Kash Jackson

Kash Jackson
Born (1978-10-04) October 4, 1978
Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Navy
Years of service 1996–2016
Rank Petty officer first class
Website kash2018.com

Grayson "Kash" Jackson (born October 4, 1978 as Benjamin Winderweedle) is a United States Navy veteran and libertarian political activist.[1][2]

Jackson grew up in Bossier City, Louisiana. He served in the U.S. Navy for twenty years, earning the rank of petty officer, first class before retiring in August of 2016.[1] In 2018, he is running for Governor of Illinois as the Libertarian Party of Illinois candidate.[3][4]

Activism

In September 2016, Jackson founded the parents' rights organization Restoring Freedom. He had previously spent over $40,000 fighting a custody case (while in service). Jackson began his advocacy with a tour of American cities, beginning in Olympia, Washington and ending in Washington, D.C.[5][6] Since then, Restoring Freedom expanded its focus to other civil rights causes in the United States. Jackson has advocated for the property rights of American indigenous people in relation to the Dakota Access Pipeline. [2] In November and December of 2016, Jackson spoke to audiences of native Americans and activists at the Oceti Sakowin peace camp.[1][7]

In his activism, Jackson has often spoken while wearing his Navy uniform, and carrying an inverted U.S. flag as a symbol of distress in relation to American civil rights.[1][2][8]

Shared custody legislation

Jackson is a proponent of HB 4113, a bill in the Illinois House of Representatives that would establish a rebuttable presumption of 50/50 shared custody in divorce cases. Supporters cite studies that 50/50 custody leads to better outcomes for the child, and that a presumption of 50/50 custody would reduce litigation and associated costs in divorce cases.[9][10]

Political Positions

Ranked choice voting

Jackson supports instituting ranked-choice voting and proportional representation (Single transferable vote) in Illinois.[11] Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, and eliminates wasted votes.[12] Ranked choice voting was adopted in Maine in 2018.[11]

Criminal justice reform

Jackson supports releasing people convicted of victimless crimes, including nonviolent drug offenses, and would expunge their records. He supports redirecting costs associated with incarceration to job training programs.[13]

Cannabis legalization

Jackson supports legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, without additional taxes. He advocates addressing drug abuse as a health issue instead of a criminal issue.[14][15]

Taxes

Jackson supports a 5-year property tax freeze.[16][17]

State pensions

Jackson supports switching to defined-contribution plans for future state employees and current employees who opt in.[17]

Local government consolidation

Jackson advocates consolidating school districts to reduce administrative overhead.[13]

2018 gubernatorial election

Since 2017, Jackson has been campaigning as a Libertarian candidate for Governor of Illinois in the 2018 gubernatorial election.[18][19][20] He was selected from among 3 candidates to be the gubernatorial nominee of the Libertarian Party of Illinois at a statewide convention on March 3, 2018. His running mate is Lieutenant Governor candidate Sanj Mohip.[18]

On June 25, 2018, the Libertarian Party of Illinois statewide candidates filed a petition containing over 47,000 signatures in order to appear on the November ballot, exceeding the requirement of 25,000 signatures.[21]

Opposition Dump

On June 26, 2018, an opposition dump was released containing documents from Jackson's custody case, highlighting accusations of abuse from his ex-wife and containing court documents showing that Mr. Jackson has failed to remit child support payments.

According to the documents, Jackson was ordered to pay nearly $16,000 in back payments in 2017 which led to his incarceration for a "few nights" for contempt of court.[22][23] Additionally, Jackson was found in contempt of court for failure to pay and was ordered to remit $3,067 of his outstanding $6,067 in fees by August 6th, 2018 or face six months in prison.[24]

In response, Jackson said that his ex-wife's claims are false allegations. He stated that his child support payments amount to 40% of his monthly income, and that his judge, Joseph Salvi, would not reduce Jackson's child support payment when his pay dropped. Jackson said he will come up with the money to pay the amount ordered.[23][25]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "SBC locals head to Standing Rock to protest Dakota pipeline". USA Today. November 11, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Nurses, Vets Lend Support Against Dakota Access Pipeline". Observer. November 11, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Libertarian Kash Jackson Joins Race for Illinois Governor". Chicago Tonight | WTTW. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  4. ↑ Schoenburg, Bernard. "Libertarians file nearly double signatures required to get on Illinois ballot". The State Journal. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  5. ↑ "Navy Vet On Cross-Country Mission For Parental Equality". CBS Denver. September 4, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Father's rights movement heads to Washington, D.C." KSHB Kansas City. September 6, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Navy Petty Officer Joins DAPL Protest With Upside Down Flag". The Free Thought Project. November 6, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  8. ↑ "TYT Politics: U.S. Flag Hoisted Upside Down In Dakota Access Protest". YouTube. November 4, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  9. ↑ Martin, Terry. "Effort to Ensure Separated Parents Get Equal Parenting Time | Illinois Channel". www.illinoischannel.org. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
  10. ↑ "Equal parenting bill moves forward in Illinois House". springfielddaily.com. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
  11. 1 2 "Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Announces Support for Ranked Choice Voting, Proportional Representation". IVN.us. 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  12. ↑ "How Ranked Choice Voting Could Improve American Politics | Scholars Strategy Network". Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  13. 1 2 Daniel, Eugene (2018-05-01). "Libertarian Kash Jackson says election spending should concern citizens". CENTRALILLINOISPROUD. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  14. ↑ Schoenburg, Bernard. "Libertarian Kash Jackson wants to protect rights". The State Journal. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  15. ↑ Martin, Terry. "CAMPAIGN 2018: Libertarian Candidate for Governor, Kash Jackson | Illinois Channel". www.illinoischannel.org. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  16. ↑ "Libertarian gov. candidate Jackson favors property tax rollback, marijuana legalization". WJBC AM 1230. 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  17. 1 2 "Libertarian Kash Jackson Talks About His Run For Illinois Governor". morninganswerchicago.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  18. 1 2 "Libertarian party selects governor candidate in Bloomington". The Pantagraph. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Former pro-wrestler with ties to Kellyanne Conway seeks Illinois governor nod". Chicago Tribune. June 21, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Hard Lens Media: Meet the Candidates - LP Chicago March Meeting". YouTube. March 29, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  21. ↑ Driscoll, Jaclyn. "Libertarian Party Slates Candidates For Statewide Offices". Retrieved 2018-07-01.
  22. ↑ https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/third-party-candidates-secure-ballot-spots-in-gov-race/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. 1 2 "Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Kash Jackson calls oppo dump "false allegations"". capitolfax.com. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  24. ↑ Filas, Lee. "Libertarian governor candidate found in contempt of court". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  25. ↑ "Libertarian gov candidate dubs ex-wife's abuse allegations 'bald-faced lies'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
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