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
- I believe that abortions should be safe, legal, and rare. The best way to make them rare is through easy access to contraceptives and robust sex education. Planned Parenthood provides both, so funding for them is essential.

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
- I believe that income is income. There should not be separate rules for capital gains income, which is often the main source of income for the very wealthy. The same rules should apply to all income. And if Congress would pass a budget for an entire fiscal year, our military would have the ability to plan more strategically, and to make wiser financial decisions. Currently, we use large numbers of contract personnel, which is more expensive than using enlisted military personnel.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Voters should be able to know who is supporting candidates and incumbents. The principle of one person one vote is critical to our democracy. More money should not be able to buy more influence.

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
- I believe that we all do better when we ALL do better. Businesses do not hire more people because they've received a tax cut. They hire when their current staff is not able to handle the volume of business they're experiencing. If government invests in quality public education, assures a living wage for full-time work, guarantees universal healthcare, and makes provisions for affordable housing, people who are currently struggling will be able to be fully contributing members of a vibrant economy. That will benefit those at all economic levels.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Education is key to the success of our nation. I believe that local school districts should have the most authority in setting standards for their schools. Next would be the state, and finally the federal government. The role of Washington should be as a safety net, just to guarantee that there is a baseline assurance that every student is treated equally, without discrimination. Civil rights protections, for both students and teachers, should be solid.

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 prefer to think of the "regulations" as "protections." And yes, I think the government must protect our planet. I would like to see a conversion from fossil fuels to renewable energy emerge as our next national challenge. Just as we took pride as a nation in building the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1800s, and in putting a man on the moon in the 1960s, this conversion should be our rallying cry for the 21st century. Our planet is depending on it.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- It is unconscionable that the NRA has been able to use their seemingly bottomless pit of money to ?persuade? Republican members of Congress to avoid even a vote on common sense gun measures endorsed by a big majority of all Americans. Those common sense measures include ensuring that a background check is conducted on all gun purchases, and banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Pretending to ?Back the Blue? while allowing officers to be out-gunned by civilians is hypocrisy.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Healthcare is a right of every person, not a privilege for those able to afford it. By whatever name or means necessary, healthcare for all must become a reality in our nation. It is appalling for the United States to be the only very highly developed nation in the world without universal healthcare. Studies have shown that we spend more and achieve poorer outcomes than other developed nations. A reordering of our priorities is clearly called for.

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
- First, for Dreamers, the people who were brought here years ago as children, their situation should be handled separately, and immediately. It?s just the right thing to do, plus our nation has invested for years in their education, and it would be foolish to deport them now, when they are able to fully contribute to our economy. They should have a clear path to citizenship. Of course, anyone here illegally who is convicted of a violent crime should be immediately deported. Our laws need to be changed to reflect our beliefs embodied in the Statue of Liberty.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I believe we need to end the federal prohibition on marijuana. For recreational use, regulations on marijuana should be similar to those in place for alcohol. States that have allowed legal marijuana usage should be consulted to find best practices.

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?
- Yes

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

3. Other or expanded principles
- Our military must be used as a last resort, only in the case of an existential threat to our nation. Diplomatic institutions must be rebuilt, as they have recently been allowed to wither. Diplomats and military leaders must then provide guidance on what situations qualify as sufficiently grave as to warrant the commitment of our military men and women. Whenever armed forces are to be deployed, a calculation must be made of the expected costs of treating those service members who will come home injured. That amount of money must be appropriated to the VA before the troops are sent.

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.
- Shrinking the enormous and ever-growing income and wealth inequality gap is key. Tax and economic policies that truly focus on leveling the playing field will be my priority. And saving our planet is truly the elephant in the room. If we do not address environmental issues, all the other challenges confronting us may be irrelevant. By treating income as income for tax purposes as described earlier, there would be an enormous increase in revenue to fund programs to make us function as what we say we are in our Pledge of Allegiance: "One nation...with liberty and justice for all."