Chase Linko-Looper

Social Services We commit to reparations to Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color of this nation for the past four hundred plus years of genocide, slavery, land-loss, destruction of original identity, and the stark disparities which haunt the present. Infrastructure / Transportation New construction by developers will be required to maximize the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy options such as solar. Environment / Energy 100% clean, renewable energy and zero greenhouse gas emissions for West Virginia shall be achieved within a decade through a homegrown, fair Green New Deal. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Justice must start with addressing corporate and government crime. Government officials should be prohibited from purchasing and selling stock while in office. The criminal code must be amended so as to prosecute companies and corporate CEOs for the deaths caused by corporate greed and corruption. Healthcare Single-payer healthcare implemented nationwide is the most efficient, cost-effective way to cover essential care for all Americans. Until the Federal Government implements such a program, we will aim to cover all West Virginians, cut the cost of prescription drugs, and guarantee a living wage to all care providers. Drug Policy Legalize cannabis and psilocybin immediately, along other entheogenic substances that have been found to have therapeutic benefits and low medical risks for responsible adult users. Local cannabis would be sustained by investing in local, worker-owned dispensaries rather than out-of-state corporations. Civil Rights We will advance equal rights for ethnic and racial minorities, for the disabled, for women, for LGBTQIA people, and any other discriminated peoples. We will responsibly uphold and enforce affirmative action to mitigate employment discrimination. Education We will work to implement a world-class education for West Virginian students; this includes ensuring quality second language studies begin no later than second grade and are supported through high school. We will guarantee that high quality, inclusive, evidence-based sex education is taught at appropriate grade levels. Education Public schools will be fully funded with an equitable funding formula and fully funded daycare and Pre-K programs. Charter schools and vouchers, which both siphon crucial dollars away from public schools, will be banned and abolished. Criminal Justice / Public Safety We must focus on decarceration by investing in restorative, transformative, and rehabilitative justice programs. We must end civil asset forfeiture and end cash bail. We must create programs to allow ex-offenders to increase their vocational job skills, interpersonal skills, and educational literacy. Abortion / Contraception Reproductive rights are human rights. Abortion is healthcare. Healthcare We will create a West Virginia Health and Wellness Security Agency to provide essential coverage including physical, dental, mental, vision, reproductive, and gender-affirming care. Guns We will protect lawful gun ownership for home defense, hunting, and recreational purposes. Housing Sufficient public housing to end homelessness will be constructed and maintained. To reduce poverty-driven crime and ease the financial burden of the current situation, the shelter system will ultimately be replaced with apartments and tiny homes that provide privacy and a safe, healthy environment. Infrastructure / Transportation Sustainable road repair and maintenance will require taxing corporations and companies in the extraction and logging industries whose trucks are responsible for almost all non-weather damage to the roads to pay for this infrastructure.