Michigan State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

3. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- I believe the access to medical procedures should not be prohibited by government, however, I do believe this procedure should be legal, safe, and rare. I believe the role of government, should be to promote public health and increase access to contraceptives, education, and healthcare; which has proven to reduce unplanned pregnancies and reduce abortion rates dramatically. This position in my view is one where the autonomy of women is protected and rates of abortions are reduced.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- Yes

2. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees?
- Yes

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. An income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I would warrant reduced pay and furloughs as a last resort. I would also utilize raised brackets as a last resort. However, balancing the budget on the backs of those, who have no other recourse is morally bankrupt. The first recourse would be reform and efficiency, repealing programs with no traceble results to the public good.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates?
- Yes

2. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

3. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

4. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- I am the only candidate in the race, who gladly signed the "Candidates With A Contract" contract with the people of the 33rd District, which states unequivocally, that I'll vote to reform Michigan government, promoting accountability, transparency, end partisan gerrymandering, reform campaign finance laws, and limit legislature salary to a percentage rate above state median income. www.bigmarkforsenate.com/my-contract

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No

2. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes

3. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Although this is a federal issue; I support comprehensive immigration and VISA reform. The federal government should reform the VISA renewal system, in order to keep documented resident aliens updated. The current failing system, leads to resident aliens overstaying their VISAs, thus becoming undocumented resident aliens. I believe the federal government should address this with comprehensive reform, offering a legal path to citizenship for those who are seeking it.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

3. Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes

4. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- No

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Michigan?
- Yes

7. Do you support increasing state funding for improving Michigan's roads and bridges?
- Yes

8. Do you support eliminating Michigan's mandatory no-fault auto insurance?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- I support reforming no-fault auto insurance, by increasing transparency of the catastrophic claims fund, ending the practices of factoring rates by non-driving factors, and reforming the health insurance policies built into auto insurance policies. In addition to reforming transportation laws with a greater focus on safety, Michigan can get a grip on auto insurance rates, and bring down the rates across the boards for consumers.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Michigan?
- No

2. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- I support reforming Michigan's Education System, by bringing the teachers, administrators, parents, and professionals to Lansing to lead the discussion. With everyone involved on the front line of education involved, I know Michigan can once again lead the nation in quality and performance of education.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- Yes

4. Do you support decommissioning the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil from Canada to the U.S.?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I support ensuring the original polluters of our waters & environment, pay for the cleanup of the carcinogenic chemicals they fecklessly dumped, in order to avoid proper disposal care costs. It's because if these lax business procedures, Michigan waterways are currently laces with PFOS/PFAS.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- No

4. Should a license be required for gun ownership?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I support law abiding gun owners and will fight to ensure their constitutional rights are upheld. I support background checks in general and licensing for certain firearm classifications. It's my sincere belief, Michigan should be using collected data from violent crimes and hospitals (gunshot wounds) to help evaluate current gun control regulations, and amend current laws based on that data.

Health

1. Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
- Yes

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Michigan's health care programs?
- Yes

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No

4. Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia?
- No

5. Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
- Yes

6. Do you support using state funds to provide public health services to citizens exposed to lead contamination in the Flint Water Crisis?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- I support the right to euthanasia, in the cases of those who have absolutely no chance at recovery, suffering with unimaginable pain, and have a prognosis of impending death. I support vaccine exemptions in the cases of vaccine safety/allergy, in cases where the vaccine stabilizing compounds cause severe allergic reactions, endangering the child/adolescent/adult. I believe Michigan should facilitate research into development of safe stabilizing compounds and safer vaccines.

Social

1. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support greater efforts by Michigan state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- Yes

4. Should able-bodied "food stamps" (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients meet a work requirement to be eligible for benefits?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe it is more important to invest in job retraining, apprenticeships, STEM, skilled trades, and public/private partnerships; in order to retrain/diversify Michigan's workforce skill sets, than to promote only public assistance work requirements.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- My top three priorities are: reform Michigan's Education System, Reinvest in Michigan's Infrastructure, and to enact comprehensive government reform that is compliant with the tenets of my contract with the people. In all three of these priorities I believe Michigan would be investing in the people's future, the people's safety, and the people's influence in the legislature.