Ann Danimus

Eastern Washington’s family-owned farms need a voice in Washington DC. As a young girl, Ann Marie spent summers and vacations working on her aunt & uncle’s farm and she lived in rural Oklahoma a few years as a teen. She has seen the challenges small farms face firsthand. Ann Marie is dedicated to listening to the people who feed Eastern Washington to create innovative solutions that increase access to resources for small farms and cut through Bureaucratic Red Tape to ensure that family-owned businesses have equal access to support.

We must eliminate redundancy and the multi-agency obstacle course for compliance in both the farming and forestry industries and streamline the process. Not only does this feed the local economy, it increases food quality and cuts a path to be truly farm-to-table. Ann Marie is gathering a group of local agricultural advisers as she drafts her Small Farm Protection Act.

 

BRINGING BUSINESS BACK.

The American economy has failed to provide acceptable growth and living standards for most households. The obstacles to the “American Dream” have increased for working class and middle class Americans so much we are seeing financial disparity like never before. And attached to disparity; we see despair. Since the 1980s, economic policy has served the wealthiest Americans and those with political power. Recent decisions like Citizen’s United serve only to reenforce that gap, leaving many Americans cutting coupons to survive and unable to pay rent after a 40-hour work week. As the rich get richer, those who serve their interests get elected to office time and time again.

We live in an oligarchy created by this bad economic policy and those in power are using every scare tactic in the book to hold onto this unbalanced power. Even the subsidies paid for by our tax dollars go to those who are in the upper echelons of business instead of those who need it.

We don’t have to become socialist to fix it. We need to go back to a tax system similar to what we had before that serves everyday Americans, promotes growth and does not reward unchecked greed and power.

Education is a building block for success in life. This is an area we’re finding is more of a necessity for us to compete in the world market, and expand opportunities for Americans.

• Expand pre-schools with government funding for free access.

• Create or fund more after-school programs. Especially for children of working parents to reduce babysitting costs.

• Reverse the 1997 decision to privatize loans.

• School loans are interest free.

All interest and late fees should be reversed with FULL credit on money paid against the principal.

• Undergrad education is subsidized up to $30,000. Or loans reduced to that amount.

Any refunds are applied as a tax credit amortized over 5 years.

Includes anyone who has paid off loans originated after 1990. Cap on tax refunds up to $20,000 for undergrad and $50,000 for advanced degrees. INTEREST ONLY.

Cap on monthly payments of $199.

Immediate discharge if you are permanently disabled.

Expanded ability to include in bankruptcy with a priority for those with medical debt.

Additional reductions available by application for illness, military service, non profit work, etc…

Eliminate block on loans to children of wealthy parents who will not pay for schooling.

Make associate degrees fully subsidized as well as a variety of certificates and trade schools.

Free college to those eager to work in high demand areas like nursing.

Look to expand additional free college options in the future, but expand better funding should be provided on a Federal level to lower costs across the board for higher education.

Eastern Washington is rich in natural beauty. From golden hills, to lakes, to forests, we live in an area that has something for everyone. Human beings have lived off of the land since the beginning of time. Our resources are limited and we need to make sure that they are properly managed and diversified for our benefit, our survival, our safety as well as the sustainability and health of our only planet.

That’s why we need to protect our environment and preserve the balance of our ecosystems. Ann Marie is committed to finding solutions that foster investment in our communities, as well as protect our precious natural resources and keep Eastern Washington safe and healthy for future generations.

As a double transplant recipient, health care is more than just policy to Ann Marie; it’s a matter of life and death. She believes that healthcare is a human right that should not have a profit motive and she will fight until every American is covered. In addition, it costs us less. This is the foundation upon we reach towards our nation’s guiding principles- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Ann Marie is a firm believer that abortion is healthcare and women should have complete bodily autonomy. This includes access to the healthcare resources they need for reproductive care. Washington State has set an excellent precedent for viability and Ann Marie would like to see this set as a National standard.

Having lived in a area with a large retirement community for several years and returning home to care for her 80 year-old mother, Ann Marie has a tremendous amount of awareness of the issues elderly Americans face. Protecting private retirements plans, Social Security, Medicare and providing better coverage financially for healthcare as well as affordable assisted living facilities or home care providers are paramount to protecting mature Americans.

Ann Marie is dedicated to making the Golden Years of the American life less of a struggle. Our elders helped to shape and protect us and they deserve dignity and respect in their later years.

US Veterans have long upheld the proud tradition of “Leave No Man Behind”. We, as Americans, need to stop leaving those who have served behind the second their feet touch American soil. It’s time we put our money where our mouths are when we say, “Thank you for your service!”

The current policy is not enough.  We often forget to calculate the true cost of war, and tragically our veterans end up paying the price. Beyond the numbers for suicide, there are physical injuries and injuries that cannot be seen. Conditions like PTSD, anxiety and depression can lead to high rates of alcoholism and other substance abuse issues. The rates of homelessness, divorce and domestic violence are also higher than average for vets.

Ann Marie is working with an advisory board of mental health practitioners, abuse counselors and speaking to military personnel to draft a new bill she is calling Leave No One Behind which will provide exit programs for service members before they are discharged. We cannot expect soldiers who have come home in pain to find services on their own or insult their sacrifice by handing them a pamphlet. Our mission is to protect them as they have protected us.