Paula Bradshaw, the Green Party nominee for the 12th U.S. House District seat, has released a jobs plan for the district that calls for Congress to "nationalize" the Federal Reserve banking system and to impose a "financial speculation" tax on Wall Street investors.

In addition, the Bradshaw jobs plan calls for putting 12th District residents back to work by legalizing hemp production, "which would be a boon to small farmers in Southern Illinois."

Bradshaw's plan also calls for raising the federal minimum wage to $12 per-hour from the current $7.25 per-hour, which "would help not only workers, but small businesses, by making it possible for workers to afford their products."

Bradshaw, a Carbondale emergency room nurse, noted that her opponents in the Nov. 6 race -- GOP nominee Jason Plummer and Democratic nominee Bill Enyart -- are coal industry supporters. Bradshaw contends that coal's downsides -- pollution and mine worker deaths and injuries -- are not worth the price.

Instead, Bradshaw calls for massive investments in wind and solar energy projects.

"We can put people to work in Southern Illinois, while creating a better society which works for all, and still leave a livable planet for our children," Bradshaw wrote.

Bradshaw is facing Plummer, an O'Fallon businessman, and Enyart, a Belleville lawyer and retired National Guard major general, in the Nov. 6 election to replace U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, who is retiring in January after 24 years in office.

The 12th District consists of 12 counties, running from Alton in the north to Cairo in the state's southern tip.