Protecting Our Right to Privacy
The Nevada Constitution has no express right to privacy. That needs to change, particularly as the information which marks our private online presence is maintained by corporations with no motive but to maximize profit by selling such information to the highest bidder. And the need for strong privacy protections in our State is all the more crucial since the criminal Trump administration is demanding that Nevada turn over driver’s license and social security number data for corrupt purposes.
A person deserves to enjoy privacy in their home and in their digital life. To be clear, nobody is arguing that someone should be able to conceal criminal conduct behind the guise of protections of privacy. But the wide range of personal conduct people engage in with no criminal consequences deserves strong protections, especially when technology allows a level of invasiveness that could not have been contemplated until this decade.
Nevada can take some notes from other States that have strengthened personal privacy protections in their State constitutions. For example, Washington State protects their residents’ “private affairs,” with this protection deemed by Washington courts to be stronger than the protections of privacy granted under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Nevada should go further than Washington has and expand protections for Nevadans’ privacy rights, both in their homes and online.
The Only Policy Question That Matters: Will This Help or Hurt Working and Middle Class Nevadans
There is a variety of legislation that will come before the next session of the Nevada Assembly. The first and most important question I will ask for every piece of proposed legislation is whether it will help or hurt working and middle class Nevadans. If it will help, I will vote for it. If it will hurt, I will vote against it. It is that simple.
The interests of the rich and powerful already have plenty of influence in our government - I am running to be a voice for the people.
The Importance of Protest
Trump and the “MAGA” movement pose an existential threat to our democracy and individual rights. Less than a year into his second term, Trump has already deployed troops onto the streets of U.S. cities, obtained billions in funding to turn ICE into his private secret police, and used the tremendous power of the federal government to coerce compliance from the country’s top law firms and universities. This is only the beginning of what this criminal administration plans to unleash on our country. This is also why total resistance to these efforts is necessary to ensure the centuries of progress we’ve made as a country are protected from the machinations of Trump and the corrupt “MAGA” movement.
A crucial component of this resistance is protesting on the streets of our towns and cities. We show our power to fight the attempted authoritarian takeover of our country through our numbers. Las Vegas has drawn large crowds at recent protests (pictured below) to show that southern Nevada will continue to be a place where the Constitution remains in effect and all people’s rights are respected.
Running to Represent the People of Assembly District 20
I am running to represent the people of Assembly District 20 because the problems we face – from an economy that every day makes it harder and harder to get ahead for all but the privileged few, to direct attacks on our liberties by the criminal Trump Administration, to monumental societal shifts occasioned by advances to AI and climate change – can only be solved if we have representatives willing to put power back into the hands of the people.
Our political system is supposed to represent the interests and protect the rights of the people. But for decades we have been denied true representation in our government due to wealthy donors being able to throw endless amounts of money to buy and sell our representatives. This legalized bribery corrupts all levels of our government, and, ultimately, is what leads to the sort of economy we have today which is overwhelmingly tilted in favor of narrow interests over the public good.
Thankfully, there are Americans across the country running for office at all levels of our government as part of the movement to end the corrupt influence of money in politics. This fight is so critical because once we restore power to the people, we can finally pass the sort of policies that will put us back on the track to progress.
And we can bring this fight to restore a government of the people instead of wealthy donors right here to Assembly District 20. With the combined effort of every member of our community, we can take a critical step toward creating a government that truly speaks for us.
I hope you will join me.
