Justin Dues

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Justin Dues

Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. Senate North Carolina

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Next election

March 3, 2026

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Marine Corps

Years of service

2003 - 2012

Personal

Birthplace

Coldwater, OH

Profession

Educator and business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign X

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Justin Dues (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent North Carolina. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.^[source]

Dues also ran for election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 8th Congressional District. He will not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.

Biography

Justin Dues was born in Coldwater, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2012. His career experience includes working as an educator and business owner.

Elections

2026

See also: United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for U.S. Senate North Carolina

Brian McGinnis (G), Shannon Bray (L), and Shaunesi Deberry (Independent) are running in the general election for U.S. Senate North Carolina on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Brian McGinnis (G)
		Shannon Bray (L)
		Shaunesi Deberry (Independent)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Robert Colon
		Roy Cooper
		Justin Dues
		Daryl Farrow
		Orrick Quick
		Marcus Williams

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Alyssia Hammond (D)
• Wiley Nickel (D)

Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Don Brown
		Richard Dansie
		Thomas Johnson
		Michele Morrow
		Elizabeth Anne Temple
		Michael Whatley

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Thom Tillis (R)
• Brooks Agnew (R)
• Margot Dupre (R) (Disqualified, still on ballot)
• Andy Nilsson (R)

Libertarian Party primary

The Libertarian Party primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Shannon Bray (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: North Carolina's 8th Congressional District election, 2024

North Carolina's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

North Carolina's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 8

Mark Harris defeated Justin Dues in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Harris (R)	59.6	238,640
		Justin Dues (D)	40.4	161,709

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 400,349
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dan Bishop (R)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Justin Dues advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 8.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Keith Davenport (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 8

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 8 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Harris	30.4	24,764
		Allan Baucom	27.0	21,964
		John Bradford III	17.8	14,458
		Don Brown	10.5	8,519
		Leigh Brown	9.6	7,845
		Chris Maples	4.7	3,787

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,337
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dues in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

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Campaign website

Dues' campaign website stated the following:

Healthcare is a Birthright.

Written By Justin Dues

It’s time for the United States to join the civilized world and treat healthcare not as a profit engine, but as a sacred right. While you ponder that yourself, consider these interesting facts.

• We spend near 2X as much per person on healthcare as the next closest country yet rank 49th in life expectancy. Sounds like a raw deal to me.
• The U.S. ranks #1 in medical debt + #1 in preventable deaths + #1 in maternal mortality among developed nations. Being numero uno here in no beuno.
• Over 66% of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are due to medical bills, something that is literally nonexistent in countries with public healthcare systems.

The U.S. spends more than any other country on the planet, yet ranks nearly 50th in global life expectancy. Why are Americans dying younger than citizens in nations with fewer resources, how is this possible? It’s because our healthcare system prioritizes profits over people / margins over outcomes. While other developed countries treat healthcare as a public good, the U.S. treats it as a private commodity that is sold, rationed, and monetized. We’ve traded compassion for quarterly earnings and allowed Wall Street to determine who gets to live with dignity and who dies in debt. Life expectancy data as of 2024, show a 6 to 10 year gap exists between the U.S. and our closest allies and competitors with a universal healthcare system. How can one argue with a better system, savings of taxpayer money, and extended life spans?

We’re Paying More, Living Less

Leave it to the U.S. healthcare industry to find a way to make it about profits. As a large portion of today’s costs comes from paperwork, billing games, and middlemen and not actual care. Moving to a universal healthcare system could save the U.S. taxpayer money each and every year while covering every single person young and old. Current cost estimates for universal healthcare in the U.S. near $3.5 to $4T. This is a significant amount but when compared to the $4.5T we currently spend, the opportunity to save close to $500B every year arises. To put that in context, the cost to make all colleges and universities tuition free is $450B every year. Think about that for a second, we could essentially fund free universal healthcare and education with taxpayer funds - now that is a country that I would want to live in.

With a Medicare-for-All system the federal government would serve as the main payer - setting fair transparent prices and replacing premiums, deductibles, and surprise bills with a predictable way to pay. That shift will especially helps families dealing with chronic or terminal conditions, often hit hardest by out-of-pocket costs. It also helps the economy as employers wouldn’t have to offer health benefits just to hire people. Workers gain newfound freedom and wouldn’t be stuck in jobs for the health insurance. Companies could focus on building long-term products and paying fair wages instead of juggling new benefit plans and price hikes. If we judge a society by how it treats those who need help most, then a health system built around care, not profit incentives, gets us closer to that standard.

How The World Passed Us By

Most developed nations built universal healthcare in two big waves. The first after World War II, when governments treated health care as core social infrastructure alongside pensions and education. A second wave arrived from the late 1980s through the 2000s as countries standardized coverage and closed healthcare gaps.

The UK launched the NHS in 1948. France expanded Sécurité Sociale from 1945 toward near-universal coverage. Nordics built out tax-funded or social-insurance systems through the 1950s–70s. Japan reached universal coverage by 1961 through nationwide enrollment in employer and community plans. Canada went province by province with nationwide adoption by the early 1970s. Australia established Medibank in 1975, and New Zealand’s universal model traces back to the 1938 Social Security Act.

South Korea unified its insurance funds to reach universal coverage by 1989. Taiwan implemented single-payer national health insurance in 1995. Israel’s National Health Insurance Law took effect in 1995. Switzerland in 1996 and the Netherlands in 2006 mandated universal enrollment in tightly regulated, non-profit–like insurance markets. Many systems continued to refine toward near-universal statutory coverage by the 2000s.

So most of the developed world moved to universal coverage in the mid-20th century, then modernized and closed remaining gaps by the 2000s. The U.S. by contrast doubled down on private insurance and prescription medicine. Medicare and Medicaid were introduced in the 1960s but were limited patches versus comprehensive reform. In our country the rise of health insurance conglomerates, pharmaceutical monopolies, and hospital chains turned illness into a business model.

Countries without Universal Healthcare Coverage

These countries do not provide universal healthcare, meaning not all citizens have guaranteed access to essential health services without financial hardship:

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Cambodia
• Haiti
• Indonesia
• Laos
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Nigeria
• Pakistan (not fully covered nationwide)
• Papua New Guinea
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Syria
• United States (varied coverage, not universal)
• Yemen

Only the United States and New Zealand permit widespread direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs, a practice banned in most other countries due to safety concerns

What Other Countries Got Right & What We Got Wrong

United Kingdom (NHS): Universal care funded by taxes. No bills or insurance companies and life expectancy is 82.6 years. Insurance Gatekeepers. America’s private insurers determine what treatments are ‘medically necessary’ based on profit margins and not patient needs. Denials, delays, and restrictive networks are ways to increase profits.

Japan: Public insurance for all with private providers. Regulated low costs and life expectancy is 85.2 years nearly 5 years longer than the U.S. Profits or Death. The average CEO of a top U.S. health insurer earns over $20 million per year while tens of millions of Americans remain uninsured or underinsured. Hospital mergers have created regional monopolies that are allowing systems to charge 10x Medicare rates for routine procedures.

France: Hybrid system with universal access and 90% satisfaction rates and life expectancy is 82.5 years. Pharmaceutical Monopolies. Americans pay up to 10 times more for the same medications compared to Canadians or Europeans. Insulin costs $6 to produce but sells for $300 per vial in the U.S. due to patent gaming and middlemen.

Germany: Non-profit insurers offer universal coverage and admin costs are half that of the U.S. Administrative Waste. Nearly 30% of U.S. healthcare spending goes to billing and paperwork versus actual care. No other country comes close.

How America Can Catch Up

Medicare for All (Universal Healthcare or Single-Payer System) Replace private insurance with a public system that covers all Americans from birth to death. Invest in prevention and public health by shifting spending from reactive care to prevention, nutrition, mental health, and chronic disease management. Eliminate co-pays, deductibles, and surprise bills that are funded through progressive taxation. Outlaw medical bankruptcy and guarantee that no American goes broke due to illness. Cap out-of-pocket costs and ensure universal access to treatment. Empower Medicare to negotiate prices and ban anti-competitive practices that inflate drug costs. These moves among others saves money by removing profit margins and administrative waste.

America’s obsession with privatized healthcare has produced a system that is morally indefensible and economically unsustainable. No one should have to choose between treatment and bankruptcy, or watch loved ones suffer because a corporation denied coverage. If health is wealth, then universal care is the foundation for a truly prosperous nation. We have the resources and the public support. What we lack is the political courage.

Tax The Rich

Written By Justin Dues

How the Rich Sidestep Taxes and Undermine Democracy

America has always promised equality, opportunity, and representation. But today, the country faces an undeniable crisis: a growing divide between the billionaire class and the working majority. Instead of contributing their fair share to strengthen the nation and uplift struggling communities, many of the wealthiest Americans have chosen a different path — one that prioritizes power and profit over people, even at the expense of democracy itself.

The ProPublica Secret IRS Files showed that in some years the richest men in the country like Bezos, Musk, Bloomberg, Icahn and others, all paid zero in federal income tax, or near zero once you measure taxes against the surge in their wealth. That’s not business genius, it’s a system rigged for the rich. By exploiting tax laws and loopholes they are underpaying what they owe and forcing the working class to foot the bill. These oligarchs didn’t earn a gilded halo, instead they bought politicians and a private tax code that benefits only themselves. They have wealth parked in shell companies and trusts routed through friendly jurisdictions thereby making ownership opaque and taxes optional. Their armies of lawyers surf the gray zone between avoidance and evasion. Academic estimates place the tax gap which is the portion of taxes owed but not paid by the wealthy, at over $160 billion per year driven largely by the top 1%.

This is a hoarding of wealth against the common good of humanity in my personal opinion. The inequality is tremendous when you consider that 1 billion would be enough to have $50,000 dollars a year for 20,000 years. A groundbreaking study by economists Akcan Balkir, Emmanuel Saez, Danny Yagan, and Gabriel Zucman reveals that the wealthiest Americans on the Forbes 400 paid an average tax rate of just 24%, far below the commonly cited figure of 34% and even lower than many middle-class workers. Between 2018 and 2020, these billionaires paid a mere 1.3% of their total wealth in federal taxes, down from 2.7% in prior years. Best estimates put around 8 to 10% of the world’s household financial wealth offshore with trillions from U.S. investors alone beyond the easy reach of the IRS. This is jeopardizing the very future of American democracy.

Spare the fairy tale that financial hoarding is harmless. In a country with hungry kids and tents under overpasses, you don’t “accidentally” accumulate sums you can’t spend in ten lifetimes, you make a conscious choice to put yourself above everyone else. Trump and his Republican enablers have made a brand out of being the wealthy and elite’s concubine. To this day defending trickle-down economics, blocking wealth and estate tax debates, and treating loopholes like national treasures. That’s plutocracy with a red hat and it coms with other consequences as well.

• Budget Shortfalls and Shrinking Services. Billions in lost tax revenue starve vital public services like healthcare, education, infrastructure therefore forcing cuts or increased debt.
• Erosion of Fairness. When billionaires pay lower rates than teachers or nurses, the principle of equal citizenship is hollowed out.
• Political Corruption. Wealth funnels into political influence, defending loopholes, cutting IRS budgets, and weakening enforcement.

A Path Forward: Ways To Demand Accountability

The United States has by far the most billionaires in the world at over 900 and counting despite being a quarter the size of China and India with a 1.4B in population each compared to America’s 350M. This means our policy architecture has become a billionaire factory, and the output is corporate capture and social decay. We should measure patriotism by whether the richest among us still pay into the nation that made their fortunes possible. Until we do, we’re subsidizing a class that treats America like an ATM and the rest of us like collateral.

Let’s put a stop to this together. Stop preferential treatment of unrealized gains at the top and restore a robust income tax base reminiscent of 1950. Redirect that revenue to the public goods we keep pretending we can’t afford like universal health care, child poverty elimination, housing affordability, climate resilience, and scientific research that lifts everyone. What options do we have?

1. Tax the Rich through reforms targeting capital gains, inheritance, and extreme wealth. Enacting a Wealth Tax like a 2% annual tax on fortunes over $50 million that could raise massive revenue.
2. Strengthen the IRS to audit and enforce.
3. Crack Down on Billionaire Tax Avoidance through tighter rules, global cooperation, and closing loopholes.

The billionaire class has a choice to invest in the America that made their wealth possible or undermine democracy to preserve their power. So far, many have chosen the latter. Don’t forget that history shows when ordinary people demand accountability and fairness, systemic change is possible. If America is to honor its promise of government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” we must confront the corrosive influence of extreme wealth and build an economy and a democracy that works for everyone. The stakes are nothing less than the survival of the American dream itself.

Wall Street’s Scam

Written By Justin Dues

The Racket: Monopoly, Corruption, Collapse, Reform, Repeat

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. Wall Street has been privatizing financial booms and socializing the crashes for 100+ years. America keeps living through the same economic scam on loop that goes like this:

1. Industries consolidate. A few giants choke out competition. Profits surge.
2. The giants rig the rules. Lobbyists flood Washington. Risk piles up in the dark.
3. The bubble pops. Workers lose jobs, savings, homes. The public pays the cleanup bill.
4. Legislative reforms. To “make sure this never happens again.” Time passes.
5. Rules are weakened, gutted, or repealed by Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Banks, Big Oil, Big Whatever as they pressure, sue, and lobby. Go back to step 1. This isn’t an accident, it’s a cycle older than any of us.

The Gilded Age and Birth of Monopoly

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, America was run by industrial cartels. Railroads, oil, steel, finance - each sector was dominated by a handful of men who set prices, crushed unions, bribed legislators, and bought judges like they were cufflinks. This was the original corporate-state merger. By the 1920s, the methods were being perfected: holding companies and trusts to skirt competition. Cartels and price-fixing to tax the public in everything but name.

Stock pools and insider syndicates to manufacture bull markets. Political capture through donations, friendly regulators, and revolving doors - any of that sound familiar? The playbook was simple, consolidate horizontally to eliminate rivals. Then integrate vertically to strangle suppliers and distributors and use finance to launder monopoly power as efficiency. Long before the Great Depression exposed the rot, these barons had already built a private regime above the law, an American oligarchy in everything but title.

The Great Depression

The roaring twenties were a party for bankers and speculators. No such thing as federal deposit insurance, an arena where banks were gambling customer deposits in markets. Insiders pumping stocks with no disclosure rules. Then the market crashed in 1929, setting off bank panics, mass unemployment, and total economic collapse. Think of the market collapse like a huge Jenga tower built on borrowed blocks. Big investors secretly teamed up “stock pools” to push prices up, and banks lent tons of easy money so regular people could buy stocks on margin - pay a little now, borrow the rest. At the same time, powerful companies faced little real competition and their stock prices soared far beyond what their actual profits could support. When money got tighter and loans were called back, investors had to sell fast to repay debt. Those rushed sales knocked out the tower’s lower blocks, prices tumbled, more margin calls hit, and the whole market came down in a chain reaction.

How Congress responded: The New Deal era gave us some of the strongest financial guardrails in U.S. history:

• Sherman Antitrust Act 1890. Made it illegal to restrain trade or monopolize a market.
• Clayton Antitrust Act 1914. Closed loopholes, banned certain kinds of anti-competitive mergers.
• Federal Trade Commission Act 1914. Created to investigate and stop “unfair methods of competition.”
• Glass–Steagall Act | Banking Act of 1933. Separated normal banking (deposits, savings, checking) from speculative investment banking (securities underwriting and trading). The message: You can be a casino OR you can be a utility. You cannot gamble with grandma’s deposits.
• FDIC insurance 1933. Guaranteed deposits up to a certain amount, stopping bank runs.
• Securities Act of 1933 / Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forced companies to tell the truth about their finances. Created the SEC to police securities markets.

These weren’t academic reforms. They were weapons aimed directly at corporate oligarchs like John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan. The government used them to break up Standard Oil and later to smash other combinations. The public message was clear - the economy exists to serve the people, not the other way around. The result? Banking stabilized and ordinary savers weren’t wiped out every time bankers got reckless. The financial system became boring and boring was good. Boring is what allows people to build a life.

But if you know America, there’s not only a short-term memory problem but also a long-term inability to learn from the past. Starting in the 1980s and accelerating in the 1990s, regulators and courts chipped holes in Glass–Steagall. In 1999, Congress passed the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, which effectively repealed core parts of Glass–Steagall. Commercial banks, investment banks, and insurance companies could now merge into giant financial superpowers. “Too big to fail” stopped being a nightmare scenario and became a business model. As decades passed without economic collapse, Congress allowed these and other protections to be weakened, gutted, or undone. By the end of the 20th century, federal antitrust enforcement had been reinterpreted around one narrow question: “Does it raise consumer prices right now?”

Is this all just a game for Wall Street?

If a merger didn’t instantly spike the price of a widget at Walmart, courts and regulators often let it go. Bigness itself stopped being considered a threat to democracy, wages, or supply chain resilience. Dominance, vertical lock-in, vendor bullying, labor monopoly all got the thumbs up as “efficiency.” This reinterpretation let wave after wave of mergers sail through in airlines, banking, telecom, media, meatpacking, defense contractors, pharmacy benefit managers, health insurance, agriculture, cloud computing, app stores, logistics, you name it. Fewer players. More leverage. Less bargaining power for workers and suppliers. More systemic fragility. So we are right back where it began: concentration. We were told this would modernize finance. Nine years later, we got 2008.

2008 Financial Crisis

After Glass–Steagall was gutted and derivatives were left largely unregulated (see also the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, which helped keep credit default swaps in the shadows), Wall Street levered itself to the moon on mortgage-backed securities, junk paper, ratings fraud, and straight-up fantasy balance sheets. When housing cracked, the system almost went with it. Millions of Americans lost homes, pensions, jobs. Trillions in household wealth vanished. Meanwhile, the biggest institutions and the ones whose size, complexity, and political clout created the danger were rescued because “if they go down, everyone goes down.”

How Congress responded: Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010.

• Required big banks to hold more capital as a thicker shock absorber.
• Created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to stop predatory lending.
• Gave regulators “Orderly Liquidation Authority” to wind down failing giants instead of panicking.
• Forced some derivatives onto clearinghouses so they couldn’t hide off-books.

Dodd–Frank was supposed to put the gun back in the holster. Yet under heavy bank lobbying, parts of Dodd–Frank were watered down during rulemaking. The industry fought higher capital requirements, fought stress tests, fought derivatives transparency. In 2018, Congress rolled back pieces of Dodd–Frank for “smaller” but still very large banks thereby raising the asset threshold at which strict oversight kicks in. Those mid-size regionals got more room to take interest rate and liquidity risk without the same scrutiny. Not long after, several of those “mid-size” banks faceplanted in interest-rate shock, triggering emergency interventions to protect uninsured deposits. Taxpayers were told again this wasn’t a bailout, just “systemic risk management.”

Is this a Democracy and an Economics Problem?

When a handful of firms control your food, your medicine, your banks, your news, your transportation, your information feeds, your weapons, and your jobs, you don’t live in a competitive market economy. You live in an administered hierarchy where price, wage, and policy are quietly negotiated between corporate boardrooms and political offices and then sold to you as “the free market.”

That’s why the founders of this nation, even back then, were suspicious of concentrated economic power welded to political power. That’s why Progressive Era trust-busters tried to smash monopolies. That’s why New Dealers split banks. That’s why we created post-crisis firewalls over and over again. Because concentrated private power becomes public danger and because every time we let it concentrate, we pay for it the same way. Lost jobs | Lost homes | Lost savings | Lost bargaining power | Lost dignity.

Notice any patterns?

1. Panic of 1873: Over-speculation in the railroad industry, bank failures, and the collapse of a major investment bank.

2. Panic of 1893: Overbuilding of railroads, falling agricultural prices, and the failure of major banks and railroads.

3. Panic of 1907: Market speculation, particularly in the copper industry, and the failure of a major brokerage firm.

4. Crash of 1929 (The Great Depression): Excessive speculation in the stock market during the 1920s, with no regulation.

5. Black Monday (1987): A sudden and dramatic crash on October 19, 1987, dropping by 22.6% in a single day.

6. Dot-Com Bubble Burst (2000-2002): Overvaluation of tech companies during the late 1990s as the internet grew rapidly.

7. Global Financial Crisis (2007-2008): Collapse of the housing bubble, driven by high-risk practices.

How to Finally Break the Cycle

We do not have to continue living through “unpredictable downturns.” As I see it, we are living through a maintained schedule of looting. Every time, we are told this version is different. Every time, we are told the grown-ups are in charge now. Every time, we are told we can trust the markets to discipline themselves. But markets don’t discipline monopolies. Monopolies discipline markets and unless Congress stops pretending not to notice, we already know how the next chapter ends. Wall Street gets the profits. Society gets the bill. It is far past time to reset the rules of the game.

1. Treat bigness itself as a threat again. Stop pretending monopoly is “efficient.” Restore antitrust to what it used to be: preventing dangerous concentration of power, not just policing whether a price at Walmart went up by 12 cents. That means blocking mega-mergers, unwinding abusive vertical lock-ins, and yes, breaking up firms when they sit on entire markets like feudal lords.

2. Reinstate hard financial firewalls. We need modern Glass–Steagall logic: you can be a federally backstopped utility serving the public, or you can be a private casino swinging for the fences but you don’t get both. If you’re too big to fail, you’re too big to gamble. Also: automatic failure resolution. Not bailout theater, actual wipeouts for executives and shareholders when they blow up the bank.

3. Make regulation self-executing, not optional. Right now, a lot of our “safeguards” depend on having heroic regulators willing to fight industries that outgun them 100 to 1 in money and lawyers. That’s not a system. That’s a fantasy. You want to stop banks from levering 40:1? Cap it in statute. You want to stop defense contractors from eating each other? Ban further consolidation in critical sectors unless there are at least X viable, independent competitors left. You want to stop tech platforms from self-dealing? Mandate interoperability, data portability, and a structural firewall between running the platform and competing on it. Do not trust “voluntary commitments.” Write the line in law.

4. Cut off the revolving door. You should not be allowed to leave Congress on Friday and sign a seven-figure advisory contract helping a merger through DOJ on Monday. You should not regulate an industry you plan to lobby for next year. Everyone in D.C. knows this is legalized bribery with nicer suits.

5. Tie corporate rescue to worker rescue. If the public steps in during a crisis, workers should come out better off, not worse. That means strict conditions like no buybacks, no dividends, no executive bonuses, mandatory wage floors, union neutrality, worker seats on the board, and automatic equity upside for the public. If taxpayers are the backstop, taxpayers are also the investor.

We actually know how to stop the loop because we’ve done it before. The problem is not brains, it’s political willpower.

Housing Crisis 2.0

Written By Justin Dues

The largest owners of residential real estate are a mix of massive investment firms with Blackstone often cited as a top single-family home buyer.

Homes Are for Humans, Not Corporate Landlords

Let’s be clear, this housing crisis is manmade and fixable. A functional society should not allow the basic human need for shelter to be harvested like a commodity. Especially when families are locked out of ownership and renters are squeezed by rising costs. Then again it does appear we are a few pieces away from a functional society as 2026 kicks off. And though we can’t solve the entire housing crisis with one law, we can stop making it worse by letting corporate owners crowd out buyers and convert neighborhoods into profit machines. Homeownership should be for people, not private equity or corporate America.

Along the path to resolving the issue includes better wages, lower interest rates, and updated zoning laws. For this policy perspective we are going to focus on corporate America’s move into residential property and what can be done about it. It’s both a local and national reality, in Charlotte a recent report highlighted that national corporations own about 18% of single-family rental homes. This places Charlotte among the highest of large U.S. cities studied. Other local analysis using Mecklenburg County tax assessment data shows corporate ownership of single-family homes rising sharply over the past decade. This business model has spread and is concentrated in fast-growing metro, meaning regular buyers are forced to bid against Wall Street and not their neighbors.

Homeownership is supposed to be the backbone of the American Dream. Stability, roots, and a chance to build wealth over time. That promise is now being eroded by a housing market that increasingly treats single-family homes like financial assets instead of a place where families live.

Corporate Overreach in $earch of Profit$

How much does private equity actually own? Recent analysis notes that large institutional investors, often defined as owning 100+ homes, own about 3% of single-family rental stock nationwide. However, ownership soars around 12% to 20% in the metros where investors are most concentrated. While the national percentage looks small, the local damage can be significant as in Charlotte’s case. Again, we can recognize the housing crisis has multiple causes, that we must also increase supply and affordability, but corporate consolidation makes the crisis worse in the places it targets.

The outgoing Biden administration was already warning about the growth of investor ownership in single-family rentals since the financial crisis and the concerns it raises for affordability. We need more checks on corporate power such as the FTC’s 2024 action requiring Invitation Homes to pay $48 million and stop certain deceptive and unfair practices.

What I’ll fight for in Congress

1) Co-sponsor H.R. 1745 — the HOPE for Homeownership Act

Humans Over Private Equity. This bill targets hedge funds that hold “excess” single-family homes by imposing an excise tax when they fail to dispose of excess holdings—creating real pressure to return homes to the market for people to buy.

2) Support H.R. 3214 — the HOME Act of 2025

Housing Oversight and Mitigating Exploitation. This would empower HUD to investigate housing and rental price gouging during an affordable housing crisis and strengthen oversight of abusive market practices especially when large investors dominate purchases and distort markets.

3) Push additional reforms that put families first, investments last.

Transparency on corporate ownership, guardrails on bulk purchases, and pro-homebuyer measures that prioritize owner-occupants, not “asset classes.”

4) Push for Living Wages, $30 by 2030.

A living wage is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time, or 2080 hours per year

Cost of New Home (000s)

Changes to the cost of a home and family income from Census data shows the median home value in 1950 was $7,354. Just 75 years later in 2024 the median home price had seen a 50x increase to over $400,000. Generations are being priced out of the biggest slice of the American Dream because of affordability. These price increases break the ladder for young families or completely eliminate the opportunity to own a starter home. Especially when wages and household finances haven’t kept pace. For context, the 1950 Census estimated average family income at about $3,300. If incomes had risen at anything like the same pace as home prices, family income today would be well into six figures at nearly $168,000/yr. Instead, families in the U.S. currently have a median income between $75,000 and $84,000 per year and are asked to absorb higher prices, higher interest rates, and rising rents all at once.

Parasitic Gerrymandering

Written By Justin Dues

Gerrymandering is like rigging a game of Tetris, surgically drawing districts to entrench one party’s power. This tactic is being done by both Democrats and Republicans, as the two-party system has an interest in suppressing legitimate independent competition. This is a parasite our founders didn’t foresee, extremely gerrymandered maps that decide who governs, what gets a vote, and whose voice gets drowned out. This and other unethical norms disenfranchise the everyday voter. Less people are voting in primaries and general elections which are skewing outcomes. The result is entire communities across our nation with representatives they didn’t truly choose. What else happens?

1. Extreme maps convert modest vote margins into veto-proof majorities, insulating lawmakers from electoral accountability and dampening turnout.
2. Safe seats reward the loudest primaries, not the broadest coalitions, pushing legislatures toward obstruction over problem-solving.
3. Packing and cracking dilute communities of color and shared-interest neighborhoods, weakening their policy influence.

How NC got here & Why it’s a National Danger:

North Carolina’s recent history reads like a case study in racial line-drawing to lock in power. Federal courts found that the General Assembly’s 2011 congressional map packed Black voters into Districts 1 and 12, making race the predominant factor without a lawful justification; the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed those findings in Cooper v. Harris in 2017. At the same time, a three-judge federal panel ruled that 28 state legislative districts were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders in the Covington litigation, a remedy the Supreme Court largely let stand in 2017–18. These weren’t close calls or ancient history, these are recent and repeated judgments that North Carolina’s maps crossed constitutional lines. Supreme Court

Yet even after those racial gerrymanders were struck, the game simply shifted from race to partisanship. In Rucho v. Common Cause, the Supreme Court declared partisan gerrymandering a “political question” beyond the reach of federal courts, effectively inviting state politicians to judge their own handiwork. North Carolina’s experience shows the consequence: after a brief period in which state courts policed extreme maps, the state supreme court reversed course in Harper v. Hall, saying partisan-gerrymandering claims are nonjusticiable under the state constitution and handing the pen back to the very legislature whose maps sparked the lawsuits. The result has been a fresh round of aggressive maps and rolling litigation over racial vote dilution in the 2024 and 2026 cycles.

The U.S. Supreme Court calling gerrymandering a neutral “leave it to the states” approach is playing with fire. When federal courts step back on partisan gerrymandering, and state courts green-light the maps drawn by state politicians, the referee’s whistle goes silent. In places with long histories of discrimination the result is weakened safeguards against both racial and partisan manipulation. That is not vigilant constitutional stewardship, it is ethical abdication of duty. For a nation that claims E pluribus unum, out of many, one - allowing engineered maps to predetermine representation is a breach of the promise that every vote counts.

So how do we fix it?

1) Independent or citizen redistricting commissions. Move the process out of the hands of self interested incumbents. Several states empower independent or bipartisan commissions to draw congressional and/or state legislative maps, with clear rules and public input. While designs can vary the core idea is the same - diversify who draws the map, constrain conflicts of interest, and make the process open. As of the latest election cycle, nine states use commissions for congressional maps, with others using hybrids for legislative maps.

Evidence suggests commissions reduce extreme partisan bias when they are genuinely independent - no elected officials as commissioners, transparent, and bound by clear criteria. Early results from states like Colorado and Michigan where citizen commissions worked under bright-line rules and open meetings showed measurably fairer plans and more competitive districts compared with prior, legislature-run cycles.

2) Enforceable, neutral map-drawing criteria. Legislate and constitutionalize criteria that line-drawers must follow and that courts can enforce. Typical guardrails include:

• Equal population and contiguity.
• Compliance with the Voting Rights Act and protection of communities of interest.
• Compactness and respect for political subdivisions.
• Partisan-fairness standards that discourage durable asymmetries.

3) Radical transparency and public participation. Require public map submissions, publish all datasets and draft maps, and hold livestreamed hearings with written explanations for every revision. Sunshine won’t solve everything but it makes surgical bias harder and gives courts a record to review. Reform groups and legal scholars consistently cite transparency and participation as pillars of durable reforms.

4) Independent judicial review under state constitutions. Because federal courts won’t police partisan gerrymandering, state courts must. Reform paths include explicitly banning partisan gerrymandering in state constitutions and giving courts clear authority and timelines to appoint special masters when legislatures or commissions fail. Moore v. Harper confirms that ordinary state judicial review applies.

5) Technical safeguards and open methods. Use open-source software, auditable code, and clear statistical checks to evaluate proposed maps. Many states and watchdogs now run efficiency gap diagnostics to flag outliers before they become law and to document them if they do. Measure what you value: require public release of all inputs, code, and metrics used to evaluate maps.

Democracy isn’t just about counting votes, rather it’s about making votes count equally. The tools exist to end the era of politicians choosing their voters. All that’s missing is the will to use them.

Forever War Profiteering

Written By Justin Dues

The Founders Feared This Exact Thing

Before the Constitution was even ratified, early American thinkers argued that a large, permanent, federally controlled standing army was dangerous to liberty. James Madison and other early voices echoed the fear that “a standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty.” The Anti-Federalist writer Brutus warned that once you fund a big military machine, it becomes political. It exists to protect itself, can intimidate the public and can start dictating policy. “The liberties of a people are in danger from a large standing army,” he wrote, because those forces can prop up whoever holds power or become a power of their own.

Their logic was simple. A republic relies on citizens and militias for defense in true emergencies. A permanent war machine fed year after year stops being a shield and becomes an industry. We now live inside the world they warned us about. America maintains a global war apparatus that eats hundreds of billions of dollars a year and dares you to question it. If you do question it, you are told you don’t support the troops. Let’s talk about who’s actually being supported.

Support the Troops = Support the Contractors

During World War II, the United States had 50+ major defense firms competing, innovating, and producing. Since then relentless consolidation has collapsed the sector into a shadow of corruption. Today the U.S. is dominated by five giant primes; Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman. These behemoths sit atop of almost every major program. This is textbook concentration of profit and influence which means fewer bidders → higher prices. Higher prices → bigger budgets. Bigger budgets → more political leverage to demand even bigger budgets.

We’ve already seen Pentagon audits flag obscene markups on simple parts like basic C-17 aircraft components and even things as trivial as soap dispensers sold back to the U.S. military at thousands of percent above their normal cost. One audit found markups approaching 8,000% for routine parts. Boeing contested the specific comparisons, but the pattern of extreme overcharge is familiar to anyone who’s watched defense procurement.

The Audit Nobody Passes and Everybody Pays For

Here’s the part that should make every taxpayer furious, the DoD has never passed a full financial audit. It has failed every single year since audits became mandatory, most recently in November 2024 its seventh failed department-wide audit in a row covering roughly an $824B budget. Auditors literally could not verify where all the money went. The Pentagon admits it still can’t produce complete, reliable books and doesn’t expect a clean audit until at least 2028. We are pouring historically unprecedented money into a machine we cannot even track. Meanwhile, the people who actually wear the uniform are sent to fight and die while defense contractors and political careers get fat. That’s not national defense, it is an extraction economy with uniforms.

Let’s slow down and sit with the number again, nearly $1 trillion a year. The Pentagon cannot pass an audit. Auditors cannot verify basic inventory, cannot reconcile ledgers, cannot track assets we ship overseas. The Government Accountability Office has warned that leadership commitment is not enough and that DOD is unlikely to be clean until 2028 at the earliest.

Where are our legislative priorities? We are going to defund PBS and the Department of Education but expand and militarize ICE, bloat the defense budget with unnecessary weapon systems like the Golden Dome. Greedy, stupid, or both these lawmakers openly discuss needing a $1T plus Pentagon budget. The modern military industrial complex is a culture problem.

1. Congress funds the Pentagon at historic levels on its way to a trillion.
2. The Pentagon steers gigantic contracts to a handful of mega-contractors who have swallowed almost all their competitors since WWII.
3. Those contractors then lobby Congress, donate through PACs and executives, sponsor think tanks and defense studies, sit on advisory boards to argue for more missions, systems, bases, more threat inflation.
4. Young Americans sign up often from working class backgrounds believing they are defending freedom. Many of them are then used, as Butler said, as muscle to secure geopolitical and corporate interests abroad.
5. When they die, we hold a ceremony and call it noble. We do not call it profitable, even when it clearly was.

If you speak up from inside, you’re told to shut up and get in line because of national security. As an infantry Marine that served from 2003 to 2012, I feel uniquely qualified to call out the unethical war profiteering that is taking place while the best men I ever knew came home in caskets. I’m not the only Marine that served who witnessed this manipulative industry firsthand. At the time of his death Major General Smedley D. Butler was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. He was the only person to have been awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and the Medal of Honor twice for separate military actions.

General Smedley Darlington Butler, one of the most decorated Marines in U.S. history, said it out loud almost a century ago. He called himself “a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers… a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism”. 

He had also become an unrelenting voice against the business of war. General Butler described how he was deployed to protect oil, banking, sugar, and corporate interests in places like Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and China. He said, “War like any other racket, pays high dividends to the very few. The cost of operations is always transferred to the people who do not profit.”

That’s a Marine General with combat credibility talking. Not a campus protester or a pundit. Now zoom forward to post-9/11 wars that produced massive contracts, revolving-door careers, private security fortunes, logistics empires, aircraft programs that still aren’t finished or functional. Yet after all that blood and cash Iraq is unstable, Afghanistan collapsed back to Taliban control, and Gold Star families were handed folded flags and told thank you for your sacrifice. Whose sacrifice - because it sure wasn’t Lockheed shareholders.

The F-35 program is the most expensive weapons system in U.S. history, with total lifecycle costs projected to surpass $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion for operation and sustainment over its lifetime, according to the GAO.

For the U.S. Air Force, the F-35A fleet's mission-capable rate fell to just 51.5% in fiscal 2024. This means roughly half of the most advanced fighters were not able to perform their assigned missions on any given day.

That’s not the cost of readiness, its extraction off the lives and labor of young Americans in uniform and the taxes of everyone back home. Call it what it is, war profiteering. So when politicians wave a flag and tell America to support the troops, what they often mean is support the contracts.

Endless War and Corruption - How to Fix It?

The Founders warned us but we still built a war machine, wrapped it in the flag and called any oversight unpatriotic. Now in 2026 we spend nearly a trillion dollars a year on a department that can’t pass an audit and routinely enriches a handful of corporations while young Americans come home in boxes. Unless we break profit out of war and demand real audits the scam will continue. We need to make support the troops mean support the actual troops, not their contractors. We morally cannot allow the next generation of warriors to walk straight into the exact same racket. So how do we fix it?

1. Tie the budget to clean books. No clean audit, no budget increase period. Every normal agency lives under basic financial accountability and the Pentagon should not be exempt from adulthood. Legislate to force a clean audit.

2. Break the monopoly. Rebuild antitrust in the defense sector. Five primes controlling the lifeline of U.S. warfighting is not strength, it’s corporate capture. Force competition, criminalize and challenge obscene markups. If Boeing is charging 8,000% for fairly standard parts, that’s punishable.

3. Ban profit from endless war. When we deploy troops the money should go to pay, housing, medical care, survivor benefits, and long-term treatment for those who serve. Not to no-bid consulting contracts. Not to defense company shareholders, not to political funders. We can cap profit margins on war-zone contracts the same way we cap utilities in some states. Butler said it plainly in 1933: “It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.”

4. Put real support the troops into law. If you vote for war, you automatically vote for mandatory VA funding at gold standard levels for life for those who serve in it. From housing, mental health, job placement, GI Bill expansion, survivor benefits. Front-load care, not funerals.

5. Narrow the mission. We either defend our people and our actual treaty allies or we admit what we are: an armed wing of multinational capital, say the United Corporations of America, flying a U.S. flag for cover. The bottom line is that we need to evolve past our tribal tendencies and work towards global peace so that armies of any kind are no longer required.

Dark Money Puppets in Congress

Written By Justin Dues

Introduction: The Shadow that Controls the Stage

When registered voters head to the booth they’re often hoping to shape their futures and the generations that follow. Yet underneath a darker force, untraceable money, often determines the outcome. Unfortunately this was not something our founders foresaw. That one day PACs, think tanks and nonprofits would pour billions in "dark money" to flood elections. That there would be no transparency on who's paying or what they want in return. This is our current status in 2026, where corporations and billionaires wield influence far beyond their vote. The power of this dark money is at such a scale now that it is shaping legislation, blocking reform, and capturing politicians through donations and lobbying. From fossil fuel subsidies to pharmaceutical price protections, too many policies serve profits over people and voters are left wondering why change never comes.

Money in politics will continue to threaten democracy unless we do something about it. With floodgates open over the last 15 years wealthy corporations, individuals, and special interests bent both parties to their will. Political campaigns now resemble a race to see who can beg for the most money, meaning voices of everyday citizens are drowned out by cash. For historical context, this isn’t how American democracy was designed. For much of the 20th century, campaign finance was tightly regulated. That changed dramatically with the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which unleashed unlimited corporate political spending under the guise of free speech. Since then, the rise of dark money groups and mega-donors has drowned out individual voices. Meanwhile, the lobbying industry has ballooned into a $4 billion powerhouse, with former lawmakers and corporate lawyers writing laws behind closed doors. The result is a political system increasingly for sale.

Citizens United didn't just open Pandora's box, it unleashed a tsunami of corporate influence, washing away the notion of government for the people, by the people, and transforming it into a playground for the wealthy elite.

America does not suffer from a lack of patriotism, it suffers from a lack of humility in the halls of power.

You can feel it in your wallet and your workplace. Big Pharma lobbyists protect drug monopolies, energy giants delay climate action, and tech firms block data privacy laws. This is corporate influence controlling Congress. Americans pay more, work harder, and see less - continually frustrated that Washington doesn’t seem to work for them. The gap between what people want and what Congress delivers is purchased gridlock.

Core Issues & Reform Proposals

ISSUE = Unlimited Political Spending by corporations and billionaires can give unlimited amounts through loopholes. REFORM = Overturn Citizens United and pass a constitutional amendment to allow limits on corporate political spending.

ISSUE = Lack of Transparency by dark money groups that hide donor identities from the public. REFORM = Real-Time Transparency that requires disclosure of all donations over $200 within 48 hours.

ISSUE = Lobbying Industry Power that allow former lawmakers and corporate insiders to dominate lawmaking. REFORM = Lobbying Bans that prohibit members of Congress from becoming lobbyists for at least 10 years.

ISSUE = Pay-to-Play Culture where donations often buy access, influence, or even legislation. REFORM = Ban Corporate PACs and end direct corporate funding of campaigns and third-party spending groups.

ISSUE = Voter Disillusionment and public trust erodes as government appears rigged for the wealthy. REFORM = Public Campaign Financing that offers small-donor matching programs to elevate everyday voices.

What can we do now?

These issues should be a clear warning sign to the founding principles of representative government, where the size of one's wallet outweighs the strength of one's convictions. To change that, aside from overturning Citizens’ United, here are now → near-term → long-term possible solutions with enforceable rules, real penalties, and zero loopholes.

Total Ban on Individual Stock Trading by Members, Spouses, and Children: Members may hold only (a) U.S. Treasury securities and (b) broad-based, low-fee diversified funds like a total-market or S&P 500 index. Mechanics & Enforcement include a 30-day divestiture window after taking office into a qualified blind trust run by a court-approved fiduciary. Criminal penalties for violations, felony insider trading standard, and automatic disgorgement of profits + treble damages. SEC + DOJ joint jurisdiction; House/Senate Ethics must refer within 14 days of credible complaint. Real-time public dashboard showing each Member’s compliance status; missed filings trigger automatic fines. No Member of Congress, spouse, or dependent shall directly or beneficially own or transact in any individual equity, option, crypto token, or sector-specific fund.

NASCAR-Level Donor Transparency: You shouldn’t need a PhD to know who owns your representative. Sports figured this out decades ago. Mechanics & Enforcement mandate the top 10 funding sources (PACs, bundled donors, dark-money pass-throughs traceable to a source, and top industry categories) must be visibly displayed whenever Members appear in official capacities: on a nameplate patch in chamber or committee, and prominently on official websites, newsletters, and hearing placards. Quarterly updates with machine-readable datasets; $5,000/day fines for noncompliance; loss of committee voting after 30 days delinquent. To address compelled-speech objections, tie it to access to official platforms like floor speaking time, committee questioning, official mail privilege. You want the microphone? Wear the disclosures.

Near-Term

Corporate Lobbying Ban: Banning Corporate Lobbying by for-profit corporations and their controlled entities. Allowed: testimony in public hearings, written comments on rules, and participation in multi-stakeholder advisory processes on the record. Not allowed: paid, private, for-profit lobbying communications or indirect lobbying via trade associations. Enforcement: DOJ Public Integrity + mandatory lobbyist registry audits; violation = corporate felony, triple damages on contracts/benefits gained.

Revolving-Door Cooldown: 10-year cooling-off period for Members and their Chiefs of Staff from any paid lobbying/“strategic advisory” work aimed at Congress or agencies. Lifetime ban on lobbying for any entity that benefited from a program the Member directly authored or that appeared in the Member’s committee jurisdiction in the prior 4 years.

Three Open Books Rule: Open Calendars: all Member/committee meetings posted within 72 hours with attendees, topics, and materials (security-sensitive redactions allowed with IG sign-off). Open Contracts: any federal contract >$100k posted with plain-English summary, scoring sheets, and bidder list. Open Drafts: legislative text and amendment redlines posted 72 hours before any vote.

Long-Term Constitutional Amendments

Section 1 — Term Limits for Congress

• House: six terms (12 years) lifetime.
• Senate: two terms (12 years) lifetime.
• Partial terms >2 years count as full.

Section 2 — Anti-Gerrymandering for Fair Maps, Not Safe Seats

• Nonpartisan independent commissions shall draw all congressional districts.
• Required criteria: equal population, contiguity, compactness, respect for political boundaries, preservation of communities of interest, and partisan fairness measured via accepted metrics such as efficiency gap / mean-median.
• Explicit ban on intentional partisan advantage. Fast-track judicial review with special masters authorized to impose maps if commissions or legislatures fail. No federal court abstention.

Section 3 — Overturn Citizens United

• To overturn Citizens United, we need a constitutional amendment to limit money in politics. This would allow Congress to set rules on campaign spending and end the idea that corporations have the same free speech rights as people when donating. It puts power back in the hands of voters, not billionaires.

It goes “Gutted, Reversed, Overturned” if not locked in.

Every reform era in American history from Trust-Busting in the early 1900s, post-Depression bank rules in the 1930s, Watergate ethics laws in the 1970s, to post-2008 financial reforms was followed by relentless industry pressure and court decisions that nibbled, then devoured, the safeguards. Without constitutional foundations and self-executing triggers like automatic fines, automatic pay reductions, automatic prosecution referrals, the next wave of lobbyists and donors will whittle new legislation down to a press release. So we must code the guardrails into text to weaponize transparency and criminalize the grift. Then stop pretending that “disclosure” alone is enough and ban the behavior that breeds corruption in the first place.

“We the People” Is Not a Slogan, It’s a Standard

A Congress that can day-trade defense stocks, hide who bought their last fundraiser, carve their own voters, and float seamlessly into seven-figure lobbying gigs does not represent We the People. The promise of democracy is one person, one vote. Not one dollar, one law. We can’t fix healthcare, climate change, or the economy until we fix who Congress listens to. So it is time to drag dark money into the light and cut the corporate strings.

What can you do? Support candidates who reject PAC money. Share the truth about dark money. Demand disclosure laws and lobbyist bans. Organize and volunteer where you can. Real reform starts with informed citizens refusing to be sold out.

Human Evolution 2.0

Written By Justin Dues

We know of NO OTHER planet that contains life capable of exploring the Milky Way galaxy, much less the entire universe. Can we survive ourselves?

Humanity is old enough to know better and young enough to do better. For most of our history, tribal instincts were survival tools: find your group, guard your resources, distrust the unfamiliar. That software helped small bands endure famine, predators, and uncertainty. But the world we live in now is not a scattered landscape of isolated villages. It’s a single, tightly connected system - financially, ecologically, technologically, and emotionally. The reality of it all is that we are the first generations alive with the tools to see that truth in real time. We have the choice to chart a new path for human civilization.

(Homo Sapien) translates to Wise Man

Maybe we should reclassify? What’s your choice?

Homo Parasitus (Parasitic Man)

Homo Ignarus (Ignorant Man)

Homo Mutus (Dumb Man)

For the first time, human beings can watch a wildfire leap a ridge from a satellite feed, see a flood rise street by street on someone’s phone camera, or follow the ripple effects of war and scarcity across continents in hours. We can witness both suffering and courage instantly, acts of cruelty and acts of solidarity, without waiting for history books to catch up. That visibility is not just information; it’s an invitation to maturity. It’s proof that the lines dividing “us” and “them” are thinner than we were taught, and that our greatest threats don’t check passports.

Climate disruption, pandemics, cyberattacks, AI misuse, water stress, mass displacement - all of which are species-level challenges. You cannot out-tribe a burning planet.

Planet Earth has already seen 5 Mass Extinction Events, hopefully humanity doesn’t cause the 6th.

The good news is that tribalism isn’t destiny. It’s a default human setting that can be changed. We already see early versions of that evolution: global scientific collaboration that shares discoveries at a pace no single nation could match. Mutual-aid networks that form overnight when disasters strike; open-source communities that build tools for strangers they’ll never meet. Young people who instinctively think in systems like supply chains, ecosystems, and feedback loops because their lives have been lived inside a networked world. This is what evolution looks like in a modern species: not new bones, but new norms. Not sharper teeth, but wider circles of empathy and responsibility.

If we fail to outgrow the love of war, the patriotic thrill of conflict, the cost won’t be symbolic, it will be biological. The planet doesn’t negotiate with ideology, and physics doesn’t care about our flags. Our technologies are now powerful enough to amplify our worst impulses into irreversible consequences. But those same technologies when guided by wisdom can help us heal, adapt, and build resilience at a scale never before possible. The fork in the road is not technology. It’s ethics. It’s whether we choose cooperation as a strategy, not as a slogan.

What will history write about our generations actions? Or lack thereof?

Future generations will inherit the story we write right now. They will either celebrate this era as the moment humanity graduated, when we finally recognized that being “one species” mattered more than being “one faction” or they will study our failures as a warning about intelligence without maturity. The optimistic truth is this: we still have time to be the ancestors our descendants deserve. We can evolve past tribalism by widening the definition of “we,” by rewarding bridge-building over outrage, by choosing institutions that unite rather than divide, and by treating the Earth not as a battlefield, but as a shared home. Out of many, one isn’t just a motto. It’s the next step in human evolution.

Remember, we are the first set of generations alive that have the knowledge, technology, information, and ability to see what is happening nearly everywhere on the planet at all times and choose to do better. If we don’t evolve past tribal tendencies like conflict, I fear we may cause a mass extinction on a scale that modern civilization has never seen. Future generations can either cheer our actions or point to them and judge us as inadequate to face the challenges presented to us.

Roy Cooper’s 40 year Report Card.

Written By Justin Dues

Is Roy laughing at us, or with us? Either way - actions speak much louder than words and his report card has a lot of F’s.

Start with the basics.

BAD FOR FAMILIES (D+)

He wants to be sold as the steady, sensible grown-up in the room but North Carolina’s numbers tell a harsher story. Under Roy’s nearly 40 year career, the state became a showcase for “business-friendly” bragging rights paired with working-class stagnation. North Carolina’s median household income is $73,958 and ranks 36th among states [2024 data], meaning we’re not talking about a state that’s “winning” for families so much as one that’s surviving below the national middle. The Cooper-era political class loves ribbon cuttings, but the lived reality is that too many North Carolinians are one missed paycheck away from disaster. Roy Cooper and the policies he pushed in Raleigh helped to create this emergency.

GREAT FOR BIG BUSINESS (A+)

RACE TO THE BOTTOM FOR WORKERS (F)

Then there’s the corporate tax obsession. North Carolina’s corporate income tax is 2.25% which is already among the lowest in the nation, and current law phases it down to 0% in 2030! A deliberate choice baked into the state budget bill Cooper signed. That’s how you get splashy headlines like CNBC naming North Carolina a top state for business. However “#1 for business” means very little if the payoff is a race to the bottom where working people struggle while schools and public services get told to “do more with less.”

Labor is the clearest example of who this model serves. In 2024, North Carolina had the lowest union membership rate in the United States: 2.4%. That’s not some neutral cultural quirk; it’s the predictable result of a political environment where worker power is treated as a nuisance and corporate “flexibility” is treated as sacred. Weak unions don’t just weaken paychecks. They weaken safety, benefits, retirement security, and the basic ability of working people to negotiate with billion-dollar employers on anything resembling fair terms.

HORRIBLE FOR OUR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION (F)

The children alive today are the leaders we get tomorrow, yet since the No Child Left Behind legislation it has truly felt as though the country is in a backslide with regards to education. So while the “business climate” gets polished like a trophy, public education gets treated like an afterthought. Recent analyses have North Carolina near the bottom nationally on school funding and teacher pay metrics, with the state ranking 48th on starting teacher salary in NEA data and near-last in multiple education funding comparisons. You can’t build a durable economy by starving the very system that produces your workforce unless there’s a nefarious goal of a low-wage pipeline and a grateful labor pool.

On Roy Cooper’s watch:48th of 50 - TEACHER PAY

49th of 50 - Dollars spent PER STUDENT in NC

WESTERN NC WAS FAILED (D)

Cooper also sells himself as a competent crisis manager yet North Carolina’s hurricane recovery track record has repeatedly attracted criticism, scrutiny, and public frustration. After Tropical Storm/Hurricane Helene in Sept 2024, Cooper’s administration issued emergency declarations and sought federal disaster aid, but the scale of devastation and the long recovery highlighted lingering concerns about how disaster relief is managed and delivered in North Carolina. Even when leaders do the right “press conference steps,” what people remember is whether rebuilding happens fast, fairly, and transparently.

GIVE MONEY - INSERT POLICY STANCE (F)

How can you ask millions of people to vote for you without saying what you stand for or against? This is the part that should insult every voter’s intelligence: despite raising enormous sums for a Senate run, reporting over $14 million in a quarter and $10.8 million in the campaign account (FEC), Cooper’s campaign web presence has no clearly labeled, detailed “Issues” platform page the public can review at a glance. Yet they are happy to lean hard into donation and signup funnels instead. When a politician has money on tap but policies on mute, it’s usually because the strategy is to coast on name recognition and vibes not accountability.

MORE STATUS QUO? Or is it Justin Time for something else?

Finally, the “career politician” critique isn’t rhetoric; it’s biography. Cooper has been in elected office since the mid-1980s, after joining a law firm that his father helped found, and he’s now 68. That’s an entire lifetime inside the political ecosystem that produced the status quo. If Washington feels like a lawyer’s conference call with corporate sponsors on hold, it’s because it has been. America doesn’t need more polished attorneys fluent in donor-friendly half-measures; it needs leaders who speak plainly, understand service, and will fight for structural change without asking permission.

That’s why the Dues campaign is the alternative: plain spoken, morally direct, and unapologetically bold. Instead of chasing “#1 for business” headlines while families fall behind, I’m offering a government that measures success by whether working people can afford housing, healthcare, and dignity — and whether the rules apply to the powerful as much as everyone else. Please spend some time researching the policy stances that I’ve laid forth versus his lack thereof.

ROY COOPER’S REPORT CARD (1987-2025)

FAMILY INCOME = D+

WORKER PROTECTION = F

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT = A+

EDUCATION = F

ENVIRONMENTAL = D

POLICY STANCES = F

If you still need a quick recap to let it sink in, check out this reel of greatest flops.

1. Made NC nearly bottom 10 for Household income.
2. Made NC #1 for business with 2.25% corporate tax rate that goes down to 0% in 2030 at a time when most of America is paycheck to paycheck.
3. NC has lowest rate in the United States for Union Density at 2.4%.
4. NC is #49th in dollars spent per student / 48th in teacher pay.
5. Lifelong politician / spoon-fed / never worked a real job other than as a lawyer for his dad. DC needs less attorneys and more veterans.
6. Hurricane Helene response.
7. $10+ million dollar political war chest yet his campaign website shows absolutely zero policy stances.
8. Already nearly 70 years old - held office before I turned 1 year old - I’m now 40.

Climate Change & National Service

Written By Justin Dues

The Seriousness of Inaction

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing humanity today. The evidence of global warming and its impacts on our planet is unequivocal. If we fail to take decisive action now, the consequences will be catastrophic, not just for future generations but for our current way of life. This article outlines a realistic plan to address climate change, emphasizing the seriousness of inaction, the threat levels now versus 50 years in the future, and the myriad risks we face if we do not tackle global warming effectively.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear that the window for effective action is rapidly closing. Current global temperatures are already 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, leading to increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss. Inaction now will lock in more severe consequences, making it significantly harder and more expensive to mitigate future impacts. Yet every year it’s the same story, recurring climate challenges from the destruction caused by fires, tornados, hurricanes, flooding and other extreme weather events. The questions is will we act for the sake of those enduring the current challenges and to aid future generations of a warming planet?

If we do choose to act, America’s next great chapter can be written with hammers, open hands, seedlings, fiber-optic cable, and warm hearts. Picture a national service program that puts hundreds of thousands (or millions) of people to work strengthening our communities against climate shocks, rebuilding after disasters, expanding affordable housing, and reducing homelessness. All while forging the kind of cross-country camaraderie veterans know well. Think of it as a way to serve your nation without joining the military and to leave with GI Bill–style benefits for your next stage of life.

The Vision

Climate & Community Service Corps (CCC) is a civilian, paid service program for Americans aged 17–60. Meant to serve as a regional pillar for all types of needs from temporary and permanent housing. Rebuilding communities after historic disasters or strengthening regions that will be susceptible to climate change effects in the coming decade. Infrastructure projects, wildlife or habitat restoration, interaction with those most in need of human empathy (foster children, terminally sick, senior citizens), the possibilities are nearly endless. This is jobs + mission + education = a chance to pop ideological bubbles by serving shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans from every zip code. Participants can choose to serve 6 to 24 months on teams that deploy locally and nationwide to do the following:

• Harden communities before disasters - landslide, fire and wind, flood protections.
• Rebuild after fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes - fast, dignified, and to resilient standards.
• Tackle the affordable housing gap - build, retrofit, and preserve units; convert underused buildings.
• Reduce homelessness through street outreach, wraparound services, and the construction of housing.
• Decarbonize and save households money - weatherization, community solar, EV charging.
• Restore lands and waters - wetlands, fire breaks, forest management, invasive removal.
• Modernize critical infrastructure - stormwater systems, broadband for telehealth and remote work.

How It Works

1) The deal for those who step up to serve is a living wage at least $30 an hour + health care + childcare stipend + housing allowance while deployed. GI Bill–style education benefit upon honorable completion: two years of public college tuition (or equivalent training grants), plus student-loan relief and down-payment assistance for first homes in communities you served. Veteran priority: Veterans can serve as team leaders and receive accelerated benefits recognition. Portable pension seed: automatic retirement account with federal match during service.

2) The Benefit for Communities Jobs, Community, and Common Ground. Turnkey teams that show up within days after a disaster and show up before it happens to cut losses. Affordable housing projects delivered with federal/state/local braided funding and standardized designs to slash time and cost. A pipeline of skilled local workers trained to maintain what’s built. These are paid, skilled positions that can’t be offshored, exactly the kind of work that stabilizes families and neighborhoods.

Diverse teams live and work together, just like military units. People discover they can disagree on politics and still trust each other under pressure. While they stack credentials + GI Bill–style benefits = ladders into union trades, public safety, nursing, forestry, data science, and public service.

3) Service Tracks (choose your mission). Each track offers industry-recognized credentials (NABCEP solar, BPI building analyst, EMT-B, wildland fire red cards, arborist certs, CDL, GIS). Service becomes a springboard into high-demand careers.

• Resilience & Recovery Corps: Pre-disaster hardening and rapid post-disaster rebuilds.
• Housing & Homelessness Corps: Build/rehab affordable units, convert motels/offices.
• Energy & Efficiency Corps: Weatherization, rooftop and community solar, school retrofits.
• Land & Water Corps: Wildfire mitigation, urban forestry, wetlands restoration, soil projects.
• Public Health & Cooling Corps: Cooling centers, neighborhood mutual-aid hubs, emergency logistics, air-quality shelters.
• Digital & Data Corps: Climate risk mapping, housing inventory platforms, text-alert systems, and resilient broadband.

Bipartisan Accountability

Preparedness: Red and blue communities both face floods, fires, tornadoes, heat, and housing shortages. Everyone wants their kids in purposeful, paid service that builds resumes and not debt. Speed with standards: Preapproved design catalogs for resilient homes, clinics, shelters to build quickly without sacrificing quality. Data you can see: Live dashboards show projects, dollars, and outcomes like homes built, megawatt-hours saved, trees planted, people housed.

Local labor first: Project labor agreements, prevailing wage, and apprenticeship ratios ensure service complements and does not undercut good jobs. Pro-small business: CCC crews create demand for local suppliers and contractors; many alumni start businesses where they served. Pro-local control: States and cities choose their projects; the feds supply teams, training, and funding consistency. Independent inspector general and community oversight boards to keep the mission honest.

Program Design / Oversight / Funding

• Umbrella Agency: A strengthened AmeriCorps partners with FEMA, HUD, DOT, DOE, USDA, Interior, and VA. One front door, many missions.
• Funding Blend: Annual appropriations + Disaster Relief Fund + climate/infra accounts + philanthropy + private co-investment for housing. Long-term savings from avoided disaster losses and reduced shelter/hospital costs help sustain it.
• Local Control: States, tribes, territories, and cities propose projects via annual Resilience & Housing Compacts; CCC certifies and deploys teams.
• Equity Guardrails: At least 40% of deployments benefit historically overburdened communities; paid pathways for justice-involved youth and foster alumni. A Community Service Corps would help Americans meet the moment together. Earning paychecks, credentials, and lifelong pride while making our towns safer, cooler, greener, and more affordable. It is the most American of ideas: practical, generous, and forward-looking.

Climate impacts are here and housing costs are pushing families into cars and shelters. We can either lurch from crisis to crisis, or we can train an army of helpers who build resilience before the sirens sounds and restore dignity after. The payoff is triple: safer towns, better jobs, and a stronger “we.” Well folks, we don’t have to wait for the next disaster, we can build the team now. Service is how a country remembers who it is and we currently have no plan and no Planet B.

No human is illegal.

Written By Justin Dues

Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door. - Etched on the Statue of Liberty.

Not an Immigration Crisis — A Policy Crisis

The United States will always be a nation built by immigrants, yet our immigration system is dysfunctional, punitive, and out of touch with both our values and our needs. We allow thousands to live in legal limbo, separated from families, denied basic rights, and forced into the shadows. While at the same time many are ready and willing to work, pay taxes, and contribute to our economy.

In my opinion recent administrations have had misplaced priorities, spending billions on border walls and detention centers instead of building intelligent systems that uphold security while advancing opportunity for others. If America is to remain the beacon of freedeom, the melting pot of the world, we must stop treating immigrants as threats and start recognizing them as future citizens. It’s time to replace fear-based policy with a humane, tech-enabled, tax-contributing immigration system that lives up to our highest ideals.

A Nation of Immigrants & Broken Promises

For centuries, the U.S. has attracted immigrants seeking safety, freedom, and opportunity. From Irish and Italian laborers to Vietnamese refugees and Salvadoran asylum seekers, newcomers have powered our farms, factories, tech startups, and military service. But starting in the late 20th century, immigration policy became increasingly politicized. Instead of reforming outdated systems, Congress chose gridlock, creating a patchwork of broken processes:

• Outdated Systems - Immigration forms and processes are still largely paper-based. Long wait times and conflicting rules vary by state, case, and discretion.
• Lack of Status Options - There are very few pathways to citizenship for undocumented residents who arrived as children or overstayed visas—despite having strong community ties and clean records.
• National Security Gaps - Without modern digital tracking and biometric systems, enforcement is reactive and inefficient. We spend to police, but fail to verify, track, or welcome those who come to contribute.
• Politicization over Practicality - Immigration is too often weaponized for political gain instead of being approached as a system to optimize and humanize.

The result is a shadow society, where families live in fear, employers exploit labor, and government misses out on billions in uncollected tax revenue. Current estimates show that over 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S., most of whom have lived here for over a decade and are employed, raising families, and paying into Social Security with no benefits in return. The Republicans say that immigrants steal social services even though you legally can’t access federal programs like this unless you are a citizen. Data shows that immigrants pay an estimated $30 billion in state and local taxes each year, yet they are denied federal services and a voice in the democracy they contribute to daily.

The lack of a clear legal pathway encourages exploitation, trafficking, and criminal underground economies, while border enforcement consumes over $20 billion annually with little strategic return. Families are torn apart, children are held in detention, and promising lives are lost in bureaucratic limbo. This is not just inefficient—it is morally bankrupt and economically shortsighted.

Proposed Reforms for a Humane Immigration Framework

1. Create a Digital Immigration Identity System. Issue biometric-enabled digital IDs for all new arrivals (undocumented or asylum seekers), verified at secure intake centers. These IDs connect to a national database that tracks employment, residence, and legal proceedings, while protecting privacy and ensuring oversight.

2. Offer Earned Pathways to Citizenship. Allow undocumented residents with clean records to register, pay taxes, and earn legal status after a defined probationary period (e.g., 5 years of compliance and contribution). Include a fast-track option for DACA recipients, veterans, essential workers, and long-term residents.

3. Modernize the Visa and Asylum Systems. Digitize visa applications and asylum claims, using AI to triage and flag urgent humanitarian cases. Reduce wait times by expanding immigration courts and removing bureaucratic redundancies.

4. Use Tech for Border Management, Not Militarization. Replace physical walls with sensor-based surveillance, smart patrol routing, and international coordination. Focus on stopping traffickers and criminal elements, not families seeking a better life.

5. Tax Integration and Economic Empowerment. Enroll newly registered immigrants into the IRS system immediately upon entry, issuing provisional tax IDs tied to their digital immigration status. Allow them to contribute fairly and access limited services tied to their tax compliance, creating a tax-to-citizenship ladder.

Answering the Critics: “But Won’t This Reward Law-Breakers?”

What’s truly unjust is leaving people in the shadows with no path forward. Offering a regulated, monitored, and contribution-based path to status is not amnesty—it’s smart governance. It incentivizes tax payment, lawfulness, and integration—while isolating and targeting those who seek to abuse the system. Moreover, undocumented immigrants already pay billions in taxes. It’s time we give them the legal tools to fully participate and contribute.

The American Dream wasn’t built behind a wall. It was built by hands from all over the world—risking everything for a shot at freedom, fairness, and a better life. Today’s immigration system is a moral failure and an economic blunder. But with the right mix of technology, transparency, and humanity, we can build a smarter, safer, and more just path forward. Let’s be bold enough to say it clearly: It’s time for a system that tracks criminals, not families. That welcomes workers, not walls them out. That transforms undocumented people into documented taxpayers and future citizens. That’s policy & patriotism.

Corporate Welfare Queens

Written By Justin Dues

Combined these top 20 industries claim $250 B in subsidized rebates, tax incentives, loopholes, grants, contracts, etc. Some want to point the finger and shame those that rely on a form of government assistance such as SNAP or low-income housing - yet when you look at if from a bird’s eye view, the true mass of government assistance goes to Corporate America. Call it what you want, a subsidy is in the same type of category as a social handout considered by some as unethical redistribution of wealth.

Top 20 U.S. subsidized corporate industries

1. Utilities & power generation ≈ $40 B

Good Jobs First shows utilities and power generation getting about $39–40 billion in disclosed subsidies. Top corporate recipients: American Electric Power (AEP) >$1.5 B in subsidies. Duke Energy, Exelon, AES, Clearway Energy each in the $1B-class range when you combine megadeals, tax abatements, and federal energy programs.

2. Motor vehicles ≈ $39 B

Motor vehicles is one of the single largest categories at about $39.4 billion in tracked subsidies. Top recipients: Ford Motor about $8.0 B. General Motors about $7.8 B. Tesla received large state/local packages for Gigafactories plus federal EV/energy credits in the hundreds of millions. Foreign automakers like Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Hyundai/Kia, also receive multi-hundred-million state “megadeals” for U.S. plants.

3. Aerospace & military contracting ≈ $25 B

Good Jobs First aggregates ~$25 billion for aerospace and military contracting. Top recipients: Boeing has the single biggest subsidized company in the database, with about $15.6 B in subsidies across nearly 1,000 awards. Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics each with large state packages plus federal loan/tax-credit support that totals in the billions.

4. Oil & gas ≈ $21–22 B

Good Jobs First’s oil and gas category totals about $21.5 B in direct state/local plus some federal development subsidies. Separate research counting tax breaks and underpricing of externalities pushes U.S. fossil-fuel support into the tens to hundreds of billions per year, depending on methodology. Top corporate recipients: Venture Global LNG >$4.3 B mainly Louisiana megadeals. Valero Energy >$1.1 B plus ~$0.3 B of federal loan support. ExxonMobil about $1.96 B in state/local subsidies plus $5.35 B in federal loans/guarantees. Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips each with hundreds of millions in property-tax abatements, credits and federal finance support.

5. Retailing (big-box, e-commerce) ≈ $19.4 B

Top recipients: Amazon.com is the second-largest subsidized corporation overall, ~$14.4 B, mostly in property-tax abatements, infrastructure subsidies, and cash grants for warehouses and data centers. Walmart has several billion in local abatements and tax-increment financing over decades. Home Depot, Target, and major mall developers like Pyramid Companies ≈$974 M also feature prominently.

Is that Jeff Bezos in drag?

6. Chemicals ≈ $14.9 B

Top recipients: Dow Inc. – >$1.0 B. Air Products & Chemicals have multiple megadeals and tax-exempt bond packages totaling hundreds of millions. Nova Chemicals, CF Industries, and other petrochemical/fertilizer firms round out the top tier.

7. Diversified conglomerates ≈ $14.4 B

“Diversified” covers multi-sector conglomerates, top recipients: Conglomerates controlled by Mubadala, Aditya Birla Group, and other multi-line industrial/chemical/metal holding companies, with many overlapping megadeals in metals, chemicals and manufacturing.

8. Financial services ≈ $13.3 B + giant bailouts

Good Jobs First’s financial services bucket totals about $13.3 B in explicit subsidies. But the huge story is bailouts, the same dataset shows multi-trillion-dollar face values for crisis lending and guarantees during 2008–09 and COVID. Top recipients: JPMorgan Chase about $1.75 B in direct subsidies plus $1.34 trillion in federal loans/guarantees. Bank of America ≈ $0.8 B direct, plus an eye-popping $3.6 trillion in loan/guarantee support. U.S. Bancorp tens of millions in direct awards, >$40 B in federal loan/guarantee support.

9. Metals ≈ $10.2 B

The metals industry has about $10.2 B in disclosed subsidies. Top recipients: Alcoa around $5.7 B, making it one of the most subsidized companies in the country. Nucor, U.S. Steel, ArcelorMittal have sizeable property-tax abatements, grants, and infrastructure deals for mills.

10. Freight & logistics (trucking, parcel, warehousing) ≈ $10.2 B

Subsidy Tracker breaks freight and logistics out separately (e.g., FedEx, UPS, dedicated freight operators). Meanwhile, economic and policy analyses show trucking and freight benefit from at least $10 B/year in implicit subsidies where fuel taxes and fees don’t fully cover road and highway costs. Top recipients at corporate level: FedEx ≈ $656 M in state/federal subsidies tracked. UPS and specialized freight carriers also receive sizeable state packages for hubs and warehouses.

11. Pharmaceuticals ≈ $5.3 B

Tracked pharmaceuticals subsidies ≈ $5.28 B. Top recipients: Eli Lilly $1.62 B. Regeneron ≈ $496 M. AstraZeneca ≈ $437 M. Pfizer ≈ $340 M. Novo Holdings >$320 M.

Eli Lilly (LLY) has experienced an historic surge in profitability and revenue, driven by massive demand for its obesity and diabetes medications, Zepbound and Mounjaro. In early 2026, the company became the first pharmaceutical firm to exceed a $1 trillion market capitalization. So why does it require government subsidies?

12. Healthcare services (hospitals, insurers, research institutes) ≈ $4.5 B

For healthcare services, Good Jobs First finds ~$4.5 B in corporate-facing subsidies; this is on top of massive public insurance flows of Medicare/Medicaid, which are not counted as subsidies in this dataset. Top recipients: Centene ≈ $917 M. Mayo Clinic ≈ $586 M. Scripps Research Institute $545 M in a single megadeal. Cigna, UnitedHealth Group, HCA Healthcare, Jackson Laboratory each in the hundreds of millions.

13. Entertainment (film, TV, sports, casinos, theme parks) ≈ $4.5 B

The entertainment industry via film production incentives, stadium deals, etc. totals about $4.54 B.

Top recipients: Walt Disney receives substantial subsidies for theme parks and studios in the hundreds of millions. Lionsgate, Netflix, AMC Entertainment, and World Wrestling Entertainment are big beneficiaries of film/TV production tax credits and local grants.

14. Private Equity (P/E) including portfolio companies ≈ $4.0 B

Good Jobs First tracks subsidies where the parent is a PE firm and labels the sector “private equity”. Top PE parents: Apollo Global Management ≈ $910 M. Riverstone Holdings ≈ $561 M. Energy Capital Partners, KPS Capital Partners, Blackstone, Clayton Dubilier & Rice each with $150–265 M+ in matched awards.

15. Agriculture & agribusiness run $15–20 B/year in federal spending.

Crop insurance premium subsidies, commodity payments, conservation, disaster assistance. Most of this is recorded as going to farm entities rather than recognizable big C-corps, so Good Jobs First doesn’t show agriculture as one huge “corporate” category. Environmental Working Group’s farm subsidy database shows co-ops and processors such as Riceland Foods, Producers Rice Mill and others among the largest cumulative recipients. Big agribusinesses (e.g. Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS) benefit indirectly from price and insurance supports plus special bailouts like the 2018–2019 “trade-war” farm aid, even if not all of it appears as direct corporate subsidies.

16. Industrial equipment ≈ $1.0 B

Industrial equipment top recipients: Eaton ≈$188 M. Emerson Electric ≈$92 M. ITT, Parker-Hannifin, GE Vernova, Danfoss, SPX Technologies each tens of millions.

17. Real estate development ≈ $1.0 B

Real estate is among the most structurally subsidized sectors in the economy, though much of that appears as tax breaks to owners rather than “subsidies” as tracked. Individual firms show very large packages: Pyramid Companies (mall developer) ≈ $974 M in subsidies, mainly property-tax abatements and infrastructure. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, SL Green Realty, Realty Income each with millions to tens of millions in local subsidies for lab and office projects.

18. Wholesalers ≈ $0.9 B

Wholesalers and distribution companies collectively receive around $789 M in subsidies. These tend to be scattered logistics-type deals similar to freight and retail warehouse incentives.

19. Airlines & passenger air travel ≈ $0.8 B

Main corporate winners: the “big four” American Airlines, Delta, United, Southwest plus some regionals, all receiving multibillion-dollar support during crises. Passenger aviation doesn’t show up as one large category in Subsidy Tracker, but sector-specific analyses show: Post-9/11 relief: $5 B in grants plus a $10 B loan guarantee program. COVID-19 relief: about $54 B in direct support to U.S. passenger airlines plug ongoing programs like Essential Air Service subsidize flights to rural airports.

20. Restaurants & foodservice ≈ $0.13 B

As a distinct restaurants and foodservice category, Subsidy Tracker finds ~$130 M across thousands of small awards – many local tax-rebate or grant deals to individual outlets and chains. Large chains (fast food, casual dining) occasionally get megadeals for headquarters or big facilities, but this industry is far smaller as a corporate-subsidy recipient than autos, energy, finance, or retail.

A few takeaways

To put that combined $250 B of subsidies into perspective - it’s enough to fund massive overhauls in our nation such as:

Education

• Free community college for all Americans (estimated $60-80 billion/year)
• Universal pre-K nationwide ($70-100 billion/year)
• Eliminating student lunch debt plus free meals for all K-12 students (~$20 billion/year)
• Quadrupling NASA's budget for accelerated space exploration (current budget ~$25 billion)

Healthcare

• Expanding Medicaid in all states that haven't yet (roughly $15-20 billion/year)
• Comprehensive mental health services expansion ($50-100 billion/year)
• Subsidizing insulin and critical medications for uninsured/underinsured Americans
• Major cancer research initiative rivaling the scale of the Apollo program

Housing & Homelessness

• Ending homelessness in America through housing-first programs ($20-30 billion/year)
• Building 1+ million affordable housing units annually
• Down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers

Infrastructure & Climate

• Nationwide high-speed rail network development ($50-80 billion/year)
• Massive renewable energy transition acceleration
• Universal broadband internet access in rural America (~$10-20 billion/year)
• Major water infrastructure upgrades (addressing lead pipes, PFAS contamination)

Don’t forget…

• A small number of industries – energy, autos, defense, retail, finance, chemicals, metals – dominate the disclosed corporate-subsidy landscape.
• Extreme corporate winners are: Boeing, Amazon, Intel, Ford, GM, Micron, Alcoa, Cheniere Energy, Foxconn, Venture Global LNG – each with $4–16 B in tracked subsidies since 2000.
• Agriculture, real estate, health insurance, and fossil fuels look even more subsidized when you add tax expenditures and implicit subsidies (like unpriced pollution and under-recovered infrastructure costs) that don’t show up as line-item “corporate awards.”
• State & local vs federal: For many industries (autos, retail, data centers, warehouses), the biggest checks often come from state and local “economic development” incentives rather than federal line-item programs. For finance and airlines, the largest numbers come from federal bailouts and guarantees.

A Bill of Data Rights for the 21st Century

Written By Justin Dues

Your data should be owned by you, not the highest bidder.

The Data Gold Rush, Unchecked

Your name, location. Your shopping habits and political leanings. Your health status, voice, facial recognition. Every single day corporations vacuum up terabytes of your personal data not to serve you better, but to sell you, shape you, and control you. And the worst part is we never truly gave them permission. We are living in the Wild West of the digital age, where your private information is currency and you are the commodity. Tech giants and shadowy data brokers are making billions off your every click, swipe, and scroll. It’s exploitation masquerading as convenience and it’s time to put an end to it.

In the 1990s, the internet was hailed as the great democratizer. But somewhere between dial-up and dopamine, we made a bad bargain. We got “free” apps and social media. In exchange, they got our lives on file. The explosion of smartphones, location tracking, smart home devices, wearables, and generative AI has turned every moment of human behavior into surveillance-grade metadata. Unlike your home, your smartphone doesn’t need a warrant, it’s an open window into your soul and corporations are peering through 24/7.

Companies like Meta, Google, Amazon, X, and TikTok operate on a business model that depends entirely on surveillance. They harvest data to predict your behavior, manipulate your choices, and sell access to your identity to advertisers, political groups, insurers, and sometimes, government agencies.

Your Life Is Being Auctioned Off - No Rules, No Rights, No Recourse

• Advertising Surveillance: The average person is tracked by over 1,400 data points per day. Everything from your emotional state to your sleep habits is analyzed and sold.
• Data Brokers: Companies like Acxiom, CoreLogic, and Oracle collect and sell profiles on hundreds of millions of Americans without your consent or even your awareness.
• Health Data: Period-tracking apps, mental health surveys, and wearables feed deeply personal information into marketing pipelines, insurance risk models, and opaque scoring systems.
• Political Manipulation: Remember Cambridge Analytica? That was just the tip of the iceberg. Your data is used to target you with political propaganda, disinformation, and psychological nudging.
• Children’s Exploitation: Kids are tracked before they can walk. Educational software, games, and even school-issued devices collect data on minors and feed it into private profit engines.

This is a full-scale assault on autonomy, consent, and democracy. The U.S. has no comprehensive federal data privacy law. Meanwhile, Europe passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, giving citizens clear rights like the right to be forgotten, to access their data, to object to profiling. California’s CCPA is a step forward, but it's still far from enough and corporations are already working to water it down.

A New Bill of Rights for the Digital Age

In the digital age, the United States urgently needs a Data Bill of Rights to address the pervasive invasion of privacy and the rampant tracking and selling of personal information. As technology advances, the collection and exploitation of data have become pervasive, often occurring without individuals' informed consent. Companies and organizations routinely gather vast amounts of personal data, ranging from browsing habits and location information to more sensitive details like health records and financial transactions. This data is frequently sold to third parties, creating a shadowy marketplace that profits from the intimate details of people's lives. Without robust protections, individuals are left vulnerable to identity theft, discrimination, and a loss of autonomy over their personal information.

A Data Bill of Rights would establish clear, enforceable standards for data privacy and security, ensuring that individuals have control over their personal information. Such legislation should include the right to know what data is being collected and for what purposes, the right to access and correct inaccuracies, and the right to opt-out of data collection and sharing. Additionally, it should impose strict penalties for unauthorized data breaches and misuse. By enshrining these rights into law, the United States can protect its citizens from the overreach of both corporations and government entities, fostering a digital environment that respects privacy and upholds the principles of transparency and accountability. This is not just a matter of individual protection but a necessary step to preserve trust in the digital economy and democratic society. It’s time to fight back with laws that recognize privacy as a human right.

Proposed Rights - We Are Not Products. We Are People.

1. The Right to Data Ownership. You own your data and companies can’t use, sell, or share it without clear, informed, and revocable consent.
2. The Right to Be Forgotten. You should have the power to delete your personal information from any platform, database, or third party.
3. The Right to Opt-In (Not Opt-Out). Default settings must protect users, not exploit them. No hidden clauses.
4. The Right to Algorithmic Transparency. If a decision is made about you by an algorithm, you have the right to know how it was made and challenge it.
5. The Right to Digital Security. Companies must be held accountable for data breaches with severe penalties for negligence, not just PR apologies.
6. The Right to Limit Data Collection. Apps and devices must not collect more data than is essential for their basic function. Surveillance is an abuse.
7. The Right to Equal Protection. Data privacy must apply to everyone, regardless of race, income, geography, or age. No tiered rights, no backdoors for marginalized communities.

Innovation doesn’t require exploitation. Countries with stronger data protections like Germany, Sweden, and Canada still lead in tech development and healthcare outcomes. The truth is, Silicon Valley isn’t fighting to protect innovation, rather it’s fighting to protect surveillance capitalism. When your business model depends on secretly harvesting personal data and selling it, then the business model is the problem.

The American Revolution was fought over unfair taxation and foreign control. Today, we face a new tyranny: corporate surveillance without consent, profit without accountability, and data extraction without limits. A Digital Bill of Rights is a necessity. In the 21st century, privacy is power, and if we don’t reclaim it now, we risk surrendering our democracy, autonomy, and even our humanity to the cold logic of unchecked algorithms and profit-hungry platforms. This isn’t just about tech, its about an invasion of privacy, its about personal freedom being more important than corporate interests. Let’s rise to defend it.

Corporate Tax Dodgers

Written By Justin Dues

Corporate Profits & Trickle-down Lies

America’s tax code has been steadily hollowed out to favor the ultra-wealthy and giant corporations. Today, ordinary workers see more and more taken out of each paycheck, while corporations hide behind loopholes and tax shelters. In 2021, 55 of the nation’s largest corporations paid zero dollars in federal income taxes, despite reporting over $40 billion in combined profits. The “Silicon Six” of Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, Netflix, Apple, and Microsoft collectively avoided nearly $278 billion in U.S. corporate taxes over the past decade. Despite earning $2.5 trillion in profits, their average effective tax rate was only 18.8%, well below the statutory 29.7%. Across the board, 342 of America’s most profitable corporations paid only 14.1% in effective federal income tax between 2018 and 2022, again far lower than the statutory rate.

Meanwhile, a teacher or nurse pays steadily into the system with nearly 30% of every paycheck. This disparity is the result of deliberate policy choices that have tilted the playing field. Yet for the sake of the ‘you can’t raise taxes’ critics, less first dismantle the pushback that will always come from those paying less than their fair share. First is the argument that “higher taxes stifle investment.” Actually from 1945 to 1975 when top rates exceeded 70%, the U.S. saw its fastest GDP growth in history. Next up is the threat that capital will leave “wealth taxes will drive billionaires overseas.” Other developed nations such as Canada and Norway have wealth taxes with minimal capital flight and these countries still attract global talent and rank higher that the U.S population in happiness. Last but not least is Wall Street saying that “corporate taxes hurt workers.” In reality, peer-reviewed studies show that after tax increases in OECD countries, workers captured nearly 70% of it in higher wages.

Back quickly to the post-World War II era where America embraced a vision of shared sacrifice. With higher top rates, top corporations shouldered over 30% of federal revenue. Those tax revenues built the interstate highway system, funded the GI Bill, and fueled decades of broad-based prosperity. Unfortunately for us, starting in the 1980s “Reaganomics” ushered in a new tax orthodoxy. Low taxes, deregulation, and a belief that “trickle-down” would lift all boats. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 slashed the top rate from 50% to 28% and carved out special breaks for capital gains. Subsequent legislation under both parties continued this trend, most notably the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that cut the corporate rate from 35% to 21%. As a result:

Corporate tax contributions fell from 32% of federal revenue in 1950 to under 7% today

These changes hollowed out the middle class’s share of national income and shifted more of the tax burden onto wage earners.

What’s Working Abroad & Proposed Reforms Here

European democracies demonstrate that higher taxes on the rich can coexist with vibrant economies. In Sweden there are top marginal rates above 57%, robust social safety nets and higher GDP per capita than the U.S. A wealth tax in Norway of up to 1.1% on net assets, funded by oil revenues; Gini coefficient (inequality measure) of 0.27 versus 0.48 for the U.S. In Germany there is a combined corporate and solidarity tax rate around 30%, universal healthcare, and free tertiary education. These nations invest tax revenues into education, healthcare, and infrastructure - fueling human capital and long-term growth. From those developed economies we can install some practical options to restore balance such as:

1. Enact a Minimum Corporate Tax of 21% aligned with the OECD’s agreement, to deter profit-shifting and raise an estimated $700 billion annually in the U.S.
2. Enact a Maximum Corporate Tax of 70% for the Top 100 Corporations in the U.S.
3. Strengthen IRS Enforcement and allocate $100 billion over ten years to hire personnel, modernize technology, and target the worst corporate tax avoiders.

According to Citizens for Tax Justice, many Fortune 500 firms routinely pay zero or negative federal income taxes through deductions, credits, and offshore loopholes. These mechanisms starve the federal budget of revenue, forcing deeper cuts or higher levies on workers and small businesses. The current system is unsustainable. It entrenches inequality, undermines democracy, and erodes the American Dream. Reforming the tax code is about restoring balance and funding essential services, it’s the moral and ethical obligation that we have to one another as we are on this shared planet together. Let’s rebalance our economy so that opportunity and security are available to all.

#TaxCorporateAmerica

Capitalism from Slavery to Subscriptions

Written By Justin Dues

For most of recorded history work has been the price of survival. But the terms of that bargain such as who works for whom, and on what conditions, have changed radically and sometimes violently throughout recorded history. If yesterday’s economy chained people to land via feudalism, and later to owners via slavery, today’s economy increasingly binds livelihoods to platforms, data, and algorithms.

With that we are also seeing business models trying to shift human consumption from ownership to subscription. The next frontier is already in progress with automation and the push towards AGI. Capitalism’s continuous push for lower costs and higher profits now threatens to rip income and meaning from work altogether. The question for the generations alive today is whether we together can thoughtfully design a transition or let dignity, agency, and broad prosperity become historical footnotes. If we leave this decision up to big tech and the oligarchs we know what they’ll choose. One of our species biggest problems is the inability to learn from the past so we don’t repeat it. Let’s take a quick walk down memory lane for a refresher.

I. Feudalism

Feudalism in Medieval Europe organized production through obligation. Serfs were “unfree” peasants tied to an estate where they owed labor, rents, and loyalty to a lord in exchange for protection and access to land. There was no labor market in any modern sense. No competitive wages with little mobility, and scant recourse against abuse. Human dignity was prescribed by birth not individual capability and social status determined the boundaries of a life. Even when feudalism frayed through plague and peasant revolts its logic persisted - owners come first, survival second, choice last.

II. Slavery

While feudalism tied people to land, slavery turned people themselves into capital. As sad as it is, only 75 years ago we still had segregated schools* and 175 years ago we still treated humans as property**, as a means to produce goods and services. That may seem like an extremely distant past but for the oldest alive today they may have only been removed from those situations by just a few generations. It was not merely an immoral labor system, slavery is an unethical stain on humanity’s past. In the mind of a capitalist though, it maximized output by annihilating humanity. It is undeniable that the United States was built with enslaved Africans and their descendants who were treated as assets to be bought, sold, collateralized, and brutally exploited for plantation profits. The lasting effects of slavery like legal apartheid, racialized labor markets, and racial wealth gaps survive long after the technical abolishment of slavery. We still have far to travel but as MLK Jr. once pronounced "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," a powerful reminder that while progress towards fairness takes time, it ultimately moves in that direction, often by means of human effort. [*1954 Brown vs. Board of Education][**1865 - 13th amendment abolished slavery]

III. Wage Work

The Industrial Revolution was indeed a turning point for the world. Capitalism replaced status and bondage to labor with an open contract and wage, unlocking extraordinary growth. Workers could in principle, sell their labor to the highest bidder. But unfortunately the early factory floor reproduced feudal and slave logics in milder form - long hours, child labor, dangerous conditions, and housing tied to employers. Dignity advanced only when counterweights such as unions, public education, safety laws, and social pressure made work contracts something more than “your money or your life.”

Think of the 1920’s armed insurrection of coal miners, The Battle of Blair Mountain, where just over a 100 years ago there was no such thing as the weekend, or an 8 hour workday. Those were fought for and gained by workers. Basic respect and dignity must continually be protected and cherished otherwise capitalism will move back in the opposite direction in the name of greater and greater profits!

The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest labor uprising in United States history and is the largest armed uprising since the American Civil War.[4][5] The conflict occurred in Logan County, West Virginia, as part of the Coal Wars, a series of early-20th-century labor disputes in Appalachia.

For five days from late August to early September 1921, some 10,000 armed coal miners confronted 3,000 lawmen and strikebreakers (called the Logan Defenders)[6] who were backed by coal mine operators during the miners's attempt to unionize the southwestern West Virginia coalfields when tensions rose between workers and mine management.

This progress for labor protection and rights along with the New Deal compromises and postwar social settlements in many countries created a new bargain: productivity gains would finance rising wages; ownership would be democratized through pensions and home equity; and a middle class would consume what it produced. Dignity became a mass possibility, but that new bargain didn’t last forever.

IV. Platforms and the Data Factory

Over the last forty years though, we’ve shifted into reverse again. Globalization, deregulation, mergers, and digitization created concentrated markets with monopoly corporate power. The move towards franchises, subcontractors, temp agencies, and gig platforms more recently displace responsibility down the chain. Workers became “independent contractors” in name, algorithmically managed employees in practice. Data, the exhaust of life and leisure turned into a hidden input that big tech collects and monetizes.

This stage preserves the appearance of free choice while often stripping workers of benefits, bargaining power, and predictable income. Dignity is reframed as the right to rate your delivery driver rather than your right to stability, voice, and a fair share. So we must awaken from our collective slumber and realize big tech and social media’s core business model turns people into the product. The platforms collect detailed behavioral data like what you click, hover over, pause on, re-watch, or even type and delete and bundle those signals into profiles sold to advertisers as “targeting.” Your attention becomes the inventory; your data becomes the ad buyer’s map. Data is enriched with third-party sources and machine-learned inferences like interests, mood, propensity to buy, enabling micro-targeted ads priced by how precisely you can be reached and nudged.

Your name. Your location. Your shopping habits. Your political leanings. Your health status. Your voice. Your face. Your keystrokes. Every day, corporations vacuum up terabytes of your personal data. Not to serve you better, but to sell you, shape you, and control your behavior.

To maximize that inventory, platforms constantly experiment to keep you online. They A/B test everything to favor content that spikes watch time, comments, or reshares. While they’re at it, they deploy enhancements like infinite scroll, auto-play, reward notifications, and streaks. These systems optimize for engagement over well-being, because outrage is reliably “sticky.” The result is a negative feedback loop: the more reactive the content, the more it’s promoted; the more it’s promoted, the more time you spend; the more time you spend, the richer the profile and the more valuable the ads. Note - this is why you won’t see any social media sites for the Dues campaign, I’m not going to play their game.

V. From Owning to Renting Life

Renting provides less autonomy in consumption as you temporarily have access to rather than own the tools. The result is higher lifetime costs and recurring dependence on corporate terms that can change without your knowledge or consent. For households already squeezed by less than steady incomes, living on subscriptions is like living on the edge of a treadmill. Maybe you have already seen some of this morphing across your day to day:

1. Subscriptions and “as-a-service” replace one-time purchases: software, media, razors, cars, even home appliances become monthly fees.
2. Locks and loaders: digital rights management and proprietary ecosystems make repair, resale, or switching costly. Think of propriety software, patented seeds, equipment that can only be repaired by the dealership.
3. Data tethering: products degrade or disappear without server-side authorization; your “purchase” depends on a company’s ongoing consent.

VI. What’s at Stake?

Basic human dignity requires more than survival - it requires agency and the ability to refuse bad deals, plan a future, care for family, and participate as an equal citizen. When society is driven by a negative impact algorithms or on-demand piecework, dignity in professional work and career begins to erode. The ability to afford goods and services. If automation lowers average costs but concentrates income, affordability becomes a math problem without a solution: cheap things, empty wallets. The economy can produce abundance while households live scarcity.

Civic and societal health. Work and careers in general have always been a social glue where people meet, collaborate, and build solidarity. The new reality that big tech and corporate America is pushing fragments this glue. Subscription life channels everything through a private gatekeeper. When fewer people feel economically secure, anger grows, and democratic attention migrates from long-term public goods to short-term survival.

VII. The Choice in Front of Us

We have traveled from lords and masters to contracts and code. Feudalism denied mobility; slavery denied humanity; the platform age risks denying agency. Automation and AI can either free us from drudgery or free capital from paying for labor. Subscriptions can either smooth access or sentence families to perpetual rent.

History’s lesson is not that progress is inevitable. It’s that progress is designed through rules that balance innovation with equity, and through institutions that insist prosperity be shared.

We still get to choose. In my opinion, this version of corrupt capitalism has run its course. Let’s move towards a better system that protects human dignity. We’ve done it before by moving away from systems like slavery and feudalism, we can do it again. A few suggestions:

1) Make income less hostage to a job. Universal basic services (healthcare, childcare, transit, broadband) cut the cash you need to live. Earnings insurance and portable benefits follow the person across gigs and employers.

2) Give workers power where they stand. Federal collective bargaining and wage boards set floors in industries where local organizing is hard.

3) Tax where the surplus lives. Modernize excess-profits and monopoly taxes; align global minimums to stop profit shifting. Treat buybacks and mega-distributions as signals to share gains with workers and the public that enabled them.

4) Restore real ownership for consumers. Enact right-to-repair and interoperability mandates; treat DRM abuses as unfair trade practices. Require offline functionality or escrowed keys for essential goods; if a service is discontinued, users get tools to unlock and migrate.

5) Aim automation at complementing people, not replacing them. Tie public procurement and tax credits to human-complementary adoption. AI that augments care workers, teachers, technicians paired with paid upskilling.

Up to 25% of the animal kingdom show LGTBQ traits.

Written By Justin Dues

If we define “LGBTQ-analogous traits” as any of the following: Same-sex sexual behavior / Stable same-sex bonding / Sex-atypical behavior / Intersex or hermaphroditic traits. Then across the animal kingdom as a whole a rough but defensible estimate: 15–25% of animal species show at least one such trait (with much higher rates in invertebrates and fish).

Nature Is More Diverse Than Your Comfort Zones

Humans often project moral judgments onto biology, confusing “unfamiliar” with “unnatural.” History is full of examples where what was once taboo: left-handedness, mental health conditions, neurological differences -was later understood as natural human variation once science caught up. Sexual orientation and sexual diversity belong in that same category.

Acknowledging this reality does not require abandoning culture, faith, or personal values. It requires something simpler and more demanding: intellectual humility. Most of human history, variations in sex, attraction, and behavior have been hidden, punished, or dismissed as “unnatural.” We now have an opportunity to see what we couldn’t before. Modern biology increasingly shows that what we labeled as abnormal often reflects not a flaw in nature, but a limitation in human understanding. Across the animal kingdom, diversity in sexual behavior and biological sex expression is not rare. It is widespread, persistent, and evolutionarily stable. The idea that nature operates strictly in binaries such as male/female, heterosexual/non-heterosexual, normal/abnormal is not supported by the evidence. It is a cultural simplification, not a biological rule.

Observed in Nature

Scientists have documented same-sex sexual behavior in over 1,500 animal species, spanning mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, and mollusks. In some species, these behaviors are occasional; in others, they are common or form long-term pair bonds. Penguins, swans, dolphins, bonobos, sheep, and many bird species exhibit stable same-sex partnerships, sometimes raising young together. None of this exists because nature is confused. It exists because evolution rewards flexibility, not ideology. Beyond behavior, nature further complicates simple categories through biology itself:

• Intersex traits—where anatomy, chromosomes, or gonads do not fit typical male or female definitions—occur across vertebrate species, including humans.
• Hermaphroditism is common in invertebrates and fish. Many species possess both reproductive systems simultaneously, while others change sex during their lifetime as a normal survival strategy.
• Over 30% of fish species exhibit some form of sex change. This is not an anomaly—it is an adaptive feature.

What We Know vs. What We Don’t

Modern science has mapped genomes, split atoms, and photographed black holes—and yet we still do not fully understand consciousness, development, or even large portions of our own biology. Neuroscience, genetics, and evolutionary biology remain fields filled with unanswered questions. When measured honestly, human knowledge is a narrow island surrounded by a vast ocean of uncertainty. In that context, rigid certainty about how nature must behave is not strength. It is overconfidence. There is no single gene that determines sexual orientation or sex expression. Instead, scientists observe a complex interaction of:

• Multiple genes
• Hormonal exposure during development
• Epigenetic changes (genes turning on or off without altering DNA)
• Environmental influences
• Natural genetic variation and mutation

These processes are not unique to sexuality; they shape all biological traits. Importantly, evolution does not eliminate traits simply because they make some humans uncomfortable. If a variation does not significantly reduce survival or reproduction, or if it confers indirect advantages it will often persist in nature. That persistence is not an accident, it’s data.

Compassion as a Scientific Virtue

Compassion is often framed as a moral or emotional response, but it is also a rational one. When evidence shows that variation is natural, persistent, and poorly understood, the most defensible stance is restraint. Resisting the urge to punish or stigmatize what we do not fully grasp. Taboos have frequently been enforced not by knowledge but by fear. The fear of ambiguity, difference, and loss of control. Science repeatedly shows that nature does not share those fears.

Biology does not argue. It observes and what it observes, again and again, is that life thrives through diversity, not conformity. The more we learn, the clearer it becomes that human categories often lag behind natural reality. Recognizing this does not weaken society. It strengthens it, by grounding our ethics not in fear or assumption, but in humility, evidence, and compassion.

In the end, the most scientific position may also be the most human one: to admit how much we still don’t know, and to treat one another with care while we continue learning.

Interpreting the 2nd Amendment 250 years later.

Written By Justin Dues

A skilled marksman could shoot less than 2 rounds a minute when the 2nd amendment was passed, automatic weapons can now shoot 300-400 rounds within a minute if belt-fed.

Security in a Modern Context

What does the 2nd Amendment mean to you? Is it the ability to protect your home and loved ones? The ability to defend yourself from an abusive government (a don’t tread on me mentality)? I’ve seen a lot of politicians shoot or hold a weapon in an ad, but few actually know how to safely operate, clean, dismantle, reassemble, safety check, or perform immediate action when the weapon malfunctions during use. I didn’t grow up around weapons but joining the Marine Corps and serving as an infantry squad leader taught me that what our society treats as toys and collectibles are indeed deadly weapons in the wrong hands. Similar to how a vehicle can be dangerous when operated in the wrong manner, we should license those that want to own and operate weapons that our forefathers couldn’t have imagined.

Shooting is a skill, pulling the trigger is only about 10% of it.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The interpretation of this provision has sparked ongoing debates about individual gun rights, the necessity of regulation in the face of mass shootings, and the intersection with a mental health crisis. This article attempts to explore the balance between the right to bear arms emphasizing the original intent of a "well regulated Militia" and its relevance in today's context of an all-volunteer military force while offering solutions to protect public safety.

As a new nation in the late 18th century without a standing army, a young independent America relied on state militias for defense. Militias were composed of ordinary citizens who were expected to be ready for military service and the phrase ‘well regulated’ was understood to mean a disciplined and well-trained force necessary for the security of a free state. Over time this collective right for protection against tyranny has increasingly been interpreted as an individual right to possess firearms, a view solidified by the Supreme Court in cases such as District of Columbia v. Heller (2008).

250 years later the United States relies on an all-volunteer military that maintains its own weaponry and operates under a centralized command structure. This professional force is supplemented by the National Guard, which can be mobilized for both state and federal missions. Unlike the 1790 militia, modern military personnel undergo extensive training and are subject to strict regulations regarding the use and maintenance of their weapons. This evolution raises questions about the applicability of the Second Amendment's original intent to current gun rights debates.

Rate of Fire: 1790 (~3-4 rounds/min) vs. 2026 (~300+ rounds/min).

Range/Accuracy: 1790 (~100 yards, low accuracy) vs. 2026 (500+ meters, high precision).

The Growing Mental Health & Mass Shooting Crisis

The relationship between mental health and gun violence is complex, but data suggest that individuals with severe mental illness are at higher risk of harming themselves or others if they have access to firearms. There is little doubt that the United States is facing a mental health crisis, with rising rates of mental illness and inadequate access to mental health services. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Is it correlation or causation that the ease of access to assault weapons is leading to an increase in mass shootings? I don’t find it taboo to talk about a subject that is needlessly taking lives. As someone that grew up during the 90s, I remember hearing about an assault weapons ban. If we’ve done it before, we can do it again - we just need people with a spine and the willpower to do so. Aside from an assault weapons ban there are a number of ways to improve the safety of the American public.

Implementing universal background checks for all firearm purchases can help prevent individuals with a history of severe mental illness or criminal behavior from obtaining guns. According to a study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, states with comprehensive background check laws experience lower rates of gun-related deaths.

Red flag laws, or extreme risk protection orders, allow family members and law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others. These laws provide a proactive approach to preventing potential tragedies while respecting due process rights. Expanding access to mental health services is crucial for addressing the root causes of gun violence.

Increasing funding for mental health programs, integrating mental health care into primary care settings, and reducing the stigma associated with seeking help are essential steps. Promoting responsible gun ownership through mandatory education and training programs can help ensure that gun owners understand safe storage practices and the legal responsibilities of firearm ownership. This approach aligns with the original intent of a "well regulated Militia" by emphasizing discipline and preparedness.

The Second Amendment enshrines the right to bear arms, but it also underscores the necessity of regulation to ensure public safety. Balancing this right with the need to address the growing mental health crisis requires thoughtful policies that respect individual freedoms while protecting the community. Universal background checks, red flag laws, expanded mental health services, and education initiatives can collectively create a framework that honors the spirit of the Second Amendment in a modern context. By fostering a well-regulated approach to gun ownership, we can safeguard both the rights and security of all citizens.

Monopoly Capitalism

Written By Justin Dues

https://nutritionstudies.org/consolidation-in-the-food-system/

This new Gilded Age is marked by a blatant disregard for the welfare of the broader population, as corporations prioritize short-term profits over long-term societal well being. The result is a growing wealth gap that undermines the principle that hard work leads to success, as millions of Americans struggle with stagnant wages, precarious employment, and the rising cost of living. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest offenders in the U.S. that have brought us to this position.

Monopoly behavior of top offenders:

1. Food and Beverage

• The largest five, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Mondelez, control over 40% of the global food market. For example, Nestlé owns more than 2,000 brands in various segments, including 30% of the global bottled water market. These major players can dictate pricing to suppliers and use their scale to outcompete smaller brands, limiting consumer choices and driving up prices.
• Beer Industry: Anheuser-Busch InBev controls around 31% of the global beer market after acquiring SABMiller. The five largest beer companies, Anheuser-Busch, Heineken, Carlsberg, Molson Coors, and Asahi, control over 60% of the market.

2. Telecommunications and Media

• The top five U.S. telecom companies, AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, T-Mobile, and Charter Communications control more than 90% of the U.S. broadband and mobile services market. This concentration stifles diversity in media, limits content variety, and inflates prices for consumers across internet services and content delivery.
• Media Industry: After mergers like Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney, Comcast (NBCUniversal), Warner Bros. Discovery, ViacomCBS, and Sony dominate the global media landscape, controlling nearly 85% of film production and distribution.

3. Pharmaceuticals

• The five largest pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Novartis, control over 25% of the global drug market. For example, Pfizer alone controls 6.7% of the market. Consolidation in pharmaceuticals leads to less competition for essential drugs, contributing to skyrocketing drug prices and fewer incentives for innovation, especially in niche markets.

4. Technology

• Big Tech firms Apple, Google (Alphabet), Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook (Meta) collectively control over 90% of key technology sectors such as online advertising (Google and Facebook account for 60% of the market), cloud computing (Amazon AWS controls 34%, with Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud sharing another 30%), and smartphone operating systems (Android and iOS make up 99.9% of the global market). The dominance of Big Tech creates an environment where smaller companies find it nearly impossible to compete. These companies can buy out potential competitors or use their platforms to undercut competition, leading to monopolistic practices and fewer consumer choices.

5. Retail

• Amazon and Walmart dominate U.S. retail, with Amazon holding 47% of the e-commerce market, and Walmart holding around 10% of the total U.S. retail market. Combined, the five largest U.S. retailers—Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Walgreens—control nearly 60% of the U.S. retail market. These companies’ ability to leverage economies of scale, dictate terms to suppliers, and provide aggressive pricing drives smaller retailers out of the market. In particular, Amazon’s monopolistic hold on e-commerce stifles innovation and competition.

Never-ending Greed, History of Capitalism Repeats Itself

The influence of corporate greed extends beyond economic disparities, entrenching itself in the very mechanisms of our democracy through lobbying and the activities of special interest groups. These entities pour billions of dollars into the political system to shape legislation and regulation in their favor, often at the expense of public interest. The consequence is a political environment where Wall Street issues drown out Main Street concerns, as policymakers prioritize the agendas of their wealthiest constituents and corporate backers. This manipulation of the democratic process not only disenfranchises average Americans but also erodes trust in governmental institutions, threatening the foundational principles of transparency, accountability, and representation.

America’s economy has always swung between periods when private empires stitch markets into monopolies, and reform waves that break them back into the many. The first great consolidation of monopoly power, the Gilded Age, ended only after Congress passed legislation that protected the greater economic good. The Sherman Act of 1890 and the Supreme Court forced Standard Oil’s breakup in 1911, a defining moment that said bigness serving itself, not the public, must yield to competition. In the late New Deal, antitrust’s mission was reignited under Thurman Arnold, who used the law not just to punish cartels but to keep markets structurally open. The next major reset came in telecom: after years of litigation, AT&T divested its local phone monopoly in 1984, demonstrating that breakups could catalyze innovation, lower prices, and unleash adjacent industries.

So where are we in the cycle? Historically, America stiffens its antitrust spine only after concentrated power starts setting the rules for everyone else. By that measure, we have a long way to go for a corrective phase: liability findings and tougher merger guidance signal a turn, but the industrial structure still reflects decades of permissive consolidation.

The outcome will hinge on three levers: whether courts continue to accept broader theories of competitive harm embedded in the 2023 Guidelines; whether remedies (including structural ones) actually restore competitive conditions rather than merely police behavior; and whether enforcers can keep pace with serial acquisition strategies in fast-moving tech markets. If those levers pull in the public’s direction, we will start to bust monopoly power. If not, we risk headline victories for corporate America.

A Call to Action: Resist Corporate Greed

As we stand at this critical juncture, the need for decisive action has never been more urgent. It's time to dismantle the mechanisms that allow corporate greed to thrive at the expense of American workers and to reform a society that values dignity, equity, and the common good above profit. Together, we can reclaim the promise of America for every citizen, building a future where democracy flourishes in the service of the people, not the privileged few. The time for change is now, let us be the architects of a more just and equitable nation. To combat the insidious effects of corporate greed and wealth inequality, a multi-faceted approach is necessary:

• Enact stringent campaign finance laws to limit the influence of money in politics, ensuring that elected officials serve the interests of their constituents, not corporate donors.
• Implement and enforce robust regulatory measures that curb monopolistic practices, promote fair competition, and protect consumers and small businesses.
• Adopt a progressive tax system where those at the top contribute their fair share, supporting public services and infrastructure that benefit all, not just a privileged few.
• Force ethical business practices through transparency and accountability measures, holding corporations responsible for actions that undermine public welfare and economic stability.
• 
  

Echoes of a Genocide

Written By Justin Dues

Of the 70,000+ lives taken in Gaza, more than half are women and children. We MUST ACT!

Early Warning System: What pre-WWII persecution of Jews reveals about today’s warnings for Palestinians

No two histories are identical. The Holocaust remains a singular crime but atrocity prevention is about recognizing patterns early enough to stop the worst from happening. Looking at how Nazi Germany marginalized and brutalized Jews before full-scale extermination, and comparing that to credible warnings being raised today about Palestinians in Gaza helps clarify urgent risks, responsibilities, and remedies. This piece draws on widely accepted early-warning frameworks for mass atrocities, then maps key parallels in rhetoric, law, spatial control, collective punishment, and international response. It also names crucial differences—because precision matters when stakes are this high.

The United Nations’ Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes lists risk factors that recur before the worst crimes: dehumanizing speech, discriminatory laws, isolation/segregation, attacks on civilian infrastructure, restrictions on aid, and impunity for abuses. The point is not to force equivalence, but to act when these indicators accumulate.

Parallels in Nazi & IDF Behavior

70% - 80% of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed.

1) Dehumanizing rhetoric and incitement

Germany, 1930s: State propaganda portrayed Jews as vermin or disease, normalizing social exclusion and violence. The 1935 Nuremberg Laws codified Nazi racial ideology and laid the legal groundwork for escalating persecution. Kristallnacht in 1938 openly targeted Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes.

Israel/Palestine, 2023-2025: UN human-rights experts have repeatedly warned of dehumanizing rhetoric and a risk of genocide against Palestinians, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel in January 2024 to take all steps to prevent genocidal acts and to enable humanitarian aid to Gaza explicitly citing concerns over rhetoric from senior officials. The ICJ did not decide the merits of genocide; it imposed urgent provisional measures due to serious risk. OHCHR

2) Law and policy that formalize subordination

Germany, pre-war: Jews were stripped of citizenship, barred from professions, and purged from public life through a thickening web of decrees.

Israel/Palestine, recent decades: Major human-rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty Int’l conclude that Israeli authorities operate a system of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians across Israel and the occupied territories—differential rights, movement restrictions, land seizures, and separate legal systems. Israel rejects these characterizations, but the documentation is detailed and widely cited in international policy debates.

3) Spatial segregation and confinement

Germany, pre-war to early war: Jews were progressively excluded from public spaces; formal ghettos proliferated once the war began. The trajectory—from stigma to legal exclusion to physical confinement—was incremental and state-directed.

Gaza and the occupied territories: Long-standing blockade and closure regimes, alongside internal barriers and checkpoints in the West Bank, have sharply limited Palestinian movement. Since October 2023, Gaza has suffered repeated mass displacements, with UN agencies documenting widespread destruction of homes, shelters, health facilities, and the collapse of civilian lifelines. UNOCHA OPT

4) Collective punishment and attacks on civilian infrastructure

Germany, pre-war: State-sanctioned mob violence destroyed synagogues and Jewish businesses, signaled police complicity, and transferred huge costs onto the Jewish community.

Gaza, 2023-2025: UN humanitarian reporting describes systematic strikes that have devastated civilian infrastructure, repeated displacement of entire urban areas, and severe aid obstruction producing hunger and malnutrition—especially among children. The ICJ’s orders emphasized the duty to protect civilians and lift impediments to aid. None of this negates Hamas’s atrocities on 7 October 2023 or Israel’s right to defend civilians from attack; it underscores legal limits on how war may be waged.

“The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza,” UN-backed food security experts said in a call to action amid unrelenting conflict, mass displacement and the near-total collapse of essential services in the war-battered enclave.

5) International response: from hesitation to law

1930s: International hesitation and appeasement emboldened persecution; doors stayed closed to most Jewish refugees until it was too late.

Today: Unlike the 1930s, there are institutions like the ICJ, UN special procedures, independent investigators that are issuing binding and persuasive warnings and orders. Whether states enforce those measures is the test that history will record.

6) Key differences but why drawing the comparison is ethically necessary.

The lesson genocide scholars and the UN’s prevention doctrine keep repeating is simple: Don’t wait for certainty. Look for converging risk indicators and act to reduce the risk for civilians on all sides. The comparison is not about equating sufferings; it’s about refusing to normalize dehumanization + discriminatory systems + siege conditions + aid obstruction. A mix that history associates with catastrophe.

Context of war: Nazi Germany’s anti-Jewish campaign preceded and then fused with a war of conquest and extermination directed by one regime. In Israel-Palestine, an ongoing armed conflict features Hamas’s grave crimes (including mass murder and hostage-taking on 7 October) and Israel’s military response, both constrained by international humanitarian and human-rights law.

Legal posture: The Holocaust’s genocidal intent is historically and legally established. In Gaza, genocide is alleged; the ICJ has ordered measures to prevent it while the case proceeds. Outcomes remain to be adjudicated.

What can we do now? Push your representatives for the following: Stop aid to Israel via any type of military or financial support. Recognize Palestine as a state and provide humanitarian aid to their people. Enforce the ICJ’s provisional measures: protect civilians; allow adequate food, water, medicine, and shelter to flow; prevent and punish incitement.

Concrete compliance with international law and credible mitigation of civilian harm—standard practice in atrocity-prevention policy. Independent investigations and accountability for all parties (including Hamas and Israeli forces), with survivor-centered reparations. Dismantle systemic discrimination documented by rights groups—equal rights, due process, and freedom of movement are non-negotiable foundations for durable peace.

Counter dehumanizing speech from officials and influencers alike; sanction incitement per international law. History’s blunt warning is that atrocity risks rise when a targeted people are dehumanized in speech, subordinated in law, and trapped without protection as violence escalates. Those dynamics defined the 1930s and key elements are visible today. The question is whether we heed the alarms in time.

If you don’t vote - don’t complain.

Written By Justin Dues

Incentivizing Voting and Honoring Democracy: A Blueprint for the United States

In the United States, democracy is a core value, yet voter participation often falls short of ideal levels. Low voter turnout can undermine the democratic process, leading to governance that does not fully represent the will of the people. To address this issue, the U.S. can adopt several strategies to incentivize voting and honor the democratic tradition.

1. Make Election Day a National Holiday

One significant barrier to voting is the challenge of fitting it into busy schedules. By making Election Day a national holiday, more people would have the time to vote without worrying about missing work or other commitments. This approach has been suggested by numerous political analysts and advocates, noting that it would signal the importance of participating in democracy.

Benefits:

- Increases voter turnout by giving people the day off to vote.

- Encourages civic participation and emphasizes the importance of elections.

- Aligns with practices in other democracies where Election Day is a public holiday.

2. Implement Automatic Voter Registration

Automatic voter registration (AVR) can streamline the registration process, ensuring that more eligible citizens are registered to vote. Under AVR, individuals are automatically registered when they interact with government agencies, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Benefits:

- Simplifies the registration process, reducing the burden on individuals.

- Increases voter rolls, leading to higher turnout.

- Reduces errors and improves the accuracy of voter databases.

3. Expand Early Voting and Mail-In Ballots

Expanding early voting periods and making mail-in ballots more accessible can alleviate the pressure of voting on a single day. This flexibility can accommodate those with demanding schedules or limited mobility.

Benefits:

- Provides more opportunities for people to vote at their convenience.

- Reduces long lines and wait times at polling places.

- Enhances accessibility for voters with disabilities or those living in remote areas.

4. Introduce Financial Incentives

Some states and localities have experimented with financial incentives to encourage voting. These can include tax credits, deductions, or even small cash rewards for those who vote.

Benefits:

- Directly motivates people to participate in elections.

- Can be tailored to target demographics with historically lower turnout rates.

- Promotes civic responsibility by linking voting to tangible rewards.

5. Civic Education and Engagement Programs

Educating citizens about the importance of voting and how the electoral process works can foster a more informed electorate. Schools, community organizations, and media campaigns can play crucial roles in this effort.

Benefits:

- Builds a culture of voting and civic participation from a young age.

- Increases voter knowledge and confidence in the electoral process.

- Encourages lifelong engagement with democratic practices.

6. Simplify the Voting Process

Simplifying the voting process through the use of technology and streamlined procedures can make voting more accessible. Online voter registration, improved polling place management, and user-friendly voting machines are examples of such improvements.

Benefits:

- Reduces confusion and errors on Election Day.

- Makes voting more accessible to all demographics.

- Enhances the overall efficiency and security of elections.

Conclusion

Incentivizing voting and honoring democracy requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the various barriers to participation. By making Election Day a national holiday, implementing automatic voter registration, expanding early voting and mail-in ballots, introducing financial incentives, enhancing civic education, and simplifying the voting process, the United States can foster a more engaged and representative electorate. These measures not only support the democratic ideal but also ensure that the voices of all citizens are heard and respected in the governance of the country.

Reproductive Freedom & Protection of Life can coexist.

Written By Justin Dues

A Compromise Plan on Reproductive Freedom and the Protection of Human Life

The debate over reproductive freedom and the protection of human life is one of the most polarizing issues in contemporary politics. On one side, advocates for reproductive freedom emphasize the importance of a woman's right to choose and have control over her body. On the other, those who wish to protect all human life, including the unborn, view abortion as a moral issue that involves the rights of the fetus. Finding common ground between these two perspectives is challenging, yet crucial for fostering a more united and understanding society. Here is a proposed plan that aims to respect both reproductive freedom and the protection of human life.

1. Trimester-Based Abortion Regulation

Proposal: Adopt a trimester-based approach to abortion regulation. This would allow greater access to abortion services during the first trimester while imposing more restrictions in the second and third trimesters, with exceptions for the health of the mother and severe fetal abnormalities. Rationale: A trimester-based framework balances the interests of both sides by recognizing the differing levels of fetal development and viability. Early-term abortions are generally supported by those advocating for reproductive freedom, while later-term restrictions address concerns about fetal viability and protection.

2. Safe Haven Laws and Adoption Reform

Proposal: Strengthen and promote Safe Haven laws, which allow parents to relinquish newborns safely and anonymously, and reform adoption processes to make them more accessible and less burdensome. Rationale: Providing safe alternatives for those who feel unable to care for a newborn can reduce instances of unsafe abandonment and increase adoption rates. Making adoption a more streamlined and supported process can provide a viable option for those facing unwanted pregnancies.

3. Open Dialogue and Community Involvement

Proposal: Foster open, respectful dialogue between pro-life and pro-choice advocates through community forums, workshops, and public discussions. Rationale: Building mutual understanding and respect is essential for any compromise to work. Creating a dialogue helps reduce the stigma and polarization surrounding the issue and promotes collaborative efforts to address the underlying human causes of unwanted pregnancies.

4. Comprehensive Sex Education

Proposal: Implementing comprehensive sex education in schools nationwide, which includes information on contraception, sexual health, and responsible decision-making, can reduce unintended pregnancies. Rationale: Studies have shown that comprehensive sex education leads to lower rates of teenage pregnancies and abortions. By educating young people about their bodies and the consequences of sexual activity, we can reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and, consequently, the number of abortions .

5. Accessible Contraception

Proposal: Ensure that contraception is readily available and affordable to all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic status. Rationale: Access to contraception is a critical factor in preventing unintended pregnancies. Policies that provide free or low-cost contraceptives can help reduce the need for abortions while supporting individuals' reproductive health choices .

6. Support for Pregnant Women and New Parents

Proposal: Increase funding for programs that support pregnant women, new parents, and families, including maternity leave, childcare assistance, healthcare, and financial aid. Rationale: By providing robust support systems, we can make it easier for women to carry pregnancies to term and raise children. This approach addresses some of the socioeconomic factors that lead to the decision to have an abortion, making it a more viable option for those who might otherwise consider it.

Conclusion

By focusing on prevention, support, and respectful regulation, we can create a more inclusive and understanding approach to this deeply personal and complex issue. The ultimate goal is to reduce the need for abortions while ensuring that women have the necessary support and resources to make informed and empowered decisions about their reproductive health.

Sources:

‘Right to work’ is Wrong for Workers.

Written By Justin Dues

It sounds like freedom but in practice, it’s a corporate playbook to defund unions, depress wages, and tilt power away from the people who make this country run. The slogan itself sounds as though it embodies choice yet the policy manufactures free riders. These are workers at union locations who benefit from union contracts while paying nothing for the representation that wins them. That oxymoron is the point. It’s not about liberty or freedom or choice - it’s about weakening the only legitimate counterweight ordinary workers have to corporate power… unions. Let’s dig into why ‘Right to Work’ is Wrong for Workers.

How Big Business Uses a Myth to Cripple Unions and the Middle Class.

Unions didn’t just negotiate paychecks, they built the modern American middle class. When enough folks organized they turned dangerous, exhausting jobs into careers with living wages, the 8 hour workday, weekends, overtime pay, and safer worksites. Through collective bargaining, workers won health insurance, pensions, and family-sustaining benefits that later became benchmarks even for non-union workplaces. Trade unions also trained generations of skilled workers through apprenticeship programs that fused classroom learning with on-the-job expertise. Literally pouring the concrete, wiring the grids, laying the rails, and assembling the factories that powered U.S. growth. In sectors from construction and auto to public service and education, unions created a ladder of mobility for veterans, immigrants, and working-class families that helped translate productivity into broadly shared prosperity.

Right-to-work (RTW) laws undermine that engine. The phrase sounds advantageous to the worker, but in practice these laws let employees benefit from union bargaining without contributing to the cost, draining resources from the very organizations that secure better wages, safer conditions, and due-process protections. Weaker unions mean less leverage at the bargaining table, more precarious work, and a race to the bottom on pay and benefits. Guess who wants these exact outcomes that mainly reward corporate owners and shareholders?

Communities feel it too with fewer apprenticeships, thinner safety training, and less local spending power. Strong unions spread gains across an economy; RTW regimes concentrate them at the top. If we want an America that still builds things and builds broad opportunity, then strengthening workers’ ability to organize and bargain is a roadmap.

Reality of RTW = Lower Pay | Weaker Benefits | Less Safety

Specifically these laws prohibit union-security clauses in collective bargaining agreements, forcing unions to represent non-members who don’t pay dues. Section 14(b) of the 1947 Taft–Hartley Act explicitly opened the door for states to pass such statutes; business lobbies kicked it wide open. Today, multiple states still enforce right-to-work, though momentum is shifting—Michigan repealed its law in 2023 (effective 2024), the first rollback in decades. Voters in Missouri rejected right-to-work at the ballot box in 2018. These aren’t abstractions; they’re proof that when the public is given a clear choice, they often refuse the anti-union spin.

Decades of evidence show wages are lower in right-to-work states—even for non-union workers—because unions lift standards across entire labor markets. EPI’s research finds pay in RTW states runs about 3% lower, with weaker benefits, controlling for cost of living and worker characteristics. That’s not an accident; it’s the goal of the policy design. Unions’ first line of work is safety—training, enforceable protections, the right to refuse dangerous tasks. When RTW laws shrink unions, workplaces get deadlier. Peer-reviewed studies link RTW adoption to a ~14% increase in occupational mortality, a grim, measurable cost of stripping workers’ collective voice.

The broader project: shrink worker power, swell corporate power

As union density falls, only 9.9% of U.S. workers were union members in 2024, the wage share of the economy sinks, inequality widens, and corporate concentration tightens its grip. RTW is the spear tip: it doesn’t have to ban unions; it only needs to make them poor and outgunned enough to lose. RTW backers pitch “choice” while hiding the reality: unions are legally obligated to represent everyone in a bargaining unit, payer or not. The resulting funding squeeze is precisely what corporations intend. The National Labor Relations Act’s original purpose was to encourage collective bargaining because Congress understood that democracy at work requires organized workers. RTW turns that policy on its head.

The bottom line is that ‘right to work’ is a marketing triumph and a policy failure. An elegantly unethical way for big business to cut workers’ pay, erode safety, and silence collective worker power. All while these same companies are claiming to defend freedom and promote American ideals. Folks are starting to know better. When given the chance at the ballot box in Missouri, in the legislature in Michigan - they’ve moved to restore balance. If we want a middle class worthy of the name, we must retire the myth, rebuild worker power, and make the economy answer to the people who create its value.

What a pro-worker alternative looks like

1) Repeal right-to-work and restore union-security options. Let workers and employers bargain lawful agreements without state-mandated free riding. Michigan’s repeal shows it’s possible.

2) Make organizing fast, fair, and free from retaliation. Modernize the NLRA with card-check/majority sign-up, meaningful penalties for union-busting, and first-contract arbitration to stop delay tactics.

3) Protect the public sector’s voice. After Janus, states can still facilitate stable funding via easy opt-in systems, regular re-enrollment windows, and access rules that ensure workers hear both sides.

4) Lift standards for all with sectoral tools. Wage boards and pattern agreements prevent “race to the bottom” competition on pay and safety—precisely the race RTW was designed to accelerate.

5) Tie public dollars to worker outcomes. No subsidies, tax credits, or contracts without neutrality agreements, living-wage standards, apprenticeship pipelines, and safety metrics.

6) Tell the truth about the bargain. Strong unions don’t just win raises for members; they set floor standards that benefit non-union workers and communities—higher pay, better benefits, safer workplaces. That’s why anti-union money fights so hard to keep unions weak.

North Carolina Snapshot for 2025

• North Carolina is a statutory right-to-work (RTW) state since 1947. Key provisions are in N.C. Gen. Stat. §95-78 et seq. Article 10. Collective-bargaining contracts with public-employee unions are illegal under G.S. §95-98.
• Union density is 2.4% in 2024, the lowest rate in the nation while the U.S. average is 9.9%.
• North Carolina has no statewide citizen initiative or referendum; statutory or constitutional change must run through the General Assembly.

Why it matters?

Peer-reviewed EPI research finds wages in RTW states are about 3.1% lower—about $1,558 less per year for a typical full-time worker—even after controlling for cost of living, demographics, and industry mix. With unions scarce at 2.4%, NC workers capture fewer spillover gains (higher wage floors, safer worksites, better benefits) that union presence typically delivers to union and non-union workers alike.

What has to change?

1. Repeal or amend RTW statute: Modify Article 10 (G.S. §95-78—§95-83) to permit union-security clauses by mutual agreement—ending mandated free-riding. Simple bill; majority vote; governor signature.
2. Restore public-sector bargaining: Repeal G.S. §95-98 to allow cities, counties, and the state to negotiate binding contracts on wages, staffing, and safety. Precedent bills have been filed in prior sessions.) No citizen initiative: Strategy must be legislative (committee path + floor votes) rather than ballot-driven.

Economic case for NC

Closing a 3.1% RTW pay gap would lift incomes across regions from Charlotte and the Triangle to rural counties without raising public outlays. Apprenticeship-based agreements reduce turnover and injuries; employers get reliable staffing and productivity gains. Higher pay and reduced wage theft boost local spending and stabilize small-business demand. Allowing public-sector bargaining is the fastest route to solve vacancies in teaching, nursing, EMS, corrections, and child welfare.

Fixing a Broken K-12 System

Written By Justin Dues

Our public education system is in urgent need of major renovations. A comprehensive reform that provides multiple pathways to success and prioritizes the development of essential life skills over mere academic achievement. This revamp includes expanding early childhood education, shifting to natural skills and talents that can be nourished, and seeing education as something that continues long past your teen years or early twenties. To reimagine public education for the next century will require all hands on deck. This is not as much a prescription as it is calling for combined action and places we can start the dialogue.

As a country we are not even doing good with our current model. U.S. 15-year-olds globally rank 9th in reading, 16th in science, and 34th in math. For too long, the focus on standardized testing and grades has overshadowed the importance of preparing students for real-world challenges. We can now integrate vocational training, critical thinking, financial literacy, and emotional intelligence into the curriculum. Reflecting the similarities between school and work can foster a more well-rounded, adaptable, and resilient generation. This shift would ensure that every student regardless of their academic talent has the opportunity to thrive and contribute meaningfully to society. Practical skills and diverse educational pathways will better equip our youth for the complexities of modern life, ultimately strengthening our economy and democracy.

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examines what students know in mathematics, reading and science, and what they can do with what they know.

This plan aims to create a more equitable, adaptable, and forward-thinking education system that not only meets the diverse needs of students but also prepares them for the challenges of the 21st century.

Phase 1: Research and Stakeholder Engagement

Initiate studies to understand the current challenges and successes within the K-12 system, focusing on early education and post-high school opportunities. Include teachers, parents, students, educational experts, and policymakers in discussions to gather diverse insights and needs. Determine specific needs for expanding pre-school education and post-high school options, considering factors like accessibility, curriculum relevance, and workforce alignment.

Phase 2: Early Education Expansion

Implement universal access to pre-school education for 3- and 4-year-olds, emphasizing play-based learning, social skills, and foundational literacy and numeracy. Enhance early childhood educator training programs and provide ongoing professional development and support. Invest in educational infrastructure to accommodate increased enrollment, ensuring facilities are equipped for early childhood education.

Phase 3: High School Curriculum Reform

Revise high school curricula to include a broader range of subjects, including life skills, financial literacy, digital literacy, and civic education. Expand CTE programs to offer pathways in trades, technology, and other high-demand sectors, ensuring programs align with industry needs. Implement flexible learning models, such as project-based learning, online courses, and apprenticeships, to cater to diverse learner needs and interests.

Phase 4: Post-High School Opportunities

Develop a national public service program offering recent graduates opportunities in community service, environmental projects, and other areas contributing to societal well-being, unlocking further educational or entrepreneurial grants. Increase access to college, trade, and vocational schools through scholarships, grants, and loan forgiveness programs, particularly for participants in public service. Create a fund to provide grants and mentorship to young entrepreneurs, with a focus on solving societal challenges.

Phase 5: Implementation and Evaluation

Launch pilot programs in diverse districts to test and refine the proposed changes before nationwide implementation. Establish mechanisms for ongoing assessment and feedback, using data to inform adjustments and improvements. Implement a comprehensive communication strategy to keep the public informed and engaged, emphasizing the importance of community support for educational reform.

Phase 6: Scaling and National Implementation

Work with lawmakers to secure the necessary funding and policy support for nationwide implementation. Form partnerships with non-profits, corporations, and community organizations to leverage additional resources and expertise. Develop plans for the sustainable funding and continuous improvement of the education system, ensuring it remains adaptable to future needs and challenges.

This ambitious plan requires collaboration across all levels of government, thWisdom from Carl Sagan.

Written By Justin Dues

Charting a Better Path

In an era marked by rapid technological advancement, environmental challenges, and social upheaval, humanity stands at a crossroads. This pivotal moment presents an unprecedented opportunity to chart a new and better path for our future. Drawing inspiration from the profound wisdom of Carl Sagan, a visionary astronomer, and science communicator, we can find hope and guidance in our quest for a more harmonious and sustainable world. Carl Sagan famously reminded us of our place in the universe with the iconic photograph of Earth taken from Voyager 1, known as the "Pale Blue Dot." From this distant vantage point, Earth appears as a tiny speck suspended in a sunbeam—a humbling reminder of our shared home and common destiny.

Sagan’s Insight:

"In all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us." This perspective urges us to transcend our differences and recognize our interconnectedness, fostering a sense of global unity and cooperation. By embracing our cosmic perspective, we can prioritize the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants.

"Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

The Power of Science and Reason

Carl Sagan was a passionate advocate for science and reason as tools to understand the world and address its challenges. He believed that scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and open-mindedness are essential for progress and problem-solving. "Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking." By cultivating a scientific mindset, we can develop innovative solutions to pressing issues such as climate change, disease, and resource scarcity. Investing in education and promoting scientific literacy are crucial steps toward empowering individuals to make informed decisions and contribute to a brighter future. He was also deeply concerned about the environmental impact of human activity and the need for sustainable practices. He understood that our planet's health is inextricably linked to our survival and prosperity. His call to stewardship encourages us to adopt sustainable lifestyles, protect natural ecosystems, and reduce our carbon footprint. By embracing renewable energy sources, conserving biodiversity, and promoting environmental conservation, we can safeguard our planet for future generations.

The Importance of Curiosity & Compassion. Exploration and Empathy.

Curiosity and the drive to explore are fundamental aspects of the human spirit. Sagan believed that exploring the unknown and expanding our horizons are vital for our growth and understanding. "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." This sense of wonder fuels our quest for knowledge and inspires us to push the boundaries of what is possible. By supporting space exploration, scientific research, and technological innovation, we can unlock new frontiers and achieve remarkable advancements that benefit all of humanity.

Sagan’s work often highlighted the importance of compassion and empathy in addressing societal issues and building a better world. He recognized that understanding and kindness are essential for overcoming division and fostering cooperation. "For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love." By cultivating empathy and promoting social justice, we can create inclusive communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Efforts to reduce inequality, support mental health, and ensure access to basic needs are fundamental to this vision.

Carl Sagan's wisdom offers a timeless blueprint for charting a new and better path for humanity. By embracing our cosmic perspective, valuing science and reason, stewarding our planet, nurturing curiosity, and fostering compassion, we can navigate the challenges of our time and build a future marked by hope, harmony, and sustainability. The journey may be arduous, but with a shared commitment to these principles, we can create a world that honors the best of what it means to be human.

Hands Off: Why social safety nets are needed.

Written By Justin Dues

The Safety Net Is Not a Burden—It’s a Promise

America’s greatest legacy is not just in its private enterprise but in its public commitment to shared prosperity. Programs like Social Security and Medicaid are promises made across generations. They are the backbone of retirement security, disability assistance, and health coverage for tens of millions of Americans. Yet under the banner of “efficiency” or “fiscal responsibility,” there are growing calls to privatize or gut these vital programs. Turning the people's safety net into Wall Street’s playground. Let’s be clear that privatization is not reform. It is a dismantling of what works, and a dangerous gamble with the future of the nation’s most vulnerable.

When Social Security was created in 1935 during the Great Depression, it was a radical idea: a national insurance program where workers contributed during their careers and received income in retirement. Yet it helped cut elderly poverty in half and remains the single largest source of income for most retirees. Medicaid, enacted in 1965 alongside Medicare, ensured low-income families, children, pregnant women, and seniors in nursing homes could access healthcare. Together, these programs have lifted millions out of poverty, stabilized families, and helped rural and underserved communities keep healthcare providers afloat. They weren’t built to maximize profit, they were built to maximize stability and dignity.

• Social Security serves over 66 million Americans, including retirees, people with disabilities, and children of deceased workers. It keeps 22 million Americans out of poverty every year and is funded directly by workers through payroll taxes. Extremely efficient as less than 1% of its budget goes to administrative costs.
• Medicaid covers over 87 million people, including:
• 40% of all U.S. children
• Half of all births in the country
• 60% of nursing home residents

Some politicians and think tanks argue that we should "privatize Social Security" by investing payroll taxes into individual accounts in the stock market. Others propose converting Medicaid into block grants or voucher systems - essentially slashing funding and outsourcing services to for-profit firms. Let’s break down why that’s dangerous:

1. Privatization Makes the System Less Secure. Market volatility is not a retirement plan. During the 2008 financial crisis, 401(k)s lost nearly 30% of their value—but Social Security checks kept coming. Tying retirement to Wall Street profits exposes Americans to unnecessary risk, especially the working poor who can’t afford a dip.

2. Higher Costs, Worse Outcomes. Private insurance overhead is 12–18%, compared to Medicaid’s 5%. Privatized Medicare (Medicare Advantage) has been rife with fraud, overbilling, and denial of care costing taxpayers more for less coverage.

3. Inequity Increases. Privatization inherently favors the financially literate and higher earners who can manage complex choices. Public institutions pool risk, protect the vulnerable, and guarantee a baseline—something private markets will never do.

4. Fragmentation Leads to Instability. Turning public programs into patchworks of private providers leads to coverage gaps, inconsistent access, and geographic inequality. States that have outsourced Medicaid have seen care disruptions, lower provider payments, and higher administrative costs.

Better Reform Ideas: Strengthen, Don’t Slash

1. Lift the Payroll Tax Cap, income over $168,600 isn’t taxed for Social Security. Removing this cap would fully fund the program for generations.
2. Mandate Drug Prices Nationally, saving billions annually.
3. Expand, Don’t Cut. Lower the eligibility age for Medicare to 60 or 55 and expand Medicaid in the 10 remaining states that have refused to do so under the ACA.

Answering the critics, “But What About the Deficit?” Social Security and Medicaid are earned benefits, not welfare. Americans pay into these programs their entire working lives. Cutting benefits won’t solve deficits but closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and taxing Wall Street trades would.

Public programs like Social Security and Medicaid represent what America looks like when it takes care of its own. Privatization is a cynical attempt to convert public solidarity into private profit, one budget line item at a time. If we allow that to happen, we won’t just lose these programs, we’ll also lose the social contract that binds us together. In the richest country in the world, no elder should live in poverty, and no child should go without healthcare. It’s time we stop apologizing for our public programs and start fighting like hell to protect and expand them.

NC & Climate Change

Written By Justin Dues

The Urgency of Action - The window is closing.

North Carolina is already warming and getting wetter in the worst ways: heavier downpours, stronger hurricanes, rising seas, and accelerating flood risk along both the coast and inland rivers. State and federal scientists project 10–14 inches of sea-level rise along the East Coast by 2050, with some NC tide gauges seeing ~0.4–0.5 m (16–20 in) by mid-century and ~1 m (39 in) by 2100, driving 10x growth in high-tide flooding days for places like Duck and Beaufort. Recent attribution work found Hurricane Helene’s rainfall was ~10% heavier because of climate change, and tropical-cyclone rain extremes are increasing. Analysis indicates ~1.4 million NC homes sit in zones that could face a “100-year” flood risk by 2050 as seas rise and storm surge rides on higher baselines.

North Carolina’s own science reports (NCCSR; NC DEQ) warn that heat, extreme rain, hurricanes, and sea level are the top threats. The state adopted power-sector carbon limits in 2021 (HB951), but lawmakers recently scrapped the 2030 interim target, slowing the glide path to net-zero. We can still lead the Southeast—if we lock in smart policy now.

Threat Levels: Now vs. 50 Years in the Future

Now: Extreme Weather with more frequent and severe hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and droughts. Sea Level Rise at coastal communities that are already facing erosion and increased flooding. Biodiversity Loss as species are becoming extinct at an alarming rate due to habitat destruction and changing climates. Heatwaves and poor air quality are already impacting health, particularly in vulnerable populations.

50 Years in the Future: Uninhabitable Regions of the world could become too hot for human habitation, leading to mass migrations. The cost of climate-related disasters could overwhelm economies, leading to financial instability. Food Insecurity as agricultural productivity could plummet due to changing weather patterns and water shortages. Biodiversity Collapse as entire ecosystems deteriorate, leading to irreversible damage to the planet’s biodiversity. The spread of diseases and heat-related illnesses could become rampant, straining global health systems.

The Plan to Address Climate Change

1. Transition to Renewable Energy: Governments and private sectors must ramp up investments in solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewable energy capacity needs to increase at least threefold by 2030 to stay on track for net-zero emissions by 2050. Implementing policies to phase out coal, oil, and gas use, such as carbon pricing, subsidies for clean energy, and stringent emissions regulations.

2. Enhance Energy Efficiency: Upgrade existing buildings to be more energy-efficient through better insulation, energy-efficient windows, and advanced heating and cooling systems. Improve energy efficiency in manufacturing and other industrial processes to reduce emissions and operational costs.

3. Protect and Restore Ecosystems: Large-scale tree planting initiatives to absorb CO2 and restore degraded lands. Enforce laws to protect endangered species and their habitats, ensuring the conservation of biodiversity hotspots.

4. Promote Sustainable Agriculture: Encourage practices that restore soil health, such as crop rotation, reduced tillage, and organic farming. Implement policies and technologies to reduce food waste across the supply chain, from production to consumption.

5. Innovate and Deploy Carbon Capture Technology: Invest in research for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Provide incentives for industries to adopt CCUS technologies, making it economically viable to reduce emissions.

6. Foster Global Cooperation: Strengthen international climate agreements like the Paris Agreement, ensuring all countries commit to ambitious emissions reduction targets. Increase financial support for developing countries to help them transition to sustainable energy and adapt to climate impacts.

Risks of Failing to Tackle Global Warming

The urgency to act on climate change cannot be overstated. Increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, food and water shortages, and health crises will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable populations. The economic cost of inaction is projected to be astronomical, with the World Bank estimating climate change could push an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030. The costs of inaction far outweigh the investments required to mitigate global warming. A comprehensive and realistic plan involving renewable energy, energy efficiency, ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, carbon capture technology, and global cooperation is essential. We must act now to protect our planet for current and future generations.

A 2 Party Stranglehold - A brief history of political lies.

Written By Justin Dues

The Damning Reality of America's Two-Party System

The United States' two-party system has long been hailed as a beacon of democratic stability, offering voters clear choices and fostering political competition. However, in the last 25 years this system has devolved into a cesspool of lies, virtue signaling, and power abuses. Both parties prioritize partisan warfare over the will of the people, leading Congress down a path of chaos and obstructionism that undermines the principles outlined in the Constitution. Both have demonized the opposition to maintain their base. This strategy is not only divisive but also erodes public trust in the political system.

Democrats: Often accuse Republicans of being anti-science, racist, and regressive, painting themselves as the sole protectors of progressivism and moral integrity. However, they are not immune to hypocrisy. For instance, many Democrats have been caught in scandals that contradict their public stances on issues like climate change, social justice, and economic inequality. The use of selective facts and hyperbolic rhetoric serves to rally their base while alienating moderate and conservative voters.

Republicans: Similarly, Republicans label Democrats as socialists, anti-American, and threats to freedom. They position themselves as defenders of traditional values and patriotism. Yet, their actions often contradict these claims, such as supporting policies that undermine democratic norms or fail to uphold fiscal conservatism. By playing to the fears and prejudices of their base, they ensure loyalty but at the cost of broader societal cohesion.

Congressional Power Abuse

Congress was intended by the Founding Fathers to be a cornerstone of democratic debate and compromise. Instead it has become a battleground for partisan supremacy. The abuse of power by both parties is evident in several ways: Filibustering and Legislative Stalemate: Both parties use filibusters not as a tool for genuine debate but as a means to obstruct legislation. This tactic, coupled with frequent government shutdowns, reflects a preference for partisan victory over governance. Gerrymandering: Both parties engage in gerrymandering to manipulate electoral boundaries for political gain, undermining the democratic principle of fair representation. This practice entrenches incumbents and reduces electoral competition, disenfranchising voters. Executive Overreach: Congress has increasingly ceded its powers to the executive branch, allowing presidents to bypass legislative gridlock through executive orders. This shift undermines the balance of power and checks and balances envisioned by the Constitution.

Determining which political party has been “most corrupt” over the past 25 years is complex, as corruption can manifest in various forms, from formal ethics violations to cases of influence peddling, nepotism, or misuse of funds. Transparency, prosecution of cases, and public perception also vary depending on who is in power, affecting how corruption is reported or perceived. Both parties have seen significant corruption cases over the past 25 years, but the higher number of indictments and ethics controversies in the Trump administration has shaped a recent public perception of greater Republican corruption. Nonetheless, structural factors like the power dynamics in different branches, political rivalry, and media focus mean that both parties have contributed to and experienced significant corruption, influenced by their respective ideologies and areas of influence (e.g., corporate or familial connections). The perception of which party is "most corrupt" may thus be as influenced by the partisan media and recent history as by actual cases or systemic issues.

The Consequences of Obstructionism & The Path Forward

The relentless pursuit of partisan advantage has dire consequences for the nation. Key issues such as healthcare, immigration, and climate change remain unresolved due to partisan deadlock. This paralysis prevents the implementation of policies that could benefit the majority of Americans. The constant infighting and lack of progress contribute to public cynicism and disengagement from the political process. Voter turnout remains low, and trust in government institutions is at an all-time low. Legislative inaction and uncertainty can harm the economy, discourage investment, and exacerbate social problems. Communities suffering from issues like poverty, addiction, and inadequate infrastructure are often left without meaningful support.

To honor the Constitution and the will of the people, the two-party system must undergo significant reform. This includes implementing measures like ranked-choice voting, open primaries, and independent redistricting commissions to reduce partisan manipulation and encourage moderate candidates. Limiting the influence of money in politics to ensure that elected officials are accountable to their constituents rather than special interests. Promoting civic education to foster an informed electorate capable of discerning truth from partisan propaganda. Creating incentives for bipartisan cooperation, such as reward structures for cross-party collaboration and the passage of bipartisan legislation. Meaningful reforms are necessary to restore faith in the democratic process and ensure that Congress works for the benefit of all Americans.

Is world peace possible?

Written By Justin Dues

It’s easy to scoff at world peace when the polarization within the U.S. political system has reached a critical point where the opposing party is often viewed as an enemy rather than a fellow citizen with different perspectives. This entrenched division undermines the very foundation of our democracy, which relies on respectful discourse and collaborative problem-solving. In reality, those on the other side of the political spectrum are our neighbors, colleagues, and family members. Recognizing our shared humanity and common goals is essential for healing the nation's fractured political landscape.

To move forward, we must prioritize compromise and embrace the concept of shared sacrifice. True progress can only be achieved when we are willing to listen, understand, and find middle ground. This does not mean abandoning core values, but rather seeking solutions that incorporate diverse viewpoints and address the needs of all citizens. Divided, we may manage to survive, but it is only by working together that we can truly thrive. By fostering a spirit of unity and cooperation, we can create a more inclusive, resilient, and prosperous society that reflects the best of American ideals.

First find compromise on the home front.

If we can find compromise and foster progress within the United States, we set a powerful example for the rest of the world. Our ability to overcome internal divisions and work collaboratively towards common goals demonstrates the strength and resilience of democratic governance. By prioritizing unity and shared sacrifice, we can show that diverse perspectives can coexist and even complement one another, leading to more effective and sustainable solutions to complex problems. This internal cohesion will not only enhance our domestic well-being but also bolster our standing as a global leader committed to peace and cooperation.

With a united front at home, the United States can then champion the principles of collaboration and mutual respect on the international stage. Our efforts to bridge divides and find common ground can inspire other nations to pursue similar paths, fostering a more interconnected and harmonious global community. By leading with empathy, diplomacy, and a commitment to shared prosperity, we can work collectively towards addressing global challenges such as climate change, economic inequality, and geopolitical conflicts. Together, we can create a world where cooperation and peace are not just aspirations but attainable realities, driven by the example we set in our own national reconciliation and progress.

Then move the world towards global peace.

Continuing to engage in war or conflict while expecting different outcomes epitomizes the very definition of insanity. History has shown us time and again that violence begets more violence, leaving in its wake devastation, loss, and long-lasting scars on societies and individuals. Despite these lessons, we repeatedly fall into the same patterns, hoping for peace through means that only perpetuate strife. It is time to acknowledge the futility of this cycle and recognize that true progress and stability can only be achieved through dialogue, understanding, and cooperative efforts.

We are the first generations in human history to possess the technology, information, and knowledge capable of charting a new, better path for humanity. The digital age has connected us in ways previously unimaginable, providing tools for communication and collaboration across borders. Advanced technologies and scientific breakthroughs offer solutions to global challenges that were once insurmountable. With this unprecedented access to information and innovation, we have the power to address the root causes of conflict such as poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation through peaceful and constructive means.

Now, more than ever, we must harness these capabilities to foster a world where cooperation replaces confrontation. By leveraging technology to build bridges rather than walls, and by using our collective knowledge to inform policy and diplomacy, we can create a global environment where peace and prosperity are attainable for all. Our generation has the unique opportunity to break free from the destructive cycles of the past and set a precedent for future generations. Let us embrace this responsibility and lead with the wisdom and compassion that our advancements afford us, ensuring that we leave behind a legacy of harmony and progress rather than one of continued conflict.

Remember, this is all an experiment…

Written By Justin Dues

Navigating Our Uncharted Journey: A Call for Humility and Openness

In the tapestry of human history, every generation faces its unique set of challenges and opportunities, moments that test our resilience, our capacity for hard work, and our commitment to one another. Today, as we navigate complexities that no other generation has faced, we find ourselves in the midst of an unparalleled experiment in shared human experience. This journey is not marked by the certainty of success, but by the shared pursuit of a better, more inclusive future.

The Grand Experiment of Our Time

The reality is that we are part of a grand experiment, one that no previous generation has lived through or could have fully imagined. The rapid pace of technological advancement, the global interconnectedness that defines our era, and the pressing environmental challenges are all unprecedented. In this context, the path to a positive and lasting impact on the future is not linear or guaranteed. It requires a collective willingness to embrace sacrifice, hard work, and, most importantly, a spirit of peace, love, and resilience.

Yet, as we tread this uncharted path, it is crucial to temper our optimism with a sense of humility. The acknowledgment that we do not have all the answers, that our understanding of happiness and fulfillment may evolve, invites a more nuanced approach to solving the world's problems. This journey demands that we remain open to learning, adapting, and considering other ways of pursuing happiness and well-being, both as individuals and as a global community.

Embracing Humility and Openness

In recognizing the enormity of the challenges we face, there's a profound opportunity to grow not just in our capabilities, but in our understanding of what it means to be human. This is a time for humility, for acknowledging that the diversity of human experience offers multiple paths to fulfillment and prosperity. By being open to differing viewpoints and ways of life, we can forge more inclusive societies that respect and celebrate our collective diversity.

Our greatest strength lies in our ability to come together, to share our experiences, knowledge, and dreams for the future. It is through this shared dialogue and cooperation that we can find innovative solutions to the challenges we face. The essence of our shared experiment lies in the understanding that progress is not predetermined nor uniformly defined. It is something we must actively shape with compassion, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to each other.

Looking Ahead with Cautious Optimism

As we move forward, let us do so with the knowledge that our brightest days may still lie ahead, but they are not assured by mere hope. They will be the result of our collective effort to engage with the world and each other in ways that are respectful, thoughtful, and driven by a desire to leave no one behind. The future we dream of — one marked by peace, sustainability, and equity — is within our reach, but it requires a conscious effort to embrace the complexities of our shared human experiment.

In this pivotal moment, let us commit to being humbler and more open-minded, recognizing that our individual and collective pursuits of happiness are part of a larger, evolving experiment. Together, we can navigate the uncertainties of our time with grace and forge a path that honors the depth and breadth of the human experience. This is our time to make a difference, to learn from each other, and to build a future that reflects our shared hopes and dreams.

— Justin Dues' campaign website (February 12, 2026)

Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

2024

Justin Dues completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dues' responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Grandson of dairy farmers.

Son of life-long welder and fabricator. Learned at a young age the value of a sound work ethic.

Joined the Marine Corps infantry in 2003 and spent the next decade seeing firsthand the challenges that face our shared human race. I like many others want to leave the planet in a better place than we found it, for our children and generations of others. I'll regret not trying everything possible to make a positive impact.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to make 'Gerrymandering' ILLEGAL across all 50 states which leads to improper representation.
• We need a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to create 'TERM LIMITS' that prevent career politicians.
• We are 1 human race, sharing 1 planet and 1 set of non-renewable resources - we need to evolve past the tribal us vs. them thinking and work together.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Revamping a broken public education system that is not teaching enough life skills to our youth, incorporating an optional 2-year public service option that unlocks secondary education benefits (akin to the GI Bill).

Moving healthcare to system that values outcomes over profit. No one should receive less/worse care because they're less fortunate. Healthcare should be universal.

Over-turn Citizens United which gives corporations an unlimited ability to pump dark money into our political system.

Evolving the global stance on war towards one of peace and problem solving.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty & Courage to do the right thing.

Leadership and humility.
Open-mindedness.

Trust of science.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Gerrymandering

Climate Change

Changes to workforce

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Desperately needed.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

100% required!

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Justin Dues campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. Senate North Carolina	On the Ballot primary	$0	N/A**
2024	U.S. House North Carolina District 8	Lost general	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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U.S. Senate North Carolina

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Footnotes

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North Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ted Budd (R)

Thom Tillis (R)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Davis (D)

District 2

Deborah Ross (D)

District 3

Gregory Murphy (R)

District 4

Valerie Foushee (D)

District 5

Virginia Foxx (R)

District 6

Addison McDowell (R)

District 7

David Rouzer (R)

District 8

Mark Harris (R)

District 9

Richard Hudson (R)

District 10

Pat Harrigan (R)

District 11

Chuck Edwards (R)

District 12

Alma Adams (D)

District 13

Brad Knott (R)

District 14

Timothy Moore (R)

Republican Party (12)

Democratic Party (4)