We must re-prioritize our budget to focus on investments in people. First and foremost, we must improve public education, through my transformation package, which includes cutting class-size in half and expanding the University of the District of Columbia. The careers of the 21st Century will be dependent on higher levels of education. Further, we will need to be continually retrained as adults, seldom staying in one job for life. The District's only public university is crucial to fulfilling this role. We will invest in people, and raise the quality of life for all. Studies show that the factors which most determine where careers are located are: quality educational facilities; good neighborhoods; low-crime; and good public amenities which make us well-rounded people, such as libraries and parks. Until we greatly raise educational opportunities, and the quality of life, our society will remain dysfunctional. No tax incentives nor government giveaways will produce good, stable jobs in such an environment, as my opponents naively, or disingenuously propose.

We must recognize that the children in our school system need more personal attention then in some other systems. We must cut class size in half. This and the other initiatives that I propose will cost $200 million to implement, but is the best investment we can make, and will more than pay for itself in reduced socials costs and increased taxpaying, productive human beings. Parental involvement is crucial to a student's success in school. We will institute a program of “parent involvement counselors”, who will help the teachers get the parents involved in their children's education. These counselors will also assist parents in their effort to help their children. (Many parents are afraid or intimidated about getting involved in their children’s education, and may themselves be deficient in basic skills.) Finally, after-school recreational opportunities should be placed back into the school buildings, so that children have the option of staying in an adult monitored program straight through until 6 p.m..

We must end corporate welfare, cronyism and corruption. The status quo has been giving away the “candy store” to large corporate concerns. For example, the government has $1 billion to spend on a new convention center, which will primarily benefit the Marriot Corporation and the suburbs. Meanwhile we do not have money for UDC and our public schools. This must end. Another priority we must fortify is our stance on housing and protecting renters. We must retain rent control to maintain affordable rents, and to reduce the tendency to price renters out of buildings. Additionally, I will introduce a new program called “Renter’s Maintenance Insurance”, which would operate like Unemployment Insurance. Each month a small portion of one's rent would go into a pool, so that one's rent could tee paid for six months if the renter is unexpectedly laid off. The majority of American renters are only one paycheck away from homelessness. This measure will reduce the number of lives and families that are shattered, by allowing renters enough time to find a new job. In the meantime, we will work to convert all renters into owners. Owners are invested in their neighborhoods and their neighbors, and pay property taxes, while accumulating assets. Finally, there is the impact of crime on our city. We gain nothing by putting the emphasis on incarceration. Under my administration, for every dollar spent on incarceration, we will spend a dollar on intervention programs designed to keep people from a life of crime. We cannot afford to give up on our youth.

Vote for the entire Statehood Slate of candidates in November, and vote for John Gloster for mayor. There IS a viable, progressive alternative to the status quo. Join us in building a prosperous and humane future for the District!