SW MI for Progress On the Issues
Big Money in Politics and Campaign Finance
We believe that politics should be accessible to everyone. We do not believe in classist politics. Working people should not have financial obstacles to running for office, nor should our politicians be permitted to be bought by large corporations, Wall Street or special interests.
In today’s world, there is a common belief that a candidate must beholden themselves to special interests and huge corporations in order to have a chance at winning elections. Bernie proved that this is untrue, that if only candidates appealed to regular, working people, instead of big money interests, then anyone can get into office and get involved in politics. And a successful Revolution requires regular people to run for office everywhere! SW MI for Progress stands firm against the Citizen’s United vs FCC Supreme Court decision. We believe money has a corrupting influence on politics. We stand in support of any legislation or Constitutional Amendment that would reverse Citizens United or get the corrupting influence of money out of politics. We support the public financing of elections. |
Transparency and Accountability
We believe in calling out corrupt officials. We believe in transparent government that answers to the People. We believe our officials should be held accountable, for instance, we believe someone should see jail time for negligence in responding to the health tragedy in Flint.
We seek built-in protections against corruption and seek to be secure in our civic system by seeing that our leaders are always held accountable for their actions.
We seek built-in protections against corruption and seek to be secure in our civic system by seeing that our leaders are always held accountable for their actions.
Education
We believe education is an investment, not an expense. We believe an educated workforce is the path to the future. We believe a civilized and advanced democratic society should place a high priority on providing education to citizens as a right.
We believe we can work toward tuition free community colleges. Specifically, we support the funding of public college with the Robin Hood Tax, a half percent tax on speculative investment on Wall Street.
We believe Michigan K-12 public education is severely underfunded. Our children deserve a safer and more effective educational experience by utilizing various methods adopted from educational systems from around the world.
We believe we can work toward tuition free community colleges. Specifically, we support the funding of public college with the Robin Hood Tax, a half percent tax on speculative investment on Wall Street.
We believe Michigan K-12 public education is severely underfunded. Our children deserve a safer and more effective educational experience by utilizing various methods adopted from educational systems from around the world.
Environment
We believe the Earth comes first. We want to leave our children and grandchildren with a habitable planet and the means to maintain it that way forever. This takes precedence over anyone’s profits. Period.
We believe we must move away from oil faster than what is currently being projected. We believe the technology is available to completely switch to clean, renewable energies within a single decade, if the government takes the issue as seriously as they should. We believe fracking destroys our beautiful countryside and poisons our wells. We do not believe it represents a viable energy model for the future. Destroying our planet for profit is not OK. We support a full ban on fracking. Enbridge’s line 5 underneath the Mackinaw Bridge represents an enormous ecological and health disaster waiting to happen. Experts seem to agree that it is old and in poor repair, creating a potential risk for a spill sometime in the future, and local residents demand its immediate shutdown. We support the immediate shutdown of Line 5. We support state-funded help with costs related to delivering heating fuel to local residents, which may see price increases due to the shutdown of Line 5. |
Election Integrity
In Michigan we believe that faith in the integrity of our elections is a vital part of democracy. We support the use of recountable, paper-only ballots and we oppose electronic voting machines that are hackable and lack accountability and threaten the integrity of our elections.
During this primary season, the DNC emails leaked by Wikileaks show a deep involvement of the DNC with the Hillary campaign, clear assumptions she would be the nominee, and the DNC working directly with the media to push stories that were pro-Hillary and anti-Bernie. It is clear that the DNC acted in a clearly biased manner and worked directly with the HRC campaign against the Bernie Sanders campaign. While recognizing the Democratic Party is a private institution, they have a HUGE influence on American politics and the integrity of elections. Their bias has created a severe distrust in our electoral system in general. We also saw two Stanford papers alleging voter fraud, several lawsuits and a 100-page report from Election Justice USA. It is very clear that our electoral procedures in all states need reform. |
Community and Civics
We believe all voting days should be either national holidays or state holidays. We believe in automatic voter registration upon turning 18.
We believe our officers of the peace require more oversight and training. We support mandating bodycams for all officers for our- and their- protection. We will no longer tolerate undeserved violence from our police officers. We believe the war on drugs is a complete failure. We believe it has led to mass incarceration of nonviolent offenders that has put undue burden on the state as well as the rights of the individual over their own body. We have spent over 2.3 TRILLION dollars since the 1970s, and locked up millions of nonviolent citizens, to no positive effect. We also support the removal of marijuana completely from the DEA schedule, as many in the scientific and social communities believe it is, when used in moderation, less harmful than tobacco or alcohol. We believe the care of prisoners is a matter to be handled by the state, not for-profit companies. We oppose the private for profit prison industry. |
Trade, Economy and Labor
We believe Michigan’s infrastructure needs a huge federal investment. Bernie Sanders wanted to invest $1 trillion dollars, less than half the cost of the failed Iraq war, into a federal infrastructure program. A federal infrastructure jobs program could potentially put millions of people around the country, including Michigan, to work. Instead of wondering where the State government will get the money for our infrastructure, this is something we believe in pushing the President Elect to enact on the federal level. With a fair tax system restored, with loopholes closed and tax dodgers punished, and after all of our failed expenditures, we have no excuse not to invest in American jobs directly, not through contract handouts to corporations but through a real public jobs program. We believe that the economy is built on the back of labor, not investment. We believe in fair wages for all workers, which is why right now we support the 15$ federal minimum wage. We believe in public jobs, and we believe in bringing back pensions as an everyday part of working life. We believe in collective bargaining and the importance of unions for the average worker. We believe our current, heavily supply-side approach to economics is disastrous for the average worker. We believe "right to work" laws do not benefit workers. We believe that due to the unlevel playing ground of our current economy, a progressive, marginal tax system provides a set of checks and balances to the economy. We do not believe investors work for their money; we believe workers and employees themselves create wealth, not investors. Being the backbone of the economy, we believe ALL workers should be treated fairly and paid a living wage. We believe the tax burden has been unfairly shifted to the middle class. We know that a percentage of the population is disabled and unable to work. We believe these people are forgotten when our social security net is underfunded. We know workers pay into Social Security so we can retire when we are old, and also to serve as a social safety net for individuals among us who are unable to provide for themselves. We know the causes of our government’s debt are due to tax havens, tax loopholes, corporate subsidies and trillions in military spending, as well as billions spent annually on a failed drug war. Our nation's debt has NOT been caused by Social Security, food assistance or Medicare. We demand these programs, which we pay for, and which stimulate the economy where otherwise there would be suffering, be made solvent and expanded. We want Social Security expanded by increasing or eliminating the cap on the FICA tax. We believe in paid sick leave and at least 12 weeks of paid family leave. We support the enactment of a 21st Century Glass-Steagall, separating commercial banks from investment banks. Restoring regulations, breaking up the big banks and calling for accountability are the first steps in preventing what happened in 2008 from reocurring. |
Healthcare
We believe healthcare is a right. While we support legislation that improves healthcare even slightly, our ideal is a Medicare-for-all or similar single-payer system. We oppose the private, for profit healthcare and health insurance industries.
We support the right for patients to utilize medical marijuana or any herbal or fully-natural treatment under the discretion of the individual and their doctor or healer, without harassment or interference.
We support the right for patients to utilize medical marijuana or any herbal or fully-natural treatment under the discretion of the individual and their doctor or healer, without harassment or interference.
Foreign Policy
We believe the wars-for-profit and conflict over resources we have been engaging in are wrong. We stand opposed to violence in all forms.
We oppose the sales of arms to other nations, even by manufacturers within the US.
We oppose interventionism unless it is in concert with the international community and the burden does not fall squarely on the shoulders of the US military.
We support a gradual- but not too gradual- defunding of the military and redirection of those funds towards more productive pursuits.
We support a two-state solution for Israel and stand firmly against violence against Palestinians.
We oppose the sales of arms to other nations, even by manufacturers within the US.
We oppose interventionism unless it is in concert with the international community and the burden does not fall squarely on the shoulders of the US military.
We support a gradual- but not too gradual- defunding of the military and redirection of those funds towards more productive pursuits.
We support a two-state solution for Israel and stand firmly against violence against Palestinians.
Social
We believe in the equality of all people. We believe no-one should be excluded or oppressed because of their race, skin color, age, religious creed, nationality, disability, gender identification, sexual orientation or what genitalia they do or do not have. We recognize the right to love anyone. We recognize the right of the individual to decide their own gender identification. A society that judges individuals based on these differences is living in a primeval past, and needs to learn tolerance of individual differences to be considered morally civilized.
--DISCLAIMER: This website, all labor and all materials used by SW MI for Progress, and SW MI for Progress itself are provided by volunteers. We are not affiliated, endorsed or funded by any political campaign or super-PAC. We are not a PAC. We are a group of concerned citizens who want to see this country get back on track and go in the right direction. --