Protecting democracy and our right to vote our leaders into office. Immediately followed by fair taxation/no inflation. Corporations and the ultra-wealthy must be required to pay their fair share. In many cases, as an example, corporations are a greater burden on our publicly-funded infrastructure and paying a fair share is the American way. Fair tax policy will lift some of the burden on individuals and families and place large corporations in a tax bracket that is more reflective of their heavier use of public infrastructure than the average citizen.

Jasmine Crockett of Texas. There are very few people in Congress, current and past, that I truly admire, but more and more I’m seeing people my age and younger who are bringing fire to the firefight and making a difference, and Rep. Crockett is a star. Her wit, her cadence, her style and her inability to tolerate fools is something we need. She’s sharp and well-informed, ready and willing to do the work but will call out unacceptable idiocy in open conversation. There are no smoke and mirrors on her watch. I look forward to working with her.

The American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Plan already passed by the Biden administration are good blueprints for what we need to do next. We need to, and President Biden has asked for, an expansion of the child tax credit. We can invest in first-time home buying programs, microgeneration of electricity and regulate fair sale rates back to the grid. We can expand our infrastructure investments to massively expand broadband, high-speed rail, airport, sea ports and shipping infrastructure. We can advance the goals of clean air, clean water, manage wildlife and expand our public lands, and still have businesses making money and growing our economy. We need to remind investors that investing in the tech for wind and solar will pay off both monetarily and socially in the future. And while I agree with many Biden policies, I don’t agree 100% of the time, and I’d work with the administration as much as possible to make sure that where we don’t agree we also do no harm.

I make no bones about the fact that I disagree with Mr. Trump on far more items than I agree with him, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100%, and just like with President Biden, I’d work to make sure that where we disagree we do no harm, and where we agree we work together to improve the lives of all Americans.

I would aim to drive economic growth, create fair taxation and establish fair compensation rules to reduce the federal deficit. We should be investing in education as the fastest way out of the deficit is innovations.

Fair taxation/No inflation. Corporations and the ultra-wealthy must be required to pay their fair share. Fair tax policy will lift some of the burden on individuals and families.

Fair compensation. Over the last five decades the playing field has tilted wildly in favor of the few ultra-wealthy and it’s time to level the playing field. We need to cap executive pay in relation to the pay of frontline workers. And, unions are the fastest way to regular wage increases so get a union.

Economic growth. Montana is the #1 state for entrepreneurs. We have a long, proud history of being hard workers and smart creators. We have the space to build things, including more housing, and transport things manufactured as we have the routes to distribute them.

I would support federal legislation that guarantees that all women will have access to health care, including abortion, on a national basis. It’s 2024 and I can’t believe we’re having to explain this to a whole national party, but women are human and deserve full human rights.

Making sure that first-time buyers have access to loans at good interest rates is important, and that we are investing money into growing communities to expand their housing inventory. That also means making sure that the majority of housing is available to homebuyers as opposed to private equity and for investment purposes so we’re reasonably ensuring housing availability for families without being in competition with for-profit operations. The credit score regulations are stacked against people, especially those in their 20s and 30s. We need to adjust the regulations on credit scores so rental history counts towards your ability to qualify for a loan, and not using a credit card has a positive impact on your score rather than impacting your score negatively. Additionally, reducing the wage gap at every business will improve things for everyone, while fighting greedflation and the price gouging that’s currently driving up the costs of living for everyone will help.

Science says we have 10 years. We’ve all watched as winters have gotten warmer and less snow has fallen. In Montana we have the constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. We that enshrined for every U.S. citizen. In Montana we have a deep love for our outdoor heritage. We can take advantage of our healthful environment, by encouraging active family lifestyles via walkable communities, which would also reduce the emissions that threaten the landscapes we love. Public lands are a precious resource as land availability is finite. To maintain open spaces we should encourage the creation of community development with smart density population growth rather than disconnected suburban sprawl. Addressing climate change is also a necessity for the rural livelihood of our farmers and ranchers because sudden and/or extreme weather events caused by climate change can devastate crops and significantly change the care needed (and cost involved) in raising crops to a successful harvest.

The security needed at our southern border is, in part, a symptom of immigration laws that are too complicated. The immigration system needs to be improved upon significantly and treating people with humanity should not take a backseat to any other interest. Reducing the over-adversarial stance of our immigration policy, combined with funding the research and investigative arms, will mean faster ways for good people to move here, which will ultimately help us grow.

None of this happens without the funding and authorization to do so, and that comes from Congress getting its act together and actually passing comprehensive border reform. We can do this. It takes time and dedication and elected officials who are interested in finding solutions. It takes someone like me, a fighter who knows when not to fight.

Health literally equates to wealth so the healthier we are as a country, the wealthier we will all be and our overall economy will be stronger as well. Medicare should be expanded to everyone as a public option, and Medicare and Medicaid must be allowed, like all other health care insurers, to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies on the costs of treatments. We’ve seen lives improve when people have access to affordable, quality health care. Healthy people stay healthy because they aren’t afraid a regular check-up is going to bankrupt them. Healthy people with access to preventative care are also able to focus their energy on careers and business ideas, rather than struggling to be well. It’s well past time that we all agree that making sure someone can see a doctor when a little issue arises without fear of losing their jobs or facing bankruptcy, is better than having someone wait till they need to hit the ER for help.