US House of Representative candidate Tamara Zwinak responst to Leaque of Women Voters North Carolina 411 Voter Guide

Upon election, what do you think is the most important policy or action for you to accomplish in your first year?

Answer The most important policy or action that must be accomplished the first year is to manage the pandemic. The coronavirus has killed nearly 200,000 Americans of which nearly 50% are seniors; and Black and Brown people. Of those who have recovered, thousands still suffer from lingering symptoms that may leave them permanently disabled. Over 35 million people are unemployed, millions more are discouraged workers and only half of the unemployed receive unemployment insurance. My immediate plan is to manage the pandemic with Social Distancing, Mask Mandates, Rapid Testing with Immediate Results, a Safe and Effective vaccine available to all; production of PPE, medications and vaccines in the US; and testing of waste water in order to reopen schools and businesses safely. 

Employment, income security and economic growth are always of concern to voters. If elected, what economic policies will you pursue to help Americans who are worried about their economic prospects in the coming years?

Answer The economic policies I will pursue to help Americans who are worried about their economic prospects in the coming years include protecting Social Security and Medicare for retirees and the disabled. During the pandemic it has become undeniable that Americans need a secure income not tied to employment, 35 million people became unemployed and 50% of those received UI. When I am elected, I will pass Universal Basic Income resulting in the elimination of the bloated patchwork of government programs that serve the poor, but do nothing to lift them out of poverty. Universal Basic Income can easily be funded by restructuring SSI and SSDI; and entitlement programs, saving trillions of dollars over the long-term. No one will loose income or benefits under my plan as we transition to UBI. We restructured government after September 11 and we can do it during the pandemic. It is also time to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. 

Many voters are concerned about health care access and cost issues. What are your views and priorities on how this should be addressed in the coming year?

Answer I have always supported universal healthcare coverage in order to ensure accessible and affordable healthcare. The Affordable Care Act is not affordable; premiums, co-pays and deductibles are too high. The IRS and the Department of Labor have no place in the business of healthcare or collecting a penalty. Young people cannot generate enough tax revenue to fund the subsidies while paying for their own insurance and living expenses. The ACA is not economically sustainable and during the pandemic, the situation has worsened with many people losing coverage. MedicareUSA is the plan I propose that will be available to everyone with a small monthly premium and co-pays to cover outpatient and inpatient care. Employers can opt into the plan or continue to provide their own coverage for employees. The average Medicare premium for a senior is $220 a month. With MedicareUSA seniors will transition into the plan with millions of Americans, lowering the cost of their premiums. Local communities need federal grants to ensure that public hospitals and clinics remain open in rural areas with competitive salaries to keep and attract doctors and nurses.

Environmental policy has been a flashpoint recently. Are there any environmental policies that you will prioritize and bring forward legislatively if you are elected?

Answer My economic policy is grounded in the concepts of sustainable development, as it was during my first campaign. The pandemic is the result of bad environmental policy including the impact on Black communities. Destruction of the rain forests and natural habitats, directly contributed to the pandemic. It is time to connect the dots and demand sustainable planning. My plan includes creating the U.S. Department of Sustainability to accomplish this goal within my first term in Congress. We need to be united if we are going to succeed at transitioning to sustainable communities that will reverse climate change and create enduring communities, without crashing the economy. My plan is aggressive and realistic. Too many towns have perished as soon as big business moves out, leaving a ghost town behind. We must build better communities, using local resources. We need to balance our economy so that if one business leaves, the community survives. We do this by supporting a thriving small business community where large business is embedded but not wedded to our economy. The pandemic has shown us a new way to connect without damaging the environment, however, we can't keep building server parks to process and store the massive flow of data. The use of disposable plastics is chocking our marine life and micro plastics are in the water we drink and food we eat. We must transition to more sustainable commercial packaging.