Weekly Update 8/17

What we did

We had an exciting week, with catching canvassing in between everything we could!

On Tuesday, we met with the Young Professionals of Fort Dodge, a group for folks in their 20s to 40s. It's not just business owners, it includes scientists at Elanco, teachers, engineers, and more. It's a great way to build community, and your employer might already sponsor your membership. Otherwise, it's only $25/year. (This past Tuesday, everyone brought their kids and had unlimited pizza and arcade games at Fort Frenzy!)

On Saturday, we had Karaoke with the Candidates – and it was a blast! Candidates only got to speak if they sang. River Hops Brewing was a great host, and it's good to have fun even while working hard on the campaign trail. Thank you to everyone who came!

The Issues - Economic Justice (The Wealth Gap)

We recently had a trillionaire – though it was short-lived. But did you know the average CEO of an S&P 500 company now makes 312 times what their average worker makes?

It's even worse when you look at private companies. One of the world's biggest, with multiple locations in Iowa – including one here in our district – pays most workers around $20/hour, while the CEO is estimated to make over $200 million a year from the company.

The Problem

Corporations bring jobs to our communities, but we have to look at their overall impact. Too often, we see the same pattern: billion‑dollar companies move in to do one thing – extract.

We see names like Walmart, Cargill, and Koch slapped onto local causes, but we forget to ask why those causes need help in the first place.

In the 1900s, the wealthiest groups built libraries and schools to give back – to show why they were worth keeping around. They also paid higher wages and taxes, often with a ratio closer to 20:1. Over time, that gap grew. Less revenue goes back into our communities.

In 1959, the poverty rate was 22.4%. Today, the ALICE rate – which includes both poverty and working families who can't meet basic needs has climbed to 41%.

We see it in our schools too, as they once again qualify for free breakfast and lunch based on family income. We should be asking why this is happening, not just celebrating the aid. Every school should have this program anyway. Hungry kids don't learn.

The Solution

Every worker deserves the freedom to live with dignity. That means we need to regulate corporate greed.

If elected, I will fight to:
* Raise wages to a living wage
* Restore workers' rights
* Tax wealth
* Expand workplace democracy

We tax our homes, and the mortgages on them, this is whether we sell them or not. It's past time we did the same to the oligarchs in our communities. They hide their wealth in the stock market and take loans against it to dodge paying their fair share.

We also watch companies like Tyson close plants, just last week, one closed by Cedar Rapids, putting hundreds of Iowa families out of work. These companies boast record profits, then turn around and put Iowans on the street.

We need to invest in ourselves. Give workers a path to buy the company abandoning the communities and keep it running. Programs that support co‑ops lead to longer retention, better products, and true corporate citizenship – because the owners aren't some out‑of‑state entity.

Where We’re Going
* New campaign cards come this week
* Knocking more doors in Fort Dodge

Noteworthy Posts
* Link to Facebook of Karaoke event and photos - here (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HRB8UpgST/)
* Link Facebook on addressing our prisons over capacity - here (https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18SxvdDd5J/)

Donate (https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kris.w.august)

We again are rejecting all Corporate PAC money, so we really rely on, and are extremely grateful for, your support. We’ll spend your donations on ways to expand our reach to as many voters as possible, including:
* Postcards and other mailers and postage
* Hand‑out cards for doors/events
* Text messaging campaigns
* Transportation costs for events and door-knocking
* Campaign website costs
* Radio ads, social media ads, and (hopefully) TV ads
* Our campaign manager

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kris-williams-1
Finally, if you have anyone else in mind who would like to be added to our email list or who would be interested in volunteering, let us know at kriswilliamsforiowa@gmail.com (mailto:kriswilliamsforiowa@gmail.com) !

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