Other Priorities That We Support*

Family:

Universal 3K - Families who have young kids should have access to free 3K education through the school system.

Taxes:

Our general argument is that people who have the below expenses are currently being punished for investing in our future and in their own well being. Why should someone who has heath care expenses, child care expenses, or educational expenses, be taxed at a higher percentage of their discretionary income? It is largely not their choice that they have medical expenses. We all do, and the burden of a higher taxation rate at a time with higher other burdens is counter productive. The same is true of the other deductions listed below.

Tax Deductible Child Care - Child care is an investment in both our future and in the workers (and their employers) who, because of day care, can contribute new efforts to growing our economy and our communities.

Tax Deductible Educational Debt - All educational debt should be tax deductible. The principle and the interest. It is an investment in the country’s future and should be treated as an investment A company can deduct its investments. So should a person who invests in their education. If the person is paying no taxes at the time of the debt payments, those payments should be carried over to future years.

Tax Deductible Education Expenses - If a person is paying for an education, that is an investment in America. It should be tax deductible, with the deduction carried forward if th

Tax Deductibility of Rent, Mortgages and Utilities - People need a place to live. They need heat, hot water, electricity, internet, and telephone service. Those expenses should be tax deductible according to the average for their town, for a household of their size. If people live more modestly than the average, or in a low cost region, they can still take the deduction that is higher than their expenses. If they live above the averages, they will have a deduction that is lower than their expenses.

Tax Deductible Health Care Expenses - Money spent on health care is money that is not available for taxes. Why should someone who have heath care expenses be taxed at a higher percentage of their discretionary income? Such a tax policy discourages people from taking care of themselves. And we want people to be investing in themselves.

Capital Gains Taxes - Capital gains should be treated as ordinary income. Initial investments should be fully tax deductible, or deductible over a short period of time. If someone starts a for-profit that will benefit society, that contribution should be treated the same way that the funds would be treated if it were donated to a not-for-profit entity that benefits society. The capital is at risk. Once the asset is sold, all the proceeds should be treated as ordinary income. If the asset has been inherited, the seller deserves no preferential treatment under the tax code as the initial investment and risk was not theirs. If, for example, a family started a company that would do society good, and that family were to need sell a share, that company would hav functioned no different than a not for profit that has achieved the same aims, however, if the family had started a not-for-profit, they would pay less in taxes. That introduces inefficiencies into the tax code. An organization should be run efficiently and whenever possible, around economic incentives of capitalism, not according to the artificial burdens of the tax code. The elimination of the capital gains tax category will also incentivize companies to not buy back shares in order to increase shareholder wealth through capital appreciation. Rather they can pay dividends to shareholders that will be treated equally to capital appreciation. Companies waste billions of dollars betting on their own stock, instead of returning value to their shareholders in the form of dividends. And this is largely because of how dividends are treated in the tax code. (And qualified dividends add additional artificial incentives for shareholders and companies.)

Gun Control

Health Care Coverage

Expansion and protection of the Affordable Care Act. Politicans who vote to repeal it will be opposed.

Net Neutrality

Level Politics is for net neutrality. Politicans who vote to repeal it will be opposed. Those who vote to reinstitute it will be supported.

Marriage Equality

Opponents of marriage equality would restrict others people’s rights to the same economic and social benefits that they enjoy through marriage. Marriage is a stabilizing social and economic force that helps us pursue happiness. We oppose any legislator who opposes marriage equality.

*In order to focus on our top three priorities for the country, we are not assessing candidates according to their support or lack thereof of these initiatives.