U.S. Senate candidate profile: Kerry Eddy

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Kerry Eddy is facing fellow Legal Marijuana NOW candidate Kenneth Peterson in the Nebraska Primary Election for a six-year term in the U.S. Senate. The winner will face a Republican challenger, either incumbent Deb Fischer or Arron Kowalski, in the general election in November.

We sent questionnaires to each candidate in the race. Responses from candidates are posted verbatim and not edited for spelling, grammar, or content.

Kerry Eddy

Political Party: Legal Marijuana NOW

Seeking 6 year term

1. Please provide a brief overview of your background and what drives you to seek this office.

I am a Nebraska Air National Guard veteran (1992-1999), artist, musician, licensed pilot, and cancer survivor; currently pursuing a graduate degree while working full-time.

• The preservation of our environment - we must understand our position not as inhabitants and architects of our environment, but as integral components of it. We have far too many corporate interests chipping away at environmental protections; from destructive manufacturing processes, unsafe mining, and large-scale ag operations to rampant real estate developments and urban sprawl.

•The growing wealth-gap. We must address why a person working full-time, above minimum wage, with insurance benefits cannot afford basic housing.

• Access to affordable heath care. We need meaningful reforms for hard-working Americans who are one medical emergency away from endless crippling debt, homelessness or disability.

• Racial equity/anti-racism. Dismantling systems that perpetuate inequity is still very much needed. We need the advice of experts to drive these efforts - social scientists, cultural anthropologists, psychologists etc. - and not obscenely wealthy white men whose wealth is tied to maintaining existing systems, or others with a financial interests deeply embedded in a divided nation.

• Bodily autonomy for all. We must have access to safe, legal abortion, fertility and reproductive health, and birth control to give women complete control over their own bodies, lives, and the health and safety of their families. We must allow people to make decisions that are best for them and their families regardless of others’ opinions on gender, sexuality and gender/sexuality expression.

• Meaningful reforms on access to firearms and the type of firearms one is allowed to legally possess.

• Protecting public education, updating public education infrastructure, and meaningful reforms that improve teacher pay, and sustain American education as a critical component of democracy and the cornerstone of the continued success and prosperity of all American citizens.

• The important and continued preservation of the wall of separation of church and state.

2. What would be your top three priorities if (re)elected?

• Updating our Healthcare systems to benefit the citizens (as it should be) and not the CEOs and COOs of the (medical/pharmaceutical/insurance) industry as a whole. There are many facets of our system that perpetuate inequity and punish citizens for circumstances over which they have no control. We simply must change these systems.

• Protections for our environment

• Education

3. How do you plan to advocate for federal support for Nebraska’s agriculture industry?

We must protect the interests of Nebraska’s true ‘family farms’ and examine the devastating effects of the corporate take-over of our agricultural legacy. We need to work within the agricultural communities to understand the issues that affect our rural communities. We must find ways to modernize production without compromising the health of our environment and Nebraskans. We don’t want corporate influence to dictate the future of hard-working Nebraskan’s in the farming industry. We trust our Nebraska ag producers to be the stewards and protectors of Nebraska land.

4. What strategies do you propose to enhance the economy?

We need our citizens to understand ‘the economy’ first and foremost. We need the involvement of all stake-holders - which is to say every American.

Easing the financial burdens of the working class by taxing the millionaire/billionaire class is the first step. There are far more struggling working class people in this country than there are uber-rich. Every single middle-class, average American is closer to becoming penniless and unhoused than they are to becoming a millionaire and we need to be reminded of that fact.

Ending incentives to keep producing crops that use unsustainable practices

Incentivizing innovation and research into more sustainable agricultural practices, and energy production

Legalizing and regulating marijuana for recreational use and using tax revenues from those sales will also enhance economic stability as well as ease the burden on our legal system, and overflowing jails.

5. What reforms need to be made to border security and immigration, if any? How do these issues directly impact Nebraskans?

Many Nebraska industries depend on the work of immigrants - as do many other states across the country. Pundits and politicians throw around the phrase “secure our borders”. But I don’t hear many well-researched solutions for addressing an increasing number of immigrants through our borders. Closing borders, and deportation is neither useful or sustainable. I fully believe we must research and understand all the factors driving this increase, and seek meaningful solutions within those countries from which they are coming; we will not lessen the numbers crossing, nor will we alleviate the stresses on border towns and resources required to process and temporarily house large numbers of immigrants until we strengthen relations across our borders.

6. What is your stance on U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza? Do you support funding for these conflicts or sanctions against Russia?

The US must aid our allies in the fight against authoritarianism, fascism and totalitarianism both at home and abroad. Sanctions against those countries which threaten democratic processes and the free exchange of goods, and ideas should be enforced. Additionally, sanctions against countries that appear neutral in the face of such ideologies, or continue to engage with those countries should also be sanctioned.

7. How would you balance being mindful of taxpayer spending and also providing critical services like infrastructure, social security and more to Nebraskans?

First, let’s differentiate between already earned benefits (social security) and taxpayer money. Social Security is a system intended to provide for the material needs of individuals and families; aged and disabled persons against the expenses of illnesses that may otherwise use up their savings.

We need to tax the crap out of multi-million dollar properties. People earning less than $100,000 should not be taxed, corporations should not be exempt from paying taxes period. We need to shift the majority of the tax burden from the lower and middle class and enable every working-class American to become a home-owner. A person making $20/hr should be able to afford housing; currently that is not possible in America in most states.

8. Many Americans are frustrated and distrustful of our leadership in Washington. How can you work to help rebuild trust between Government and the American people?

Let’s get money out of politics and out of campaigns. Some of my opponents have millions of dollars from corporate donors, or in business assets, financial holdings and personal wealth. I find it difficult to believe that there is no conflict of interest in enacting legislation that would directly benefit one’s own business, or a family or friend’s business. In a perfect world there would be a system where candidates must not exceed a maximum income threshold, have no financial or business holdings that could be enhanced or increased due to knowledge of or involvement in enacting legislation that would benefit those businesses, or inflate financial holdings. Those who violate the public trust should be held accountable and barred from holding public office. We need representation for vulnerable populations and a better, more transparent system that average American’s can understand without studying political science, constitutional law, or economics.

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