Ever since President Ronald Reagan pushed through the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA) and the Tax Reform Act of 1986, income tax rates for individuals and businesses have been slashed dramatically, cutting the top marginal rate from 70% to 28% by 1988.

Additionally, that administration introduced business incentives like accelerated depreciation (ACRS).

These cuts, driven by supply-side economics, aimed to stimulate economic growth...

But, instead, they increased deficits, prompting subsequent tax increases later in the 1980s, and sparking debates over their impact on inequality and revenue.

Which is what has led us to today: The billionaire class which frequently reports record profits with their companies, but pays little to nothing in taxes.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are footing the huge bill amid stagnating wages and increased inflation.

I believe that if the billionaire class wants to exist in America or do business here, they must and will share the wealth.

Don't get me wrong: I am NOT anti-capitalism.

I'm a business person embracing businesses making profits, but there has to be a point where how much is too much.

And when that threshold is met, it's time to implement changes that still enables personal wealth while also creating a tax code that takes that wealth accrued beyond that threshold and creates a system where the ultra wealthy pay more.

This isn't about taking away their wealth altogether; there is, however, a breakpoint where when they are taxed fairly along with the rest of us, a lot of our local, state, and national budgets will benefit while the billionaires won't even feel the cut.

Here’s my plan for helping to create policies and federal legislation to make this happen:

1. Implementing a Wealth Tax: This annual tax on an individual's net worth (total assets minus debts) would occur above a certain threshold. Proposals, such as the one by Senator Elizabeth Warren, suggest a 2% annual tax on net worth between $50 million and $1 billion, with an additional surtax on wealth over $1 billion.

2. Taxing Unrealized Capital Gains (Mark-to-Market): Much of the wealth accumulation for the ultra-rich comes from the appreciation of assets (like stocks) that are not taxed until they are sold (realized). A mark-to-market system would require wealthy individuals to pay taxes on the increase in the value of their tradable assets annually, regardless of whether they sell them.

3. Eliminating "Step-Up in Basis": Under current law, when an heir inherits an asset, its "cost basis" is "stepped up" to its market value at the time of the owner's death, meaning capital gains that occurred during the original owner's lifetime are never taxed. Eliminating this rule would ensure the entire capital gain is subject to tax when the heir eventually sells the asset.

4. Increasing Capital Gains Tax Rates: The current top tax rate on capital gains (20%, plus a 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax) is significantly lower than the top rate for ordinary income (37%). Raising the capital gains rate, especially for top earners, to match the ordinary income rate would address this disparity.

5. Imposing a High-Income Surtax: A straightforward approach is to add a surtax (an across-the-board levy) on all types of income (including capital gains, dividends, etc.) above a certain threshold, for example, on incomes over $1 million.
Closing the "Buy, Borrow, Die" Loophole: The wealthy often use appreciated assets as collateral for loans to finance their consumption without selling the assets and triggering capital gains tax. One proposal is to treat the pledging of an asset as collateral as a taxable event.

6. Increasing the Corporate Tax Rate: Raising the corporate tax rate, for example, back to pre-2017 levels (35% from the current 21%), is another mechanism, as the burden of corporate taxes largely falls on the owners of the corporations, who skew toward the very wealthy.

7. Enhancing IRS Enforcement: Providing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with the necessary resources and mandates to conduct audits and investigate complex tax avoidance strategies used by the ultra-wealthy is critical to ensuring existing laws are enforced and the "tax gap" is reduced.

Like most people waiting to have the checker ring up the total, I was mildly bored and fumbling for my wallet.

“That’ll be $392.03,” the cashier said quietly.

“What did you say?,” I said, unbelievingly, and froze instantly.

“Three hundred and ninety two dollars. And three cents.”

“Is that with insurance?,” I asked, panic starting to rise in my voice.

“Yes, it is.”

“Wait a sec, can we try my Kroger prescription discount card? I also have the Good RX discount card too,” I stammered, thumbing through my wallet to find the cards.

“Sure,” she said, and took the cards to run them through the system, even calling over the pharmacy team lead for help.

“Unfortunately, your insurance is giving you the best price,” she said, almost bracing for an outburst.

I felt sorry for her and any person behind the counter at pharmacies across the U.S.

What do people do when they find out their prescriptions are through the roof like this?

Many fume. Some despair. Some sadly walk away, desperately knowing that they cannot afford a life-altering medicine. Others pay for it, but then ration out portions only when they need it the most to avoid having to come back again next month by stretching out their supply.

I looked online later to find out that this particular prescription is regularly over a $1,000 a month without insurance.

So, in fact, what I was getting was a pretty good deal. But this is only for a one-month supply.

Like most people these days, money is tight, so I have to plan carefully how and when I use this medicine.

Americans don’t deserve difficult choices like this.

Every person should be able to go to preventative care.

If they have a health problem, they should be able to see doctors when they need to.

And medicine should be accessible to them financially without worrying about going into financial ruin or making the hard choice to go without.

Fiery posts on social media.

Dark thoughts of hatred.

De-humanizing the “other” side.

These behaviors are all easy traps to fall into.

And the current administration is rubbing its hands in glee as it tosses gasoline onto the fire to stoke the flames of discontent.

The hope is, of course, that we will be so busy fighting each other that no one ends up minding the hen house.

With the actual hen house being the act of holding our elected officials accountable.

Bentz Won’t Sit Down With Constituents He Disagrees With

When Rep. Cliff Bentz put out a press release saying he is refusing to hold in-person town halls throughout the district he was elected to represent, specifically due to his fear of the Indivisible “gang” (which happens to be composed of mostly the silver-haired generation, incidentally), that tells you a lot about his character.

When elected to office, it is your honor-bound duty to LISTEN to the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you don’t.

But the integrity part came when he refused to acknowledge people who disagree with his actions.

Ignoring those dissenting voices doesn’t make what he did right.

And when that murmur turns into a roar, you should have the guts to face the people unhappy with your work.

It isn’t pleasant, but at least he should have the integrity to face up to getting a bad performance review.

Being Accountable Means Having A Flexible Mindset, Not Rigid One

I have always held the mantra that I will listen to ANY opposing view as long as it is provided in a constructive, civilized discourse.

My attitude: Ok, go ahead and convince me. I’m listening.

At the very least, I know I am going to learn something.

Being inflexible and insisting one side is CORRECT 100% of the time is not only illogical, but impossible.

We all know that the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. And that’s the way I like to chat with others.

No one in a democracy is going to get 100% of everything that they want.

It’s about compromise.

LET’S FIND THE MIDDLE GROUND

How can we come up with a win-win situation that gives EVERYONE a little slice of what they want, with the social contract is that by giving a little, we also get a little?

Compromise and breaking bread with the opposition to find those common threads is what has fueled the U.S. into becoming an amazing nation.

We still have a long way to go, but if we can go back and re-center ourselves, we can reverse the horrifying direction this country is taking, and find our footing again for the hard work ahead.

And the only way we are going to be able to do that is by sitting down to share opposing ideas, and being willing to find space for a compromise.

So it no longer becomes your way or my way, but instead: OUR WAY.

And this is a huge part of what I hope to accomplish in my campaign for Oregon’s Congressional District 2 for the U.S. House of Representatives.

I’ve owned my business for almost 18 years, and have put a lot of sweat and tears into building a company that serves people from all walks of life.

This also includes people of all backgrounds, education, career levels, and industries.

In a sense, I’ve been exposed to an incredible wealth of ideas, business insights, strategy, and leadership that span entry level workers up to C-suite executives of Fortune 50 companies.

Yes, I have helped clients find their dream jobs, discover their value, negotiate higher salary levels, and re-invent themselves.

What I have gained is immeasurable.

How many people do you know that have had an hour-long conversation with 4,000+ individuals, asking them in-depth questions about their thought processes, logic, expertise, and knowledge?

The blessing I have received is an intimate knowledge of all of the inner workings of how business, communities, governments, and agencies work.

And having that knowledge is priceless, combined with an ability and a willingness to ask deeper questions on things I didn’t know about previously.

Two things have become very apparent in my work, in addition to gaining this amazing knowledge base.

1. EVERYONE has value. That is a full stop. Everyone has the opportunity to contribute and a role to play. Even the most insignificant roles have a specific purpose that plays to the bigger picture.

2. Nearly 99% of my clients, when asked, “What do you want to change in the world?” answer that they want to work hard, and make a better life for themselves and their children.

That’s it. That’s the hard data I have from my tenure as a resume writer that told me that it’s time to step up and find a way right up the middle to unite this nation threatened by forces that seek to divide us.

I believe that by throwing my hat into the ring for the U.S. House of Representatives - CD2 here in Oregon to challenge Rep. Cliff Bentz, I have an ability to LISTEN to people, recognize their value, and work hard to find ways to remove the obstacles that the current administration is putting in front of people trying to live the American dream.

It’s a simple premise.

But it’s what I believe in, and I have the inquisitive mind, ability to connect to people, and a fire burning in me to take this seat and flip it blue to represent the needs of Oregonians by listening to them.

.