Richard Weiss (Pennsylvania)

I'm a native born Pennsylvanian. I grew up working in the family bakery business. I've worked for the federal government and I've worked for private firms overseas. I have both a local and global perspective.

• I believe Pennsylvanians want clean water, clean air, and to avoid cancer. If elected, I will pursue those responsible for over half a million uncapped fracking wells in Pennsylvania and require owners of currently active wells to set aside funds for capping.
• I believe Pennsylvanians want to reduce crime, lower costs to taxpayers, protect consumers, renters, workers, the uninsured, the unhoused, those discriminated against and the disabled. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Prison slave laborers in Pennsylvania work for corporations for pennies per hour, while their incarceration, food, healthcare, guards, etc. are paid for by taxpayers. Migrants aren't taking anyone's job, prison slave laborers are. Require payment of market rates for work of inmates. Incarceration will go down when it is no longer profitable.
• I believe Pennsylvanians want their politicians not to be corrupt by taking gifts. As PA Attorney General I will pursue public officials to refuse or return gifts they receive. I will not be partisan.

I believe Pennsylvanians want no more genocide in Gaza. I will sue any federal government administration that continues to provide military aid in violation of the Foreign Assistance Act which requires that assistance may not be provided to any state which restricts humanitarian aid, as is currently occurring.

There should be no cash bail. A danger to the community should be held in jail until trial and not given the opportunity to pay to get out. The judge should decide who is too dangerous to release pending trial based on facts, and judges who make poor decisions can be replaced by voters. Those held in jail should have their trials prioritized in order to preserve the right to a speedy trial as provided in the Constitution.

Incarceration is for dangerous actors. There is no reason to spend taxpayers' money on incarceration of the elderly, infirm or nonviolent offenders, who can be diverted to other programs. Restorative justice programs such as used in Texas have proven to reduce recidivism better than incarceration.

As Attorney General of Pennsylvania, I will work to create a system of special courts and special prosecutors dedicated to trials regarding charges of police misconduct. Regular courts and prosecutors rely on cooperation of police to carry out their functions and thus are impeded from acting impartially with regard to matters of police conduct. This will restore public confidence in our public servants.

I believe Pennsylvanians want no more genocide in Gaza. I will sue any federal government administration (Democrat, Republican, Green or otherwise) that continues to provide military aid in violation of the Foreign Assistance Act which requires that assistance may not be provided to any state which restricts humanitarian aid, as is currently occurring.

A Theory of Justice, by John Rawls.

I'm not accepting any donations. I ask supporters to instead contribute to the Green Party of Pennsylvania, at: gpofpa.org/donate.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. I'm Jubal Harshaw.

Columbo

It Might Be You --Stephen Bishop

A photon checks into a hotel and is asked if he needs any help with his luggage. He says, "No, I'm traveling light."

Green Party of PA
Green Party of Allegheny County

We should enact a gift ban for public officials in Pennsylvania, including legislators.

We must end the practice of prison slave labor. Prison inmates work for pennies per hour for corporations, while the taxpayer pays for their incarceration. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Incarceration, and the costs associated with it will decrease when it is no longer profitable. Immigrant laborers make our country strong, creating more opportunity for all. No immigrants are taking jobs away from anyone, prison slave laborers are.

I would treat cannabis similar to alcohol, i.e. as an intoxicant that could be the basis for a DUI, but not as a scheduled drug or controlled substance.

These could be ballot initiatives: paying inmates market rates for their labor, as well as an end to cash bail, ranked choice voting, equal and public funding of candidates, legalization of cannabis and a gift ban for public officials.

I am born and raised in Pennsylvania. My parents owned Weiss Bakery in the Brentwood boro of Pittsburgh. My first law job was as an attorney for the federal government in the General Counsel's Office of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, D.C. Since then my career has been divided between Jakarta, Indonesia, where I worked on foreign investment and project finance, and Pittsburgh where I work on litigation support on a project basis.

• The latest UN report on climate change underscores the need to immediately make all efforts to stop emissions of greenhouse gases. This can be accomplished through a "just transition" to renewable energy that provides permanent jobs, and does not cause cancer like mining and burning fossil fuels. The technology exists today. All we need to do is implement it. And the first step is to halt fracking which is ruining the water and health of Pennsylvania.
• The Covid-19 pandemic underlines the need for universal healthcare. Many who lose their job cannot afford the payments to maintain their health insurance. In the modern gig economy, many do not receive health insurance through their employer. They may face the choice of paying for rent or healthcare, but not have enough resources for both. The health insurance that is available has too many deductibles, copays and limitations on coverage. Employers who provide healthcare will benefit from Medicare for All by having their costs reduced. Employers who do not provide healthcare will benefit from Medicare for All by having healthier workers. Medicare for All costs less for better care. Everyone benefits from Medicare for All.
• The US has a higher incarceration rate than any other developed country in the world. Conditions in prisons are human rights violations, with overcrowding and inadequate food and healthcare. Prisoners are preyed upon with unreasonable charges to buy their own food and communicate with their family. Many inmates of local jails are held without being convicted of any crime solely because they do not have enough money to pay cash bail. Decriminalizing cannabis would have an immediate effect on reducing prison and jail populations, and save money. All current prisoners and inmates serving time solely for cannabis charges should be released and all past criminal records from cannabis convictions expunged.

This is a link to an interview with me on the KDKA morning radio show: https://24343.mc.tritondigital.com/OMNY_KDKAMORNINGNEWSWITHLARRYRICHERTANDJOHNSHUM_P/media-session/6abb8b6c-7934-4f0e-9274-583b6d5bb393/d/clips/4b5f9d6d-9214-48cb-8455-a73200038129/23d39bcc-80d0-4a91-abb0-a78e00b60011/11e84545-ba45-437e-bac5-aee800a2eec5/audio/direct/t1659693473/2022_Pennsylvania_Green_Party_Candidate_Richard_Weiss.mp3?t=1659693473

As U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, my first act would be to call for a vote on Medicare for All. I oppose fracking and support a rapid transition to renewable energy as well as reproductive rights and sensible gun regulation. The U.S. should negotiate peace, close the overseas military bases opened since 9/11, bring the troops home and spend that money at home.

Get money out of politics and publicly finance all campaigns. The Green Party accepts no donations from corporations, but instead relies on ordinary working people. Make a monthly donation for as little as $3 per month or as much as generosity inspires at gpofpa.org/join_us .

Ranked choice voting (RCV), also known as the instant runoff, eliminates any perceived or real spoiler effect. https://ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)

Make election day a public holiday. in order to reduce or elimate doubts, require hand marked ballots, counted by hand on camera. Register everyone to vote at birth, or at the polling place, with the option of giving a fingerprint if not photo ID. Fingerprint readers could confirm the person has not voted elsewhere.

I worked in my family's bakery business until I went to college.

Climate change.

There should be term limits.

Not if you want something different.

Circumventing the filibuster with a rules manuver is the “nuclear option.” Any filibuster can be defeated with a simple majority vote or as little as 50 votes plus a tie breaking vote cast by the Vice President of the United States.

Those casting 50 votes plus tiebreaker cast by the Vice President can already pass anything they want anytime they want.

The filibuster is possible due to a Senate rule requiring 60 votes to end debate. The decision whether procedure was valid is by majority vote. Thus the majority party can take a vote and override any objection by majority vote (50+ VP tiebreaker). This is the “nuclear option.”

The filibuster is regularly circumvented and has been cirumvented over 100 times to pass legislation already. It would be just as simple to eliminate the filibuster entirely. However, the filibuster is not an obstacle to passing legislation.

I would want to start a new committed on climate which touches on all other committees because it is an existential issue.

Bernie Sanders

I would work with senators from all parties on common issues.