I am running for the 10th Congressional District seat of California to the United States House of Representatives  because I want to help bring into existence the ideas that I think will help us create a "more just and equal society."

For example:

    I think that all people should have access to affordable health care coverage.  In the United States, we spend some $8,000 per person on health care coverage which is more money per capita than any other nation in the world yet more than 40 million people in our country are without health care.  In fact, the US is the only developed nation in the world not to provide universal health care coverage to its citizens.  It is time to recognize universal health care as a fundamental right.   I propose a single payer universal health care system to provide free health care coverage to every citizen of the United States. 
    Educating its citizens should be the highest aim of any society. The United States is home to the top two universities in the world - Harvard College and the University of California at Berkeley.  However, the price of higher education in the United States has become needlessly expensive.  I propose a free education from kindergarten through graduate school so all people can pursue their educational aspirations regardless of cost.
    The efforts of more than just our families are needed to raise our children.  While most people will have children  during their lifetimes, affordable daycare is not a reality for most people.  A fairly simple problem to resolve, I propose free daycare for all children to be provided at our local schools.  
    The current United States military budget is unreasonably high.  In fact, the US military budget for FY 2009 reached some $690 billion dollars which surpassed second place China by $620 billion dollars. (China's published military budget for FY 2009 is $70 billion dollars).   Surprising, our own President is on record as saying that he would actually like to increase the military budget of the United States.  I propose reducing military spending by 6/7ths to better fund more productive programs as well as ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq which have been costly financially but more importantly in terms of American, Afghan, and Iraqi lives lost.        
    Our financial institutions should work in the interest of the people, not against them.  Our banks have cost taxpayers some $2 trillion dollars in "bailout" money, two-thirds of our entire federal budget.  Many banks have entered into interest-only mortgage loans which they knew could not be paid back by their borrowers. In fact, a number of banks have collapsed  because of their decisions to offer these loans.  I propose that we nationalize all banks in the United States that have received "bailout" money and make them work for the good of the people.   
    The American auto industry has shown itself not only unwilling to transition to vehicles powered with alternative energy sources but in general has produced cars that have neither lasted as long nor have been as fuel-efficient as their foreign competitors.  I propose nationalizing the "Big 3" so the American people can produce better cars than the ones being produced now as well as alternative energy vehicles that are more fuel efficient.  
    Like many people, I recognize the historical wrong committed against African-Americans through the United States involvement in slavery.  African-Americans are the descendants of generations of people who helped build the United States into the economic powerhouse that it is today. Yet not one African-American has ever received one dollar of compensation from the federal or state government for their labor let alone been offered a simple apology from the US government for its role in maintaining that "peculiar institution" for so many years.  With the legacy of slavery still being felt in our inner-cities and throughout many parts of the country today, I propose paying reparations to all African-Americans to correct the present day effects of this past wrong.
    Global oil supplies are expected to be depleted by 2050.  While abundant, coal is not a sustainable alternative to oil.  We are in need of new energy sources.  I propose creating a general federal fund for the research and development of alternative energy sources such as solar power, wind power, electric power, hydro-electric power, and battery-power to better fuel, heat, and light our homes, schools, churches, and places of business.  
    Finally, I support a living wage for all working people in the United States.  While corporate executives continue to be paid in the tens of millions of dollars, working people often struggle to "get by" from month to month.  It is time for this inequity to come to an end.  I propose a living wage of $20 dollars per hour for every American over the age of eighteen and a limit on executive pay which is not to exceed $250,000 dollars per year.   
    If elected, I will submit a bill to Congress on behalf of our district that addresses each one of these issues which will allow us to begin creating "a more just and equal society."

I hope you will join us,

Jeremy Cloward, Ph.D.
Green Party of the United States
Candidate for the 10th District of California
to the United States House of Representatives