My name is Dave Strider; I live with my wife in beautiful Tacoma, Washington. I am running as an Independent for US Senate in 2018  with a strong commitment for protecting the environment and keeping the Evergreen State evergreen.

I believe that our planet is facing a crisis and that cleaning up our soil, water, and skies is a group effort that we all need to contribute to, as individuals and as governments. I want to bring Washington’s values for a healthy environment to Washington D.C. and make sure our nation is working with the rest of the world to improve humanity’s impact on our planet. This is an issue that affects all of us and any efforts we put forth now, positive or negative, will be returned to us tenfold in the future. We should be doing all that we can to ensure that impact is positive.

I have grown up a fighter, experienced a life of hardships, and come out stronger on the other side. Now I want to fight for you to make sure our values are fully represented and to ensure the next generation is given the best of possible worlds to begin with.

My values include:

Environment

• Move away from petrol and carbon-based fuels, no fracking
• Encourage and subsidize sustainable energy sources, like Wind and Solar
• Reduce our carbon footprint
• Clean up hazardous waste from factories and other pollutants
• Ensure crops and vegetation are safe for people, animals, and bees
• Support natural and biodegradable construction, textiles, and products such as Hemp
• Clean water and air are basic human rights and should not be privately owned

Health Care

• Expanded Medicare and single payer programs with no co-payments or premiums
• Tied in with the Social Security system, your SSN is your Health Care enrollment
• Health care is a universal right and should be provided to everyone regardless of ability to pay
• Ensure there are programs available for all needs, both physical and mental care, as well as extended disability, HRT, and other needs
• All children who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated to help keep the future safe and strong, we must strive to keep vaccines as safe as possible

Economics

• Recontextualize the national debt and really consider if increasing our spending is the best way to proceed or if we should shut down and restructure the system to move forward better and stronger
• Decrease military spending, increase Veteran Benefits spending, the two should be equal
• Ensure that taxes are being used for federal programs that benefit the people, such as education and healthcare
• Spending on public benefits is not debt, it is an investment in our people, our nation, and our future

Military

• Support our troops and stop sending these brave men and women overseas to fight wars founded on lies, misinformation, and greed
• Decrease military spending, increase Veteran Benefits spending, the two should be equal

Law Enforcement

• • Police should be trained to better help their community, not just to meet quotas
  • Train officers in violence de-escalation, mental health, and first aid
  • Reduce use of speed traps and other controversial tactics

Education

• Provide free tertiary education or vocational training for everyone

Labor

• Support unions
• Increase the minimum wage ($18+)

Social Policies

• Better protection for LGBTQIA+ peoples in our communities, we’re all human beings and should be treated accordingly
• Your gender identity and sexual preferences are your own business and should not be used against you for any reason
• Improved rights for first nations people and immigrants, regardless of color or creed.
• Support the separation of church and state

Marijuana

• Support the decriminalization of Marijuana

Politics

• Term Limits (Ask about my views on term limits)
• Remove the electoral college
• Consider  a ranked-choice voting system or something similar
• Remove policies that allow gerrymandering and restructure districts for more representative polling
• End Citizens United