Policy for Oregon based on values and value.
I'm Julian Bell.
I grew up in a family that values hard work and perseverance. I got my first job at the age of 16 and I have been working ever since. I worked as a dishwasher and a line cook all the way through University. I graduated with honors and was accepted to medical school. But I was only able to go to medical school because a bank loaned me money for the tuition. They earned interest on the investment. The investment took me from a minimum wage job to the middle class. And we got a new doctor. Win, win, win. That's value.
Today I manage a team that includes nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, case managers, other doctors, Republicans and Democrats. We are all focused on one goal - making our patients better. Together we develop a plan, assemble our resources and see the plan through to the end.
But there are bigger issues in our state and in the world besides health issues. We live in difficult times. Economic opportunity is hard to find. People cannot pay the rent. People are working two jobs and not getting by. We can't pay our teachers. Health care costs are bankrupting people - and this doesn't happen in any other western country. We can see that our climate is changing and that the basis of our economy - the fossil fuels we use - are the cause of it. But at the moment there isn't any real alternative. For many people the future looks bleak. This is why I am running for office
These problems can be fixed, but they cannot fixed by raising taxes or making more cuts to public services. We need a new plan that works for all of us. And we need to assemble our resources and see the plan all the way through to the end.
Luckily there is such a plan. To make these goals a reality, we need to invest in Oregon and Oregonians. The most affordable and direct way to do this is by creating and making use of a publicly owned bank. With a public bank, we can leverage our tax revenue in the same way that a commercial bank would. With this capital we can invest in affordable housing and clean energy, create living wage jobs and build our economy. These are profitable projects and will generate revenue that can be put back into our state, to pay for our education system or other services that are hanging by a thread.
A public bank isn't a new idea. North Dakota, China and Brazil have publicly owned banks that invest in critical infrastructure. This infrastructure builds their economies. It is a well tested idea that works. In all of these places the bank has been a strong force in growing the economy and creating real jobs for ordinary people. And backing up local banks.
Besides for this we also need a single payer no-opt-out health insurance system. This will make health care less expensive for everyone. There isn't any other way to control health care costs. And I mean the cost of health care for wealthy people as well as the rest of us. This is how insurance works. It's how the health care system of Canada, Germany, England, Japan, France, Spain, Australia, Taiwan, Italy and almost all modern capitalist democracies work.
We should do these things because building affordable housing, providing universal health insurance, paying our teachers and getting rid of fossil fuels are the right things to do. But none of these ideas are going to get off the ground if there isn't a sound financial plan to make them work. To get to the brighter future that you want - and that I want for us and our state - we need a great plan. That's what I'm offering.
Julian Bell MD
If you would like to contribute to the campaign, please write a check to or click below:
"Friends of Julian Bell"
c/o Tammy Lewis at C & E Systems
PO Box 42307
Portland, Oregon 97242
Thank You