May 5, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on MAKE ELECTION DAY A HOLIDAY

Everyone eligible to vote on election day should be free to do so. However, too many Americans are unable to take time off from work, as they’re living paycheck-to-paycheck or are hourly workers who can’t lose the time.

Election Day should be a federal holiday, but that doesn’t go far enough, as it doesn’t ensure economic motivations won’t keep people from voting. On top of making that day a holiday, we need to implement tax breaks for companies that pay their workers for the time taken off to vote.

"Election Day is a holiday in many other countries. It should be in the US, as well. It would increase turnout and make it easier for people to vote, particularly those who otherwise might struggle to take the time away from work."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/election-day-holiday/

May 5, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on MAKE ELECTION DAY A HOLIDAY

Everyone eligible to vote on election day should be free to do so. However, too many Americans are unable to take time off from work, as they’re living paycheck-to-paycheck or are hourly workers who can’t lose the time.

Election Day should be a federal holiday, but that doesn’t go far enough, as it doesn’t ensure economic motivations won’t keep people from voting. On top of making that day a holiday, we need to implement tax breaks for companies that pay their workers for the time taken off to vote.

"Election Day is a holiday in many other countries. It should be in the US, as well. It would increase turnout and make it easier for people to vote, particularly those who otherwise might struggle to take the time away from work."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/election-day-holiday/

May 5, 2019

Senate passes bill limiting local CAFO rules

A controversial attempt to stop counties from regulating large animal operations was approved last week in the Missouri Senate.

The bill, proposed by Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, would establish a statewide policy for regulating confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, and roll back the regulations that have already been passed in 20 counties, including Cooper, Howard and Pettis counties.

The 23-11 vote to send the bill to the Missouri House fell largely along party lines, with Sen. Mike Cierpiot, R-Jackson County, the only Republican to join the Senate’s ten Democrats in opposition. Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, voted in favor of the bill.

https://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20190504/senate-passes-bill-limiting-local-cafo-rules

May 5, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on THE PENNY MAKES NO CENTS

Nobody likes pennies. They aren’t valuable enough to buy anything. They sit at the bottom of your pocket or purse, taking up space until you begrudgingly throw them in a change jar. And whenever you’re in a rush, the person ahead of you in line pulls out some change and starts slowly counting out the pennies.

Seriously, though, there are many downsides to the penny:

They’re expensive. It costs more to make a penny than it’s worth, costing US taxpayers about $70m a year. And most of the zinc that goes into them comes from China, adding over $2m to the trade deficit.

Mining the zinc and copper needed to make pennies is bad for the environment.

Counting out pennies at businesses adds up to almost 50m hours each year.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/no-pennies/

May 5, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on THE PENNY MAKES NO CENTS

Nobody likes pennies. They aren’t valuable enough to buy anything. They sit at the bottom of your pocket or purse, taking up space until you begrudgingly throw them in a change jar. And whenever you’re in a rush, the person ahead of you in line pulls out some change and starts slowly counting out the pennies.

Seriously, though, there are many downsides to the penny:

They’re expensive. It costs more to make a penny than it’s worth, costing US taxpayers about $70m a year. And most of the zinc that goes into them comes from China, adding over $2m to the trade deficit.

Mining the zinc and copper needed to make pennies is bad for the environment.

Counting out pennies at businesses adds up to almost 50m hours each year.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/no-pennies/

May 5, 2019

Columbia woman caught in federal child porn case

A Columbia woman arrested on federal child pornography charges should be held without bond as a flight risk and danger to children, prosecutors argued in a motion filed Thursday.

Brittany Bailey, 29, was arrested on a federal warrant signed Monday in Washington, D.C., charging her with being a part of a national ring of people who shared child pornography and graphic descriptions of child rape in an online chat service.

“The Government submits that there is clear and convincing evidence that there are no conditions which the court could place on the defendant’s release which would reasonably assure her future appearance in court and the safety of the community,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner wrote in the motion filed in the Western District of Missouri.

A detention hearing for Bailey is set for Tuesday in Jefferson City.

https://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20190502/columbia-woman-caught-in-federal-child-porn-case

May 5, 2019

Illinois Senate Approves Graduated Income Tax

The Illinois Senate is moving the state closer to a major overhaul of its tax system.

Senate Democrats approved a constitutional amendment that would change Illinois’ flat income tax to one that’s graduated — where the wealthy pay more.

Republicans argue the current system protects the middle class. But Democrats — like state Sen. Don Harmon, from Oak Park — say that’s not true.

“If you’re saying the flat tax is a good idea, you are protecting the uber-rich, not the middle class,” Harmon said. “Because we can’t raise taxes on anyone without raising taxes on everyone, and that’s a protection for the richest among us.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/illinois-senate-approves-graduated-income-tax

May 4, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on QUANTUM COMPUTING AND ENCRYPTION STANDARDS

Our current AES-based encryption standards are very secure from attacks using transistor-based computers that store information in bits. It would take an inordinate amount of time to break that encryption.

However, quantum computers, using qubits, will theoretically be able to perform the calculations necessary to break our current encryptions standards in under a day. When that happens, all of our encrypted data will be vulnerable. That means our businesses, communications channels, and banking and national security systems may be accessible.

Other nations are investing heavily in quantum computing technology while simultaneously using their signal intelligence capabilities to collect and store as much encrypted data as possible. While it’s useless to them now, it will become invaluable once they create a functioning quantum computer at a certain power level. Some estimates put the timeline for this at a decade or less.

In short, this is a problem that has to be fixed now. Two things must be done.

First, and immediately, we need to invest in and develop new encryption standards and systems, and immediately shift to using these quantum computing-resistant standards to protect our most sensitive data. This won’t be easy or cheap, but it is necessary.

Second, we must heavily invest in quantum computing technology so that we develop our own systems ahead of our geopolitical rivals.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/quantum-computing/

May 4, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on QUANTUM COMPUTING AND ENCRYPTION STANDARDS

Our current AES-based encryption standards are very secure from attacks using transistor-based computers that store information in bits. It would take an inordinate amount of time to break that encryption.

However, quantum computers, using qubits, will theoretically be able to perform the calculations necessary to break our current encryptions standards in under a day. When that happens, all of our encrypted data will be vulnerable. That means our businesses, communications channels, and banking and national security systems may be accessible.

Other nations are investing heavily in quantum computing technology while simultaneously using their signal intelligence capabilities to collect and store as much encrypted data as possible. While it’s useless to them now, it will become invaluable once they create a functioning quantum computer at a certain power level. Some estimates put the timeline for this at a decade or less.

In short, this is a problem that has to be fixed now. Two things must be done.

First, and immediately, we need to invest in and develop new encryption standards and systems, and immediately shift to using these quantum computing-resistant standards to protect our most sensitive data. This won’t be easy or cheap, but it is necessary.

Second, we must heavily invest in quantum computing technology so that we develop our own systems ahead of our geopolitical rivals.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/quantum-computing/

May 4, 2019

Brentwood Cop Sent 90 Videos to Woman in Epic Sexting Session While on Duty

A veteran Brentwood cop spent an entire night on duty last year sending a woman videos describing the public locations he'd eyeballed for potential bangin' — and it got him in serious trouble with his bosses.

The details were revealed in a story last night by KSDK investigative reporter Jacob Long, who managed to obtain both the videos and the corresponding call logs for October 20, 2018.

That night, Brentwood Police Corporal Dan Retzlaff responded to eight calls, including a domestic disturbance and a DWI arrest. But over the course of his twelve-hour shift, he reportedly sent 90 videos to a woman he'd been flirting with through the video messaging app Marco Polo.

n them, he delivers lines about the throes of public passion so dispassionately, it's almost as if he's reading a police manual, or maybe even a cereal box.

https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2019/05/03/brentwood-cop-sent-90-videos-to-woman-in-epic-sexting-session-while-on-duty