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Anthony Flaccavento

D
Quick Facts
Personal Details

Education

  • Masters, Economic and Social Development, University of Pittsburgh, 1983-1985
  • BS, Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Kentucky, 1976-1980

Professional Experience

  • Masters, Economic and Social Development, University of Pittsburgh, 1983-1985
  • BS, Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Kentucky, 1976-1980
  • Author, University Press of Kentucky, 2016-present
  • Owner, Abingdon Organics; SCALE Incorporated, 2009-present
  • Executive Director, Appalachian Sustainable Development, 1995-2009

Political Experience

  • Masters, Economic and Social Development, University of Pittsburgh, 1983-1985
  • BS, Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Kentucky, 1976-1980
  • Author, University Press of Kentucky, 2016-present
  • Owner, Abingdon Organics; SCALE Incorporated, 2009-present
  • Executive Director, Appalachian Sustainable Development, 1995-2009
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, District 9, 2018
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, District 9, 2012
Policy Positions

Virginia Congressional Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support a woman's right to choose, and I will work to support women, so that this difficult choice is made much less frequently. We know how to reduce abortion rates: --Affordable contraception, along with meaningful sex education for both girls and boys--Paid maternity leave and good quality child care to new moms (and dads); nearly 70% of women choosing abortions are low income or working women whose economic circumstances drive their decisions- Better economic opportunities for girls and young women--Better educational and economic opportunities for girls and women, making unwanted pregnancy less likely

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Unknown Position

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Unknown Position

3. Other or expanded principles
- I support increased tax breaks for working and middle income people, as well as small businesses. I also support increases in the top marginal income tax rate to between 40% and 45%; and a restoration of 35% tax rate for larger corporations (in the range of $50 million/yr in annual revenues)

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- I will also work towards the overturning or nullification of Citizens United, and for the adoption of publicly funded federal elections for all candidates willing to limit themselves to small donors

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- Trickle down economic policies have been promoted for nearly 40 years and they've not worked, particularly in building widely shared prosperity or increasing wages and incomes. I favor instead the use of federal dollars to expand much-needed infrastructure (broadband, roads, rail and high speed rail, etc), to support and encourage entrepreneurship, and to encourage community banks to invest in local businesses, start ups and family farms.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- Not until federal education standards move away from a focus on SOLs and testing.

Energy & Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- I support federal investment in dramatically increasing energy efficiency in all parts of the economy, beginning with houses and buildings/building materials; as well as investment in farm and forest management practices that improve productivity and profitability at the local level while sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. I believe that any and all federal policies designed to reduce carbon emissions should be accompanied by an equal emphasis on creating new jobs and economic opportunities for people in fossil fuel dependent areas.

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- --Closing loopholes and synchronizing systems so that background checks are truly universal --Increasing mental health treatment and support, especially in rural and under-served areas--Adopting sensible limits to the firepower of guns, including, for instance the outlawing of bumpstocks and other types of massively destructive weaponry.--Ending the absurd ban on using public funds to undertake research on the causes of gun violence.--Strengthening protections for victims of domestic violence, including insuring that abusers cannot buy guns.

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- The ACA made important improvements to our health care system, but has failed to provide affordable health insurance for all Americans. Rather than tweaking the ACA, I support the development and implementation of a Medicare for All system.

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- --Create a clear path to citizenship for Dreamers. We need their contributions to our economy;--End deportations that break up families, or target hardworking immigrants who've committed no serious crimes;--Increase, rather than decrease legal migration into the US, including both skilled immigrants and refugees fleeing war or violence;--Reform our foreign aid and foreign policy in order to help other countries build their own strong economies and stable political institutions, as this is the clearest path to reducing illegal immigration into our country.

Marijuana

1. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- --support the decriminalization of marijuana and an increase in the availability and use of medical marijuana, particularly in light of our current rampant opioid epidemic throughout the country--exploring hemp as a viable industry particularly in regions and economies that are based on land use

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- With rare exceptions, we should be working for diplomatic solutions, and to promote economic prosperity and representative government in one form or another. Our recent interventions in the Middle East have been ill-advised, with disastrous consequences. We must stop both direct military intervention and indirect support for and facilitation of military intervention, as we're now doing in Yemen.

Administrative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- 1. Economic revitalization, using a 'bottom up' strategy that increases local business ownership, economic diversification, cooperatives and other strategies that build stronger, more self-reliant local economies. This can largely be accomplished with a shift in spending - from subsidizing big boxes and trickle down - rather than new spending. 2. Affordable, accessible health care through some form of a Medicare for All system, combined with proven, effective community-based health care delivery (general health care, mental health, opioids and drug addiction).3. Strengthening public education, especially in rural communities and rural areas, through fewer federal mandates and more funds.

Speeches

Supreme Court "Hearings"

Sep. 28, 2018Statement

Reflection: Black Lung Rally

Sep. 18, 2018Statement

Money, Elections and Politics

Aug. 13, 2018Press Release
Articles

The Roanoke Times - Flaccavento: A High Court for The High and Mighty

Jul. 18, 2018

By Anthony Flaccavento Flaccavento is the Democratic candidate for Congress in the 9th Congressional District. For most of human history, the well-being of everyday people has held little to no importance for those in power. The rich and powerful have, to varying degrees, ruled primarily to ensure and expand their own wealth and power. That was true of the monarchies we rebelled against at the founding of this nation, and it is still all-too-common today. That's why the fundamental insight of democracy -- or of a democratic republic in our case -- was so revolutionary: that common folk, whatever their economic status, had just as much claim, just as much right to select their representatives and to shape the rules and policies that govern their lives. One person, one vote; equality under the law; Of the people, by the people, for the people. Though they varied in their visions of how this egalitarianism should be achieved, the Founders ultimately created a constitution whose most basic purpose was to ensure and, over time, expand this democracy. Jefferson, Madison, Adams and the others were themselves elites, but they understood that unchecked economic power invariably led to overwhelmingly concentrated political power; and that the federal government must provide the ultimate check on elite power, or a monarchy of the rich would surely ensue. Simply put, the most essential role of government -- all three branches -- is to ensure a level playing field between the elites and the rest of us. That's the benchmark by which all decisions and policies must be judged. If ensuring that everyday people have the same rights before the law as the rich and powerful is our government's "Greatest Commandment," then there can be no doubt that we've utterly lost our way, in the White House, the Congress, and most of all, the Supreme Court. In a stunning series of recent decisions, the High Court has made clear that it is there to protect the High and the Mighty. Two decisions dramatically enhanced the power of big corporations over their employees: In Epic Systems Corporation vs Lewis, the Court validated forced arbitration for workers, enabling companies to prohibit class action lawsuits. Most workers never bring grievances to arbitration because it's expensive and time consuming, and because they guess, correctly, that most of the time they'll lose. This decision makes it much harder for employees to address wage or employment discrimination, sexual harassment or other workplace problems. It's not the only leg up the court gave to big employers: In Janus v. AFSCME, they've undermined unions by allowing workers who benefit from union negotiation to refuse to pay dues. The unions are still obligated to represent and assist such workers, but with less funding to make that happen. Along with the Trump Administration's efforts to weaken the National Labor Relations Board, this will further tilt the playing field from working people to big employers. The High Court is making it harder to vote as well. In Husted v. A Philip Randolph Institute, they gave the green light to states to purge voters who happen to have skipped a few recent elections. Rather than expanding the franchise and encouraging people to re-engage in elections, the decision puts the onus on voters to prove their whereabouts or risk being dropped from voter roles. Combined with the Court's decision upholding Texas' discriminatory Voter ID law, the 5-4 majority has embraced further disenfranchisement at precisely the time that so many are already feeling disenfranchised. And finally, there's Trump v. Hawaii, i.e., the Muslim travel ban. In a complete contradiction of the logic they used to rule in favor of a Colorado baker's right to refuse services to a gay couple, the majority concluded that the President's intent to discriminate against Muslims was irrelevant, in spite of his many statements establishing just that. The net result? We will now routinely prevent refugees fleeing war and violence from even being considered for entry, because of the dominant religion in their country. Donald Trump and leading Republicans talk a good game when it comes to working folks vs Washington elites. But the proof is in the pudding. The Supreme Court they've built couldn't be more adversarial to everyday people. With a High Court so unambiguously aligned with the high and mighty, and a White House embedded with the same, the essence of our democracy is being undone. Our best chance of returning power to the people is to elect a Congress beholden to no one, save their constituents and the republic.

Events

2018

Nov. 6
Watch Party!

Tue 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EST

The Community Center of Abingdon Abingdon, VA

Nov. 6
Radford City Democrats Watch Party

Tue EST

Brick House Pizza Radford Radford, VA