The Land Of The Free: An American Political Roleplay (IC)

[Bruke]

Senator Karel Volek @Karel Volek One of the interns helped me changed my Twitter handle.... whatever that means. Anyways, I'd like to thank Congresswoman Simone for welcoming me to social media. I know I said I wouldn't pontificate, but this ain't pontificatin, is it? -Karel

[Sarenium]

Norfolk, VA
February 15, 2019

In front of an audience estimated at over 9,000, Jillian Dayton stood on the stage. She hadn't expected to make such a speech, she remembered in January of 2017 the list of '2020 Dems' being circulated included her name as a 'far stretch'. "If she runs, I would be surprised" was how one pundit had worded it "too inexperienced" another had said. Four years as a Governor, six as a Congresswoman and if she wins, two as a Senator, and with gentle ferocity, she would put up a fight. She looked out at the audience, it was surprising that almost 10 thousand had turned out to see her, she had not expected anymore than four thousand at most. Her successor in her old Congressional District introduced her, "and so ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for one of the finest Senators that Virginia has ever had, Senator Jillian Dayton!"

Dayton walked on, waving and shook her successor's hand, and approached the lectern.

"My fellow Americans, when looking to the future, the lessons of the past come second only to those of the present, as a Senator I have taken questions, asked questions, put my name on bills and stood for American values. The one question I keep getting asked to which I have no answer, is how I believe the United States will look in future," she paused, "for the future of our United States I would begin with a glimpse at the history of Virginia's history. We find ourselves in the footsteps of the likes of Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Wilson, three Presidents who collectively represent diametrically opposing ideas in governance. Jefferson and Wilson would never have agreed on the extent to which Government should be employed as a tool for nation building, much as Jefferson disagreed with Hamilton. Washington would likely not have concurred with Wilson on tariffs and Jefferson and Washington are known to have disagreements on the use of political parties. Three Virginians, three Presidents, all who presented such radically different ideas and all who were able to work within an at times, adversarial political climate.”

“Wilson whose ideas struggled to become a reality, Jefferson whose ideas he himself compromised on and Washington whose greatest idea was the facilitation of honesty and compromise in governance. Compromise in governance, more than two hundred years on from the creation of our United States, the simplistic truths of compromise in governance, and honesty have been eroded in favour of belittlement by leaders across our country," she paused again, grimacing, "the future of our United States is exciting, scary, hopeful, uncertain, bright or dark, these are forever tenants of the home of the brave and land of the free, we accepted this nature in our future when our forefathers embarked on the American experiment two and a half centuries ago. Today, there are those who believe that the only way forward is through the supplement of the old with a new structure while there are others who believe the way forward is through a return to older times.”

“These are not ideas or solutions, but whinges born of laziness. The future of our United States is in our hands, it is in the hands of voters, of citizens, of all Americans. President Johnson spoke of a Great Society, President Kennedy inspired service above self-enrichment and President Roosevelt gave every American a New Deal.”

“Their ideas guided our nation, they fought for those ideas in the arena of ideas, not an arena of individuals. It is in that history that I am reminded of the tenacity of the American people, a tenacity that to this day is the reason why we are a just and mighty people.”

“The time is now to put fairness first. Every American child born today, tomorrow or ever should not have their fate decided by the mistakes or triumphs of their parents! It is unfair that multimillionaires buy their children’s admissions into Ivy League schools while those all other Americans must work hard to earn their keep!

It is unfair that your zip code can determine your life expectancy!

It is unfair that our veterans return to find themselves ignored by a system designed to prioritize their concerns!

It is unfair that workers live paycheque to paycheque while CEOs accept bonuses to the tune of millions!

It is unfair that voters can be packed into districts diluting their voting power!

It is our responsibility to put fairness first! Fairness in opportunity, fairness from the beginning, for every American. It is in the pursuit of that fairness in opportunity for all Americans that I announce before you today, my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States! Thank you all, speak up, and together we can put fairness first!”

[Azekopolaltion]

(Image) Senator Karel Volek @Karel Volek One of the interns helped me changed my Twitter handle.... whatever that means. Anyways, I'd like to thank Congresswoman Simone for welcoming me to social media. I know I said I wouldn't pontificate, but this ain't pontificatin, is it? -Karel (Image)

Tim Westra
@WestraNJ
timwestra.com

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@KarelVolek should be very thankful he's not a boomer, the jokes would have been merciless. Welcome to twitter, Senator!

[Meelducan]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

“Not as much as I usually do,” John replied. “I try to get down here just after the election to welcome the my freshmen, but work, among other things, have got me pinned down in New York City. It’s quite a shame that I haven’t got down, but business is business.”

He stopped to take a drink of the water.

“But you seem to have caught me at the right time, it seems business has brought me down here and it was perfect timing for this meeting.”

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Irpac Offices, New York City

John listened closely to what the woman was saying, he didn't expect her to take him up on his offer, it was simply too early, but he wanted to know where he stood.

"That is quite unfortunate Carrie, but let me be clear, that offer will remain open to you." He took a short pause. "I like you, Carrie. You have great experience in foreign policy and a good track record. So please do think over the offer, or you never know, a primary challenger might be approaching." John joked.

"The current candidates for the nomination are distasteful, we have people like Westra who will alienate the more moderate voters of the party and possibly the swing state voters. Diane alienated (not-Sanders) supporters greatly, they didn't want another moderate Washington political insider, they wanted someone with new ideas." He took a pause. "I'm not saying Diane was a bad candidate, I just think she could've done more for that side of the party. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I've been in the business for many years now, I have learned to accept and work with others who I might not agree one hundred percent with, that's why I think I'd be a better candidate than the others. But I can understand your concern with the vote splitting, I'd also be concerned."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"How about moving up in the House leadership? If the executive isn't your type of thing, I think you could make a fine leader or even a committee chair. Not one of the smaller committees, one of the major ones."

"The problem with the core of Baginski voters, Mister Donaldson, is that they won't vote for -anyone- except Baginski. It's the Wolf Pack of the left. That wasn't Diane's fault, that she refused to play into his irresponsible promise-everything style of politics." She exhaled. "But I agree that you are abundantly qualified, at any rate, far more qualified than someone like Wolf. I think you would make a very good President. But I need to wait and see the polling. I appreciate the offers you're making, truly, though you have to be able to win to promise me that. It would be... bad business for me to make an investment before I've got all the relevant data, wouldn't it?"

[Dentali]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

“Not as much as I usually do,” John replied. “I try to get down here just after the election to welcome the my freshmen, but work, among other things, have got me pinned down in New York City. It’s quite a shame that I haven’t got down, but business is business.”

He stopped to take a drink of the water.

“But you seem to have caught me at the right time, it seems business has brought me down here and it was perfect timing for this meeting.”

"Well its perfect timing for a bunch of reasons, the primary seems to be heating up" Moore pulls up a tweet on his phone for Donaldson so see "I don't know if you saw but Senator Dayton just got in the race a few minutes ago."

[Meelducan]

Irpac Offices, New York City

"I don't know, sometimes a risky investment pays off greatly," John said with a smile. "But I can understand why you wouldn't want to play all your cards at once. It's a wise choice from you and I respect that."

"But you're definitely not taking a run in the primary for the nomination?"

[Meelducan]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

"I did hear a few whispers from Virginia, but I didn't assume it was Dayton. It was surprising, but a good move for her. Although a Twitter announcement? I don't think it would have been the best move." John stopped. "But to answer your question, I didn't know she was even considering a run, let alone announcing one."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Irpac Offices, New York City

"I don't know, sometimes a risky investment pays off greatly," John said with a smile. "But I can understand why you wouldn't want to play all your cards at once. It's a wise choice from you and I respect that."

"But you're definitely not taking a run in the primary for the nomination?"

"Me?" She laughed at the idea, finding it almost blindsiding. "Who'd want me to be President? That's insane. You can't tell me that there's appetite for someone like me in the Presidential field."

[Dentali]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

"I did hear a few whispers from Virginia, but I didn't assume it was Dayton. It was surprising, but a good move for her. Although a Twitter announcement? I don't think it would have been the best move." John stopped. "But to answer your question, I didn't know she was even considering a run, let alone announcing one."

"No she held a rally and had a bunch of fanfare, i just saw it on twitter" Moore said clarifying, "I asked you here to talk 2020 actually... You're one of the most prolific members of the party, and I wanted to coordinate my efforts with you. I worry greatly about the attitudes of some in the field, and their positions... this take no prisoners, accept no compromise progressive... more than anyone else I want a nominee that can actually win the general, I want an electoral rout... and when we have a clear candidate who can do that I want some key figures like you and I to endorse and support them."

[Dentali]

Joint Benjamin Little & Nathaniel Richardson Press Conference
February 18th, 2019
North Charleston, South Carolina

Little: To address any problem in an appropriate manner, it is imperative that we diagnose the cause. Urban violence is an issue that continues to be ignored by politicians on both sides of the aisle who find it more convenient to keep the national conversation focused on topics they feel more comfortable speaking about. But violence in our inner cities contributes to issues that we prefer to focus on in abstract terms - like racial injustice and poverty. This topic is personal to me, as a former mayor of an inner city who grappled with how I could reduce violence while treating my community, the black community, with the respect that it deserves. At the national level, providing a consolidated fund for community intervention will allow us to identify unconsidered contributors to violence and will then allow us to craft solutions. This method has been tried at the local level with a proven record of success. And our commitment to this issue transcends party lines – there is a very real possibility that Governor Richardson and I will be facing each other in the 2020 general election. But it’s past time to provide this issue with the attention that it deserves and so desperately needs. Politicians in my party keep running their mouths about an America where black boys feel safe on the streets. As a black man, I feel my party has decided to only focus on the police brutality aspect and ignore the much wider issue facing black youth which is inner-city gun violence. So I am more than happy that Governor Richardson has decided to treat this issue with the care that it needs; it displays his commitment, a joint commitment, to actually saving lives in our communities.

Richardson: Thank you Senator Little, thank you for crossing the partisan divide and showing that we can come together on some things. Now I know what a lot of you are thinking, that this is a publicity stunt. Well you’re right… it is a publicity stunt, Senator Little and I hoped that by having Presidential candidates from both parties uniting on a solution to an issue it will draw more attention to it.

We are facing daily violence in cities all over the country, communities where people have seemingly given up being productive members of society and society has given up on them. It is the bigotry of low expectations. In many cities we have a lost generation, children in gang infested neighborhoods that turn to crime not just out of poverty but as a result of familial, cultural and community breakdown. A generation of kids without real values, without morality, and with nothing to lose.

This initiative... More than anything invests in community leadership… allowing communities to take back their streets and have a functioning society. Its data driven and proven to work, its not a theory based on guesswork, this is driven by real people from the communities most affected over 30 years. This is not the finish line, this is the first leg of a race to save our cities, a race that we must run and we will win. Thank you and God bless.

THE RICHARDSON/LITTLE URBAN VIOLENCE INITIATIVE

Communities in Crisis

Nearly 120,000 people are shot annually in the United States, some 30,000 die every year and tens of thousands more sustain injuries that stay with them for the rest of their lives. For comparison, over the 20 years America spent involved in Vietnam, 58,000 Americans lost their lives.

This violence disproportionately affects the impoverished minority communities in our inner cities. Young black men are 6% of our population but are victims of more than half of our gun homicides each year, while young African American men have a higher chance of dying from a gunshot than a car crash.

As we focus more and more on the prevention of Mass Shooting incidents, understandably and justifiably so, we cannot lose sight of the day to day gun violence in our cities. This is America’s shared problem that will require investment of money, time, and care. But through smart and effective data-driven solutions, we can reduce violence in our urban spaces substantially.

Gun violence is estimated to cost Americans $229 billion annually – that’s $700 for every American year after year. Even those who do not live in communities most affected by gun violence face its effects, impacting where they can live, work, travel, and go to school. Gun violence costs us in raised taxes to hire more police, pay medical bills, and to protect the innocent caught in the crossfire. This is all to say nothing of the loss of the potential of thousands of young people every year.

Community Intervention

Over the years we have seen that community intervention programs are among the most effective methods to curtailing gun violence. These are programs that focus on a small portion of the population, a few hundred per city, that are the chief trigger pullers responsible for the majority of the gun violence we see every year. Community intervention programs have been able to cut homicide rates as much as half in under 2 years. Additionally intervention prevents the crimes that contribute to mass incarceration in communities of color.

Gun Violence Intervention has its roots in Operation Ceasefire in Boston during the 1990s. At the time, the youth homicide rate was rampant, but within 2 years of being implemented Operation Ceasefire had cut youth homicide by over 60%. It was dubbed the Boston Miracle.

While the strategies have been updated, the core of the program has continued and been adopted successfully in cities across the country. The community forms a team of law enforcement, social services, local organizations, local leaders and reformed criminals, they then gather data on the small subset of individuals responsible and most at risk of gun violence, communicate to the groups and individuals offering social services and community support while continually keeping up the pressure of law enforcement, and then they follow through providing either social services or legal consequences.

Through partnerships with the community, GVIs are able to communicate a zero tolerance policy for further violence, a community determined and able to intervene before violence takes place, and a strong offer of support for those willing to take it.

Why it works

Gun Violence Initiatives work because they are narrowly focused, not trying to address all the social issues present in a community at once, the Initiative is simply trying to stop the bleeding, stop the homicides and everyday gun violence. This is triage.

0.5% of the cities population is linked to 60% or more of a city’s annual gun violence. A 30 year study of Boston for example showed 74% of gun violence occurred in 5% of the city. Because GVIs are focused on that small group they are able to much more effectively deploy limited resources both in terms of time, money and sheer manpower.

It is also a partnership between communities, police, and social services. In too many areas relations with police are strained. An approach that puts community first while maintaining the constant threat of police enforcement in response to violent behavior will help repair relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The trigger pullers are more likely to listen to members of their own community than law enforcement who are often viewed as an other.

Record of Success

Boston, Massachusetts: 61% reduction in youth homicides over 2 years
Indianapolis, Indiana : 34% reduction in homicides each month
Stockton, California: 42% reduction in monthly gun homicides,
Lowell, Massachusetts: 44% reduction in monthly gun homicides
Chicago, Illinois: 23% reduction in overall shootings
Cincinnati, Ohio: 35% reduction in monthly homicides
New Orleans, Louisiana: 32% reduction in group related homicides

Funding

We are calling for $600 million over the next 10 years in the form of a grant program for Gun Violence Initiatives. As Gun Violence costs our nation over $200 billion a year, without even considering the loss of life one cannot put a price on, this is a sound investment that could reduce gun violence across the country significantly saving tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Unity of Purpose

This Initiative has been written by Democratic Senator Benjamin Little of Maryland, and Republican Governor Nathanial Richardson of North Carolina, both running for their respective party’s nomination in 2020. The epidemic of violence in our country has no one remedy, no one solution and on much we disagree. But when we do agree, when the data clearly shows a workable solution, we have a moral duty to move forward.

[Fronket]

Senator Ben Little
@MarylandSen

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So happy that @GovernorRichardson and I could work together to roll out a plan to establish a federal grant program for community intervention so that we can tackle urban violence head-on. This isn't a glamorous issue, and is ignored by both parties. It deserves this bipartisan attention. #UrbanViolenceSolutions2020

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Rep. Carrie Simone
@SimoneNY12

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Creditable to see @MarylandSen and @GovernorRichardson pushing for positive anti-gun violence policy on a bipartisan level. All too frequently, Republican lawmakers have viciously opposed measures to reduce gun-related crimes that cost thousands of American lives every year. Let's hope that this is the pilot light for a thorough push to fighting gun violence with the same vigor as any other pestilence.

[Puertollano]

Iowa City, Iowa
Levi Murphy Rally
Feb 10th




"Hello, Iowa City. I always enjoy visiting smaller, metropolitan cities like your city here. That's because you really brings you back to your roots and reminds you of who you serve and who you are supposed to serve when you are elected President of the United States of America. People often get caught up in Washington D.C. and lose their connections to the real people who they serve - instead, these career politicians take the advice from their specially picked advisers and lobbyists embedded in their offices. I'm proud to having never taken their advice or money before, because they are not advising you about the positive steps in the future for this country, they are telling you how you can continue to line their pockets. Luckily, I maintained my sanity while in the Senate, but I have realized I will go insane if things keep going as they are!

The system is so blatantly rigged against working people in this country, against working people in Iowa, the Mid West, from sea to shining sea. President Wolf played to the pulse of Iowa when he ran for election in 2016, by speaking the good-game on the anti-worker trade deals such as NAFTA and the TPP, but once he was elected, he turned his back on the people that got him elected. That's why, I believe, the Republicans will have a tough time being re-elected if we, Democrats, select a nominee that will wrestle back the working-class voters that were duped in 2016. Yes, you were lied to. Yes, Wolf then turned around and gave massive tax cuts to the mega rich and wealthy and for large corporations. Yes, he only made the big corporate tax rate permanent, not the tax scraps he gave to us. It's obvious that he is not in favor of the working class, poor and the working poor. He's working for the swamp, that he personally picked from the big banks and massive polluters. If you send me in there, Iowa, I'm going to drain the swamp. And drain Wolf and his cronies out, for good.

That's part of the plan, the other is to remove the corruption that has permeated Washington D.C. for too long now. I will not only overturn Citizens United, but I will ban corporate donations through an amendment and I will outlaw lobbyists and special interests in Washington D.C. You may here this from many other candidates that they want to overturn Citizens United, but you need to understand that it is not enough. Overturning it will say that money is not speech, but you've also got to remove the PACs, remove the lobbyists and ban their influence entirely. It's really simple, but that's one trick they have been using to portray themselves to be on the right side of history. When really, they're taking a a weaker position than they really could be taking. That's step one, removing the corruption from our political system, once the swamp is cleared, we can make great headway into the important issues - such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and transportation. I also want to pass an 2nd Bill of Rights that make free and universal access to all of this permanent. That's because receiving healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Housing is a right, not a privilege. Education is a right, not a privilege. These are things that belong to everyone, not just the rich and elite.

I thank you all for coming around this evening. I'm trying to build a strong coalition of working class people that are sick and tired of the President, sick and tired of the two major parties and are sick and tired of the system that refuses to stand-up for the people of Iowa. If you can trust me with your vote, you can be sure that I will not take the partisan position, the Democrat position, I will take the good position. Actually not good, the best position for working families, the youth and our elderly members of society. I'm not even a fan of Democratic leadership! I will be the first to admit that, because, they too will need to take a look at their corporate contributions and reluctance to support universal healthcare and tuition-free university. So please, if you have a few nickels to spare, please donate to our campaign. It's not mine, it's our campaign. If you can, please volunteer to build a stronger future. I want to build a America that works for the many, not the few. Thank you."

[Azekopolaltion]

---

Tim Westra 2020
Manchester, New Hampshire
February 16th, 2019

---

Tim had rented out a small public school gym to hold a rally/meet and greet. The crowd was not very large - the gym was nowhere near packed. But Tim knew that an important aspect of campaigning in early states was personal interaction. They played a few Bruce Springsteen hits on the speakers, had two of his surrogates speak on the stage, and then Tim approached the podium.

"Before starting, I'd like to stop and thank the Green Acres School for so graciously accommodating us today. The efforts of this campaign are really boosted by the actions of everyone in our wider community, and I'm so grateful that folks on the school board allowed us to use this space. I'm also so thankful for the tremendous energy of the grassroots supporters and volunteers who are the real heroes of this primary."

"I would like you to close your eyes and imagine it's Election Day 2020. The Democratic nominee will be giving America a wake-up call. Wake up, America. The fossil fuel companies, the war contractors, the banks, all of corporate America - they seized the economy and have added trillions in unproductive spending to the national debt in the form of wars and tax cuts for themselves. We now pay five times more for higher education, five times more for defense, and twice what we paid for health care."

"Millions of Americans are stuck in abysmally low-paying jobs, so many have been evicted from their homes, they're left without health care, without pensions. Trillions of dollars for unnecessary wars, a bailout for the banks, and tax cuts for the billionaire class, paid for with their borrowed money."

"If there was an Olympics for misleading, mismanaging and misappropriating, this administration would take the gold. World records for violations of national and international laws. They want another four-year term to continue to alienate our allies, spend our children's inheritance and hollow out our economy."

"We can't afford another neoliberal or Republican administration. Wake up, America. The insurance companies took over health care. Wake up, America. The pharmaceutical companies took over drug pricing. Wake up, America. The speculators took over Wall Street. Wake up, America. They want to take your Social Security. Wake up, America. Multinational corporations took over our trade policies, factories are still closing, good paying jobs lost."

"This administration can tap our phones. They can't tap our creative spirit. They can open our mail. They can't open economic opportunities. They can track our every move. They lost track of the economy for working people. They skillfully played our post-9/11 fears and allowed the few to profit at the expense of the many."

"Wake up, America. This is not a call for you to take a new direction from right to left. This is call for you to go from down to up. Up with the rights of workers. Up with wages. Up with fair trade. Up with creating millions of good paying jobs, rebuilding our bridges, ports and water systems. Up with creating millions of sustainable energy jobs to lower the cost of energy, lower carbon emissions and protect the environment."

"Up with health care for all. Up with education for all. Up with home ownership. Up with guaranteed retirement benefits. Up with peace. Up with prosperity. Up with our working class campaign to restore justice to the White House."

"We are all children of God. We all deserve to operate under America's promise. We all deserve to be treated with dignity. The poor. The hungry. The wretched. This is their country too!"

"These are values we all agree on, whether we call ourselves progressives, conservatives, independents, Democrats, or Republicans. These are values our mothers have taught us since before preschool. The value of honesty. The value of compassion. The value of sharing. So why does the Washington elite run away from these values when it comes time to use them?"

"It's because the system is rotten to its core. The corporate fat cats buy the souls of our elected officials, so that our vote no longer counts. Our democracy died the day the parties ran away from working people and got in bed with the corporate lobbyists. But this campaign will signal to the establishment: your time is up. We have no corporate donors, no Super PAC, no closed-door fundraisers. This is powered by the people."

"Friends, let us rise up! Let us rise up in solidarity and scream to the elitists who ignore us: we are worthy of your respect! We will put workers first! We will unite, and you will understand that your time is up."

"Thank you, Manchester! If you want to become part of our worker-led movement to reclaim our country from corporate stranglehold, go to my website, timwestra.com, and become a volunteer or become a grassroots donor today."

Tim then invited supporters to line up and take selfies, and he chatted with individuals in the crowd. He was confident that, with a first place finish here in New Hampshire and in Nevada coupled with a solid performance in Iowa, he would be well positioned to make a run at the nomination.

[Azekopolaltion]

Tim Westra 2020: Federal Jobs Guarantee

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We have the ways and means to hire the unemployed. We can do so via a universal public service job guarantee, whose aim is to secure the right to paid work for even the least fortunate among us.

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The conservative and neoliberal approach to social programs has evolved in sophistication over the decades. With frontal assaults on Social Security and Medicaid having been badly beaten back, the GOP has repackaged its attempt to roll back these programs by putting recipients to work.

Work requirements were the cornerstone of the 1996 welfare reform, and each subsequent assault on public benefits has used them to kick in the door. Want food stamps? Work. Want Medicaid? Work. Want disability benefits? Work.

Tim believes in the dignity of work, and wants to encourage employment. He's even proposed the biggest tax credit program in history to supplement the pay of low-income workers. But one aspect of poverty reduction is going missing in modern times: unemployment.

Yes, unemployment is low. But that doesn't render the millions of unemployed people irrelevant. These are people who have been left behind without job due to various factors - bad trade deals, a lack of disability accommodations, and the inability to get a college degree.

If working is so important, then why shouldn’t the government provide a job directly to somebody who can’t find one?

The government can accomplish this by creating a public option for jobs. It would be a permanent, federally funded, and locally administered program that supplies voluntary employment opportunities on demand for all who are ready and willing to work at a living wage.

The private sector does not absorb stigmatized workers — those that are formerly incarcerated, black, disabled — at the same rate that it does non-stigmatized workers. A job guarantee would enable workers, particularly at the lower end of the labor market, but throughout the labor market too. It would remove the threat of unemployment and of being destitute.

By making living-wage work available to anyone who wants it, the program would also establish a de facto wage floor, forcing private sector employers to match the kinds of wages, working conditions, and benefits available to workers through the public sector. It would get rid of involuntary unemployment altogether.

Polling on the idea of a job guarantee from Data for Progress and Civis Analytics found that 52 percent of those surveyed support the idea of promising “ job to every American adult, with the government providing jobs for people who can’t find employment in the private sector, paid for tax increases on the wealthy. Support for a job guarantee has 62 and 55 percent support among black and Latino voters, respectively. The idea enjoys overwhelming support across state lines and has comparable backing among rural and urban voters.

This isn’t a new idea, or a particularly radical one.

The first tenet of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1944 Economic Bill of Rights is the “right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation.” In a dissenting Supreme Court opinion in 1972 — in a case on alleged discrimination in the firing of a Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh professor — Justice Thurgood Marshall contended that the right to a job was guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. “Every citizen who applies for a government job,” he wrote, “is entitled to it unless the government can establish some reason for denying the employment. This is the ‘property’ right that I believe is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment and that cannot be denied ‘without due process of law.’ And it is also liberty — liberty to work — which is the ‘very essence of the personal freedom and opportunity’ secured by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Here's Tim Westra's full propose to guarantee a federal job to all those who wish to work for their bread and butter:

THE FEDERAL JOBS GUARANTEE

Tim’s Job Guarantee plan is a targeted approach at putting people to work in order to eliminate involuntary unemployment, raise wages across the board, improve working conditions, and thus improve our entire economy.

At the macroeconomic level, unemployment is understood as a monetary problem, a consequence of business cycles dynamics and profit-seeking firms behavior as well as the State’s inadequate management of the currency and the monetary system. It's also a situation that cannot be remedied by private firms. The private sector is unable to produce and maintain tight full employment over the long run.

The costs of these social and economic ills— both in real and financial terms—are already “paid for” by the economy and society at large. And they are expensive. By eliminating involuntary unemployment, we will actually be improving economic growth by encouraging consumption and decreasing inequality that is making our growth unsustainable.

There's also more than enough work to be done in our country. America needs to lead the world in the transition away from fossil fuels and towards a society that is powered by renewable energy. Our roads and bridges - our infrastructure in its entirety - is in desperate need of revitalization. If the government does not hire people to deal with climate change now, and if the government does not hire people to fix our infrastructure now, we will face tremendous economic consequences later.

This is how a job guarantee would work:

- The program would be permanent but voluntary. The program is supposed to be permanent. It offers employment opportunities in the community to perform socially useful work. It would be phased in by identifying regions destitute of employment, offering grants to those regions in order to employ those who wish to have a job. Eventually, it would extend to the entire country.

- It would be federally funded, but locally administered. Since it is an employment safety net, and for financial sustainability reasons, the program would be funded by the federal government, but primarily administered by local and municipal governments, nonprofits and/or social enterprises, and cooperatives.

- It would guarantee a living wage. The work would offer a wage-benefit package, establishing a floor to living incomes. The wage in this proposal is $15 per hour plus benefits, indexed to inflation.

- It would not be a workfare program. The program would not require people to work for their existing benefits (e.g., Medicare, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP], Head Start, etc.).

- It's envisioned as a safety net and a transitional jobs program. As a safety net, it gives opportunities to anyone who wishes to work at the base wage-benefit package, irrespective of their labor market status or situation. As a transitional program, it serves as a stepping stone to paid work—from unemployment to employment or from JG employment to other forms of private, public, and nonprofit employment.

- It would fit federal jobs to people. It would meetspeople where they are in terms of ability. It provides suitable, useful work opportunities, designed to be appropriate for the education or skill level of the applicant.

- Invests in people, communities, the public good, and the environment. It would offer training, education, and apprenticeship opportunities. The plan aims to match unfilled community needs with unemployed or underemployed people who could work to meet them. It separates the offer of employment from the profitability of employment. Projects would be created to serve community needs, rather than prioritizing whether the projects are deemed “profitable” in the narrow sense. Finally, the program would heavily focus on addressing environmental concerns by transforming our electrical grid, our public housing, and our infrastructure as a whole to meet the goals of carbon neutrality by 2035.

HOW DO WE PAY FOR A JOBS GUARANTEE?

Versions of this plan have been studied by policy think tanks; at minimum, estimates project it would hire about 12 million people, while maximum estimates state that 17 million Americans would be hired. All of them would be paid $15/hr at minimum.

The bottom line is a full-scale federal jobs guarantee would likely attract millions of participants and would dramatically reduce unemployment and underemployment for American workers.

What's the price tag? An estimated $5 trillion in a decade. Luckily, that's covered for in my most recent tax plan, which is estimated to raise $15 trillion in a decade.

There’s something for everyone in a federal jobs guarantee. Everybody’s wish list could go into this: child care, arts, infrastructure, a green energy revolution. Everything can fit under the notion that the government has the resources, and the American people can provide the labor to rebuild the country. It transforms our political discourse away from a vision of scarcity and precarity and toward one of abundance and dignity, and communal thriving.

[Meelducan]

Irpac Offices, New York City

"You never know, we've had a lot of stranger candidates in the past few election cycles." John chuckled. "But if you're not running in the presidential election, that'll put us in a much better working relationship. And there is a high possibility of you receiving some funds from a generous donor for your house race. Of course, that is if you want donations from well off donors."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Irpac Offices, New York City

"You never know, we've had a lot of stranger candidates in the past few election cycles." John chuckled. "But if you're not running in the presidential election, that'll put us in a much better working relationship. And there is a high possibility of you receiving some funds from a generous donor for your house race. Of course, that is if you want donations from well off donors."

"Mister Donaldson, I'm a Democrat in New York City. How much donor money do I really need?" She smiled shrewdly, meshing her fingers together and resting them in her lap as she thought everything over. "Of course, this does complicate things. It does mean that I'll need to put you in the room with Little and Whitaker when it comes time to finally hammer out which one of you is strong enough to beat probably-Richardson."

[Meelducan]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

"You know Senator, I normally don't endorse candidates until they win the primary. Most of these 'progressive' candidates normally take the position of 'take no prisoners' and 'accept no compromise' and it isn't great for the party."

John took another drink of his water, thinking harder.

"I'm currently quite divided on the primaries myself, you see I'm considering a run myself, nothing set in stone of course." He paused. "None of the current candidates bring me much hope, the majority seem to be this new kind of 'progressive' that don't seem to try and include the moderate base of voters. But who knows, The primaries aren't for another while. Anything could happen."

[Dentali]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

"You know Senator, I normally don't endorse candidates until they win the primary. Most of these 'progressive' candidates normally take the position of 'take no prisoners' and 'accept no compromise' and it isn't great for the party."

John took another drink of his water, thinking harder.

"I'm currently quite divided on the primaries myself, you see I'm considering a run myself, nothing set in stone of course." He paused. "None of the current candidates bring me much hope, the majority seem to be this new kind of 'progressive' that don't seem to try and include the moderate base of voters. But who knows, The primaries aren't for another while. Anything could happen."

Moore physically chokes on his water a bit as he said he was taken aback by Donaldson suggestion he would run "I am going to be honestly John... I had no idea you were considering a run. Have you been thinking about it long?"

[Meelducan]

Irpac Offices, New York City

"As I said, people get primaried all the time," John smiled. "If you did manage to find a way to get us all in the room, I think I'd come out of it victorious." John laughed.

Through his smile, he slowly looked over Carrie, before making a judgment on her.

"Of course, I am willing to talk to other candidates. If that is the most diplomatic thing to do?"

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Irpac Offices, New York City

"As I said, people get primaried all the time," John smiled. "If you did manage to find a way to get us all in the room, I think I'd come out of it victorious." John laughed.

Through his smile, he slowly looked over Carrie, before making a judgment on her.

"Of course, I am willing to talk to other candidates. If that is the most diplomatic thing to do?"

"Mister Donaldson, if you start backing someone to primary me, do you really want the story of your presidential campaign to be that you tried to bounce a respected congresswoman into backing you? It's not worth the fuss for either of us." She tutted a little, shaking her head. "I appreciate your clout, and what you can do for the party, and I'm not your enemy. We just have to look at the math, total the results, and see what's what. Despite all this talk of Wolf defying the polling, the polling was actually largely accurate, people were just doing a bullshit job of reading it."

"Talk to me about foreign policy though. If you're really trying to pitch yourself to me, then you know that's what I singularly care about most."

[Meelducan]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

"Not that long James, it was actually suggested to me by a few people just after the midterms. But like I said, nothing is set and stone yet. I feel like we need a real moderate in the race, not these wolves in sheep's clothing candidates."

Pausing, John reached into his coat and grabbed a pen.

"From your reaction, I can tell that you're in shock." John chuckled.

[Dentali]

Senator James Moore's Office, Washington D.C

"Not that long James, it was actually suggested to me by a few people just after the midterms. But like I said, nothing is set and stone yet. I feel like we need a real moderate in the race, not these wolves in sheep's clothing candidates."

Pausing, John reached into his coat and grabbed a pen.

"From your reaction, I can tell that you're in shock." John chuckled.

"Why President? Why not run for Governor or even Mayor of New York?"

[Meelducan]

Irpac Offices, New York City

"Who said I was going to back another candidate?" John asked. "As long as you don't become a thorn in my side, Carrie, you will be fine. But you're far from a thorn currently, we should keep it that way."

"As for my foreign policy, you'll be the first person I call Carrie." John gave a weak smile.