My platform is built on three core principles: Fighting Fascism, Prioritizing Economic Justice, & Environmentalism. Starting with 10 policy proposals (the same amount of bills the incumbent has introduced in his years in congress) that fall under one or more of these principles. I am also fully in support of Medicare for All, student loan relief, and the Green New Deal. After that: I want to hear from you! How do you want your government to work for you? Email me at vote@jfk4il.com or come to one of our events!

But what are those 10 policy proposals?

1. Raise the tax rate on the highest income bracket by 10% & properly fund the IRS so they can ensure proper collection from the 1%. — No more letting those with the most steal from the rest of us. It’s about time everyone paid their fair share.

2. Climate Superfund legislation — a nationwide version of what they have already passed in Vermont and New York where polluters like Big Oil companies have their contribution to climate change calculated and must pay into a fund that will be used to mitigate climate harms, including ensuring healthcare funding for those who live in areas that have been affected by environmental toxins like in South Chicago, and pay for the transition to clean energy.

3. Regulate Private Equity — Private Equity landlords now own 10% of all US apartment units, that’s one in every ten, giving them a massive say in rent prices. In 2021 they bought up 25% of homes sold, keeping them out of the hands of first-time home buyers since investors can outbid individual families. Let alone the many companies that have gone out of business, the tens of thousands of workers laid off, because of these firms (RIP Joann’s). There were further regulations to this industry in 2023, but they were mostly meant to protect investors, not workers and those who use the business’s products and services. One specific reform being that loans taken out by Private Equity firms to purchase businesses must be taken out under the Private Equity firm, not the business being purchased. Another is to bar private equity from government real estate loans, as those are meant to help everyday Americans purchase housing, a necessity, not help corporations make profit.

4. Demilitarize the Police — The job of the police is to protect and serve the community, with that in mind, there is no reason for police forces to have military style weapons. From many high profile cases, it is clear that our society needs to rethink the role of the enactors of state sanctioned violence in our communities, and limiting the weaponry permitted by local law enforcement agencies is the first step. Members of the community are not enemy combatants, they are citizens who, even if they commit a crime, are entitled to due process. This would also allow the funds that are currently spent on this unnecessary weaponry to be diverted into social work and mental health programs in order to reduce crime rates.

5. Implement Federal Operational Public Transit Funding — While there is federal funding for constructing public transit, the operational costs fall firmly on State and Local governments which creates a barrier to construction as well as continued reliable service. In Chicago, the Regional Transit Authority is facing a $771 million budget deficit, and is looking at having to cut 40% of service, which would be devastating for the city. While the State needs to pass legislation quickly to be a stopgap, implementing federal support as soon as possible is essential to ensuring the long term health of Chicago’s public transit, as well as other transit systems around the country. This could be funded by the Climate Superfund.

6. Implement tax incentives for independently owned farms & farms practicing sustainable farming techniques — As more Illinois farmland is bought by corporate owners and leased back to farmers, forcing the continuation of environmentally unsustainable farming practices just so the farmers working the land can stay afloat, it’s important for the Federal Government to protect the people who do the work growing our food. This would make these small and environmentally conscious farms competitive within the market as they would have access to tax benefits like corporate structures do. It would also entail the creation of a conversion fund to assist farmers in their transition to more sustainable practices, with this being another use of the Climate Superfund.

7. Free school breakfast and lunch for all students K-12. — This policy was implemented during Covid and expired June 2022, showing that we can do this as a country, we are simply choosing not to. Honestly, there is no reason this should have stopped. All children deserve food. If we can’t do that as the richest country in the history of the Earth, then we have simply failed.

8. Transgender (or Perceived Transgender) Status Recognized for Hate Crime Protections Nationwide — Violence against transgender people has been on the rise, with black trans women the most at risk. This is because of the Republican Party’s obsession with a minority of people who simply want to live their lives in the way that feels most authentic to themselves. Republicans claim it’s to, “protect women,” and yet it’s actively putting even cisgendered women in danger. Kady Grass, a 19 year old cisgender woman, was beaten for trying to use a women’s restroom because two strangers thought she was a transwoman. Violence against anyone is unacceptable -- violence because of prejudice is even worse. The federal government needs to take a stand against this blatant discrimination and federalize hate crime protections for the transgender community.

9. Ban General Generative AI — We have multiple studies now showing things like ChatGPT damage our intelligence with its use, exacerbates the spread of fake news online, it’s terrible for the environment, and built off of stolen content. While it is possible to use this type of computing for limited specific jobs that it’s suited for, general generative AI such as ChatGPT is actively harmful and should not be legal to create or distribute. America should be the world leader on this type of technology, which it can be through proper regulation and the banning of certain forms that are more harmful than beneficial.

10. Increased federal funding for libraries. — Libraries are a fundamental part of communities that effectively provide essential services; such as providing children with free books, computer and internet access for everyone, providing a safe space for teenagers after school hours, as well as being third spaces, which have become rare. Libraries are a treasured American institution that no community should be without, and the federal government should increase support to compensate for local and state budgets allowing them to fall through the cracks.