcare.
Vapors / e-Cigarettes: Classify as schedule 3 controlled substance.
Banking Access for Cannabis Firms: Oppose.
Cannabis Taxes: 50% tax if marijuana is legalized to fund PSAs and healthcare.
Legalizing Marijuana: Classify as schedule 3 controlled substance which notches it down two levels. Support legalization of medicinal marijuana to be dispensed by pharmacies, not dispensaries, just like Marinol. Retain marijuana conviction.
Organ Donors: Mandates for all states to have all driver's license recipients read and sign a simple, basic explanation about the organ donor process and how it relates brain activity status and the economic incentives doctors have for organ donations.
Nutrition: See "Jobs and Economy"

Jobs and the Economy

EXCLUSIVE TO ERIC TALASKA: Websites that sell products with a "Made in USA" search option resulting in at least one product actually and completely made in the USA will be granted federal tax benefits. This will cause a rapid acceleration of jobs created in the USA and reduce environmental pollution involved with importing from overseas. It would likely result in Amazon obliging and significantly change the way American shop, for the better.
Democratic Party Platform Summary: Build a full-employment economy where everyone willing and able to work has a job that pays enough to raise a family and live in dignity with a sense of purpose. The economy should strengthen our country and work for everyone, not just those at the top. Create more jobs, invest in clean-energy technologies, rebuild our infrastructure, invest in small businesses, and make sure corporations, the wealthy, and Wall Street pay their fair share. Guarantee all have the opportunity to succeed and that all working families can enjoy economic security. All who want to work should be able to find a job. By making debt-free college available to all, cracking down on companies that ship profits and jobs overseas, fighting for equal pay and paid leave, and ensuring the wealthiest citizens and largest corporations pay their fair share, we will never stop fighting to build an economy works for all.
Affordable Housing: Rent control. Taxes to curb speculation. Federal funding to build more affordable housing only in a manner that is more environmentally sustainable than any other option. Volunteer background checks on those living in self-contained RVs full time to be issued a parking pass for participating parking lots. This would offer night-time security and reduced need for police to bother the homeless for the area since they pass background checks. Mass production of cheap and efficient 20' long self-contained campervans for those who qualify for the pass who don't already have a self-contained RV such as various groups of qualifying homeless. This kind of living reduces the need for new construction and housing and gets many off the streets by utilizing otherwise wasted nighttime parking lot space and encourages participants to join gyms where to exercise and take showers there.
Big Banks: Strengthen the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Budgets & Debt: Congress should prioritize reducing the federal deficit.
Farm Economy: Stronger antitrust enforcement for a more fair and competitive market for farmers and consumers. Support fruits and vegetable subsidies, largely funded by sharing corn and other subsidies. Tax breaks for fair trade.
Nutrition: 50% price reduction for whole fruits and veggies served in public schools funded by a 25% increase of taxes on beef industries that refuse to convert to less carbon-intense, animal friendly forms of farming. Funding from the USDA if that funding runs short. (See also: Economy and Business, Advertising).
Church Entities: Must be as transparent as other non-profits by filing form 990 and are not to endorse political candidates.
Employee Morale: Tax incentives for business managers to be taught how to respect their employees to such a degree as make almost all jobs fun and desirable in order to cut out welfare and disability by those who dread workplace bosses.
Income Inequality (see also Taxes section): Support equality. Tax increases on the wealthy in increments based on income. Raise taxes 9% on businesses whose CEOs make at least 50 times more than their median workers. No UBI / Universal Basic Income. The closest to that should be $1,000 per year voucher for everyone 18 and up for exercise equipment, gym memberships, yoga, natural nutrition counseling.
Mail: Require businesses to eliminate as much physical mail as possible in favor of electronic. There will no longer be a requirement for any business or government entity to send anything by physical mail. This is especially regarding banks.
Minimum Wage: Raise the minimum wage in proportion with inflation since the last raise.
Paid Leave: Support broad paid family and medical leave plans up to 12 weeks.
Product Packaging: Stop unnecessary and wasteful product over-packaging.
Business Ethics: Great increase in business ethics education.
Advertising and Pricing: Tax incentives for businesses who's advertising staff are trained in ethics so that the ad's purpose is not to get people to buy more than they need in a misleading manner and the reduction of 'odd pricing' which is also a deceptive tactic. Prohibit advertising modified food that looks different than the actual product (must use real, indiscriminate photos of their product). Prohibit advertising food on TV after 10PM to help combat the obesity and diabetes problems.
Reparations: Don't pay reparations because it's been too long, the majority of the payees would feel it's not enough and the fiasco would be endless, crossing over into other categories, thus overall causing more harm than good.
Tariffs: Against the import of any product that does not meet basic climate-friendly and fair trade standards.
Capital Gains Taxes: Tax capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income.
Corporate Income Taxes: 10 percent additional tax on corporate net profits above $100 million, 35 percent tax on corporations' foreign earnings, end the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's depreciation of corporate assets. Raise taxes 9% on businesses whose CEOs make at least 50 times more than their median workers. Disallow companies to defer taxes on offshore profits, bar them from establishing sham headquarters in tax havens, and curb their ability to structure mergers with foreign corporations in a way that lowers or eliminates their U.S. tax liabilities. 35% tax on lobbying expenditures $500,000 to $1 million and 50% above $1 million. Exclusive by Talaska: "The main goal of by far most businesses is to gain as much wealth as possible from their customers to their shareholders and executives in exchange for goods or services. Therefore it would be fair that the federal government be able to gain as much wealth as possible from businesses in exchange for military and police protection, leasing land, renting its citizens for labor, providing space exploration, universal healthcare, national parks, etc."
Tax Credits: Make the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) available to people without children and expand eligibility to family caregivers and low-income students.
Wall Street Taxes: 0.2% tax on the sale of stocks, bonds and derivatives.
Wealth Taxes: 1% annual tax on household net worth of $10 million to $50 million, 2% between $50 million and $2 billion, and a 6% above $2 billion. Cap itemized deductions at 25% for households that make over $250,000.
China: Address China's unfair trading practices through working with allies like Japan and the European Union at least for more credibility. Work with China on environmental issues and address Beijing's human rights violations.
Fair Trade: Initiate fair trade incentives for businesses. Tax more or impose tariffs on goods imported that are not fair trade.
NAFTA / USMCATPP 2.0Tariffs: Support the revised USMCA, but pursue environmental standards in compliance with the IPCC recommendations (see Energy, Environment and Climate Crisis section).

National Security

Democratic Party Platform Summary: Ensure our troops have the modern training, modern equipment, and support that they need when they are deployed and the care that they and their families need and deserve when they return home. Eliminate unnecessary spending. Prevent terrorism by Investing in intelligence and information sharing with allies.
Department of Peace: I will create The Department of Peace. This will have a much different mission compared to the Peace Corps such as diplomatic initiatives. Just the mere creation of this department alone would foster world peace. Possible financial incentives to achieve peace resolutions. Staff will include bi-lingual experts and representatives of all high conflict nations. I would like a very clean, easy to read and navigate website for this department that is heavily fact-checked. The website will have the following categories (or similar categories): Submit Suggestions, Peace Offerings, Current Conflicts, Conflict Risks, International Law and more to be determined.
North Korea: It may be in the best interest of long term world peace and the well being of at least North Korean citizens to take out Kim Jong-un at the soonest strategic opportunity as long as there is a way to do it without breaking international law. This will be discussed with NATO, particularly South Korea and Japan. Justification will include ending the world's most extreme human rights violations and preventing the expansion of the biggest rogue nuclear threat.

Preventing Gun Violence

Democratic Party Platform Summary: Nobody should be afraid at any time, any place. Expand and strengthen background checks for those who want to purchase a firearm to ensure guns don’t fall into the hands of terrorists, domestic abusers, other violent criminals, or those who have shown signs of danger toward themselves or others.
Hunting Weapons: I will not impose any new restrictions regarding the right to bear arms for hunters.
Assault Weapons: If anyone wants to use assault weapons, they may join our armed forces or police force. Ban AR-15 and other certain assault rifles not designed for hunting, high capacity magazines, bump stocks, trigger cranks and M855 and hollow-nose/point ammunition for civilians. There are plenty of other more practical methods of self defense and alternative forms of similar entertainment. Support a voluntary buy-back program including handguns. A mandatory buy-back with harsh threats, however appealing to some, would likely cause a regrettable and historic anti-government backlash and thus more harm than good and expand a black market. The Second Amendment was long ago and it is reasonably likely our forefathers didn't anticipate the mass production and abuse of assault weapons. If they did, it is reasonably likely they would not allow them under the Second Amendment.
Background Checks: All new gun owners must pass a federal background check (except for typical hunting weapons), pass a basic hunting/firearm safety class good for ten years and provide a receipt for an appropriately-sized gun locker or trigger lock per registered gun.
Noise Pollution: Reduce unnecessary gunfire in the wild that terrorizes wildlife and pollutes by increasing firearms and ammunition taxes with proceeds to relevant education as well as education on alternative self defense, hunting and food gathering options.
Weapon Registry: Do not support for non-assault weapons. Too many voters won't stand for it largely due to privacy concerns.

Science and Technology

Democratic Party Platform Summary: Invest in the technologies and jobs of the future while increasing support for more advanced scientific research, labs, and classrooms. Our next generation must be equipped with the tools and skills that lead to the job-creating technological innovations and scientific breakthroughs of the future. Close the “digital divide" by expanding access to high-speed broadband internet for better access to information and education while serving as a central resource for small businesses and entrepreneurs to generate economic growth.
Online Privacy: Enact a federal Consumer Privacy Act which gives users the right to opt out of the sale of their personal information, to request that all of their data be permanently deleted and to request that companies disclose what information gets collected on them and how it's used. Ease the legal system in favor of users to sue companies that deliberately and negligently violate or abuse their users' privacy. Support legislation in Congress to jail corporate executives found liable for data breaches or other privacy violations. Jail time is situational which could include life in prison for violators who have deliberately, significantly and negatively affected over 1,000 users.
Rural Broadband: Continue to let private providers of Internet compete with each other so they have incentive to improve products and services. Certain rural areas may depend on satellites for Internet. I don't want an excessively socialist backlash or image.
Scuring 5G: Ban Chinese components because the risk of undetectable spy software and hardware is too high.
5G safety: No evidence that it is unsafe in any way.
Social Media: Rescind the exemption that social media entities cannot be sued for knowingly promoting false and significantly damaging information, targeted significant threats, algorithmic bias and not making a reasonable effort to remove and block such problem posts and algorithms.
Junk E-mail Spam: Increased power and funding of the FTC to aggressively fine spammers and entities that capture email addresses and send newsletters, spam, etc. without very conspicuous permission (checkboxes, etc.) seen on the webpage that first captures the email addresses.
Systems of Measurement: The standard / SAE measurement system should be replaced with the metric system. For example, fractional tools would be replaced with millimeter tools, miles will be replaced with kilometers and Fahrenheit to be replaced with Celsius. This will prevent trillions of dollars in errors and prevent unnecessary tools.
Tech Competition & Antitrust: Investigations by federal regulators before deciding any break-up. Update antitrust and communications laws for regulation and de-monopolization.
Election security: Secure the polls.

Voting Rights

Democratic Party Platform Summary: Expand democracy by making it easier to vote and work to stop voter purging, fraud, suppression and Russian interference. Ensure all voters have equal access to the ballot box. Streamline voter registration, updating voter information and checking polling locations through IWillVote.com or call 1-833-DEM-VOTE (1-833-336-8683) 24/7/365. Other services include felon disenfranchisement, voter purging, poll worker misconduct, voter machines and accessibility. Encourage voters to apply to be a poll worker in their community or volunteer to be an Election Advocate Program to advocate for programs and policies in their counties, join our Facebook group to share voting information pertinent to their state and respective communities and stay up to date on voter protection news, events and volunteer opportunities.
Campaign Finance: Disallow accepting money from PACs. A $10 million limit on advertising per candidate will automatically reform politics to a great degree, particularly the need to raise money and will foster fairness among candidates.
Electoral College: Abolish or amend the Constitution due to being antiquated, an unnecessary distraction, unfair and a burden. If the attempt fails, at least make electors determined on a proportional basis.
Felon Voting: Felons with a single conviction are eligible to vote, if more than one conviction, not eligible. It's easy to accidentally get a felony.
Ranked Choice Voting: Implement via the American Anti-Corruption Act so voters can vote with their 'hearts' rather than for the lesser of two evils.