Washington 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
- No Answer

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?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- No reason not to go back to the sharply progressive tax rates of the 40s and 50s. This would help to balance the budget, a forgotten virtue, and it would also increase equality of wealth and income, improving the well-being of all in society.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Election campaigns should be publicly funded. Every candidate should have some degree of free access to TV, radio and the print media. Every candidate should have some degree of free access to the postal service. Campaign financing should not be about which candidate has access to the most money, and is essentially willing to take bribes.

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?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- The urgent need is for spending to avert climate change and to promote well-being for all. Those who have received the greatest financial benefit from the American system the most should return the most.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I would support minimum standards that include the arts, critical thinking and how to engage in politics at every level - not just the utilitarian subjects.

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
- Even the armed services recognize the threat of global warming. To cite just one example, the navy has entirely reasonable concerns that its ports - around the world - will soon be under water. The graver threat is the disruption of agriculture and people's living arrangements in general.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- And repeal of the 6th Amendment

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- It must be expanded so that we have a universal single-payer health care system.

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
- The 11 million undocumented immigrants are essential to the economy and are the most abused workers. Their lack of political and legal power makes things worse for all workers. All workers should be able to join a union easily and as something completely normal. Every worker should get a living wage.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- And decriminalization of all drug use. The widespread use of drugs - including especially the opioid epidemic - is a system of the generalized abusiveness of neoliberal society. We need to turn away from "you're on your own" thinking and act as if "we're in this together."

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?
- No

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- The U.S. has become the world's leading terrorist organization, turning millions into refugees around the world. More refugees will be created as climate change affects crops and sea levels. These are not problems that can solved by military methods, but only by a change in the perceived aims of society. Our "leaders" should be prosecuted under the Nuremberg principles. Most who have held office during the last 50 years would be executed.

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.
- 1. Adoption of proportional representation for multi-member bodies (for example, city councils, state legislatures, Congress) and instant runoff voting for single-holder offices (for example, President, Governor, Mayor).2. Comprehensive turning away from activities leading to global warming.3. Comprehensive turning away from the neoliberal program to promote inequality and corporate hegemony that has taken place over the last 40 years.