“The biggest issue I would say is healthcare. I mean, I don’t think that—you know, if people have been working for years and have paid into a health plan, you know, all of a sudden they get sick, and they’re dropped by their – you know, by the health insurance company. And I just find that to be very—it’s un-American.”
(Vatina Williams, 43, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., admissions enrollment processor, Culinary Institute for America, Democrat)
“Make things more affordable. You know, food prices, you know, just things—everyday-living things. That’s the biggest thing. They talk about the inflation on things. The cost of living is going up but the wages of employees aren’t going up. It’s more and more expensive to purchase the things and raise your families on, on the incomes we have when, you know, you’ve got $4 a gallon of gas and milk price is going up. It’s just stupid little things. But it’s the stupid little things that keep people from being able to enjoy life.”
(Eric Clarke, 40, of Syracuse, full-time salesman at Sports Authority, Democrat)
“Possibly make a way where, you know, like, schooling could be free, maybe. I heard in Canada it’s free. I actually have a few relatives up there and they, they go to school for free. They say they get taxed like crazy. But I mean, they go to school for free along with free healthcare and stuff.”
(Malachi Horton, 22, of Syracuse, a client care specialist, Rescue Mission nonprofit organization, Democrat)
“Legalize marijuana, which wouldn’t happen but it should – because it would just balance – you could almost balance the budget with that. With all the taxes. And how much less we would have to spend on keeping prisoners in jail. Because easily half of the people in jail are there because of marijuana charges. And if we don’t have to pay for that, there’s a lot more money.”
(Kateri Van Damme, 27, of Liverpool, full-time salesperson at LensCrafters, Democrat)
“Right now I’m uninsured and I want to go to the doctor. But I’m like I would rather just say ‘You know, I’ll be alright’ because I don’t want to have to pay the bill. And that’s insane because I want to be able to go to the doctor even if it’s a toothache or a headache. I want to be able to know what’s wrong with me. What if I have a aneurism, because I didn’t go to the hospital because I can’t afford it. So for me I think healthcare is a really big issue.”
(Jatone Wilson, 29, of Syracuse, part-time cashier at Arby’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, Democrat)
(Macy Jenkins is a graduate student studying broadcast and digital journalism.)
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