Issues

Abolition of the Death Penalty

The death penalty is racist, classist and immoral. If elected, I will do all in my power to fight to abolish the death penalty, starting with a moratorium.

Poverty Relief

The division between rich and poor has become a massive gulf. It is time for our state government to pursue policies that even the playing field. To do this, I will work to

1. Raise the state minimum wage to that of a genuine living wage
   
2. Radically change our taxation system, so that much of the burden of taxation is moved from the poor and middle classes to the rich. This tax reform could best be acomplished by abolishing the sales tax and instead funding state and local government through a progressive income tax system.

Supporting Alternatives to Petroleum Dependency

Our state and nation is addicted to petroleum for our energy needs and the cost of this addiction is too high. This addiction is hurting the poor (who do not have access to affordable transportation in these days of skyrocketing gasoline prices), it is polluting the air, and it is the root cause of the Iraq war debacle.

In light of this situation it is time that we act decisively to break this addiction, by doing all we can to encourage bicycling and mass transit for commuting, and high-speed rail for long-distance travel.

As a candidate, I plan to do most of my campaign travel by bicycle. I hope that by doing this I can demonstrate the power of the bicycle to transform our lives and make them more sustainable, joyous and free.

Ballot Access Reform

In 2004, Oklahoma was the ONLY state to have only two choices for President on the ballot. It is time that Oklahoma voters be given the right to vote for the candidate of their choice, be it a Green, Libertarian, Independent or major party candidate. (For more information on this issue visit the Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform website)



For information on Branum's stands on other issues, check out the Frequently Asked Questions section of this website.