WHERE I STAND
In the absence of a Federal law, this civil right has been turned into a zoning issue. “You can get an abortion in this state but not that one.” This needs to be changed at the Federal level. People should be in charge of their own bodies.
Not only do women deserve a right to high quality reproductive health services, but when I’m elected, I’ll work hard to attract more health care practitioners and I’ll expand the pool of exceptional medical professionals to provide the women of NV-02 the comprehensive health care they deserve.
I take our freedoms seriously, including a woman’s right to choose. That right should be enshrined in state and federal constitutional protections
I’m offering a comprehensive plan to bring better jobs to Nevada. We need to capture the benefit of our solar and mineral wealth from the sun to the socket and from the ground to the gigafactory. If we do, we’ll be the richest state in the nation per capita rather than an also-ran. We need to plan for, and to create, an ecosystem of lithium mining, processing, manufacturing, and recycling — all in our state!
So I am proposing a Nevada/District Permanent Fund to realize the value of our mineral resources rather than letting them slip out the door to non-Nevada and non-US entities. Let’s invest in ourselves. The Alaska Permanent Fund has over $74 billion and has paid out an average of approximately $1,600 annually per resident. Norway has done the same thing with its oil and gas – if a dollar is coming out of their country, they add 25 cents, which they invest. It has about double the population of Nevada – and last year it earned $213 billion from that fund. Nevada has $0 because our fund doesn’t yet exist. This is why we are in 50th place in educational achievement in our schools, and why we have chronic shortfalls in health, housing, roads, and other infrastructure in our 2nd District.
When I am elected, I will work with mining interests to dramatically expand our tax revenues to provide crucial funding so that every Nevadan can prosper.
The greatest economic opportunity of our time is the race to build abundant low-cost energy to fuel the world’s next 100 years. Nevada is sitting on $1.5 trillion of lithium. When I am elected, I will catalyze Nevada’s lithium and geothermal power by putting our state at the center of the world’s energy transition. Nevada should be energy independent and a leader in energy generation, storage, and transmission for the country and the world. We already are number 1 in gold and silver for the continental US — but we can be the leader in energy too, including solar and geothermal, if we put our minds to it.
From a national security standpoint, our nation at risk if we have to send our lithium out of the country, only to bring it back in as usable material.
I support the Lithium Loop that will keep the processing, the manufacturing, and the recycling of existing lithium batteries into new batteries, here in our district. This will dramatically increase high-paying mining and manufacturing jobs and professional opportunities.
I am also an ardent environmentalist and a long-time supporter of outdoor education and wilderness training. I love Nevada’s wild and diverse ecosystem, from the breathtaking beauty of Lake Tahoe to our high desert and wide-open spaces. I will strike a balance between these two critically important considerations – the promise of energy and the importance of preserving our natural resources – while supporting this initiative.
I propose to start an "Inclusion Bank" by and for the Latinos, Native Americans and other underserved groups, so that there is a bank for this 40% plurality in the state. Part of its loan portfolio should focus on economic development, supporting the Lithium Loop and small businesses, as well as providing non-usurious personal loans and non-predatory overdraft fees.
Do you know what the Fed charges for wire transfers? Twenty-five cents. And if you've done a wire transfer, you probably pay $25. So that's a 10,000% markup. I don't want Chase funding it; I want local banks who know the local players to provide funding. I want a non-ripoff bank right here in our state.
This doesn’t mean building a lot of physical banks. It means supporting the Postal Banking Act, which allows local post offices to serve as local banks.
I also support making Nevada a licensing hub for innovative financial services companies (banks and fintechs) much as South Dakota has done.
I support issuance of a digital ID that can be on mobile phones and that is considered valid for state purposes (like hunting passes, benefits payouts, drivers licenses, voting, and so on). I support a voter ID if you make it easy for folks to get hold of one. ID systems must be inclusive, electronic, and easy. Everyone should have this as a birthright. Medical records will transfer easily from provider to provider; you’ll have proof that you voted only once; you’ll be able to open a bank account, run a background check; you can show up at any local organization or event and pay with your phone – just like ApplePay and GooglePay, but applied to your civic life.
Nevada is behind other states. Let’s change that.
We should adjust our tax code when it falls most heavily on those least able to pay for the basics like food, gas, health, and education.
Education is funded from property taxes. Nevada has the most antiquated property taxes in the country. It's based on a depreciating value, not market value. So Nevada has the worst spending per student in the country. And the worst outcomes. My seven-term opponent is spending the least and is proud of it. That's called 'backing a system that's failing.'
I want the University of Nevada Wolfpack to garner more dollars from the CHIPS Act and other Federal research grants as well as sports championships!
My seven-term opponent continues to risk American security and Nevada’s prosperity by putting party over Nevadans. In 2022, Congress passed the Chips and Science Act establishing funds for semiconductor development and scientific research. He voted against it, then requested $3 billion of it to build a high-speed rail connection between Las Vegas and southern California.
Nevada has greatly benefitted from this program. The Biden Administration designated the University of Nevada at Reno as a Tech Hub, providing millions and establishing the Nevada Lithium Batteries and Other Electric Vehicle Material Loop which aims to manufacture lithium ion batteries from beginning to end in Nevada. And then the American Rescue Act provided $1 billion in Nevada to help boost affordable housing, lower housing costs, and keep homeowners and renters in their homes. My seven-term opponent voted against that one, too.
You don’t get to vote against the money but then show up for the ribbon-cutting.
We must end the chaos at our Southern border. We need immigration reform rather than grandstanding in the House. That means the right levels of legal immigration and guest workers in key sectors, along with stiff controls against illegal entry and employers that exploit the situation. The House should have passed the bipartisan immigration bill, instead of refusing to bring it to the floor.
I support comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform. As a nonpartisan member of Congress, I will act as a bridge builder between both parties to take decisive and comprehensive action that secures our borders and respects legal immigration and human rights. I support permanent protection for dreamers and those who received temporary protected status.
We need to stand up to bullies in the world from a position of strength rather than coddling dictators and encouraging the kind of appeasement that led to WWII. This means supporting funding for Ukraine. I don’t want penny-wise-pound-foolish isolationism which will mean we'll end up having to use our own troops to clean up messes that eventually threaten our own security and well-being. Let's learn from, rather than hide from, history.
I want us to be strong in fair trade so we have markets to sell to, and low prices, rather than vanity trade wars and costly tariffs. We can do this with top wages for our current work force —in the high-tech realms but also for jobs in all basic trades, services, and vocations.
When Washington party politics produce gridlock and empty theatrics, we need a candidate who will vote across party lines. George Washington warned us what would happen if we put parties before people, district, state and nation. Let’s not choose a candidate who has personified George Washington’s biggest fear and warning. Vote for the true nonpartisan who will work from the middle to offset the toxic party polarization. Let’s get our parties working together to get stuff done.