President Franklin D. Roosevelt reduced unemployment during The Great Depression with New Deal jobs programs. The increased production necessitated by World War Two ended the depression. Today the threat posed by global warming has gone largely unaddressed. Our infrastructure is in dire need of updating and repair. It's time to stop debating how long to continue unemployment benefits and put an end to unemployment in Missouri by putting all of our workers back to work.

Add a public option to The Affordable Care Act. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has made health insurance more affordable for many people, the addition of a "major medical" type public option would make health insurance (and health care) even more affordable. With a relatively high deductible and low premiums, a major medical option would operate the way insurance is supposed to (covering catastrophic costs in the event of a major accident or illness). Most transactions between patients and health care providers would be paid for directly, with neither government not private health insurance companies adding to the cost of health care by acting as middlemen.

The Republican Party has devoted a lot of time and energy to doing everything possible to make sure The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does not succeed. They have failed to offer any meaningful alternative. I propose adding a market-oriented public option (what used to be called a "major medical" plan) which would function the way insurance is supposed to work, by kicking in only in the case of a major illness or serious accident. Most interactions between patients and health care providers would be paid for directly. Getting both government and private, for-profit health insurance companies out of the role of middleman would greatly reduce the cost of health care and provide a truly affordable alternative for most people.

Govern schools locally and democratically. The essence of my numerous ideas for the reform of public education is to give students, parents, and teachers a more active role in our schools (true local control). Nineteen specific reform proposals are discussed at length in my bookEdutopia: A Manifesto for the Reform of Public Education. I wroteEdutopia shortly before retiring from teaching. You can read my book, in its entirety free of charge (or order a copy) at numerous sites on the Internet.

A fair and simple system of taxation. Our present tax system at both the state and federal level is overly-complicated for a reason - to obscure the thicket of special tax breaks offered to favored groups and special interests.

In Missouri, during the session of the General Assembly that just ended, the Republican majority was able to pass a tax cut that openly favors the wealthy, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars worth of special tax cuts (to repay the special interests that shower them with campaign contributions that finance the endless tsunami of attack ads that make television viewing a hazardous activity during elections).

To off-set some of the lost revenue, they have proposed an increase in the sales tax that (if approved by voters) would be the largest tax increase in Missouri history. Sales taxes are regressive - taking a larger percentage of low and middle incomes than of higher incomes. Shifting the burden of taxation from the wealthy to middle class and working class families and those living in poverty is not only unfair, it is damaging to our economy.

I believe we should make more extensive use of the "benefits-received" principle of taxation (through excise taxes) combined with moderately progressive income and property taxes and reduce or eliminate sales taxes.^[9]

What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures

Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy