Richard Weiss, Green Party. Candidate for U.S. Senate

What is your position on abortion policy?

I support an unrestricted, no questions asked, right to a safe and prompt abortion up to the end of 20 weeks of pregnancy, calculated starting at 2 weeks after last menstruation. An embryo is composed of human cells but is not yet a human being. The soul enters after the body is formed. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7 This was also the position of the Catholic Church in the past: St. Thomas Aquinas stated that a fetus has finally a rational soul when the body was developed. The Summa Theologica specifies that ensoulment takes place once the fetus becomes animated (also known as "quickening"). Abortion is in the Bible (Numbers 5:15) and was practiced at the time of Jesus, yet in no place is it called the taking of a human life. Abortion has been practiced for thousands of years and was a common part of U.S. history. Benjamin Franklin wrote a recipe for an abortifacient in a popular handbook. Roe v. Wade used viability rather than quickening. The earliest an infant has survived is after 21 weeks of pregnancy. The use of an artificial womb would not change the point of ensoulment. The point of sufficient development of the fetus is not the same in every case and I estimate it to range from 17 to 20 weeks. However, I would not support intervention of the state before 20 weeks, leaving the matter to the conscience of the pregnant person and their doctor. After 21 weeks, my view is a healthy fetus is virtually a human being and I would not support abortion other than in the case of a nonviable fetus (e.g. brain death), threat to the life of the pregnant person, or severe defect. For reference, I would not consider down syndrome to be a severe defect. Many people with down syndrome have gone on to live fulfilling lives. . Luke 1:44 occurred after 21 weeks. “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy…” Luke 1:26 I would support granting certain rights, such as inheritance, to a healthy viable fetus after 21 weeks of pregnancy.

What is your position on voting administration? (ex: mail-in ballots, drop boxes, voter ID, etc.)

Paper ballots. Hand marked. Hand counted. On camera. Make Election Day a holiday. Memorial Day and Veterans day can be merged to make room for a new holiday on Election Day. Copies may be counted by scanner as a quality control measure that identifies errors prompting a physical hand recount however the physical hand count on camera should be the official count. Ballots should be on camera from the time they enter the polling place as blanks to the time they are completely counted.

What are your positions on economic policy and job creation (ex: inflation reduction, taxes, regulations, etc.)?

The rise in cost of energy is the source of the current surge in inflation. The U.S. is currently energy independent and the cost of producing oil/gas in the U.S. did not go up. The world price went up. The price increase was due to the corporations' obligation to sell at the world price to maximize profits. All the price increase was due to sanctions and went to corporate profits. Set energy prices in the U.S. at pre-Russian sanctions prices and require oil companies to satisfy the U.S. market first. They would be just as profitable as before the sanctions.

Defense spending should be cut. Reduce overseas bases to pre-9/11 levels and bring troops home. Disband DHS. U.S. Debt held by the Federal Reserve should be erased. The Federal Reserve should be brought under the control of the Treasury Dept. and laws passed to limit creation of money in accordance with productivity gains and slack in the economy in order to avoid inflation, taking into account the velocity of money and money created by banks.

The Green Party believes in requiring the wealthy to pay a fair share of taxes that are not avoidable through loopholes. Personally, I believe in an income tax that starts at 1/3 of one percent at $100,000 income and increases by 1/3 of one percent for each additional $100,000 topping out at 10% but with no deductions and applies to all tax shelters or controlled legal entities domestic or foreign, with a credit for foreign tax paid. Capital gains and interest would be taxed at a flat 10% and withheld by the entity making the payment. Corporate taxes would be 1% of sales with no deductions. This would greatly simplify taxes and reduce costs.

The Fed is seriously talking about suppressing wages as method of controlling inflation. The current inflation is not due to increase in wages. Wages have not gone up in a long time (while CEO pay has dramatically increased). Suppression of wages is probably how they have been controlling inflation so far. The Fed has created over $35 trillion since 9/11. Most Americans don’t seem to know that the U.S. has 800 military bases around the world. Twenty times that of any other country. The U.S. military is currently active in over one hundred countries, including active operations throughout Africa. Al Qaeda and ISIS receive funding weapons and training to fight together with U.S. forces in Syria to overthrow the Syrian government. (We should Stop funding terrorists and pass the Stop Arming Terrorists bill proposed by Tulsi Gabbard.) There is no Congressional authorization for the U.S. military to be operating in Syria. The U.S. Congress has not declared war on Syria. If the U.S. military budget were cut in half it would be twice that of Russia and China combined.

The cause of inflation is the bloated military budget combined with recent sanctions on Russia driving up fuel prices. Inflation was not due to rising wages. People do not need their wages suppressed. They need to be able to afford the goods and services necessary for survival whose prices have gone up. Cut the military budget, end the forever wars, close the bases opened since 9/11, disband DHS which is redundant and wastes money, bring the troops home and spend that money at home.

I would introduce and promote legislation requiring goods made for sale in the US be produced according to US standards of occupational safety, environmental protection and worker benefits/standard of living. Otherwise they would face tariffs eliminating the incentive to move jobs overseas for the purpose of exploiting lack of legal protection and unfair labor practices in poorer countries. Goods from other developed countries such as W. Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand would probably qualify and escape the tariff. Nonetheless I would favor incentives to produce in the US for the US market.

What is your position on climate change and environmental policy?

I support the phasing out of fossil fuels and a just transition to renewable energy as quickly as possible. The Green New Deal, originally proposed by Green Party NY Governor candidate Howie Hawkins in 2010, can be found in its current form here: gp.org/green_new_deal. “Just” means any displaced workers will be compensated and retrained for new jobs. The renewable energy sector creates far more permanent jobs and produces cheaper energy that does not cause cancer. Cancer is a high tax to pay.

The first step is to halt fracking which is ruining the water and health of Pennsylvania. Fossil fuels provide fewer jobs which are temporary, produce more expensive energy, leave behind environmental disasters and cause cancer. Renewable energy provides more and permanent jobs, produces cheaper energy, preserves the environment and doesn't cause cancer.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/oil-gas-fracking-radioactive-investigation-937389/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2219927-us-green-economy-has-10-times-more-jobs-than-the-fossil-fuel-industry/

What is your position on immigration policy?

The important issue is that undocumented people working in the U.S. are essential workers and should be gotten documents so that they can come and go freely and legally. When Alabama successfully scared away undocumented workers, the economy collapsed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0ZzwGSF6Zg They are not taking jobs from any U.S. citizens. They are taking jobs no U.S. citizens want, boosting the economy and creating jobs for U.S. citizens. Sending them away will crash the economy.

If the U.S. did not participate in worsening the conditions of other countries such as Honduras, Haiti and Syria, there would be fewer refugees and asylum seekers. International law requires the admission of asylum seekers. The U.S. should not cause a civil war in Syria and then refuse to accept refugees generated by that civil war. There is no Congressional authorization for the U.S. military to be operating in Syria. The U.S. Congress has not declared war on Syria. The U.S. military and intelligence agencies should cease all offensive operations in Syria and end the civil war which will reduce the number of refugees.

What is your position on LGBTQ rights? (ex: marriage, adoption, sports participation)

LGBTQ adults should be allowed to marry and adopt. A government issued marriage license has nothing to do with religion. Adam and Eve did not have any government issued certificate.

I believe we are born with gender identity and sex orientation that won't change. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/intersex-children-pose-ethical-dilemma-doctors-parents-genital/story?id=13153068 Persons with a 23rd pair of chromosomes that are XY and who undergo hormone therapy such that they go through puberty with the same amount of testosterone as a woman with XX chromosomes, and maintain parity of testosterone level post puberty, should be allowed to participate in women's sports.

Persons with a Y chromosome can have an unfair athletic advantage over persons with XX chromosomes due to the ability of their bodies to naturally produce more testosterone. I am in favor of separate award categories for XY women, XX women, XX men and XY women, as well as genetically mixed and non-mixed teams. However if an XY woman has hormone therapy such that she went through puberty with testosterone levels the same as XX women, and continues to maintain testosterone levels the same as XX women, then she should be allowed to compete together with XX women and be treated the same as an XX woman, because her body will have developed the same as XX women.

I would require that trans women be post-gender reassignment surgery before being placed in a female prison. Separate prison accomodations should be provided for pre-surgery trans women. I would consider requiring surgery prior to trans women competing in women's Olympics or professional sports. Men would not pretend to be trans women merely in order to dominate women's sports if they had to undergo gender transition surgery first. Such surgery should be made available for those who cannot afford it.

What is your position on criminal justice reform?

Nonviolent offenders should be diverted from incarceration to other programs. I am in favor of using restorative justice as an alternative to incarceration as much as possible I believe restorative justice has better success and results in lower rates of reoffending than traditional methods of punishment. Restorative justice is a collaborative process involving repair of the harm to victims, apology and focuses on reintegration into the community. I would be willing to follow examples where restorative justice has been used successfully.

Denver is having success sending mental health professionals instead of police to non-violent calls. https://www.upworthy.com/denver-replaced-cops-with-mental-health-experts-for-some-nonviolent-calls-and-its-a-huge-success

End the practice of traffic stops. Take a picture and mail the registered owner of the vehicle a ticket.

The US has a higher incarceration rate than any other 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 or legalizing cannabis would have an immediate effect on reducing prison and jail populations, and save money. All past criminal records from cannabis convictions should be expunged.

Release elderly and infirm inmates.

I envision that cannabis would be legal like alcohol, not tobacco, which means that one may not "toke and drive."

We must develop police standards of conduct. Put body cameras at all times on both officers and anyone arrested. The video belongs to the public and not to the police. All training and equipment should be devoted to taking suspects alive, and a death considered a failure. Our system of justice is based on the principle that it is better to let a guilty person go free than to convict an innocent one. I would rather take a bullet than shoot an innocent person. Let us develop a system of policing based on that principle.

What is your position on gun ownership policy?

I support reinstating the 1994 assault weapons ban. In addition, I support further legislation defining military and civilian grade weapons. Military grade weapons would not be available to the public. The 2nd Amendment only prevented the federal government from prohibiting states to maintain their own militias, which are now the National Guard. The Bill of Rights did not even apply to states when it was written, but only to the federal government. So it is not possible to state that the founding fathers intended the 2nd Amendment to restrict a state's right to regulate guns. States could restrict guns in any way they pleased and did so throughout the history of the United States. Cities in the old west were gun free zones. Look up the "Gunfight at the OK Corral." "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves & their own state, or the United States, or for the purpose of killing game; & no law shall be passed for disarming the people or any of them, unless for crimes committed, or real danger of public injury..." That was the proposal of the anti-federalist minority delegation of Pennsylvania to the Constitutional Convention. Similar language was incorporated into certain state constitutions. Some people claim this is what the 2nd Amendment means. However I say it means the opposite. This language was known to the Constitutional Convention. It was specifically proposed, and intentionally NOT incorporated into the U.S. Constitution. Certainly some founding fathers favored this language. However, it was not included, on purpose. Similarly, the Constitution Convention debated whether to include a "right to revolution" and decided not to include it. The people who want military weapons want them in order to fight the U.S. government. However there is nothing in the Constitution about individuals fighting against the U.S. government, which is rebellion, insurrection, or treason under the Constitution. https://riversong.wordpress.com/the-real-second-amendment/ The 2nd Amendment meant you could be drafted into your state militia. You were required to report to a commanding officer appointed by your state. Private roaming armed bands or paramilitaries weren't allowed. See: Washington putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. I grew up with guns. I grew up in Pennsylvania and went hunting with my dad from the time I was twelve years old. We had no semi-automatic weapons. They are completely unnecessary for hunting. All semi-automatic weapons could be categorized as military grade and not available to the public without a specific reason, such as for shopkeepers and security guards. The Australian gun law allows a collector to own a semi-automatic rifle with a 10-round magazine. Personally I would not allow AR-15 ammunition, barrel length or rifling twist rate. An M-1 rifle or similar type might be acceptable as a collector's item. Such a weapon would only be allowed secured at home, a shooting range or shooting competition and while being transported securely between these locations. Gun ownership could require a training course, a licence, insurance and regular testing to demonstrate proficiency. The regular testing requirement could be met by joining shooting competitions. All guns should bear a serial number and custody tracked from manufacture. The last one the gun is registered to is responsible for what happens with that gun. This will deter illegal sales. "...after the Columbine High massacre, the TEC-DC9 is the only gun investigators have managed to trace from its manufacturer, through all its sellers and buyers, to Harris and Klebold." https://riversong.wordpress.com/the-guns-of-columbine/ For those who refuse to cooperate with gun registration: to avoid confrontation how about a grandfather clause for non civilian grade weapons that were legally obtained? Keep the ones you have, but they cannot be transferred or inherited and may not leave your own property. The next generation would have no legal way of possessing them and would have to turn them in upon the owner's passing. “In the 18 yrs btw 1979 & 1996, Australia experienced 13 mass shootings (defined as 5 or more victims). In the 21 years since the Port Arthur massacre & the passage of the law that followed swiftly afterward, we have seen precisely none.” https://fortune.com/2017/10/04/las-vegas-shooting-australia-gun-control-laws/

Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manfacturers who market and sell military grade weapons to the public.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Publicly finance all campaigns. Give all parties on the ballot equal air time. The Green Party of Pennsylvania 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.

Everyone should be registered to vote at birth or be allowed to register on the spot at the polling location and if they do not have photo ID, then vote with a fingerprint which will eliminate any double voting. Electronic fingerprint readers connected to a national database could be available at polling stations, post offices and libraries, for anyone who wishes to vote without ID, by mail or remotely. No one should be required to be exposed to infection in order to vote; allow mail in voting and anyone waiting in line should be allowed to fill out a mail in ballot on the spot instead of waiting. Make Election Day a holiday. Give everyone who votes a free lottery ticket. This will increase voter turnout.

I am against:

-HR1

-The Inflation Reduction Act

-Fracking and oil drilling expansion

-Military aid to Ukraine

I support:

Renewable energy (solar, wind and wave power). Medicare for All, reproductive rights, sensible gun regulation, and restorative justice reforms that reduce crime and save money, while improving police professionalism.

The views expressed here are my own. The Green Party platform can be found here: gp.org/platform