Equal Health Care, Education Equality, and Economic Empowerment
The Economy Isn’t Working for Everyone
It shouldn’t matter if you work a 40-hour week at a fast food chain or in the executive branch of a multi-national corporation, you should be able to make a wage that covers basic costs. But in the Bentonville area, you know it’s difficult to keep our current lifestyle with the increasing cost of everything in the area. Yet our Republican led legislature has done nothing to address this problem, either through rent control, addressing wages, or addressing general population health.
Living Wages
One of the solutions to this problem is tying living wages to the income of the entire workforce and costs of the local economy. No one can live on the “minimum wage.” For example, let’s take Tom. Due to his special licensing and long-term service,Tom is earning $2.50 more per hour than new employees earning minimum wage. However, if the minimum wage is increased by $3 an hour, Tom would be making less than newcomers. The employer is under no obligation to increase others’ pay when they increase the minimum wage. By insisting on a living wage, all hourly wages would need to go up in lockstep.
Renter Rights
Most of the rental agreements favor the landlords and give little relief or protections to renters. They can raise rents almost at will, regardless of whether or not the average wage in Arkansas will cover that raise. I’ll work to protect fair housing practices and define renter rights and protections.
Health Care
Whether you have just arrived in this country or were born here, you have the right to access health care at an affordable cost. Yet, many wage earners have little or no health insurance. Since the federal government has ended subsidies for the ACA and slashed benefits for Medicaid recipients, it’s up to the state to step up. Yet our current legislature hasn’t done anything. In fact, they’ve made it worse. They’ve made it more difficult–not less–for people to qualify for affordable health care.
Everyone deserves a living wage, not a minimum wage.
Health Care Access Needs Improvement
Health issues are a big concern for me. Currently, I work for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and I’ve seen first hand how the state has made it more difficult for parents to qualify for insurance to protect their children. The barriers of culture and language are seldom recognized or addressed by the legislature. The state’s stance to eliminate DEI efforts altogether puts the health of our citizens at risk.
If you elect me to the state legislature, I’ll work to get the people of this district, as well as the rest of the state, better access to health care. To do this, I’ll:
• Work with small business owners to provide health care and education by demonstrating how having healthy employees improves their bottom line.
• Increase the number of Community Health Workers like myself, particularly those who speak more than one language. These workers can bridge gaps in health education, keeping Arkansans healthier for longer. Health education reduces medical costs.
• In spite of our state legislature’s stance, better health education and more people with health insurance actually lowers the cost to our state. Think of that! Lower costs with greater benefits for our citizens. I’ll work across the aisle to improve our access to health care and insurance through legislation, improved medicaid access, and better support for the ACA.
LEARNS Act Needs to be Repealed
Every child, no matter what their family earns, deserves the best education we can give them. Yet, in Arkansas, we have exactly the opposite. The legislature passed the LEARNS Act which is just another form of segregation. It’s designed to improve education only for people who can already afford it. For decades we had solid public education. We know how to do this. It’s time to repeal the LEARNS Act and stop legislating education.
The LEARNS Act makes it easier to create voucher schools and pull public school funding from already struggling school systems. While it supposedly increases wages for teachers it still favors wealthy and white families over the underserved. Even though starting pay for teachers has increased, our average teacher pay in Arkansas puts us in the bottom quarter of the nation.
Access to higher education, while improving, still makes it difficult for underserved communities to receive information, assistance, scholarships, and acceptance into higher education. I would embrace a plan to offer two years of free college tuition to any resident of the state. This would include access to trade schools and programs accredited by the state.
When you elect me to the State Legislature I will:
• Work with others to repeal the LEARNS Act and restore funding to public schools
• Embrace a plan to offer two years of free college tuition to any resident of the state. This would include access to trade schools and programs accredited by the state.
Representatives and Senators in the majority have adopted a callous disregard for their constituents. It is time we elect real people who know and understand the daily struggles of most Arkansans.