Blaizen Buckshot Bloom
Democrat
Positions
Who is Blaizen?
My name is Blaizen Buckshot Bloom, named after the NASCAR drivers Blaise Alexander and Buckshot Jones. If elected, I’ll be the youngest Democrat ever elected to the General Assembly at 22. My name might be unconventional, my youth might surprise some, and my background might not fit the mold of a typical politician—but that’s exactly why I’m running. I believe our General Assembly needs leaders with recent memories of what it’s like to struggle, to fight for change, and to believe in the power of community. That’s why I’m asking to be our next representative for HD89.
Better Wages
An honest day’s work deserves an honest wage. Virginians are dedicated, hardworking people who deserve to share in the wealth that their work generates. We should raise the minimum wage to $17/hr, indexed to inflation & productivity increases, at the very least. Per the MIT Wage Calculator, that is the minimum amount a person in Hampton Roads can live on.
Lower Costs
We can eliminate the Grocery Tax, aka the Flat Sales Tax, which makes essential living more expensive, and replace it with a graduated tax on Luxury Goods. This will make life more affordable without gutting revenue. We should curb Private Equity ownership of single-family homes. Private equity firms could still construct, remodel, and sell, but we would disallow their buying up and holding houses to create artificial shortages in our housing supply and drive up prices. Individuals’ ability to hold investment properties would be unimpacted.
Unions
Unions built the middle class, and the attack on unions has been the primary driver of middle class erosion. When a workplace becomes unionized, incomes rise, working conditions improve, and the quality of the work improves.
