Montana State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

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

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 do not feel that abortion should be a political issue. I believe that horrible decision should remain with the woman and her doctor, and NOBODY else. In the unfortunate cases where a woman must choose an abortion, then she should be able to get one SAFELY. My dad was orphaned because his dad didn't want any more kids, and forced his wife to get an abortion, from which she died. That should never happen again.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

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

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

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. An income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No

5. Eliminating block grants to public school districts?
- No

6. Decreasing funding to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- Montana's budget could easily be balanced if the short sighted legislators hadn't insisted on giving tax breaks to the wealthiest citizens. Those tax breaks are unnecessary, since THEY are already doing quite well. The average taxpayer is who needs a break. Property taxes could be graduated, with lower taxes for properties under $250,000.00, and gradually increasing taxes for properties above that level. Those who have the most are the ones most able to pay taxes. It is criminal that a lower wage earner is taxed at a higher rate than the highest wage earners.

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
- Excessive ID requirements are generally designed to deter marginalized people from voting, not from alleged voter fraud, as is claimed. Getting a drivers license in my area is only available Monday & Tuesday, and half of Wednesday, which makes it more difficult for people working those hours, to access the facilities.

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
- To my knowledge, immigration violations are legally classified as misdemeanors. The excessive treatment of immigrants right now is the interpretation of a fearful population. This country was FOUNDED on immigration, and to date, the biggest proponents of severe penalties are the result of blatant racism. This is not new. The Chinese people were discriminated against in the past, as were the Irish, and even Catholics. I would also like to note that WE are all illegal immigrants, if you look from a Native point of view, and yet THEY welcomed us, and continue to be better neighbors than ourselves.

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 Montana?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Drug testing in Florida cost much more than was saved by removing a few people from the roles. The percentage of welfare recipients who tested positive in Florida for drug use was much less than the general population's known percentage of drug use. I see drug testing as just another way to demean those people who need assistance. It is a waste of taxpayer money that does not justify the expense.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Montana?
- Yes

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- Those young people graduating from our schools are probably present because their parents brought them, which was not their decision. They should be allowed an expedited path to citizenship, and allowed to prosper in the only home they've ever known. If they have been here long enough to graduate, then they should be congratulated, especially since our graduation rates are not 100%. Too few of our Montana children are graduating or trying to achieve further education. With a good education, all of our youth are more likely to get good jobs, and become tax paying individuals.

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
- I think that we should be turning our coal fired facilities into solar and/or wind facilities. The infrastructure for delivering energy is already in place, we need to transition existing units into clean energy. The State could take a major part in that process, and give us an energy resource that we can sell outside of the state. Since much of our current production is sent out of state, and Oregon & California will not buy energy from coal plants, we are losing potential revenue.

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
- The first thing I did after buying a gun, was to take a gun safety course. I do not feel it is unreasonable to require gun owners to be responsible. We have registration requirements on cars and boats, even boat trailers. I don't think that it's reasonable to allow access to guns to be completely open and free of any requirements. Teachers having guns in the classroom would require extra safety measures, and I think our teachers should focus on keeping their class safe, not trying to "take out the bad guy", or getting shot by police.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Montana'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?
- No

6. Do you support increasing state funding for tracking and reporting opioid usage and overdoses?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- Opioid addiction is directly related to the inaccessibility of alternate choices, including naturopathic, and medical marijuana, which has proven to be not only safer, but more effective in the treatment of chronic pain. We should be less focused on punishing addicts, or the Doctors prescribing, and more focused on alternative treatments, and helping addicts recover.

Social

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

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

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

4. Should individuals be required to use a bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificate?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- There are actually fewer genes determining a person's skin color than there are genes determining a person's sexual orientation. We are just beginning to discover the wide range of variations, and people should NOT be persecuted while we, and they, are figuring things out.

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.
- I continue to fight for expanding Medicaid. The last two years saw the creation of over 5000 jobs, in Doctors, Nurses, Medical Technicians, and administration. Those jobs have added tax revenue which helps cover the costs. Fewer people are using the Emergency Department for urgent care, since they can now go to a regular Doctor. That saves the state money because we are not reimbursing hospitals. I believe it is time to move forward on clean energy sources, not trying to resurrect the coal industry. We must retrain those workers into new jobs. We must pass continuing infrastructure support.