May 15, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Marijuana is still considered a controlled substance by federal law. Thousands are in jail for marijuana-related offenses, particularly people of color.

Yet marijuana is now legal for adult use in 9 STATES, and 29 STATES have legalized medical marijuana in some form.

We need to resolve the ambiguity and legalize marijuana at the federal level. This would improve safety, social equity, and generate tens of billions of dollars in new revenue based on legal cannabis businesses.

"I don’t love marijuana. I’d rather people not use it heavily. But it’s vastly safer than people becoming addicted to opiates like heroin. And our criminalization of it seems stupid and racist, particularly now that it’s legal in some states. We should proceed with full legalization of marijuana and pardon those in jail for non-violent marijuana-related offenses. It’s a safer, less addictive means to manage pain for many Americans."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/legalization-of-marijuana/

May 15, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Marijuana is still considered a controlled substance by federal law. Thousands are in jail for marijuana-related offenses, particularly people of color.

Yet marijuana is now legal for adult use in 9 STATES, and 29 STATES have legalized medical marijuana in some form.

We need to resolve the ambiguity and legalize marijuana at the federal level. This would improve safety, social equity, and generate tens of billions of dollars in new revenue based on legal cannabis businesses.

"I don’t love marijuana. I’d rather people not use it heavily. But it’s vastly safer than people becoming addicted to opiates like heroin. And our criminalization of it seems stupid and racist, particularly now that it’s legal in some states. We should proceed with full legalization of marijuana and pardon those in jail for non-violent marijuana-related offenses. It’s a safer, less addictive means to manage pain for many Americans."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/legalization-of-marijuana/

May 15, 2019

St. Louis County Council May Block Pensions For Officials Convicted Of Felonies

The St. Louis County Council is looking into eliminating pensions for county officials who commit a felony.

The proposal came from Councilman Tim Fitch, R- St. Louis County, who said it would apply to those who pleaded or are found guilty of a felony while in office.

The proposal comes a few weeks after former County Executive Steve Stenger pleaded guilty to federal public corruption charges. He resigned as county executive in late April. Fitch said the proposed legislation could affect Stenger’s pension.

“I do believe that it’s wrong for someone to be convicted of a felony, of multiple felonies, while serving an elected office and then be able to at some point collect their pension,” Fitch said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-county-council-may-block-pensions-officials-convicted-felonies

May 15, 2019

Illinois Farmers Delay Planting Crops Amid Wet Weather, Low Crop Prices, And Trade Uncertainty

Floodwaters on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers may be going down, but rain has continued to soak farmland around much of the state. More rain could be on the way later this month.

Wet fields make it hard to plant because farmers use large, heavy machinery in the fields. Even if a field is dry enough for equipment not to get stuck, too much pressure on wet soil makes it hard for seedlings to develop solid root systems.

“Without good root development, there isn’t anything to feed the plant, and if we’re not feeding the plant, we don’t get much back in yields,” said Steve Fourez, a farmer in Vermillion County, Illinois.

Fourez, a board member for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said he has about 500 acres where he farms corn and soybeans. This time last year, he had it all planted. This year, it’s been too wet to even start.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/illinois-farmers-delay-planting-crops-amid-wet-weather-low-crop-prices-and-trade-uncertainty

May 15, 2019

Missouri Teachers Say Pay Is Biggest Reason They Quit

Low pay is the top reason teachers leave the classroom, a new survey of Missouri public school educators found.

The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education asked 6,000 teachers, principals and administrators what makes them keep teaching and what makes them quit. The results were shared at Tuesday’s State Board of Education meeting.

Salary was top of mind when it came to recruitment and retention of teachers.

“This is pretty powerful data,” said state school board president Charlie Shields. “This cuts across every single group that you surveyed, who said this is the number one issue.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-teachers-say-pay-biggest-reason-they-quit

May 15, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR ALL

Education in America starts too late. There have been massive benefits shown to offering pre-kindergarten options to children throughout their lives, especially for those from low-income families. It also increases sociability, and it relieves the financial burden of finding daycare for families who struggle to afford it.

"Pre-k and early childhood education have been proven to get kids off to a better start, and it also relieves families from having to find and pay for daycare for their children when they are 3 and 4. Other countries are investing in it, including China, and we need to as well for the good of our children and families and our long-term competitiveness as a country."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/early-childhood-education/

May 15, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR ALL

Education in America starts too late. There have been massive benefits shown to offering pre-kindergarten options to children throughout their lives, especially for those from low-income families. It also increases sociability, and it relieves the financial burden of finding daycare for families who struggle to afford it.

"Pre-k and early childhood education have been proven to get kids off to a better start, and it also relieves families from having to find and pay for daycare for their children when they are 3 and 4. Other countries are investing in it, including China, and we need to as well for the good of our children and families and our long-term competitiveness as a country."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/early-childhood-education/

May 15, 2019

GM Incentives Approved As Senate Turns Attention To Abortion

A nearly 28-hour filibuster of what is usually a simple procedural step ended Tuesday night with a big win for Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.

Over the objection of a group of six Republicans, the state Senate approved a major economic development package that extended a tax credit for General Motors, which is considering a $750 million expansion of its plant in Wentzville. Also included is a program to fund training for adults in “high-need” jobs, and a deal-closing fund that allows for up-front tax breaks to companies considering expansion.

The Senate had been held up since 2:30 p.m. Monday when the Conservative Caucus — Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, Andrew Koenig, R-St. Louis County, Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina and Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis — launched a filibuster over what they called misguided economic policies.

In the end, the likelihood that continuing the filibuster would scuttle another priority for many of those senators — new restrictions on abortion in the state — led the six to sit down.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/gm-incentives-approved-senate-turns-attention-abortion

May 15, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on INCREASE TEACHER SALARIES

One of the primary factors in educational outcomes is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Most policies to improve teacher quality are focused on education and monitoring. While these policies have their places, there’s a more direct method to attracting people who will be strong teachers while also incentivizing those who are currently teaching to improve: pay them more.

Teacher salaries should be higher, along with the hiring standards and quality expectations. By improving the quality of teacher in our public education system and incentivizing them to improve their craft, educational outcomes will improve.

"It’s been demonstrated that teacher quality is the key factor in student success, and paying teachers more is an effective way to get more talented people into the classroom. My friend, Zeke Vanderhoek, started a charter school that manages to pay teachers $125,000 a year on the budget of a normal school. Not surprisingly, his school has great teachers and outstanding outcomes. We should reduce layers of administration in schools and apply the money to pay teachers at higher levels, particularly those who have proven track records and results."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/teacher-salaries/

May 15, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on INCREASE TEACHER SALARIES

One of the primary factors in educational outcomes is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Most policies to improve teacher quality are focused on education and monitoring. While these policies have their places, there’s a more direct method to attracting people who will be strong teachers while also incentivizing those who are currently teaching to improve: pay them more.

Teacher salaries should be higher, along with the hiring standards and quality expectations. By improving the quality of teacher in our public education system and incentivizing them to improve their craft, educational outcomes will improve.

"It’s been demonstrated that teacher quality is the key factor in student success, and paying teachers more is an effective way to get more talented people into the classroom. My friend, Zeke Vanderhoek, started a charter school that manages to pay teachers $125,000 a year on the budget of a normal school. Not surprisingly, his school has great teachers and outstanding outcomes. We should reduce layers of administration in schools and apply the money to pay teachers at higher levels, particularly those who have proven track records and results."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/teacher-salaries/