In the wealthiest country in the world, we have the resources to ensure that all of us have healthcare, quality public education, decent income, and secure retirement, while taking aggressive action on the most urgent crises of our time, including climate change. But we cannot do these things as long as our government is controlled by wealthy interests.
We believe in a vision for our country and our state where politicians visibly fight for all of us and stand up to corporate special interests. We believe in an America and a West Virginia where racism, sexism and religious intolerance are not part of any candidate’s platform, and moral courage is the norm, not the exception. We look towards a future where democracy flourishes because wealth and power are no longer concentrated in the hands of a few.
Rise Up will support candidates on the ballot in Kanawha County who commit to these principals:
- Government should be of, by, and for the people, not corporations.
- Our democracy and institutions should be open to all, regardless of wealth or privilege
- Our government, like each of us, has a responsibility to help those who are vulnerable.
- Government should secure our basic economic and social rights, including the right to organize and the rights to healthcare, quality public education, and a clean and stable environment.
- The wealthy should pay their fair share to ensure an economy that works for all.
...and these pillars of our platform:
- High quality, accessible healthcare for all
- Respect for the dignity of work through a strong social safety net and expansion of workers’ rights and protections
- A strong, well-funded public education system that values the role of teachers and the rights of all students to lifelong access to a quality education free from discrimination
- Solidarity with and support for marginalized and vulnerable communities through legislation that ensures equitable treatment of all people and opposes discrimination and oppression
- A transparent, open government, accountable and responsive to the people
- Protection of the Earth’s water, air, and land for the survival and well-being of future generations
Specifically, we support:
- Medicare for All
- Paid Family and Medical Leave
- More publicaly-funded resources for people struggling with addiction and recovery
- Funding and support for harm reduction programs
- Reducing racial disciplinary disparities in schools through restorative justice programs and more
- Funding PEIA with a dedicated funding source (ideally natural gas severance tax or corporate income tax)
- Regular town halls in marginalized communities
- Participatory budgeting
- Campaign finance reforms that make it easier for working class people to run for office
- A Green New Deal that invests in West Virginia’s future by creating green jobs, retraining workers, rebuilding public infrastructure (including drinking water infrastructure) and transitions us towards a stronger post-fossil-fuel economy.