William McGill, Democrat, Candidate for PA Senate 25th District

The folks of the Pennsylvania State Senate District 25 are facing the same economic concerns as others in regard to higher prices in comparison to their buying power. The citizens within this district want their elected leaders to lower taxes or create tax incentives that helps ease the burden on their budgets. Working families are asking for child care tax incentives. The elderly want relief of property tax by way of exemptions. Our young adults are interested in having income tax relief. While we have reduced inflation under the Biden/Harris Administration, our rural residents are still feeling the restrictions of limited income against higher prices. It will require me as the next State Senator to work on these concerns. I believe that we need to change how we tax fracking in Pennsylvania, and use a Severance Tax and drop the Impact Fee currently being assessed to the Gas/Oil industry.

Let's encourage home builders to accept the challenges of building affordable housing by providing investment incentives to them. I would like for the state to create housing assistance programs for home ownership, and a renter's assistance program.

In the rural communities we've had too many hospital, and clinic closings. The stress it's causing in our rural communities is huge. From lack of maternity care, to elderly care, we have allowed these large medical care conglomerates to place profits over health, and welfare. That's a tragedy. The state needs to step in and take control by holding hearings to give the healthcare providers an opportunity to explain their decisions restricting health care, over profits. From those hearings, it will require legislation to create a balance of available facilities in each county within this Commonwealth as a public health requirement.

Immigration we must remember are people who are trying to escape tyranny, and oppressive governments. These folks are asking for a new opportunity. These folks are poor, their kids are starving. Their governments aren't providing or promoting good will in lifting them out of poverty. Immigration is no different today as it was when many of our ancestors that came to this country seeking the same asylum. Having immigrants isn't a detriment, instead they bring their willingness to work, to live, and to be productive citizens. Therefore, we need to address an immigration policy that provides a pathway to citizenship, and stop making these people our enemies, and blaming them for irrational stories of horrific behavior. They are human beings with feelings, with pride, and with hopes and dreams. Let's open our communities and welcome them. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has an opportunity to lead in Immigration by encouraging them to legally apply for work and residency status within our communities.

Abortion is not a political issue. It's a personal healthcare decision. Women know what's best for their bodies, not government. Physicians are the experts in assisting, and advising their female patients. Women's support system is provided by their families, their choice of clinical facilities, all under the direction of the personal doctors they select. Government needs to get out of the way, and stop demonizing women's healthcare. The only role government needs to play in abortion, is in providing the legislation in regards to the safety, health, and welfare of the patient by requiring clean, and professional clinics and facilities, as well as competent and professionally licensed operators and providers.

As a United States Army Veteran I know the difference of a hunting rifle, and an assault weapon. While both are manufactured as a tool for killing, the assault weapon is meant to be a weapon of mass destruction, that's why they are the weapon of choice by murderers and assassins. Therefore in Pennsylvania we need an assault weapons ban. I grew up hunting and having guns, so the 2nd Amendment is important to me, but protecting human life, especially kids in school is far more important than a person wanting assault weapons. It's also important to have a red flag law too. With those two suggestions, the best solution would be in requiring training and certification for all people who purchase a firearm. That training and certification needs to include an extensive mental health evaluation, a certification for each weapon an individual owns, and restrictions on the amount of ammo you can purchase in any given year. Our goal is to protect human life, by understanding public safety is more important than gun ownership.

Those that keep denying climate change and science are a danger to all of us. We continue to place our love of fossil fuels ahead of alternative energy sources. The folks that love fossil fuel loves green....but their love of green is in dollars, not in protecting the green spaces of our land. With that love for profits, we are ignoring the science. Profits and science can't coexist according to those who continually denounce climate change by pushing for "drill baby drill". Human life needs clean air, it requires clean water. It requires us to understand trees and green space are essential to our ability to sustain life. By continuing to ignore the scientific suggestions that we need to develop solar, wind, and other energy sources, will only make climate change more predominant, and more threatening to human existence. Let's save our planet by creating legislation that requires us to invest in alternative energy resources.

Let me be clear, who you love, who you live with, how you live your life, is your right in a free and open society. Just like a woman's right to choose....so must we protect the rights of those to love, marry, adopt, and be a family unit as they choose. Once again, expecting government to dictate restrictions on a person's personal choice of marriage, partners, and in lifestyles is unconstitutional, and equality is a human right and let's protect, and respect those choices in society.

I believe we can all agree that higher education cost is debilitating to our students. It's sad that in order to pursue a career by way of a college degree, a person is punished by the exuberant expense of that education. It places our graduates in a financial hole before they even get an opportunity to begin their career. It's our responsibility in society to stop this practice of placing our kids in debt just because they pursued higher education. Once again, it takes incentives in government, and in the private sector to provide debt relief to these students as they enter the world of being productive members in society.

Please allow me to state how important it is for us to end our division in America. We're much better together as a society when we reject the rhetoric of division. That's why it's important for our Legislators to demonstrate the ability of acceptance among their colleagues, instead of inciting division by using partisan talking points to create anger and mistrust among the masses. America is only as strong as the bonds that join us as a united people. As a candidate for State Senate, my obligation to each and every person in the 25th Senate District, and within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, simply requires me to promote unity among my peers, and have a genuine desire to work for the common cause of all people in our society.