Paravicini for Secretary of State

About me:  I am a Naturopathic Doctor in the state of Oregon.  Close to half of my population is comprised of Medicaid patients (Oregon Health Plan).  I have worked as a doctor for undocumented people: the bedrock of this State's agricultural legacy.  I also worked in a pain clinic in Oregon City; it was an eye opener, a first-hand experience of what it looks like to be white and poor in America.

I also know first hand what the Corona virus means, having been myself one of the first infected in Oregon, in late February.  At that time, of course, there was no testing, thanks to the flawed leadership at the federal level.  It took me close to four months to recover.  During that time I watched in horror as this society became polarized over numbers and statistics and whatever has been selected by social media to appear in your facebook page or inbox.  People have been insulting each other, acting in the most inconsiderate and hateful ways.  "If you are not with me you must be against me - and it is ok for me to inflict harm upon you."  This is the result of deep seated racism, social inequities and well-documented mass-media manipulation:  Russian inteference and Facebook algorithms that promote conflict.  And more recently, the beginnings of censorship.

I am running for Secretary of State because we need to focus instead on what we can do to keep healthy and to support our local economy while protecting the vulnerable: work together with a bold vision that breaks boundaries.  Please see my comment about the Swedish model and also about the Corona virus and hidden opportunities (upcoming).   This response has been centered on big money makers like vaccines and pharmaceuticals, not to mention the disgraceful $1.9 bilion give away to the oil industry embedded in the first Cares Act.  There are many other ways to address this novel Corona virus from a healthcare perspective.  But you won't hear about that because it does not make money.

This year's forest fires and pandemic were only a taste of what is to come - because this is NOT going to get better.  Setting roadblocks and wrongly accusing opponents of setting fires only delayed responses and weakened our need for mutual aid.  The fires were predictable:  Climate change, an outdated infrastructure with aerial transmission lines, poorly maintained forests and a Republican party that walked out in 2019 instead of doing its job and voting on improved emergency management.

We need to take dramatic action, beyond what the Democratic or Republican parties have been arguing about.  Don't be fooled, plenty of them have been lining their pockets, both Republicans and Democrats - as documented by the excellent report from The Oregonian:  Polluted by Money

That is why I am running for Secretary of State.  We need action that meets the needs of people, not those of an economy benefitting the top 10%.  as the Secretary of State, I will push for and enforce Campaign Finance regulations.  This year you will have the opportunity to take a first step toward that:  vote for Measure 107: money is no speech; money is property.  I am also a strong proponent of Ranked Choice Voting (more info at Fairvote.org); motorvoter and online voter registration, voting on holidays and voting-by-mail (well documented to be an extremely secure way to vote).  We need to make the electoral process easier for people to access, not more difficult.  If you can shop and pay your taxes online and by mail, you can certainly vote online and by mail.

Please go to my Position Statement and blog posts for further details about what I would do as Oregon Secretary of State.