Texas Congressional Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Banning things does not stop them from happening, I am not running for Pope, and so I think the government should stay out of my and my family's healthcare decisions. If people want to have fewer abortions, then its about REAL sex ed, and passing out contraception and condoms everywhere so it is easy to get. Also, we have much bigger problems to deal with: maternal mortality is up, life expectancy is down, infrastructure is crumbling, schools are failing, Healthcare is in crisis (especially in rural areas); our ports need dredging, etc. those issues fester on the altar of abortion.

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Unknown Position

3. Other or expanded principles
- We should be able to find savings (1) by rationalizing the procurement process in the military, (2) by moving to a zero-base budget in administrative agencies, and (3) streamlining the administrative and bureaucratic state. However, society needs to decide what services we want. Everyone I speak to says Education and Healthcare, police, fire, infrastructure, etc. Then we need to pay for those things. So we need a certain amount of Tax revenue to do that and let that guide our tax policy. We must collect said revenue in the simplest, most streamlined fashion possible, and stop picking winners and losers

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Unknown Position

2. Other or expanded principles
- While I wish I was getting tons of money from PACs... Campaign finance is now more of a way for the political donor class to choose who people get to vote for, than a way to express your sentiment. Without meaningful reform here, or media not screening candidates based upon their warchests, our political system will not ever address the everyday concerns of our citizens.

Economy

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

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

3. Other or expanded principles
- So long as the budget balances, we should have all options at our disposal and use those means to address the problems facing the economy at any given time. If taxes didn't exist, Republicans would have to invent them so they could say that cutting them would solve all our problems: Recession? Tax Cuts. Need to balance the budget? Tax Cuts. Republicans have run on the same platform in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2012 no matter how the economy is doing. I believe you have different medicine for different illnesses.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- Yes and no. Math, Science, languages don't change between NY and TX and CA. Gravity is the same, English is the same (y'all and fuggedaboutit notwithstanding). But if people want to have different, art, PE, music, history, social science requirements, then they should be able to. I am generally in favor of permitting the lowest level of government to run its own affairs and schools are there, for the most part - but I am pragmatic and certain things should have a federal standard to assure business of an educated workforce.

Energy & Environment

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

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- I am a proponent of the Citizen's Climate Lobby and their Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal. It helps Texas wind, natural gas and oil, at the expense of out of state coal and ethanol.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I am a big proponent of the 2nd Amendment, but my 3 month old should not have to have an active shooter drill at his daycare and my 5 year old should not have to go to school in a hardened military facility with armed guards. So we have to find an acceptable middle ground where pragmatic people can agree. Where that is, I'm not sure, but it should start with semi-automatic weapons and it should start with having some sort of public/or private storage system. Our personal freedoms only extend until they but up against the freedoms of others.

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- The ACA did not help things much, but a simple repeal would be insanity. Businesses need a healthy workforce. I have a comprehensive reform idea that is too long for 100 words. The sound bytes, though, are: it covers everyone, businesses no longer have to pay for coverage for their employees, and insurance is removed from all but catastrophic care (cancer, gun-shots, lifelong debilitating disease, etc.) - all other care is handled with cash and people are given money by the government that they are free to use as they wish. email the campaign for more info.

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- As the son of an immigrant, I have so much to say on immigration. I have a plan that doesn't fit in 100 words. But, I'll support any bi-partisan plan that addresses the underlying black market problems of our broken immigration system and re-invests in the American workers. I am for a secure border, but more wall is a taking from Texas landowners and doesn't achieve the goal of a truly secure border - which we need. For a more comprehensive discussion, please check out my videos and op-eds on facebook, the website: www.stefanofortexas.com or email me.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- It is good for veterans, it is good for people who are addicted to opioids, it is a states' rights issue, and we shouldn't be jailing people for this and giving them criminal records.

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- Unknown Position

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- The middle east is complicated. At this time, America should support the Kurds and help defend them if necessary. As for the nuclear weapon question, I think it depends on the weapon and it depends on the country and it depends on the other strategic issues at stake and it depends on what kinds of force options there are. If that sounds like a non answer - it is. How can anyone prescribe what they would do in geo-politics in advance? But my philosophy is one of real-politik and I believe free trade is America's greatest weapon.

Administrative Priorities

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 priorities are to put Texas first and bring home the bacon on the pragmatic issues that will help Texas. I support NAFTA. I want to have comprehensive immigration reform, I want to spend money on infrastructure (flood control, pipelines, highways, and ports). I want to support Texas energy through the future act and eliminating subsidies on coal and ethanol. I want to help veterans and reform our healthcare system.