Inflation has far outstripped salaries over just the past few years, not to mention the past several decades. Jobs that used to allow a family to live comfortably now can’t even keep a single person living above the poverty level. Texas is currently the 11th poorest state in the country, and 1 in 5 children live at or below the poverty level in Texas. This is unconscionable.

Nobody should go bankrupt because they break a hip or get cancer. And the current system of having our jobs associated with our health insurance is both absurd and unique in the developed world. A single-payer health insurance system may seem out of reach, but Medicare and the VA do just that for millions and millions of Texans.

We can have a strong border while reforming our draconian and unwieldy immigration system. If good people want to live and work here legally, it shouldn’t take them decades to make that happen. America, and Texas in particular, was built by and for immigrants. This should be a point of pride, not shame.

It’s common knowledge that West Texas runs on oil and gas jobs. But that “common knowledge” is a misconception. Texas now has more green energy jobs than oil and gas combined.

This is a good thing, because we need these industries if Texas is to remain competitive as an energy producer. China has gone “all in” on all types of energy: coal, oil, gas, and nuclear, but also solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. Texas should do the same.

We cannot afford another Texas energy crisis.

A woman's right to choose had been settled law since 1973, but the radical right in Texas and the Supreme Court have rolled back almost 50 years of reproductive freedom in 2022. Most Americans do not want this. Abortion in Texas should be safe, legal, and rare.

Texas is home to NASA and SpaceX for crying out loud. I want to restore the funding that’s been cut from critical scientific and philanthropic programs. Texas in particular should be a leader in research to cure disease, fight hunger, and maintain local energy independence.

Artificial intelligence is here and it isn’t going away–but that doesn’t mean we have to accept whatever is thrown at us by a handful of techbro billionaires racing to cash in. It is possible to embrace scientific advances while still ensuring that they proceed in a responsible way that will do the least amount of harm to Americans. Sensible regulation is… well, it’s sensible.