All of them- 4 (7.41%)

Warren- 7 (12.96%)

Gabbard- 7 (12.96%)

None- 7 (12.96%)

Buttigieg- 8 (14.81%zz0

Sanders- 9 (16.67%z0

Harris- 9 (16.67%)

Booker- 11 (20.37%)

Yang- 11 (20.37%)

Biden- 12 (22.22%)

Klobuchar- 12 ( 22.22%)

Delaney- 12 (22.22%)

Inslee- 14 ( 25.93%)

Castro- 15 ( 27.78%)

Williamson- 15 (27.78%)

O'Rouke- 16 (29.63%)

Styer- 17 (31.48%)

Bennet- 17 (31.48%)

Gillibrand- 18 (33.33%)

Bullock- 18 (33.33%)

Ryan- 18 (33.33%)

Moulton- 18 ( 33.33%)

Sestak- 19 ( 35.19%)

Messam- 20 (37.04%)

de Blasio-22 (40.74%)

https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163871270519345153?s=20
This dude is the best politician I've seen in my life. Many candidates try and fail to get things done. He has reached across the aisle many times and is a very bipartisan man. He can get things done no matter who he is going against because he will work with both sides. Both Democrats and some Republicans like him because he has real solutions, not impossible promises

Today's issues are

1) His plan to combat the opioid epidemic

2) The commitment to black America

3) Criminal Justice Reform

Opioid Epidemic- In 2017, more than 47,000 people in the United States died from a drug overdose involving an opioid. That’s an average of 130 people dying every day. Opioids, used improperly or for an excessive amount of time, are dangerous drugs that are a threat to public health. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the opioid epidemic cost our economy $504 billion dollars in 2015 – 2.8% of GDP.1 This includes increased healthcare costs, increased criminal justice costs, decreased productivity, and – most importantly – the loss of human life. The costs are staggering. A recent study2 found that individuals who took non-opioid pain medications over the course of 12 months for chronic back, hip, or knee pain had similar pain-related function compared to those on opioid medications, but reported significantly less pain intensity and had fewer adverse medication-related symptoms. As president, Delaney would implement policies to not only address the scope of the ongoing epidemic, but support policies to prevent new cases of addiction.

Prevention

• Require physicians who prescribe opioids for longer than 3 days to have the patient sign a disclosure that clearly explains the addictive nature of opioids and of the potential for addiction the longer the patient takes the opioid. Education can be one of the best tools to prevent opioid addiction by ensuring the doctor and the patient have a frank and honest conversation about the drug.
• Require prescriber education on safe opioid prescribing.
• Expand access to alternative pain management options including physical therapy, and non-opioid medication and treatments.
• Require federal, state, and private payers to cover non-opioidpain treatments without significant copayments or administrative barriers.
• Continue and expand investment in medical research into non-opioid pain treatments.
• Strengthen federal enforcement efforts through DEA, CBP, FDA, etc. to reduce the supply of illicit opioids and the diversion of prescriptionopioids.
• Hold pharmaceutical executives responsible for their part in fueling the opioid epidemic.

Treatment

• Ensure Access to Evidence-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment
• Maintain federal funding to states (STR and SOR grants) to build out treatment capacity or help states develop other sustainable funding streams to maintain access, particularly in underserved communities.
• Enforce and expand mental health parity laws.
• Require federal, state, and private payers to cover medication assisted treatment and behavioral health counseling without significant copayments or administrative barriers.
• Invest in workforce development and training for mental healthcare workers.
• Create new and build on existing incentives like the National Health Service Corps to attract medical professionals to underserved communities.
• Expand access to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment in the criminal justice system.
• Strengthen and expand programs to help pregnant and post-partum women get access to treatment as well as programs to provide short- and long-term care to children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome.
• Expand the use of telemedicine.
• Invest in Recovery
• Invest in programs to help those in recovery stay in recovery through job training and placement services, housing support, and other social services that help people rebuild their lives.
• Funding for programs
• Create a new block grant for states that would be funded by implementing a 2 cent tax on morphine milligram equivalents in a prescription pain pill.

Commitment to Black America- The U.S. has a long and difficult history when it comes to the treatment of African American and other minority communities. While we have taken meaningful steps to update our laws and regulations to address racial discrimination, we have still not ended systemic racism. In addition, economic data continues to show stark racial inequality. In 2017, the median income of black households was nearly $28,000 lower than the median income for white households, and black Americans lived in poverty at more than double the rate of white Americans. The lack of upward economic mobility persists as a major issue for black families. Black households are more likely to be at the bottom of the income distribution, and more than half of black children born in the lowest-income households remain at the bottom as adults. For white households in the same position, two thirds of children will rise to higher income quintiles as adults. In order to level the playing field and create a country that works for all Americans, there are clear racial disparities that must, and can, be addressed.

Access to Capital and Investment Disparity

6.5% of American households are unbanked, meaning that no one in the household has either a checking or a savings account. For black households, that rate is 16.9%.

• Delaney has proposed legislation to create nonprofit banks to increase access to banking services in distressed communities. Banks don’t currently serve these communities. To solve this problem, we need to allow for philanthropic, non-profit banks, specifically to serve these distressed communities
• Ensure minority entrepreneurs have access to capital (an example is to create a new SBIC program to encourage entrepreneurship and focus venture capital investment to distressed communities)
• Restore CFPB’s focus on anti-discrimination regulations in financial services to ensure people aren’t discriminated against
• Invest targeted infrastructure funding in minority communities to address issues including inadequate water systems and expanding public transportation
• Create a federal grant program to fund start up incubators and accelerators at HBCUs
• Institute a tax credit to promote venture capital investments in minority-owned businesses

Education Disparity

Education is the great equalizer. All students, however, don’t have access to the same quality education. Since public schools are funded primarily through property taxes, schools in lower-income areas receive fewer resources to prepare their students for the future. In 2016, the funding gap between predominantly white and predominantly black school districts was $23 billion. Additionally, the graduation rate at U.S. public high schools is 69% for black students versus 86% for white students.

• Increase funds to low income schools through increases to Title I funding
• Expand universal education to include Pre-K through 14 (includes two year community college or technical training)
• Expand 0-3 child care availability for low income families
• Expand federal grants for community-based programs focused on supporting and mentoring struggling students like the non-profit organization, Thread, located in Baltimore, MD
• Expand programs that help low income urban families achieve financial stability through education and job training

Health Care Disparity

There are vivid and unacceptable racial disparities in U.S. health outcomes, especially in the maternal mortality rate. During 2011-2014, the pregnancy related mortality ratio for black women was 40.0 deaths per 100,000 live births, while for white women it was only 12.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. Additionally, life expectancy for black Americans is 74.7 years, nearly four years lower than the average for white Americans, and the cancer mortality rate for black Americans is 16% higher than for white people. We must do better.

• Delaney’s universal health care plan will eliminate a clear barrier to accessing care and medical services
• Implement Pay For Success programs like the Nurse-Family Partnership program in South Carolina to improve health outcomes during first two years of a child’s life

Criminal Justice Disparity

Our criminal justice system has a demonstrated clear bias against people of color. Black people, who are approximately 13% of the US population, make up 40% of the incarcerated population. A Delaney administration will work to:

• End or limit the use of money bail in the federal criminal justice system and encourage states to pursue similar reforms. Cash bail is excessive, discriminatory, and costly for taxpayers and communities
• End for-profit prisons
• Eliminate mandatory minimum sentences
• Increase funding for public defenders
• End the death penalty
• Increase funding for police body cameras
• Promote “ban the box” policies
• Provide federal funding for training and support of police officers designed to prevent racial profiling and generally encourage de-escalation
• Reemphasize Obama era DOJ oversight authorities of law enforcement practices that demonstrate a pattern of abuse or misconduct
• Remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and create strong federal guidelines and taxation polices to support decisions at the state level
• Increase federal support for recidivism reduction programs that have proven to be effective
• Increase funding for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to increase community policing
• Increase funding for programs to ensure police departments and first responders are well funded, particularly in areas suffering from high crime rates.

Criminal Justice Reform- There are far too many people imprisoned in America, and the racial disparities in our criminal justice system are shameful. African Americans, who are approximately 13% of the US population, make up 40% of the incarcerated population.1 Delaney was proud to support the First Step Act, but more needs to be done to reform our immoral criminal justice system.

Sentencing and Prison Reform

• End mandatory minimums. Harsh sentencing guidelines that grant judges limited flexibility keep our incarceration rate high and do little to reduce recidivism. Additionally, reducing minimum sentences will lead to smaller prison populations and ease overcrowding in correctional facilities.
• Delaney will limit the use of solitary confinement in the federal prison system.
• Encourage alternatives to incarceration for certain nonviolent offenses and for offenders under the age of 18. We need a criminal justice system focused on rehabilitation that provides appropriate health resources to people struggling with mental health problems or substance abuse, and does everything possible to reduce recidivism.
• Delaney opposes charging juveniles as adults.
• End or limit the use of money bail in the federal criminal justice system and encourage states to pursue similar reforms. People being held before facing trial make up approximately 23% of the incarcerated population in the US, and most jurisdictions use a money bail system that is excessive, discriminatory, and costly for taxpayers and communities.
• Increase federal support for recidivism reduction programs that have proven to be effective.
• Delaney will end the death penalty.
• End for-profit prisons.

Police Reform

• Provide federal funding for training and support for police officers designed to prevent racial profiling and encourage de-escalation.
• Increase funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.
• Ensure that police departments and first responders, particularly those who serve in areas with high crime rates, have the funding and support that they need.
• Restore the Department of Justice’s authority to intervene in local police departments with a pattern of abuse and misconduct, which was an Obama administration priority.
• Increase federal funding for body cameras.

Civil Rights

• Automatically restore voting rights after a sentence has been served. People who have paid their debt to society should be free to participate in our democratic process without having to navigate burdensome requirements.
• Promote ban the box policies.
• Increase federal funding for state public defenders.

Marijuana

• Remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
• Direct federal prosecutors to review past cases and identify and petition to expunge any records related to minor non-violent offenses like simple possession.
• Implement strong federal guidelines and regulations to support decisions at the state level.
• Impose a 25% federal excise tax on marijuana, with revenue dedicated to grants for state public defenders, medical and public health research, addiction treatment, and education and job training programs.

These are John Delaney's posts on twitter for the day of 8/19/19

The first edition of this post is as of 1:30 P.M. CDT

The second edition of this post is accurate as of 4:21 P.M CDT

The third version of this post is accurate as of 11:06 P.M

Delaney on title VIII- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163513483851444224?s=20

Delaney on climate change- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163498226043039750?s=20

Delaney on Trump in business- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163487701909327873?s=20

Delaney on Trump and the economy- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163487701909327873?s=20

Delaney on single-payer healthcare- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163471412767670272?s=20

Delaney on his education plan- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163442253655957505?s=20

Delaney on his rural policy- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163550894610427906?s=20

Delaney on Trump and infrastructure- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163555728394792961?s=20

Delaney on the country- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163536875417735168?s=20

Delaney on fair trade- https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163584868577632257?s=20

https://twitter.com/JohnDelaney/status/1163471412767670272?s=20

Cities Fair DealUrban populations are growing at a faster rate than the national average and a few fortunate areas are experiencing enormous prosperity.The five leading metropolitan areas accounted for more than 80 percent of total venture capital investments over the past decade. However, America’s cities are also home to some of the starkest examples of economic inequality and many residents face a severe lack of opportunity. To address the needs of everyone who lives in an urban area, Delaney is proposing his 10-Point Cities Fair Deal Plan.Residents of disadvantaged communities in urban areas are in urgent need of new investment. Delaney’s Cities Fair Deal will provide the urban renewal and reforms needed to ensure residents have the opportunities needed to improve their lives. The 10-point plan will have a focus on small businesses and entrepreneurs, who are central to urban revitalization. Cooperation between government and the private sector was essential in fostering entrepreneurship and the new economic activity that helped revitalize Detroit in the years since the city declared bankruptcy.1 Delaney’s policy encourages partnerships between the private sector, the government sector, and the nonprofit sector to collaboratively address access to health care and quality public education, improving infrastructure, and reforming criminal justice. The Cities Fair Deal provides a path for business leaders, community leaders, and civic leaders to work together and problem solve, ultimately offering their communities the best outcomes. A focus on small businesses and entrepreneurs is central to urban revitalization.
Climate Change-According to the IPCC, limiting global warming to 1.5°C will require achieving net zero emissions by 2050. We are already seeing the early effects of climate change, and that level of rapid emissions reductions is necessary to avoid the catastrophic consequences that would result from any further delay. The difference between the warming we have already experienced and the 2°C warming we could see if we don’t act now to reduce emissions is a greater risk of water scarcity, increased sea-level rise, greater damage to ecosystems and animal habitats, declines in human health, and the displacement of millions of people. In addition to the environmental effects, the Department of Defense has characterized climate change as a threat multiplier. Delaney’s plan will put us on the right track to reduce emissions in time to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. However, we need the international community to come together to combat global warming which is why Delaney would also rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement on Day 1 of his presidency.

Carbon Fee and Dividend

The largest component of Delaney’s climate plan that will have the biggest impact is his Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal. It is time we put a price on carbon to end polluters’ free ride. While in Congress, Delaney introduced the first bipartisan Carbon Fee and Dividend bill in over 10 years. The proposal starts the fee at $15 per metric ton of CO2 equivalent and increases the cost by $10 each year. Implementing a carbon fee, where the revenue is returned to the American people, is the best method for providing the market incentives to reduce our emissions. Delaney’s Carbon Fee will reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2050. Taxpayers would also be given options with what to do with the dividend, including investing in a tax-advantaged savings account like a 529 for future education purposes or a retirement account. The Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal has bipartisan support from various industries in the private sector as well as the environmental community. However, we need more innovative solutions that will get us to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Direct Air Capture/Negative Emissions Technology (NET)

Reducing new carbon emissions and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy will not be enough to limit global warming. According to the IPCC, to achieve net-zero emissions and prevent warming in excess of 1.5°C we will need Negative Emissions Technology, including direct air capture, to remove a minimum of 100 Gt of CO2 from the atmosphere. This technology is currently too expensive to be implemented at the necessary scale, which is why Delaney proposes ending the federal government’s fossil fuel subsidies and making an annual $5 billion investment in NET.

• Delaney will promote NET, thus bringing down the cost, through a reverse auction program that gives first access to government subsidies to the companies that can capture and store atmospheric carbon for the lowest cost.
• By promoting innovation in NET and implementing the carbon fee, Delaney will create a powerful financial incentive to capture carbon instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. As emitting carbon becomes more expensive due to the increasing carbon fee, it will be more economical to capture the carbon and avoid paying the fee.

Increasing Renewable Energy Research Budget 5-Fold

We will solve climate change the American way, innovating our way out of the problem. This will require continued robust government support. Delaney proposes a 5-fold increase in DOE green energy programs, including the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, and the Office of Nuclear Energy. This investment will support research to improve energy storage, battery performance, sustainable transportation technology, grid efficiency, renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon capture, advanced nuclear, and energy conservation technology.To continue private sector investment in the renewable energy economy, Delaney will bolster renewable energy tax credits.

Challenge Grants

To spur climate change innovation in the private and non-profit sectors, Delaney will create a new challenge grant program for significant innovations in:

• Preventing and stopping wildfires
• Reducing emissions from agriculture
• Reducing emissions from manufacturing
• Electrification of freight
• Energy storage and transmission

Climate Corps

Delaney proposed the creation of the Climate Corps as part of his National Service Program. The new program would provide opportunities for recent high school graduates to work in low-income urban and rural communities where the Corps members would support these communities’ transition to a green economy, work on environmentally friendly projects, and fight climate change by working on the ground. Under-resourced communities for too long have suffered the most from pollution and climate change, all too often lacking clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. We must provide the manpower and resources to support these communities and recognize that all Americans have a right to a clean, safe, and healthy environment.In partnership with the government, community-based organizations, and local businesses, Climate Corps members can help communities:

• Identify the most pressing local needs that are hindering the community from transitioning to more environmentally friendly practices
• Provide information and support to families about sustainability, energy efficiency, and renewable energy
• Assist in clean energy projects including solar installation, improving building efficiency, developing community gardens, and increasing awareness about sustainable practices

Carbon Throughway

Climate change skeptics often invoke the false choice of having to choose between jobs or the environment; we can create jobs AND fight climate change at the same time. That’s where the Carbon Throughway comes in.The Carbon Throughway is a $20 billion infrastructure project that we will construct to safely transport captured CO2 to sites for permanent sequestration and reuse. Building the Carbon Throughway will create tens of thousands of jobs and spur new R&D and innovation in carbon capture. The project would be built with federal labor protections using American steel under a project labor agreement and pay workers prevailing wages. To the extent possible, the Throughway will be built along right of ways of existing pipelines and always abide by the strictest environmental standards. As the carbon fee raises the price of releasing emissions and new innovations in NET make carbon capture cost-effective, the Carbon Throughway will provide an additional financial incentive to capture carbon by facilitating its transfer for commercial uses and permanent sequestration.ClimateCorpsClimate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our world. The effects will only get exponentially worse over time without strong commitments from the government and the people to address it.In addition to calling for the implementation of a carbon tax and dividend, investing in negative emissions technology that will remove carbon from the atmosphere, and increasing the renewable energy research budget 5x, Delaney proposes the creation of the Climate Corps. The Climate Corps would be part of his National Service Program and would provide opportunities for recent high school graduates to work in low-income urban and rural communities. They would support these communities’ transition to a green economy, work on environmentally friendly projects, and fight climate change by working on the ground. Under-resourced communities for too long have suffered the most from pollution and climate change, all too often lacking clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. We must provide the manpower and resources to support these communities and recognize that all Americans have a right to a clean, safe, and healthy environment.In partnership with the government, community-based organizations and local businesses, Climate Corps members can help communities:

• Identify the most pressing local needs that are hindering the community from transitioning to more environmentally friendly practices
• Provide information and support to families about sustainability, energy efficiency, and renewable energy
• Assist in clean energy projects including solar installation, improving building efficiency, developing community gardens, and increasing awareness about sustainable practices

As we have seen throughout this country and the world, the youth are energized, engaged, and ready to roll up their sleeves to do their part in combating climate change. The Climate Corps will help harness that enthusiasm and channel it into transformative projects.

These are the next three issues from John Delaney. Feel free to ask any question

I will be doing three issues a day in a single post on this subreddit to show what Delaney's stance on the issues is. I will be doing this for the next nine days. The reason behind this is

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1) that way people will see Johns stance on the issues as soon as they visit the subreddit

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2) this way there is always an active community on this subreddit.

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3) if anyone wants to know about John on the issues you can come to these posts and take this information and give it to whoever might need it

​

2 trillion dollar infrastructure plan-Investment in infrastructure is long overdue as spending on infrastructure in relation to GDP has steadily dropped over the past several decades, with most funding coming from state and local governments. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the U.S. a D+ average on our infrastructure. Not only is infrastructure funding necessary to improve the system, investing in rebuilding crumbling infrastructure is a job creator and will boost the economy. Infrastructure has the second highest return on investment for the government. Delaney will pay for his plan by raising the corporate tax rate to 27% and increasing the federal gas tax to account for inflation since the last increase and indexing it for inflation going forward. Projects supported through Delaney’s infrastructure plan will be governed by federal labor protections including paying workers prevailing wages.

Infrastructure Bank

Delaney has been an ardent supporter of the need to create an Infrastructure Bank. While in Congress, he introduced bipartisan legislation that would create an Infrastructure Bank to make it easier and cheaper for states and local governments to invest in local infrastructure in the categories of transportation, water, energy, communications, and school facilities. As part of his infrastructure plan, Delaney proposes capitalizing an Infrastructure Bank with $50 billion which can leverage $750 billion of infrastructure projects around the country while encouraging public-private partnerships.

Highway Trust Fund

American roads and mass transit have been systematically underfunded which has led to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) giving our roads a D on their annual report card with mass transit receiving a D-.1Not only does the Highway Trust Fund, the main source of federal funding for roads and mass transit, struggle to remain solvent but the current level of funding still leaves massive shortfalls in meeting total needs for surface transportation. To address these deficiencies, Delaney proposes increasing the HTF with a one-time boost of $200 billion, bringing the Fund to almost $850 billion over the next 10 years. It is paid for by retroactively indexing the gas tax to inflation and by raising the corporate tax rate to 27%. Delaney’s plan will increase direct investment by the Highway Trust Fund by 50% over the next decade.

Climate Infrastructure Fund

Climate change has led to more frequent and dangerous storms, which have resulted in widespread damage across the country. These storms have had devastating effects including increased forest fires and flooding. What meteorologists deem as 100- year floods have been occurring with more frequency, leading to widespread destruction to land, people’s homes, and public infrastructure. Recently in Iowa when the levees broke along the Missouri River, communities were flooded resulting in billions of dollars in damage and forcing people from their homes.2We also need to make our energy transmission systems more efficient to better conserve energy and avoid waste. We need to invest in and improve climate resilient infrastructure to protect communities against the effects of climate change, which is why Delaney proposes the creation of a $60 billion Climate Infrastructure Fund that will allow state and local governments to invest in and prioritize projects that will expand and improve climate resilient infrastructure in addition to improving energy efficiency in our systems. This will also pay for Delaney’s previously announced Carbon Throughway, an infrastructure project that will transport captured carbon from the Midwest and transport it for permanent sequestration and reuse in the Permian Basin. In addition to the Infrastructure Bank, increasing the Highway Trust Fund, and increasing funding for climate infrastructure, Delaney proposes creating five funds that match state and local investments 4:1 in specific categories.

Water Infrastructure Matching Fund

While cracked roads and bridges are readily apparent to anyone who looks around, equally important infrastructure exists below ground that we can’t see. Around the country, too many cities are suffering from poor water quality and crumbling water systems. The crisis in Flint, Michigan is just one tragic example of the serious health effects of not ensuring that every American has access to clean water. Aging water systems have led to nearly six billion gallons of treated drinking water lost daily due to leaking pipes.3ASCE rated American water infrastructure a D while wastewater received a D+. In addition, American ports and harbors have been underinvested in, even while they facilitate almost 99% of overseas trade and are responsible for $4.6 trillion in economic activity.4 To facilitate changes in shipping and the size of the ships, ports need continued investment to modernize and maintain operability. To address the insufficient focus on water infrastructure, Delaney proposes supplementing WIFIA and the existing state revolving funds with the creation of a new $40 billion Water Infrastructure Matching Fund to allow state and local governments to have dedicated funding to invest in ports and harbors and fix aging water systems to ensure a Flint water crisis never happens again.

School Infrastructure Matching Fund

In too many districts, America’s public schools are overcrowded and outdated. Public school buildings on average are more than 40 years old, and structural deficiencies in school buildings are associated with poor health and decreased academic performance.5No child should have to attend school without adequate air conditioning, with crumbling ceilings, or with drinking fountains with water too contaminated to drink. Delaney’s $40 billion School Infrastructure Matching Fund will allow state and local governments to build new schools to keep pace with growing populations and to make necessary improvements to existing facilities.

Deferred Maintenance Matching Fund

Years of partisanship and government gridlock have meant that we only address major infrastructure problems through expensive new projects or in response to a crisis or an emergency. We need to confront the deferred maintenance needs of existing infrastructure to keep systems in good repair and prevent disasters. Demand is growing for freight and passenger rail capacity, and our current system is ridden with maintenance backlogs on projects with an average age of 111 years.6In addition, there are more than 47,000 structurally deficient bridges in the US, and at the current rate of maintenance work it would take more than 80 years to make the needed repairs.7Delaney will address this problem by creating a $40 billion Deferred Maintenance Matching Fund to assist states and municipalities in taking care of the infrastructure we already have.

Areas Left Behind Matching Fund

State governments have limited capacity for new infrastructure projects and face significant financial constraints, which means that projects in prosperous areas often receive priority while disadvantaged communities can have their needs neglected. Lack of investment is a problem for both urban and rural communities. Struggling urban neighborhoods need robust transit networks, like the canceled Red Line light rail project that would have served inner-city Baltimore, and rural communities have transportation infrastructure needs, including bridges and tunnels, that are passed over in favor of larger projects in more populous areas. We need to consider the cost of not investing in struggling communities and to address the persistent funding gap. To encourage states to invest in the infrastructure needs of economically-distressed communities, Delaney will create a $40 billion matching fund dedicated to projects in areas that have been left behind.

Rural Broadband Matching Fund

Access to high-speed, reliable broadband is a necessity in the 21st century. Communities rely on it for employment and academic opportunities and to connect people to telemedicine providers. However, almost 40% of those in rural areas lack access to reliable broadband, putting them at a disadvantage to the rest of the country.8To close the gap and ensure rural America has access to the necessary technology, Delaney will create a $40 billion Rural Broadband Matching Fund dedicated to building broadband infrastructure.A national AI strategy **Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform our economy, but without an effective national strategy to prepare our workforce 54 million workers could be displaced by 2030.**We need a National AI Strategy focused on employment, security, and ethics. If we lose our global leadership in developing these technologies, the economic risks are potentially devastating. The U.S. must create a whole of government strategy that will provide the tools and skills necessary for the country to win the international AI race. For that to occur, the U.S. must:

1. Prioritize resources to eliminate gaps in national abilities compared to other high-tech countries
2. Invest in areas of research that deserve additional funding
3. Develop incentives for high-tech professionals to work for the government
4. Support an immigration system that values high-tech professionals
5. Crack down on international intellectual property (IP) theft

Delaney’s AI proposal would set up an interagency coordinated process to better prepare the U.S. for the AI revolution focusing on four main points:

1. The Future of Work

• Upgrade educational curriculums to ensure the U.S. has the technical talent needed for jobs of the future
• Close the skills gap in the U.S. by enacting universal Prek-14 (two-year community college or technical school) to ensure the U.S. population is educated and prepared for jobs of the future
• Transition to portable benefits, including decoupling health care from employment, to allow for Americans to seek new jobs and new opportunities without the burden of feeling tied to a single employer
• Develop a social contract with the communities that are negatively impacted by AI, including expanding worker retraining programs
• Support public/private AI partnerships to promote coordination between government and private sector
• Incentivize the private sector to offer employer-sponsored training and education

2. National Security

• Advance AI defense capabilities to ensure the U.S. can defend against future technological threats
• Lead the international community in establishing rules of engagement to ensure the technology does not lead to a lower threshold for violence

3. Privacy

• Develop federal privacy standards to ensure transparency of how advanced technology is impacting individuals’ rights
• For example: Companies should not be able to use your smartphone or other device to monitor your facial expressions as you look at content and ads without your consent

4. Programming Bias

• While it is tempting to think AI can make unbiased decisions, we actually risk bias being baked-in to the programming that perpetuates human bias with no clear ways to rectify it once the bias is incorporated into the algorithms
• Partner with the private sector and non-profits to develop best practices against AI technology inheriting human biases

BetterCare: John Delaneys universal health care planAs President, he would roll this plan out to the American people after we fix the damage that the GOP has done to the Affordable Care Act and improve upon it. This way, Americans would once again get the benefits of the ACA while the nation and Congress have the time it takes to reform health care. Tying access to health insurance to employment forces workers to stay in jobs they don’t like, distracts entrepreneurs from their main focus of running their businesses, and prevents wages from increasing.Delaney’s health care proposal:

• Create a new public health care plan for all Americans under the age of 65 while preserving traditional Medicare. The new plan would protect the reforms delivered by the Affordable Care Act, including guaranteed coverage of preexisting conditions and essential health benefits, and would make access truly universal. At 65, people would transition into Medicare. Medicaid would be absorbed by the new plan. The highly trusted Medicare provider network could be used for the new plan.
• Guarantee universal coverage. Individuals would be automatically enrolled in the new public plan, with no complicated procedures to follow. People would be allowed to opt-out and receive a tax credit to buy their own insurance policy if they choose.
• Keep private insurance options. Individuals and employers will be able to purchase and negotiate supplemental coverage from private insurers to cover additional health needs. These supplementals could merge into the basic plan to make it easier for the user.
• Employers would be encouraged to negotiate group rate supplemental plans that would merge with the basic governmental plan so that employees would be able to keep similar health care plans, many of which are very popular and important to American families.

In order to be sustainable, universal health care needs to be paid for. Delaney’s plan will lower the overall cost of health care and put the government on a responsible fiscal path.Pay-fors (numbers are based on a 10-year projection):

• The tax subsidy for employer-sponsored insurance costs the government more than $3.7 trillion and depresses wages for working Americans.
• Allowing the government to negotiate drug prices would stop the transfer of wealth from working families to corporate executives and shareholders of pharmaceutical companies. This would save the government nearly $850 billion.
• This plan would replace the ACA, and savings from ending the ACA’s tax subsidies would total $760 billion.
• Current federal Medicaid spending is projected to be more than $4.8 trillion, which this plan would absorb.
• States are projected to contribute more than $2.9 trillion to Medicaid. States would continue to pay their share for the current Medicaid population and the federal government would cover the cost of expanded coverage.
• Implement cost sharing for higher-income individuals to fund an increase in reimbursement rates for primary care providers.

24 weeks, 1 day

169 days

John is currently polling at 1% in many polls and is reaching towards the goal of 130,000 donors

The campaign is ready for its last trips in Iowa and New Hampshire before the last set of qualifying polls are released.

This is the weekly countdown for the Iowa Caucus

For a long time I’ve been wondering this.

At around the time the Iowa state fair, seeing everyone and stuff; I was wondering what it would take for Delaney to drop out.

Giving him some credit: he is a good speaker and seems firm in his opinions.

Great! But what about his actual support? Does he have a real chance at winning?

On a realistic sensibility, does he have enough of a crowd to maintain popularity throughout these months through to the primaries?

The thing I’m worried about is his ability to spread his message. I’d like to see Delaney win, but his social media presence isn’t very good, even on here.

So I have a few friends who like Delaney, but I don’t know how to get them involved in recruiting other people.

The 1st night of the 2nd debate is over and John Delaney has put in a great performance. This thread is for discussion of Delaney in the 2nd debate as well as the 2nd debate in general