I’m running for Congress because our country is threatened by an economic crisis that was caused by Wall Street.

We don’t just have stagnation or a slow recovery. We are locked in an economic depression. The American standard of living has declined by two-thirds since 1970. Neither party in Washington has solutions and they are gridlocked over wedge issues.

To top it off, the Supreme Court led by the RATS cabal (Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalia) hasn’t made it any easier with recent decisions in Citizens United, the Hobby Lobby ruling and the denial of voting rights cases.

America can do so much better. My program, “The Next New Deal,” offers the leadership and ideas both parties need to restore the traditional high living standards that make America great, and the 30 million new, high-wage, productive jobs needed to make the American Dream possible for all.

The Next New Deal is nothing more or less than the fulfillment of FDR’s vision, fueled by the one-two economic punch of a 1-percent Wall Street sales tax and the deprivatization of the Federal Reserve.

The Next New Deal will force our Federal Reserve System – as our Constitution demands – to finance the needs of the American people. We must start with a $5 trillion credit facility to rebuild our crumbling public infrastructure – roads, hospitals, schools, power, water and more – across the board and coast to coast.

This will give America the demand we need now for good jobs, and the basis for sustained economic growth in the 21st century.

We will make the Federal Reserve act like a national bank, offering credit at low- or no interest, and over long maturities for activities supporting our general welfare.

In addition to our infrastructure, we must provide 0-percent refinancing to reduce the crushing burden of $1.3 trillion in high-interest student loans.

Is your home underwater or in foreclosure? How about a 0-percent interest federal loan to keep you in your home? I will fight for it! We will force the Fed to cough up 0-percent financing over 100 years to repair and rebuild the infrastructure destroyed in our district by the recent earthquake.

My opponent Mike Thompson and California Gov. Jerry Brown don’t know how to finance the superhighways, fast rail, modern power systems, water projects, canal and port improvements, hospitals, schools and other infrastructure we desperately need. I do, and I will fight for the credit to make all these things possible.

Financing at close to 0 percent will also be available for any productive business, from the largest firms down to local restaurants, repair shops and drycleaners. They all get 0 percent because they produce real wealth, unlike Wall Street’s zombie banks and hedge funds who steal the wealth we produce.

By lowering the cost of capital for business to almost 0 percent, we will empower these companies to pay a living wage, with a pay floor of $15 per hour for all workers.

With a public credit facility to finance our needs, we also need to rein in Wall Street and the financial sector.

Thanks to a 1 percent Wall Street sales tax on the many trillions of stocks, bonds and derivatives sold each year on Wall Street, we will not only reduce dangerous speculation in our economy; we will roll back all austerity measures at the federal and state level.

Through revenue sharing from The U.S. Treasury to states and localities, this means no more “sequestration,” no more tax increases for businesses or households in California. We will shift the tax burden from your back to the Wall Street banks and hedge funds who crashed our economy.

A 1-percent Wall Street sales tax will allow us to maintain vital social services. With Wall Street finally paying its “fair share” we can offer all persons Medicare for All at a premium of $100 per person per month, with free coverage for those who cannot pay.

By taxing Wall Street transactions, we will put an end to the current subsidy granted to flash traders and high frequency traders, and tilt the playing field back in favor of tangible physical production. We can then begin tax reform from the bottom up, doubling the standard deduction and tripling the personal exemption so that an average family of four will pay no federal income tax on their first $60,000+ of income.

Finally, I appeal to the desire for peace among all persons of good will in the district.

I am appalled by the warmonger rhetoric coming from Republican Senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who are promising new land wars with Syria and Iraq if their party takes control of the Senate. I will be more than a “no” vote against foreign adventures.

I will be a leading voice and vote for peace – be it in Ukraine, the Middle East or Israel-Palestine. I will challenge the intelligence community to prevent them from creating new threats to our country as by-products of their ill-advised and reckless covert operations.

In particular, I will act to shut down all unconstitutional activities by The National Security Agency, CIA and other lawless intelligence community players.

If the Republicans dominate Congress, the reactionary Koch brothers will be calling the shots in Washington, especially because of President Barack Obama’s track record of weakness.

As for my opponent Mike Thompson, he has never stood up to fight for the people of our district, and is more interested in currying favor with Paul and Nancy Pelosi than with providing concrete benefits for the Fifth Congressional District.

My platform provides practical and accessible solutions to the main problems facing our country today. And, if you are looking for a protest vote, be assured that support for my program will send the loudest possible message to Washington that people in this part of the country demand an immediate change of course.

James Hinton lives in Napa, Calif.