Michigan 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
- We need to close tax loop-holes, collect from tax evaders, and stop corporate subsidies/welfare to increase revenue. In addition, I am in favor of a progressive income tax that would affect our wealthiest citizens only and an expanded earned income tax credit for our lowest paid workers (the wealth creators).

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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
- As we have experienced so far, the lowering of corporate taxes has not made a significant impact on economic growth for the majority of Americans.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support holding states accountable for equitable education for all students. States may have flexibility to adopt their own standards, providing they are supported equitably with all students.I support standards that address and assess the growth of the whole child (social, emotional, intellectual and physical). High quality public education must be supported for families from birth through career.

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 support 100% renewables as quickly as possible, including a new energy infrastructure. We must retain our membership in the Paris Agreement and work with the rest of the world to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support a rigorous comprehensive, nation-wide background check system. All firearms owners (current and new) must pass the background check and a safety class. Liability insurance must be required and a trigger lock on all new firearms manufacturing. I am in favor of halting the sale of military-style weapons and ammunition and adding "red-flag" laws to temporarily remove firearms from a violent person who has the potential to harm themselves or others. I believe this gun violence prevention legislation will not infringe on Second Amendment rights. Greater funding for education and mental health services will also deter substantial violent behavior.

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- I support propping up the ACA to cover everyone while we work to implement a single-payer health care system as quickly as possible. At that time, the ACA should be repealed and replaced with the new single-payer 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
- I support a humane and fair immigration bill that keeps families together while seeking documentation or citizenship. I favor a quick path to citizenship for all DACA people. We have technological approaches to securing our border without building a wall.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Recreational marijuana should be legal as long as there are laws (similar to alcohol) to monitor sales and use. I support small and minority-owned new marijuana businesses, rather than monopolies and large corporations. All people currently incarcerated for non-violent marijuana crimes should be released upon its legalization and records expunged.

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?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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 first priorities in Congress would be to work and support people empowerment bills that would shift the power of the 1% to the 99%. Simultaneously, we must work on a new single-payer health care plan for everyone, equity in education (from birth-career), and an inclusive economy that raises the minimum wage to a livable wage. Additional funding would come from a reprioritization of the budget, closing tax loop-holes for individuals and corporations, collecting on tax evasion, eliminating subsidies for corporations, upholding the previous estate taxes, and implementing a progressive tax for our wealthiest citizens.