Indianapolis, Indiana Jun 6, 2019 (Issuewire.com) - Indianapolis Psychologist Runs for U.S. President
Dr Valerie McCray, a native Hoosier who attended Indianapolis Public Schools growing up, is running for President of the United States. She enters the Presidential race “straight from the trenches,” because she has spent much of her career working in the aftermath of tragedy. Dr. McCray is a psychologist, a Black woman, and a Democrat.
“We Will Focus, and We Will Fix It”
Despite all that has gone wrong with our country, Dr. McCray still sees a beautiful United States of America. Her campaign slogan is, “We will focus, and we will fix it!”
She knows very capable, creative, and committed people who are ready and willing to stand up, roll up their sleeves, and fix problems. Irrespective of the present partisan discord and disharmony, Dr McCray envisions her mission as the next U.S. President, because she knows we have every virtuoso and instrument necessary to create beautiful, powerful, harmonious symphonies. She says, “But first, we must unite all the soloists and start playing common songs.” She envisions her presidential role as conductor of this fine orchestra (the United States of America).
Dr McCray understands that people tend to gravitate toward what is familiar and who has been most visible in the media, including career politicians. Dr. McCray and her team, however, look to chart unfamiliar territory with this administration. She adds, “We cannot afford to deal with the UNFAMILIAR in the same FAMILIAR ways.”
Dr McCray adds, “Many of us are called to step out from our areas of proficiency and utilize them in more profound ways. We are looking at a period of extreme chaos, discord, and partisan division, which has been pushed to levels of total mistrust and hatred. When the dust settles, there will be character assassinations, wounded egos, and broken hearts among the RED and the BLUE. It is a perfect time to have a psychologist, someone who, as a professional, listens, heals, and leads us back to being a UNITED people again.”
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Dr McCray’s Vision for the Country
There is an immediate need to work fast to eliminate unnecessary stresses that drain our primary source of energy: our people. This is particularly relevant when it comes to health care coverage for everyone, living wages, and creating jobs that are both health-aware and purposeful. We must also be resolute about addressing those who are hard-working – yet shackled by student loans, as well as correcting our justice system to be equitable for all. To win, Dr. McCray needs all hands-on-deck. If elected, she will get it done. “These common goals can be the foundation for our educational system,” McCray says, adding, “which has struggled for decades from lack of vision and purpose. We look to say, ‘No more’ to teachers who are forced to teach to a TEST, not to our highest ideals. Imagine an America where our mental and physical well-being is our top priority. Our students are fully engaged. Our workers highly paid. Finally, the country being on the same page.”
Why Now?
Dr McCray addresses concerns over the slower momentum of her campaign and credits this with her being classified as a “working citizen,” not a politician. She comments, “While I do not yet have name recognition or deep pockets, I delayed quitting work to run for President, as it is a financial risk. However, I have lived paycheck to no paycheck several times in my career; therefore, I know how difficult the roads are and the pitfalls to being broke. (It’s expensive to be poor.) I can relate to working and barely-working folks. Been there, done that!”
She credits her life experiences up to this point with impassioning her to run. The key ingredients are unique opportunities, timely life lessons with profound teachers, frustrating obstacles, hard-fought victories, unfair defeats, and multiple tests of compassion, resolve, and integrity. These character-strengthening traits were slowly baked into a little Black girl, from a barely working-class family, over the course of six decades, in an oven of love and grace. She asks, “So, how can I not pay forward all that was poured into me EXPONENTIALLY?”
When asked, “Why are you running for President of the United States?” Dr. McCray’s answer is simple, yet it reflects her passion. “How can I not. How can I refuse this calling when I have no excuse? How can I not run for President when I stand around the caskets of young people killed by gun violence when it has become commonplace in our neighborhoods? How can I not run when I work in small towns that once boomed with industries and today are places where meth and heroin are killing our youth. How can I not run when I see how our student loan debt, health care
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costs, unfair wages, and taxes become straight-jackets on our productivity and creativity? How can I not when the top 10% own 90% of the wealth, yet that (top tier) encourages us to point fingers and fight over the 10% that is left, while they alert us that brown-skinned immigrants are taking over our share of that remaining 10%? How can I not when, as a psychologist, I know the life-long mental and emotional devastation that is caused by separating immigrant children from their parents? How can I not when our young people graduate from high school without any skills to navigate their adult lives? Finally, how can I not run for President when our very planet is warming past what is survivable for many species, including humankind.”
Dr McCray believes in Capitalism as an opportunity for prosperity for all. She adds, “We must have Capitalism with Compassion,” adding, “the long version is Capitalism with Compassion for the people and respect for our environment.”
Driven to Make a Difference
Dr McCray earned her B.A., M.A., and PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. As a psychologist, she accepts every opportunity to serve our men and women in the military and has evaluated over a thousand soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) as a result of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Gulf War, and Vietnam. In tandem with the Department of Veteran Affairs, Dr. McCray also partners with companies whose goal is to streamline the disability eligibility process so that our soldiers can reassemble their lives.
Principally, Dr. McCray is a trained scientist. She respects research that addresses the condition of our planet, especially global warming. “We need to commit again to the Paris Accord; if not, we will be walking away from the world’s most amazing race. This is a race in technology and innovation that we can win,” relates Dr. McCray. According to Dr. McCray, the threat of global warming is the perfect vehicle to move our country in the direction of building a robust economy with jobs that not only pay well, but also have dignity and purpose. There is no need to continue walking backwards toward our own demise, with greater use of fossil fuels, oil spills galore that pollute our waters, and toxic waste poisoning our soil. We deserve better than to have lakes where we are afraid to eat the fish and cities where we are afraid to drink the water. The United States is home to 17 of the greatest universities in the world. We have companies already on the ground giving us cleaner sources of energy and transportation. If any country can solve the environmental issues of the world, it is the United States, the U.S., it is “Us.”
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Additionally, Dr. McCray works tirelessly with victims of violence and families who have lost loved ones to violence. She treats children who have been displaced due to abuse and neglect or who have parents who struggle with drug addiction, are incarcerated, or have died from violence or drug overdoses.
Her toughness of spirit is best reflected in her work with incarcerated men and women. Dr. McCray has worked one-on-one in more than a dozen high-security prisons with inmates who collectively have wreaked havoc on thousands of people and themselves. Plus, Dr. McCray works steadfastly to turn around youth on the verge of following in their parents’ footsteps and are ultimately predicted to meet the same demise
Despite dealing with tragedy throughout her career and personal life, Dr. McCray embodies optimism and exudes a contagious excitement for America’s future. She respects scientific research and embraces new technologies which promise to revitalize our country’s clean, sustainable energy sources. She strongly believes that by rebuilding our infrastructure and embracing technology, we will not only improve the wellbeing of our nation, but also the health of the planet, while enhancing our quality of life beyond our wildest dreams.
Contact:
Name of contact person:
Valerie McCray, PhD
The email address of contact person:
Media Contact
Dr. Valerie McCray for President *****@mccray2020.com 3177132999 8520 Allison Pointe Blvd. Suite 220, Indianapolis, IN 46250-4299 https://mccray2020.com/
