issue:
Parental Rights
Our Need: Make certain that parents are empowered to make decisions for their own children
Perspective
No government agency or insurance company should be telling parents what medical treatments their children should have access to. Medical and mental health understanding are evolving as the result of scientific study and families should have confidential relationships with experts who can direct them to help for their concerns. Anyone outside your family standing ready to judge or restrict the care you or your child needs has an arrogance that outstrips their place in your world.
Neither should insurance companies be deciding what care you or your child receives--they should be part of making it affordable, not denying care. (Don't get my wife started on this--she retired from medicine tearfully shaking her head at how much control has been stripped from providers and patients during her career.) We can agree that the medical care & reimbursement system is broken but we can't allow the corporate giants or MAGA-egos to break it further.
No government—local, state, or federal—should be deciding what books their children can read. Think about it: when is the last time in history that it was The Good Guys banning books? Certainly I wouldn't hand War and Peace to an elementary school child (even ones as bright as mine were), and I wouldn't direct them to the racy-sounding passages in the Old Testament. That doesn't mean those books should be banned from school shelves--they have legitimate uses and places in literature, study, and so forth.
Neal Jackson, my opponent, imposed his will and his fears on your family, and took down jobs in the process. In Randolph Co., he convinced a town council to fire their Library Board over a book their educators did not want removed. What the--? Talk about over-reach! Neal Jackson doesn't sit at your kitchen table or read to your kids--you do.
Material appropriate for a child is directed by parents, in concert with trusted teachers and librarians (which is why schools encourage parents to know those people). Frightened people who've "heard things" about a book should not have more of a say than you, the parent! Leave books on shelves for others who may need them, and have discussions within your family about what your children are interested in--parents and children will be closer as a result.
Additionally, we should be making childcare accessible and affordable. We have a shortage of childcare options in our area--a waiting list of over 300 kids at one facility alone! Plus, parents should not have to choose between quality childcare and paying their rent, mortgage, or utility bill. Helpful measures may include, but are not limited to, tax incentives for those providing certified childcare services, tax incentives for companies that provide childcare benefits, and programs to provide need based childcare funding.