Washington 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
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- No

2. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees?
- No

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- I struggle with state income tax. Currently I am say "no" because I want to see if our taxes can be adjusted so our taxation practices aren't the most nation's most regressive. However, something has to give in order to implement a fair system whereby the bottom 20 percent of earners aren't paying seven times as much in taxes (percentage wise) as the top one percent. If it turns out the only way to this is to implement a state income tax, I will be open to the idea. I need to do more research before I commit.

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 think redistricting should be based on population, full stop. This question prompted me to look at different models for redistricting and I prefer that after this census districts are drawn along the lines of population alone and then reassigning how many reps each district is assigned as the population fluctuates. Our state is so gerrymandered we have a district the size of Connecticut. It severely limits who can run because of the time and financial constraints involved with covering so much ground.

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?
- Yes

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- Capital punishment is a financial drain. Whether you agree with the concept or not, what is beyond dispute is that because legal processes surrounding capital punishment, it's simple cheaper to imprison a person for life than it is to seek the death penalty.

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?
- No

3. Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector?
- No

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 Washington?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- I believe in having livable wages. If you are working 40 hours a week you deserve to have some measure of financial stability. The minimum wage needs to do as originally intended when the concept was first voted into law and provide this to workers.

Education

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

2. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Washington high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

4. Do you support increasing funding for the state education budget?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I think the idea of a common core may have been well-intentioned but now teachers are shackled to teaching to a series of tests rather than really teaching children how to learn and think critically. We need to find better and more effective metrics to define curricular success. I am against public funding of charter schools because charter schools are not a resource available to all children. Does a child in a town like Washtucna have access to a charter school? How will this benefit children in rural communities? That's just one reason it's unfair to publicly fund these schools.

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. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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
- We have to get a license to drive a car because if we don't know how to drive others can be injured or killed. Isn't it the same with a gun? Nobody is saying you can't have a gun. However you should demonstrate at least a basic knowledge of gun safety and competence to operate firearms if you want to own and carry them. In the Navy we had to pass qualifications for each type of firearm we needed to carry on our security watches before we were allowed to stand watch. Clearly it's not unreasonable for a civilian.

Health

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

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

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

4. Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia?
- Yes

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

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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 key priority is to ensure all Washingtonians can earn a living wage. I think to simply look at the minimum wage to to take too narrow a view. This push will have to involve improving the availability of affordable housing, improving access to reliable public transportation and ensuring access to affordable healthcare. I think we can work towards affordable housing by incentivizing developers to take on higher density projects with streamlined permitting. The first step to funding transportation is looking at how current funds are distributed. Healthcare might be decided by voters already depending on results for 1-1600.