Alan Howe- Democrat

Scope: What are your top three priorities if elected?

AH: I am running to defeat racism, defend choice, and protect Democracy. I will push to see that hate groups in Pennsylvania that have a history of terrorizing or killing people are treated as the terrorist groups they are. I will fight for women’s rights until every woman in Pennsylvania has the same right as any man to control her medical decisions all the time. And, I will fight against the Republican efforts at voter suppression and their fraudulent attacks on past and future elections.

Scope: Pennsylvania is a major swing state; if elected how do you plan to unify the state population?

AH: The key here is to start with enforcing the old maxim that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, not their own facts. (Moynihan) We must insist first that arguments over policy start from verified facts. From there, the differences in policies are easier to negotiate. That is exactly how things worked effectively in decades past, and that is how we return to effective governance in the future. For example, climate change (global warming) is real, and we must work together to find solutions, not argue over the well established science.

Scope: What are your plans for alleviating higher education costs?

AH: At the very minimum, two years of community college or vocational schools must be free to all adults. Decades ago, a high school diploma was a path to economic viability. That no longer holds. Adults need higher levels of education to succeed, and it is in the interest of Pennsylvania and the US that every adult succeeds. This is an important investment in individuals and in economies.

Scope: Where do you stand on Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v. Hodges and how do you plan to act on your position?

AH: I know that Equality is our first founding principle. The best moments in our history have been when we advanced the reach of Equality and the worst have been when people have worked to take rights away from others. I was proud to help Carlisle pass its Human Relations Ordinance in 2016 and my earlier efforts to promote marriage equality, and I am and always will be a committed anti-racist, fighting to expand Equality to all.

Scope: Gun violence in schools is a worry for many school students across the state. If elected, how do you plan to combat this in office?

AH: We need universal background checks, better “red flag” laws, better access to mental-health care, and we MUST stop increasing the number of weapons favored by mass murderers in this country. I have drafted a constitutional amendment that would end the private sales of those weapons in the United States. Republican calls to put more guns IN schools only increases the danger to students, faculty, and staff. That must not happen.

Scope: Why should high school students vote for you?

AH: My grandchildren are 19, 16, and 13. I have the same concerns for them that I have for all of you. I am very conscious that we have failed to provide you a planet on a survivable ecological path and a country on a reliably survivable economic path. My intention in Harrisburg, after working on defeating racism, defending choice, and protecting Democracy, is to make Pennsylvania a national leader in these areas.

For more information about Alan Howe, candidate for PA State Representative for District 199, visit his website https://www.alan4pa.com