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Kellen Squire

D
Policy Positions

Squire's campaign website highlights the following issues:

Energy Independence

Green energy is the industry of the future. If we get smart about the transition from fossil fuels, we have a chance to create new, good-paying jobs right here in the 58th District.

Let's be clear: I'm not suggesting that we shut down coal-powered plants today and limp along with brownouts and blackouts until solar and wind sources are totally online. That makes no sense.

But we do need to start moving in that direction. And we have a solid foundation here in the district. For instance, there's a natural-gas plant in Scottsville. As long as you take care not to release methane during the extraction process, natural gas is significantly cleaner than coal. We can use it to bridge our energy needs on the way to reaching the goal of 100% renewable sources.

This isn't just an economic issue. It's also a public health issue. Cleaning up the air we breathe will reduce the incidence of respiratory illnesses like asthma. And it's a national security issue. Energy independence means that we're less exposed to the instability of global markets and the whims of hostile foreign producers.

Do we want to see the industries of the future end up in China, Europe, and Canada? Or in Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Rockingham? I'll do everything in my power to help us lead an energy revolution right here in central Virginia.

Education is the cornerstone of freedom

I am proud to send my children to public schools, right here in our community, both now and in the future. I've worked in some of those schools myself, as a school nurse, and I've seen firsthand the dedication, hard work, and commitment of our talented teachers and staff. They go out of their way to ensure that every single child has a chance to succeed. And they do it without compromising the ability of any student to pursue excellence.

There's a quote (possibly apocryphal) attributed to Thomas Jefferson: "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people." Whether he uttered those words or not, they express an inarguable principle: democracy depends on access to knowledge for all our people. And our economy does too.

So we need to sustain excellence in our public schools. We can do that by supporting the teachers and staff who already do such great work. Rather than burdening them with endless assessments and arbitrary requirements, we need to help them to deliver a truly well-rounded education. That means the humanities and social sciences as well as STEAM programs. It also means physical education, art, music, and foreign language. Cutting corners and teaching to the test is no way to prepare our children for the challenges of a complex democracy or a high-tech economy.

Virginia is also blessed to have some of the very best public universities in the country. These institutions create jobs and other opportunities for many people in the 58th District. We need to protect that proud legacy. But we also need to do a better job of keeping tuition costs under control. Right now, attending many public universities in the Commonwealth — including my alma mater — is financially out-of-reach for middle-class families. No one should have to go into lifelong debt to get a college degree- and not everyone needs a four year degree! We need to make sure we're making trade, apprenticeship, and community college options available to folks who want them.

Criminal Justice

We've been fortunate here in central Virginia: we've avoided a lot of the strain between communities and law enforcement agencies that you hear about on the news. A big reason for that is that our local law enforcement agencies do an outstanding job at building rapport through outreach and training programs, like Albemarle County's Citizen's Academy. When police officers establish a respectful, long-term relationship with the communities they serve, it sets up a recipe for success. In my opinion, we have a model here that could and should be emulated across the nation.

We're also fortunate that Virginia has been a national leader in reducing recidivism. The Commonwealth has generally done a good job at ensuring the worst offenders remain in prison for as long as necessary to prevent them from committing crimes again. But far too many non-violent crimes — particularly routine drug crimes — have been classified as felony offenses. Even Justice Antonin Scalia thought that we were locking up too many non-violent offenders for too long.

I am glad that we're finally taking steps to restore voting rights to former offenders. Virginians who have served their time and repaid their debt to society should be able to exercise their Constitutional rights.

But there is still more work to do. We need to make sure that judges can use their experience, discretion, and common sense rather than having their hands tied by mandatory minimum sentences and zero-tolerance laws. Judges should also have the power to enroll offenders in alternative sentencing programs that emphasize community service, treatment for addiction, and other approaches to rehabilitation. Texas and other states have implemented similar reforms without compromising public safety — and if Texas can do it, so can Virginia.

Politicians love to brag that they are "tough on crime." To really protect the people of the 58th District, though, we need to be smart about crime.

Economic Opportunity

We have a big problem with economic opportunity in this country. Real wages for average Americans have stayed almost flat since 1980, even though our economy as a whole is producing more wealth than ever before. The problem is that nearly all of those gains have gone to the richest 1% of American families. Most of us are working just as hard as our parents and grandparents — or maybe even harder — but that hard work isn't benefitting our pocketbooks the way it ought to.

There's no one explanation for why working folks are getting squeezed. Free trade agreements are certainly part of the problem: if you doubt that NAFTA took a real toll on Virginian workers, join me on a tour of Southside or the Shenandoah Valley, and I'd be happy to educate you. A low minimum wage doesn't help, either- but just raising the minimum wage isn't an answer that will fix what ails our economy.

Free trade and minimum wage are just two examples of a larger problem. Somewhere along the way, the government stopped enabling Virginians to power their own success. Politicians today are too quick to tilt the playing field in favor of lobbyists, special interests, and the wealthy.

If you're a college basketball fan, you might think of this as the "Carolina Ref" phenomenon: referees putting their thumbs on the scale for certain blue-blooded Atlantic Coast Conference teams. And this habit of favoring people with privilege isn't restricted to one party or another. It is endemic to our political system.

Here's the thing: I've yet to meet a Virginian who wants special treatment or "makeup calls" of their own. We just want a fair fight— a game where everyone plays by the same rules.

That's why everyone loves those "Cinderella stories" during March Madness. Given the same opportunities as anyone else, even the biggest underdog can come out ahead if they work hard enough. I truly believe that ideal is the backbone of our country. And it's an ideal I'm committed to making a reality every single day I'm in office. I want to get rid of special treatment in all its forms, from tax loopholes to corporate welfare to gerrymandering. I want to improve access to affordable, high-quality childcare so that every parent who wants to work has the opportunity to do so. And I want to make sure that banks, insurance companies, hospitals, and other powerful interests play fair and square with ordinary people.

Family values are Virginia values

Family values are Virginia values. Who could argue with that? The problem with the language of "pro-life" and "pro-choice," though, is that we've turned a very important issue into a political hot potato.

If I were a more cynical man, I'd say the politicians in charge of the General Assembly like it that way, since any real change on this issue might lose'em a reliable voting bloc. Seems like they'd much rather grab attention with a "Day of Tears" than actually work to fix things!

But pointless grandstanding isn't being "pro-life." Neither is declaring an IUD to be "abortion," or forcing women to get unnecessary and invasive medical procedures, like "transvaginal ultrasounds." The government should never be allowed to invade the space between medical professionals and their patients on any issue.

And making abortion illegal? Out of the question. Making abortion illegal only makes safe abortion illegal. But imagine what we could do, as a society, if we really wanted to reduce abortions instead of just shaming women:

We could work to ensure we can provide every family in the Commonwealth with the resources they needed: maternal care, reproductive care, prenatal care, health care, pediatric care, all the while making sure it's affordable care.

And how about maternity leave, where America is practically alone in the developed nations of the world in providing NO guarantee of parental leave?

And how about equal pay for equal work, to support and reward the labor of women on the job? And efforts to make that pay good pay— a livable income, higher minimum wage? Those are family values. Values that respect all life.

Bottom line is, if you want to vote for someone who wants to accomplish things that are actually pro-family and reduce abortions by reducing reasons that people seek them—then I'm the only candidate in our race that will actually work to accomplish that goal.

Endorsements
Freethought Equality Fund PAC