18th RD: David Bentz Is the Real Deal

I’m quite impressed with the progressive positions he has taken on the issues, and I hope we can all do whatever it takes to help him win the Special Election.  I’ve decided to print the entire endorsement from Progressive Democrats of Delaware, because he really spells out his positions here:

Progressive Democrats for Delaware Endorse David Bentz For The House

New Castle, DE – Progressive Democrats for Delaware (PDD) is pleased to announce that we support candidate David Bentz for the 18th District Representative. We feel he has earned an endorsement because of his favorable response to Progressive issues and we would urge our members to help support his campaign.

We very much appreciate the candidate’s time and consideration in helping us glean his thoughts on a variety of progressive policy positions.

Here is David Bentz on the issues:

In response to PDD’s question “Why you are running for office in 2015 and what you would do to advance progressive policies and principles?” Bentz replies “I am running for office to be a strong voice for the 18th District, to stand up for working-class families and protect their rights and interests. Representative Barbieri’s retirement leaves a void, and my knowledge of the district and the issues facing both the community and the state make me a prime candidate to not only continue his good work, but to further that work even more. As you will see in the answers below, I support many progressive issues that relate to social justice, economic fairness and a government that works for all people, not just the wealthy and connected. I have already begun meeting residents of the 18th District and intend to continue through Election Day, because meeting with and talking with district residents is something I’ve done for the past several years in my job, and it’s something that is essential to being a State Representative.”

David Bentz strongly agrees that the health and safety of citizens trumps industrial and corporate interests, saying “Government’s top priority is protecting the safety and welfare of the residents of Delaware. That includes protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink and our natural surroundings that we enjoy.” He strongly believes that a corporation does not have free speech rights or religious beliefs: “corporations are not people.” and notes “our Congress must act to restore faith and sanity in our electoral process by undoing the Citizens United decision.” Plus, he supports passing a strict campaign finance disclosure law, so that all monies donated to campaigns, PACs and related third party organizations are disclosed in a timely manner, including those from LLCs, adding that “we need more transparency on how money is being spent to influence us in campaigns.”

He agrees that all unearned income, including income from dividends, interest, capital gains and estates, must be taxed at the same rate as earned income, saying “this would be a positive step towards creating a fair and equitable tax structure.” And on a key issue bearing on the budget in the year ahead, David Bentz strongly agrees that Delaware needs new progressive tax rates for incomes above $60,000 (under current law, those making an adjusted gross income of $60,001 and $600,000 are paying the same top marginal tax rate) saying, “this is the root of making sure the wealthy pay their fair share. I in no way want to gouge those top earners, but the fact that the top bracket has been the same ($60,000) for more than 20 years is embarrassing. We need to create a tax system that is fair and equitable. This would be a step in the right direction.”

Bentz feels strongly that the minimum wage in both Delaware and the United States should be raised to $10.10. He says “Delaware took a good step forward in raising the minimum wage to $8.25, but we can’t consider our work done. We’re seeing more and more local governments raising their wages, so the empirical evidence that this is good policy will help us sway more people to support raising the minimum wage to more of a livable wage.”

He is strongly in favor of a woman’s right to choose, remarking “One of the items I worked on in my job in the House of Representatives was to conduct research on part of a package of bills affecting women throughout the state. I was proud to lend my support to that effort, and I would be equally proud to protect a woman’s right to choose.” But he does not endorse the position that single payer healthcare reform is the only way we will be able to gain both universal health insurance coverage and lower medical costs, noting that ” I feel we need to do everything we can to ensure all citizens have access to affordable health care. The Affordable Care Act made a serious dent in the uninsured population. The current financial situation of our state government would make implementation of a single payer system unattainable. For the moment our focus needs to be on stopping attacks on our state Medicaid program. It cannot become a target for savings in the forthcoming battle to balance the budget.”

Bentz takes a strong stand against the death penalty: “I don’t believe that the death penalty is a deterrent, nor is it infallible. It should be repealed.”  And he takes a strong stand on immigration: “Although this is a federal issue, I do support a path to legal citizenship for undocumented residents.”

PDD appreciates Bentz’s zeal with regard to Right to Work zones: “Republicans seem to have abandoned their efforts to make Delaware a “Right-to-Work” state and are now pushing for these Right-to-Work (for less) zones instead. The result still would be the same: lower wages, fewer rights for workers and a loss for Delaware.” 

We applaud his strong support for a gun control measure that bans large capacity magazines: “A bill doing this was introduced in the House in 2013 and made it out of committee, but did not reach the floor for a vote. I would support such a measure.” And his strong advocacy of a measure that will prevent those with mental illnesses from purchasing firearms: “This is an issue I know intimately from working for Representative Barbieri. He championed legislation that would have accomplished this, and I helped him with research, meetings with mental health and NRA officials and other input. I believe this is one of the most critical areas where we can have a positive effect on reducing gun violence.”

And Bentz “supports without question” that we must make the fundamental right to vote easier to exercise, and thus will support the passage of No Excuse Absentee Voting and Same Day Voter Registration for all elections although he remains neutral on creating an Independent Redistricting Commission, responsible for drawing the boundaries for legislative districts after each decennial census, that is subject to the Freedom of Information Act and that will conduct its business in public. He takes the position that “I support the idea of a more open and transparent redistricting process that involves public participation and input. However, I also feel that an independent redistricting commission, especially in a state like Delaware, would become more of “one degree of separation” when it comes to choosing members and drawing lines. The commission idea sounds great in theory, but I have concerns in practice. I do think there is room for improvement in our redistricting process and am ready to work to find ways to make those improvements.”

Bentz responds favorably to questions on transparency and open government. He supports strict lobbying disclosure laws in Delaware, so that all lobbying activity is publicly disclosed and accounted for, saying “This is needed to maintain public trust in government.” And he “generally agrees with the idea, but I would be curious to see what kind of sanctions could be applied to a government agency and how it would be applied and against whom in the agency before I fully support” a law that provides for penalties and sanctions to be incurred for violations of Delaware’s Open Government Law.

Bentz supports the funding of renewable energy sources, specifically solar and wind, noting that “reducing our dependence on oil is key to our future, and renewable energy sources will play a major role in that. We’ve seen growth in renewables, but providing upfront funding to encourage families to take advantage of renewable energy – which will have long-term benefits for them – is a good way to accelerate that effort. If state funding is scarce, perhaps we can find a way to involve the private sector.”

And lastly, Bentz would support passing a law making a resolution binding that aims to increase enrollment of minority and special education students, English language learners and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds in charter and vo-tech schools and that would require enrollment in charter and vo-tech schools to mirror the population of the districts that send students. He cautions, “I have questions as to how such a rule would be enforced, but certainly this is a goal we for which we should strive. We do need to make sure all that all public school students have equal access to all public schools, this includes charters and vo-techs. This is why restrictions like the 5-mile radius are unacceptable.”

David Bentz

302-383-1558

bentzforthe18th@gmail.com

facebook.com/davebentz18

That’s more than good enough for me.  I don’t do Facebook or the Twitter, so, if someone from the campaign can let us know the easiest way to make contributions, please post it here.  I’m ready to ante up.