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Books by and about 2020 presidential candidates |
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Crippled America,
by Donald J. Trump (2015) |
Fire and Fury,
by Michael Wolff (2018) |
Trump Revealed,
by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher (2016) |
The Making of Donald Trump,
by David Cay Johnston (2016) |
Promise Me, Dad ,
by Joe Biden (2017) |
The Book of Joe ,
by Jeff Wilser (2019; biography of Joe Biden) |
The Truths We Hold,
by Kamala Harris (2019) |
Smart on Crime,
by Kamala Harris (2010) |
Guide to Political Revolution,
by Bernie Sanders (2017) |
Where We Go From Here,
by Bernie Sanders (2018) |
Our Revolution,
by Bernie Sanders (2016) |
This Fight Is Our Fight,
by Elizabeth Warren (2017) |
United,
by Cory Booker (2016) |
Conscience of a Conservative,
by Jeff Flake (2017) |
Two Paths,
by Gov. John Kasich (2017) |
Every Other Monday,
by Rep. John Kasich (2010) |
Courage is Contagious,
by John Kasich (1998) |
Shortest Way Home,
by Pete Buttigieg (2019) |
Becoming,
by Michelle Obama (2018) |
Higher Loyalty,
by James Comey (2018) |
The Making of Donald Trump,
by David Cay Johnston (2017) |
Trump vs. Hillary On The Issues ,
by Jesse Gordon (2016) |
Outsider in the White House,
by Bernie Sanders (2015) |
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Book Reviews |
(from Amazon.com) |
(click a book cover for a review or other books by or about the presidency from Amazon.com)
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| OnTheIssues.org excerpts: (click on issues for details)
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Abortion
Mike Bloomberg: Encourage states to expand who may perform abortions.
Mike Bloomberg: Codify Roe v. Wade, repeal Hyde Amendment.
Joe Sestak: Enshrine a woman's right to choose, in case Roe overturned.
Bill de Blasio: Fight defunding of Planned Parenthood.
Marianne Williamson: Resist any effort to restrict or limit reproductive rights.
Andrew Yang: Support a woman's right to choose, including contraception.
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Budget & Economy
Kanye West: Reduce debt; restore sound economy.
Jo Jorgensen: Will veto any deficit spending, debt ceiling increase.
Mark Sanford: Nearing point of no return on government spending & debt.
Joe Sestak: Championed fiscally accountable "pay-as-you-go" legislation.
Howie Hawkins: Socialize big banks; manage the national currency.
Howard Schultz: $22 trillion debt is immoral and reckless.
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Civil Rights
Mike Bloomberg: Guarantee equal treatment and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people.
Mike Bloomberg: Protect voting rights; require automatic registration.
Mike Bloomberg: Reinvigorate Civil Rights Division of Justice Department.
Mike Bloomberg: Set labor rules to end the gender pay gap.
Tom Steyer: Tell Congress that we need our 5 basic rights.
Tom Steyer: Fight racial disparities in our criminal justice system.
Howie Hawkins: Reparations for African-Americans slavery.
Bill de Blasio: NYC Unity Project: invest in LGBTQ youth.
Mike Gravel: $30 billion per year for National Reparations Trust Fund.
Mike Gravel: Include sexual orientation & gender identity as civil rights.
Marianne Williamson: Expand LGBTQ rights to end discrimination.
Marianne Williamson: $200 billion for reparations for slavery.
Howard Schultz: Regardless of skin color, get every American represented.
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Corporations
Gloria La Riva: Wall Street criminals must be jailed.
Mike Bloomberg: Strengthen & expand Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Mike Bloomberg: Raise corporate tax rate to 28%, prevent use of tax havens.
Joe Sestak: Strengthen antitrust laws; stop corporate welfare.
Howie Hawkins: Capitalists exploit workers and thwart democracy.
Mike Gravel: Use antitrust authority to break up large businesses.
Mike Gravel: Re-establish public banking services within post offices.
Andrew Yang: Same tax rate on capital gains as on earned income.
Howard Schultz: Achieve profit with humanity & pathway to middle class.
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Crime
Kanye West: Recognize racial disparity in verdicts & prison sentences.
Gloria La Riva: End racism, police brutality, mass incarceration.
Jo Jorgensen: End civil asset forfeiture prior to conviction.
Mike Bloomberg: End cash bail; $2.5 billion for public defenders.
Mike Bloomberg: Restore voting rights to felons after they're out.
Mike Bloomberg: Supported 1996 crime bill and stop-and-frisk policing.
Mike Bloomberg: Crime dropped 32%; murders halved; 36% fewer behind bars.
Howie Hawkins: End the carceral surveillance state.
Bill de Blasio: Close Rikers; develop alternatives to incarceration.
Bill de Blasio: Ban solitary confinement for youth; reduce it for adults.
Eric Swalwell: Give more resources to state and local law enforcement.
John Delaney: End cash bail; end mandatory minimums; end death penalty.
Mike Gravel: Decriminalize all commercial sex work.
Mike Gravel: Ban cash bail: it only benefits the rich.
Mike Gravel: No one deserves to be put to death by the state.
Wayne Messam: Ban The Box: give ex-cons a second chance.
Marianne Williamson: New Department for domestic violence prevention efforts.
Andrew Yang: Replace mass incarceration with social programs.
Andrew Yang: Body cameras for every police officer.
Julian Castro: We must face police violence against minorities.
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Drugs
Howie Hawkins: Big Pharma pushes addictive opioids for profit.
John Delaney: Remove marijuana from Schedule I; remake guidelines.
Mike Gravel: Legalize & regulate all drugs, including opioids.
Wayne Messam: Drug war has ruined thousands of lives.
Andrew Yang: War on Drugs has not worked: treatment instead of punishment.
Andrew Yang: Full legalization of marijuana; expunge federal convictions.
Andrew Yang: Decriminalize small quantities of opioid use and possession.
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Education
Kanye West: Restore prayer in the classroom.
Kanye West: Widest possible range of educational & vocational paths.
Jo Jorgensen: I will work to eliminate the Department of Education.
Rocky De La Fuente: Funding for those in need, but not everyone needs college.
Tom Steyer: Sustained $125B federal investment in HBCUs.
Mike Bloomberg: Make education and training a national priority.
Mike Bloomberg: More than 126,000 classroom seats added, 600 new schools.
Tom Steyer: $1.5 trillion in student loan debt is unacceptable.
Tom Steyer: Keep schools open despite Republican demonization.
Joe Sestak: Subsidize tuition at public community colleges.
Joe Sestak: Support Common Core and expand pre-K.
Don Blankenship: My school sang "God Bless America" on most mornings.
Howie Hawkins: Free public education from pre-K through college.
Eric Swalwell: Future Forum: focus on college affordability & student debt.
Eric Swalwell: World-class modern schoolhouses, regardless of ZIP Code.
Mike Gravel: Delink property taxes to equalize education funding.
Mike Gravel: Student Debt Jubilee: one-time government debt forgiveness.
Marianne Williamson: Universal pre-school; more teacher retention programs.
Marianne Williamson: Free college via public service; and student loan amnesty.
Andrew Yang: Improving teacher salaries improves student success.
Andrew Yang: Require colleges to cut administrative costs.
Howard Schultz: First in family to attend college; offer same at Starbucks.
Howard Schultz: 3,000 people graduated college on Starbucks' tuition.
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Energy & Oil
Kanye West: Make renewables top priority.
Gloria La Riva: Stop destruction of Native lands by mining interests.
Gloria La Riva: Use sustainable energy, stop fossil fuel pollution.
Jo Jorgensen: Replace coal/oil with nuclear; allow off-grid solar power.
Rocky De La Fuente: America has potential to be renewable energy powerhouse.
Mike Bloomberg: Make climate change a U.S. priority; rejoin Paris Agreement.
Mike Bloomberg: Make pollution-free homes & vehicles available for all.
Joe Sestak: Global warming is a grave threat to humanity and the planet.
Joe Sestak: Favors fee on polluters with Americans receiving dividend.
Joe Sestak: Replace fossil fuel subsidies with fees for carbon polluters.
Don Blankenship: At Massey Coal , struggled against "greeniacs" and union.
Howie Hawkins: Socialize Big Oil; reinvest in renewables.
Seth Moulton: Green New Deal addresses climate change AND changed economy.
Mike Gravel: Support carbon tax and Green New Deal.
Marianne Williamson: Green energy instead of coal, fracking, and nuclear.
Marianne Williamson: Put a price on carbon to send a sustained market signal.
Marianne Williamson: Supports Green New Deal and green jobs program.
Andrew Yang: Invest heavily in carbon capture and geoengineering.
Andrew Yang: Carbon tax: internalize the cost of carbon emissions.
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Environment
Kanye West: Diligently pursue clean air and water.
Mike Bloomberg: Make wildfire resilience a top priority.
Mike Bloomberg: Established NYC as largest bike-share network.
Mark Sanford: I care about land conservation and open space.
Tom Steyer: Corporate profits matter more than keeping people alive.
Tom Steyer: Stand up to corporate polluters who poison our air & water.
Joe Sestak: Ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
Howie Hawkins: Environmental collapse follows from capitalist system.
Mike Gravel: Eliminate all single-use plastics.
Marianne Williamson: EPA head shouldn't be from chemical or oil industry.
Andrew Yang: Nuclear isn't perfect, but it's a solid solution for now.
John Kasich: Properly balance environmental stewardship and job creation.
John Kasich: Eliminate NOAA; let DOI safeguard natural resources.
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Families & Children
Mike Bloomberg: Expand Head Start; and at-home care for at-risk infants.
Mike Bloomberg: Guarantee 12 weeks of paid family leave.
Joe Sestak: Increase nutrition assistance for needy families.
Joe Sestak: Authored successful increase in funding for autism.
Bill de Blasio: Expand mental health services at youth and runaway shelters.
Bill de Blasio: $7 million program to hold domestic abusers accountable.
Marianne Williamson: Maternity/paternity leave; free prenatal care and childcare.
Andrew Yang: Who you love and how you love are up to you.
Andrew Yang: Include family counseling in federal healthcare plans.
Andrew Yang: All other advanced countries have paid family leave policy.
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Foreign Policy
Kanye West: Place Americans' best interest first and foremost.
Mike Bloomberg: Repair our frayed relationships with our allies.
Joe Sestak: Strengthen our alliances; other countries are interconnected.
Joe Sestak: Reverse America's retreat from the global community.
Pete Buttigieg: Foreign policy grounded in American interests for 2050s.
Howie Hawkins: Oppose US military intervention for regime change.
Seth Moulton: Build a Pacific NATO & rebuild existing alliances.
Mike Gravel: No "America alone": re-engage with multilateral institutions.
Mike Gravel: Referendum on Puerto Rico statehood.
Wayne Messam: American standing in the world is in complete decay.
Marianne Williamson: Make peace with our neighbors, instead of using brute force.
Andrew Yang: Be very judicious about projecting force.
Andrew Yang: Strengthen alliances such as NATO; reinvest in diplomacy.
Andrew Yang: Puerto Rican statehood is overdue step toward equality.
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Free Trade
Jo Jorgensen: Eliminate trade barriers and tariffs.
Joe Sestak: Stop using tariffs as weapon in disputes with China.
Joe Sestak: Re-join the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
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Government Reform
Rocky De La Fuente: Overregulation needs to cease immediately.
Mike Bloomberg: Phase out paperless voting machines.
Mike Bloomberg: Ensure equal status for Puerto Ricans; supports statehood.
Tom Steyer: It's up to us to un-rig the voting system.
Joe Sestak: Stop corporate abuses of lobbying power.
Howie Hawkins: Voter suppression policies need to be reversed.
Mike Gravel: Replace Electoral College with direct election of President.
Mike Gravel: Ranked choice voting replaces "lesser of two evils".
Wayne Messam: End barriers to voting.
Marianne Williamson: No voter ID; no politicized gerrymandering.
Marianne Williamson: Establish public financing for federal campaigns.
Andrew Yang: Adopt ranked-choice voting model for all primaries.
Andrew Yang: Provide every eligible voter with $100 Democracy Dollars.
Andrew Yang: Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
Howard Schultz: Political contributions unduly influence policy.
Howard Schultz: Gerrymandered districts reflect will of political parties.
Howard Schultz: Reduce partisanship with 2/3 vote for Court nominations.
Howard Schultz: Our government's dysfunction is great & we need to fix it.
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Gun Control
Rocky De La Fuente: Supports "fair gun control" and Second Amendment.
Tom Steyer: Gun violence is a public health epidemic.
Mike Bloomberg: Close "boyfriend loophole," pass national red flag law.
Mike Bloomberg: Ban assault weapons; hold gun industry accountable.
Joe Sestak: Strong proponent of common sense gun laws.
Eric Swalwell: National ban and buyback of semiautomatic assault weapons.
Marianne Williamson: Ban assault rifles & bump stocks.
Andrew Yang: Three-tier gun licensing for common-sense safety.
Howard Schultz: False choice between gun ban and unlimited gun ownership.
John Kasich: Learn from mass shooting tragedies and take action.
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Health Care
Jo Jorgensen: Reduce costs by allowing real price competition.
Rocky De La Fuente: Focus on goals of reform: cost, quality, access.
Mike Bloomberg: Change patent laws to get generic drugs on the market faster.
Mike Bloomberg: Protect & expand access to care in rural areas.
Mike Bloomberg: Ban flavored tobacco products of all kinds.
Mike Bloomberg: Require insurance coverage for mental health care.
Tom Steyer: Healthcare must be a RIGHT, not a privilege.
Tom Steyer: Women need reproductive care; GOP wants to take it away.
Joe Sestak: Our health system saved my daughter; let's make it a right.
Joe Sestak: Add public option to ObamaCare.
Howie Hawkins: National health service controlled by community.
Eric Swalwell: Guarantee: If you're sick, you see a doctor & not go broke.
Seth Moulton: Don't tie healthcare with job; cover pre-existing conditions.
Howard Schultz: Medicare-for-All: $32T cost is out of touch with reality.
Mike Gravel: VA4A: Veterans Administration healthcare for all.
Wayne Messam: People are dying due to high prescription drug prices.
Marianne Williamson: Medicare-for-all plus lifestyle and nutrition support.
Marianne Williamson: Towns should set up physical activities for community health.
Andrew Yang: Medicare-for-All establishes a basic right.
Howard Schultz: False choice between socialized medicine & ObamaCare repeal.
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Homeland Security
Tom Steyer: National Service Plan: $50B for public service.
Mike Bloomberg: Address high suicide rates and mental illness among veterans.
Mike Bloomberg: Reverse ban on transgender people serving in the military.
Joe Sestak: First 3-star Admiral elected to Congress.
Joe Sestak: Reduce size of navy from 375 to 260 ships.
Joe Sestak: More funding for veterans and for cyberspace.
Joe Sestak: Reduce number of carrier strike groups from 11 to 9.
Pete Buttigieg: Prioritize cyber-threats & extremism, not more submarines.
Pete Buttigieg: Security establishment should reflect nation's diversity.
Howie Hawkins: Convert arms monopolies to nonprofit public enterprises.
John Delaney: National service program: military or community service.
Pete Buttigieg: More years of executive & military experience than most.
Mike Gravel: America will be safer without nukes: end "nuclear deterrent".
Mike Gravel: Bring 138,000 US troops home from 800 bases abroad.
Marianne Williamson: Make suicide prevention a top priority for veterans & VA.
Andrew Yang: Military spending on modern threats, not decades-old ones.
Andrew Yang: Invest in equipment for technical superiority.
Andrew Yang: Rechannel $60B per year from defense to infrastructure.
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Immigration
Gloria La Riva: Abolish all anti-immigrant laws, shut down ICE.
Jo Jorgensen: Repeal arbitrary quotas on people legally entering US.
Rocky De La Fuente: Treat undocumented workers as assets rather than liabilities.
Mike Bloomberg: Create an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented.
Tom Steyer: Failing to offer a path to citizenship is inherently unjust.
Joe Sestak: Create a path to naturalization for undocumented immigrants.
Joe Sestak: Broken system can only be fixed by comprehensive reform.
Howie Hawkins: Demand open borders where movement between nations is free.
Bill de Blasio: End cooperation & presence of ICE in NYC.
Bill de Blasio: Protect DACA immigrants, no matter what.
Mike Gravel: Open borders except for criminals escaping the law.
Wayne Messam: Reform system top to bottom to be safer & more inclusive.
Marianne Williamson: No one calls for open borders; stop scapegoating.
Marianne Williamson: Full path to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants.
Andrew Yang: Come out of shadows with long-term permanent residency.
Andrew Yang: Deporting 11 million is impossible and inhumane.
Howard Schultz: Immigrants exemplify the American dream.
Julian Castro: We can have compassion AND border security.
Howard Schultz: Great-grandparents immigrated from Easter Europe in 1890s.
Howard Schultz: False choice between mass deportation and abolishing ICE.
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Jobs
Gloria La Riva: Close wage gap; end gender division of labor.
Rocky De La Fuente: Government can't create jobs, but can influence economy.
Mike Bloomberg: Raise minimum wage; pay Earned Income Tax Credit monthly.
Tom Steyer: Most people are denied a fair paycheck, while CEOs get rich.
Tom Steyer: Corporations hold down wages; unions get fair return.
Joe Sestak: Top priority is quality jobs with fair wages.
Joe Sestak: Supports Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Howie Hawkins: Guaranteed jobs; guaranteed income above poverty.
Bill de Blasio: $500 million initiative to create 100,000 jobs in NYC.
Mike Gravel: Right to Own: employees can buy out companies that close.
Wayne Messam: Invest in training the entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow.
Steve Bullock: Represented workers as labor lawyer; fight for minimum wage.
Andrew Yang: Pay equity for women and minorities.
Howard Schultz: Create company our parents had no chance to work for.
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Principles & Values
Gloria La Riva: Make the essentials of life into constitutional rights.
Joe Sestak: Walked 422 miles across Pennsylvania, in Senate campaign.
Pete Buttigieg: The world needs America at our best.
Don Blankenship: Grew up poor, but didn't know it.
Howie Hawkins: Democracy needs socialism; socialize many economic sectors.
Pete Buttigieg: Ensure that America's future is better than its past.
Pete Buttigieg: We cannot find greatness in the past.
Steve Bullock: Previously served as Montana Attorney General.
Howard Schultz: Two massive failures: One of character; one of institutions.
Howard Schultz: Science is real, and so is religion and faith.
Howard Schultz: Leadership brings talented people together to solve problems.
Howard Schultz: Centrist independent outside of the two-party system.
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Social Security
Jo Jorgensen: Allow Americans to opt out of Social Security system.
Rocky De La Fuente: Raise retirement age and contributions cap.
Mike Bloomberg: New minimum benefit; expand support for senior savings.
Joe Sestak: Protect Medicare, Social Security, and Consumer Finance.
Eric Swalwell: Wants more payroll tax to keep Social Security solvent.
Marianne Williamson: Raise cap on income & we can avoid privatization.
Andrew Yang: Optional automatic tax-free retirement investment vehicle.
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Tax Reform
Jo Jorgensen: Slash spending; shrink government; keep what you earn.
Mike Bloomberg: 5% surtax on income above $5 million a year.
Howie Hawkins: Graduated wealth tax & graduated estate tax.
Mike Gravel: Automatic return-free tax system by online IRS filing option.
Mike Gravel: Progressive tax: 60% at $1 million, and up from there.
Andrew Yang: Revenue Day: make paying taxes a celebration.
Howard Schultz: Tax cuts for the middle class; but wealthy pay more.
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Technology
Mike Bloomberg: Invest in growth hubs to generate breakthroughs & jobs.
Mike Bloomberg: Fix 240,000 miles of roads, 16,000 bridges in 4 years.
Joe Sestak: Invest $1 trillion in infrastructure expansion over 10 years.
Joe Sestak: Reprioritized defense funding toward cyberspace.
Howie Hawkins: Public broadband; public ownership of online platforms.
Howie Hawkins: Public funding of diverse nonprofit, noncommercial media.
John Delaney: National AI Strategy focused on security.
Pete Buttigieg: As mayor: major investment in data and technology industries.
Seth Moulton: Invest in autonomous, hypersonic, and cyber weapons.
Seth Moulton: Rebuild our economy by rebuilding our infrastructure.
Mike Gravel: Break up large tech companies; they threaten democracy.
Steve Bullock: First governor to protect net neutrality.
Andrew Yang: $1 trillion infrastructure investment; it's dangerous.
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War & Peace
Kanye West: Don't tie up our country in foreign quagmires.
Jo Jorgensen: Turn America into One Giant Switzerland: Armed and Neutral.
Rocky De La Fuente: Stop failed exercise of nation-building.
Rocky De La Fuente: Eliminate ridiculous waste, inefficiency in military budgets.
Joe Sestak: Immediately rejoin the Iran nuclear deal.
Pete Buttigieg: Never send troops without clear definition of their mission.
Pete Buttigieg: Small steps forward in North Korea; no "love letters".
Howie Hawkins: Endless war follows from capitalist competition.
Mike Gravel: Split DoD into Department of War and Department of Peace.
Mike Gravel: End military aid to Israel; recognize Palestinian statehood.
Mike Gravel: End military aid to Saudi Arabia; no support for Yemen war.
Mike Gravel: Withdraw all troops from South Korea; normalize with North.
Howard Schultz: Strengthen NATO alliance to fight Russian cyber-attacks.
Mike Gravel: 2020 debates desperately need an anti-war voice.
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Welfare & Poverty
Jo Jorgensen: Government anti-poverty programs don't work.
Tom Steyer: Increase the earned income tax credit.
Mike Bloomberg: Create 1 million new black homeowners.
Mike Bloomberg: Created or preserved 175,000 affordable homes.
Joe Sestak: War on Poverty made real improvements; let's do more.
Howie Hawkins: Reintegrate urban amenities, like walkable mixed-use cities.
John Delaney: Invest in rural America: opportunity zones & doubled EITC.
Mike Gravel: Redistribute wealth nationally, like Alaska Permanent Fund.
Steve Bullock: Passed statewide Earned Income Tax Credit.
Julian Castro: Government can help needy families get back on their feet.
Andrew Yang: Create culture of lifting up the least among us.
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