El PP, dispuesto a no apoyar el Ejecutivo de Von der Leyen. Vox: “son una estafa”

Aquí por cierto algunas de las medidas del programa populista de Dan Osborn, el líder sindical izquierdista que ha logrado ese resultado histórico en Nebraska:

Aquí tienes unas cuantas de las medidas de su programa, para que veas con que tipo de medidas populistas y orientadas a un electorado como el de Nebraska puede un sindicalista izquierdista sacar tan buenos resultados en un feudo republicano:

Protecting Social Security for Every American Citizen

Spoiler

People in Nebraska know what people in Washington seem to have forgotten: Social Security benefits were earned by Americans putting in hard days’ work for years. Social Security belongs to us, not to Wall Street bankers or Washington.

I want to retire myself someday, that’s why I will never let politicians take away the money seniors have earned, raise the retirement age or play games with your financial security. And with seniors getting hit hard by inflation – I’ll make sure Social Security keeps up with the rising costs of healthcare and critically needed medicines.

Guarantee a “Right to Repair” – For Farm Equipment, Cars, and Electronics

Spoiler

As a mechanic, I believe this is a critically important issue. The right to repair is a basic freedom that has been whittled away.

Without a right to repair their own equipment, farmers and ranchers are effectively locked into costly lifetime contracts with manufacturers. Industry MOUs (like the John Deere agreement) fall far short of true right-to-repair.

The same is true of personal electronics. Multi-nationals have shut independent repair shops and consumers completely out of the repair market. This forces consumers to hugely overpay for repairs or to junk perfectly fixable electronics.

Finally: we can’t allow the independent auto shop to go extinct. “Proprietary” electronics in vehicles make repairs impossible for drivers and independent shops, driving up repair prices. The federal Department of Transportation has shut down state-level Right to Repair. Congress must act.

Right to Repair is a bipartisan issue with the support of 84% of Americans. Sadly, opposition from those cashing industry campaign checks has kept us from moving forward. As an independent, I can bring together a bipartisan coalition for Right to Repair. 

Support Our Veterans

Spoiler

As of October 10, 2023, more than 300,000 VA claims have been backlogged for more than 125 days. Our politicians claim to support veterans; clearly, it’s little more than lip service. I’ll fully fund the VA to clear out this backlog and ensure claims are processed in a timely manner.

I will also support comprehensive job placement and job training for veterans. Those who serve our country should not be left behind when they return home.

No More Soldiers On Food Stamps: Raise Serviceman Pay

Spoiler

Sometimes it seems the military overpays for everything – except soldiers.

As a veteran of the Navy and the Nebraska National Guard, I saw firsthand the bureaucratic waste created by senior management and defense contractors. Contractors spend more than a hundred million dollars annually lobbying Washington; it’s no surprise that hundreds of billions of dollars are siphoned out of our military on overpays.

From forty dollar hammers that cost ten bucks at the hardware store, to $10,000 switches that cost a couple hundred dollars to manufacture, price gouging is draining our military of the resources to defend this country.

Meanwhile, military families struggle to put food on the table. We must pay servicemen and women a competitive wage. Military families are on food stamps, and we wonder why there’s a recruitment crisis.

A Level Playing Field for Family Farms and Ranches

Spoiler

The family farm underpins our economy, our national security, and our way of life. 

That way of life is under threat. With inflation, with blunders in trade policy, with consolidation at every level of the industry, farmers face a “perfect storm”; and our federal government, instead of ensuring a level playing field, too often subsidizes and underwrites multi-national firms at the expense of family farmers.

We must:

Pass “Right to Repair” for farm equipment. Without a right to repair their own equipment, farmers and ranchers are effectively locked into costly lifetime contracts with manufacturers. Industry MOUs (like the John Deere agreement) fall far short of true right-to-repair.

Fix federal crop insurance subsidies, which unfairly favor large operators and help them outcompete family farmers for land and resources. We can start by adjusting the insurance agent commission formula, which currently disincentivizes agents from selling to small farms; and by improving coverage for specialty crops.

Support local meatpacking alternatives to the Big 4. Market conditions have made it almost impossible for new firms to enter the meatpacking market. Farmers and ranchers have no alternative but to comply with the monopolistic and anti-competitive practices of the Big 4. The federal government can encourage workforce development and loan programs to allow competitors to succeed.

End Profiteering Off Senior Healthcare

Spoiler

The entry of private equity into our healthcare system has been, for the most part, a disaster – and seniors are paying the price.

We’ve seen horror story after horror story. Private equity buys out elder care facilities, saddles them with debt, forces them to sell off real estate holdings, and pockets the savings. Facilities are then forced to reduce staffing and services. Overwhelmingly, we see two outcomes of private equity buyouts: decline in quality of care, and increase in Medicare spending.

We must:

Block private equity firms from taking over healthcare firms providing covered services when such a takeover would put those being served at risk.

Increase funding for enforcement. Ending elder abuse in care facilities must be a priority. As revealed in a recent Senate report, nursing home inspection agencies across the country are severely understaffed. The federal government is footing the bill; the federal government has a duty to step in.

Strong Public Schools

Spoiler

Strong and well-funded public schools are the backbone of the American education system. Our schools are our pride. Those seeking to drive an ideological agenda through the schools are trying to divide us, through the institution that brings us together.

I support:

Resources for teacher training. How can we expect world-class teachers when we saddle those seeking to enter the field with massive debt loads? Refusing to invest in teacher training is shortsighted.

Increased transportation support for rural schools. Our rural schools have unique burdens, and sometimes the federal government needs to step in.

Better incentives for students seeking trade schools or community colleges.

Ending student hunger. Expecting our children to learn while they’re hungry is foolish. We need to fully fund school lunches.

Full IDEA funding.

I strongly disagree with Senator Fischer’s deciding vote to confirm Betsy DeVos, and her support for voucher systems. Although sometimes well-intended, voucher systems weaken public schools and punish rural areas that lack private options.

Legalize Cannabis

Spoiler

There is no reason for the federal government to ban medical cannabis. We waste tens of millions of dollars enforcing the prohibition of a plant with medicinal properties. This benefits nobody but the pharmaceutical companies who would prefer one less competitor in the market for pain relief.

Our policy of cannabis prohibition has turned families and seniors seeking pain relief into criminals. It’s time to remove cannabis from Schedule I and stop wasting taxpayer dollars on putting people in prison for cannabis crimes.

End Wasteful Government Handouts to the Pharmaceutical Industry

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Taxpayers have sent Moderna $10 billion in COVID subsidies. The CEO of Moderna made $398 million in 2022. Moderna just more than quadrupled the price of the COVID vaccine.

This is madness. 

Stop handing huge subsidies to super-profitable pharmaceutical companies. In the heat of the pandemic, Congress handed over tens of billions of dollars to Big Pharma. Some of this turned into the vaccine. Much of it turned into CEO pay. As Senator, I will never support handing huge pharmaceuticals a blank check.

Lower Taxes on Overtime Wages

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Overtime places serious burdens on workers and families. Adding insult to injury, workers receiving overtime pay find themselves bumped into a higher tax bracket. These workers are making significant sacrifices in their personal lives that are not fairly reflected by their tax treatment.

Overtime wages should not bump a taxpayer into a higher bracket. Additionally, for the purposes of calculating eligibility for any income-related benefits, overtime wages should not be included.