I often feel that political debates miss points that actually matter to me. I thought to write a few items down, in no particular order.
Tolls are Out of Control
Tolls on the east coast are out of control. For our family in central Jersey, tolls / vehicle amount to $700 / year. A person making $17 / hour will have to work for one week of the year just to pay their tolls. Here are some tolls versus gasoline costs:
Is the wear and tear on roads really as much as the gasoline we use? In the case of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, about half the toll goes to pay for other items in the state budget, and indeed, the legislature put such egregious requirements into the Turnpike's budget that, since 2008, cash tolls have risen 154%, compared to 25% for the CPI, and EZ Pass tolls have by 42% since 2011, compared to about 19% for the CPI. And tolls continue to rise by an unconscionable 6% annually.
Tolls should only be allowed to be used for the object which they support, eg, a bridge or a road. The Federal government should review toll costs and mandate downward revisions as indicated. This is reasonably important for the middle class and a big deal for low income, but not poor people, including many in the black and Hispanic communities. It's also a question of equality: rich people are allowed to cross the George Washington Bridge; people working for $15 / hour aren't. If a candidate told me we were going to knock the toll on the GW Bridge back to the $5 it is on the Tappan Zee, that would win my vote.
Tolls are out of control, and the Federal government needs to act.
One Day's Pay for Fines
I was caught speeding near Newark Airport. I chose to go to court in scenic Elizabeth, New Jersey. I was perhaps one of two white people in the courtroom, the rest being blacks or Hispanics. They seemed mostly low income, but working, people, and I struck up a conversation with a young black man next to me. Like me, he had been caught driving 20 mph over the limit. The fine is around $200, which he didn't have. So he didn't pay, was summoned, didn't go, was summoned again, didn't go again, and then a warrant was issued for his arrest. For him, $200 was probably close to two days' pay. If he wanted no points, he would have had to pay another $240 -- the cost of an indulgence in NJ and the reason I was there. So to save himself, he would have to pony up nearly a week's pay, and I would guess most of the people in that courtroom were in similar shape. If you are a finance professional, a fine like this is a nuisance. If you're in the lower 50% of the population, it's crippling.
Fines for other than serious safety violations should never be more than one day's pay.
Be Careful with those Green Promises
I think one could make a plausible case that California's renewables policies were a major contributor to burning down Paradise. Similarly, NJ's and NY's rejection of a natural gas pipeline has led to a supply crisis in Westchester, NY, which has become a major political problem for Governor Cuomo. We're going to see more of this as green rhetoric starts to come up against bread-and-butter, real life considerations. Again, lower and middle income people will take the brunt of it--a theme of a number of the suggestions here. Green policies are morphing into class warfare. If Trump were a little more Evita Peron and a little less Francisco Franco, he could mop up a large portion of the Hispanic vote and find decent support in the black community.
Add Road Capacity
Baltimore has more takeaway capacity to the north on I-95 than does NYC. We need four more lanes north of NYC on both sides and frankly, a whole new Hudson River crossing. And there are many issues like this all over the country: I-90 west of Boston or Rt. 3 towards Cape Cod, I-93 into Boston. One could go on and on. But be specific and be local. The people who are suffering in traffic are not interested in 'infrastructure'; they want to know you're going to string up every Connecticut politician until I-95 is seven lanes each way to New Haven. A candidate could secure my vote with this single issue. Easily.
Can we not give some public housing to its residents?
About 600,000 people live in NYC public housing. That's the population of Baltimore City. Could we not find a way to transfer ownership of, say, 25% of the units to their residents? That should have some appeal, particularly to minority communities, who would be the principal beneficiaries.
Introduce Market-based Visas
No surprise to our readers. Here's how I'd pitch it: "We're going to give legal status without amnesty to seven million undocumented Hispanic residents; close the unsecured southwest border by lifting the prohibition on migrant labor, and use market mechanisms to keep the migrant headcount within limits acceptable to most conservatives. If we succeed in closing the unsecured border for a period of time, we can start to migrate long-term unauthorized residents to permanent status."
Note the Harm of Prohibitions
Democrats have spoken about legalizing marijuana, and indeed, hard drugs. This points deserves more than two minutes of pandering. The current prohibition on hard drugs, for example, is the cause of two-thirds of violent crime in Mexico and US inner cities. That is, prohibitions literally define the nature of these communities. Prohibitions are also the cause of 95% of opioid deaths. So, sure, cracking down on the drug trade has an appeal, but it carries a huge, huge cost, almost entirely borne by minorities. We need a more thoughtful--and less politicized--approach.
Limit State and Local Pension and Healthcare Liabilities to Three Years Post-Employment
Costs have to be expensed as incurred. You'll never hear that from a Democrat (maybe Mayor Pete?), but, well, this is my list. It's the most important reform you could give to Democratically controlled states.
Name a Commissioner for the Seas
A few issues here:
The Great White Sharks: These have become a significant issue from Nova Scotia to Mexico, in particular on Cape Cod. The local townships are clueless as to how to tackle the problem and need Federal help and guidance.
Garbage Islands: The giant islands of garbage floating in the Pacific are about more than plastic bags and disposable straws. The topic needs substantial research and a coordinated international effort.
Abandoned nets: This seems to be a major contributor to sea life fatalities. This is an issue we need to understand better.
All of these have symbolic meaning and emotional resonance. None of them is terribly expensive. All are pro environment.
Have a Suggestion Box
Put a suggestion box on your website. See what is actually bothering people in their daily lives. A lot of it is local. Some of it has a federal angle, but often people just want to hear the issue acknowledged. Put up an email address, for example, suggestions@candidatename.com. Ask not only for donations, but also what you can do for your country.