| EDUCATION
Public education has been the backbone of American society. We entrust teachers with our children on a daily basis, making them some of the most important people among us. I remember a time when Michigan had the best schools in the country and teachers were heroes.
We need effective teacher evaluations which will lead to great teaching skills not just label teachers. Teachers also need adequate resources and manageable class sizes to maximize their effectiveness in the classroom. Our students deserve a well rounded curriculum emphasizing science, math, social studies, the arts, and extracurricular opportunities. Our students also need fair, high quality testing and not be subjected to high stakes, punitive testing. Our schools themselves, the brick and mortar, need to be updated with the latest technologies and made safe. And these schools need to be staffed by consistent, qualified staffers and not outsourced by low wage outsiders. I support adequate funding which allows a fair and evenly balanced public school system all across Michigan, regardless of socio-economic circumstances. And I support increased funding for universal early childhood education and special education. Finally, I am opposed to ‘profitizing’ our education system through private charter and voucher schools. The resources going into for-profit education contractors should be going to support and improve our public education system.
FINANCIAL EMERGENCY MANAGER
The emergency manager law allows for the removal of duly elected officials, going against a basic American tenant - the vote. The Emergency Manager Law was voted down by the people by 53-47% of the electorate. Yet, the current legislature went against the voters and drafted another EM law, which was signed by Governor Snyder, which continues to remove duly elected officials from office. If that wasn’t bad enough, this bill was attached to an appropriations bill which keeps the people from ever being able to vote on it again. I will fight to repeal the Emergency Manager Law.
UNIONS
I believe unions are the backbone of good wages, benefits and safe working environments. There is a direct correlation between union membership and standard of living. The higher the membership in unions, the higher the standard of living. But, since 2010, unions are being demonized and their ability to function lessened through ‘Right-to-Work’ and other union busting measures. There has been wage stagnation over the past 30 years as a result of the systematic attack on unions and union membership. The right to bargain collectively, the right to petition and the right to assemble are obvious and necessary rights in a free society.
GUN RIGHTS
I believe in the Second Amendment and believe the Supreme Court ruling was correct; that individuals have the right to bear arms. I have been a gun owner since I was a kid, my first gun being a Daisy BB gun at the age of 8 then graduating to shotguns, rifles and handguns. I am currently a gun owner and I support the right to carry. I support enforcing the laws that are currently on the books. Any changes to the laws must be accompanied by funding for mental health programs.
MINIMUM WAGE
It’s unacceptable to me that a person working 40 hours a week or more, still may live in poverty. The minimum wage has not kept up with the cost of living. Increasing the minimum wage puts money directly into the economy, since those wages will be used for products and services needed. If you are a person who is against welfare and food stamps, you should support increasing the minimum wage, since this will reduce the number of people on assistance.
I also believe the minimum wage needs to be adjusted by a cost of living increase. The cost of goods, food, gas, utilities have skyrocketed while wages have stagnated.
HEALTH CARE
I believe health care is a right, not a privilege. High cost health care, spiraling out of control threatens our economy. Gone are the days when a person loses their home due to an illness or injury. No longer can a person be denied health insurance due to a pre-existing condition. Workers are now able to find better jobs without the worry of losing existing health care. Today a person will not lose their insurance because of an illness. I have signed up and now have health insurance for the first time in 15 years with a quality, cost saving policy.
ABORTION
I am committed to reducing abortions as much as possible. We can do that through education. Both abstinence and age appropriate sex education must be used and both empower young adults to make the right choices. In states where abstinence education only is used, there is an increase in teen pregnancies. Another way we can reduce abortions is through the availability of contraception and pregnancy prevention programs. In 2006, Michigan spent $5 million dollars on family planning and contraception access. In 2003 it was $690,000. Neither sex education nor access to contraception makes people more promiscuous, it makes people educated and responsible. Finally, unfortunately not all pregnancies are medically viable and the woman must have access to essential services. I believe women have a right to life too.
WOMEN’S ISSUES
This legislature has put a wedge between a woman and her doctor. Women must have the right to control their own health care choices. Being a woman is not a pre-existing condition and pregnancy is a two party endeavor. We must continue to fund family planning centers to continue to provide cancer screenings, annual exams, prenatal care and pregnancy prevention programs. Women should not be required to buy a separate insurance policy for cases of incest, rape or miscarriage. Both genders have unique health care issues, and both need to be treated equally under the law. Also, a woman must receive equal pay for equal work, now they receive 70 cents on the dollar..
FRACKING
I said it once in my debate in 2012 and I’ll say it again—NO FRACKING WAY!! I believe fracking has the potential to be the worst environmental disaster we have ever seen. Our Great Lakes, inland lakes, inland waterways and aquifers are Michigan’s most valuable resource. Michigan sits in the middle of the world’s largest fresh water supply and we cannot bear such risk for so little reward. I am not convinced fracking is safe and am also not convinced the Department of Environmental Quality will be properly funded or staffed to oversee fracking operations. The people and our environment bear the risk while a few wealthy corporations reap all the rewards. Fracking cannot be made safe and many of those who support fracking are also the people who want to deregulate this industry. Therefore, fracking will not be properly regulated. It’s time to move away from fossil fuels and put our research dollars and political will into sustainable, safe, energy sources.
ROADS
Michigan used to have the best roads in the country. The condition of Michigan roads are the worst I have ever seen. And the few dollars this legislature has provided doesn’t even scratch the surface of road repair. Michigan roads are underfunded by $1 Billion annually and are deteriorating at $3 Million daily. We are losing asset value and need to act quickly. We need to fund our county road commissions so they can do their job. Good roads are one of the best ways to attract businesses to our state. And it’s time we develop a comprehensive infrastructure plan to fix our roads, highways and bridges. Let’s look at where the funds intended for roads are actually going. Then let’s look into restructuring the appropriations to move more funds toward road reconstruction and repair.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
In 2008, voters of Michigan voted 63% to legalize medical marijuana in Michigan. I support that law and we need to protect those legally providing and using medical marijuana.
RIGHT TO FARM
Right to Farm is an act which allows certain types of farming operations without the worry of law suits, as long as those farmers engage in certain practices set forth by the State. I support the ‘Right to Farm’ act because it protects our farmers from nuisance law suits.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is one of Michigan’s biggest industries and we must do everything to give our farmers the tools they need to grow and harvest their crops and get them to market. We need to improve our roads and infrastructure so farmers can better move their machinery. I want a ‘Buy Michigan Produce’ program to promote locally grown food. I would like to see family and hobby farms get many of the same protections and incentives that large corporate farms receive. Let’s expand farms markets and urban farming. And let’s protect our soil and water. One of my biggest fears is a leak in an oil pipeline or a fracking well which contaminates an aquifer. Imagine being a farmer who can no longer irrigate crops due to contamination of ground water. We must be diligent to avoid such a calamity.
PENSION TAX
This legislature has placed a tax on pensions while giving tax breaks to large corporations. I believe you have earned your pensions and the State does not have a right to tax them. I will lead the fight to repeal the tax on pensions.
IMMIGRATION
I believe it’s time we bring our undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, teach them English, get them paying taxes and get them on a path to citizenship all the while keeping families together. We can do this while strengthening our borders and developing a more streamlined system toward citizenship.
I support removing incentives for corporations to hire undocumented immigrants and punish those that do.
VOTING RIGHTS
I want to expand voting rights, making it easier to vote. We should encourage our citizens to participate in the voting process, not discourage them. It is appalling to me we send our military men and women overseas to establish voting rights in foreign countries but, here at home we have people disenfranchising voters by closing voting locations and putting out misinformation on what is required to cast a ballot. Let’s expand the absentee voter opportunities and encourage our children to vote by teaching civics responsibilities in school.
VETERANS
I often hear veterans say they are not being heard. We need to fund programs to help our returning veterans assimilate to civilian life, overcome PTSD and provide proper medical and rehabilitation treatment. And let’s offer educational, housing and jobs programs to all veterans. They have sacrificed and it’s our turn to sacrifice the dollars it takes to fund these programs. I supported the recent tax exemptions for disabled veterans and would support further tax exemptions for veterans.[2][3]
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Aaron Miller 
