Our sixths grade teachers tuned all the tv's to the news. The first major event that I recall vividly was 9/11, I was eleven years old. These examples are just some of the many ways in which we can incentivize characteristics, principles and, most importantly, actions that align public interest with the self-interest of politicians. Policies like term limits will remove the motivation that most politicians have to hold on to their seats permanently. Policies that promote transparency by allowing complex legislative language to be easily accessible to the average reader will make it harder for politicians to misdirect their constituents. Policies that promote voting, for example, by giving everyone who votes a $20 dollar check, would incentivize broad participation and thereby force politicians to appeal to all people and not just small, well-resourced communities. We just have to build a coalition that can make this happen.įull public financing of elections would make it impossible to rely on corporate money, lobbyist money, and special interest money to finance one’s campaign thereby removing the largest incentive for duplicity and double-dealing. We already have the tools and insight to create such an environment. I envision a world where even the most self-obsessed politicians will still do the right thing because it’s the right thing for their careers. Today’s politics rewards misdirection, duplicity, disregard for others, and worse! We need to build a world where truth telling, empathy, vulnerability, integrity, perseverance and other such characteristics and principles which lead to better policy outcomes are rewarded and not punished by the electorate. I want to help create political systems that will make this question irrelevant. We are building a movement with the long-term goal of shifting the political and policymaking outcomes in the Capital Region for years to come. Our vision is to build more than just a campaign. With this campaign, we hope to embody that same energy and use it to put an end to the inequity and injustice that have crept into our society and our urgent fight against climate change. We live in a special country where a socialist, a bartender and a nurse can become the biggest change makers of the past several decades. Whether I'm tending to our community garden, volunteering at Honest Weight Food Co-Op or attending a protest to shut down a polluting factory, the Capital Region is my home, my community, my people. I have found belonging in the Capital Region.
My path was filled with contradiction, diversity and a search for belonging. Note that the NAR Consumer Advertising Campaign special assessment of $35 is still considered a deductible expense.I'm an immigrant, a nonprofit immigration attorney and a very proud fiancé.īefore I came to the Capital Region after finishing my sophomore year of high school, I had already lived in Russia, Japan, Germany, Alabama and Tennessee. These figures should be communicated to your tax consultant.Ģ021 Estimated Non-Deductible Portions of Dues: The estimated portions allocated by the Richmond-, Virginia- and National REALTOR® Associations for lobbying on behalf of real estate interests are listed below. The Federal Budget Act of 1993 and Tax Act of 2018 eliminated tax deductions for portions of dues used for lobbying activities. Strategic Business, Innovation & Technology.Forms & Transaction Management Platform.$13 Dedicated for Operations and Programming: State and Local Issues Mobilization Fund – 75% of the increase is allocated to state and local services.Federal Issues Advocacy – 25% of the increase is allocated to federal advocacy.$17 Dedicated to REALTOR® Party Programming: