Missouri State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

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

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 believe that all women should have safe access to high-quality affordable reproductive care regardless of their income or location. I also believe that women- and men- should have access to safe and affordable contraception in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies. I respect the right of all Americans to their freedom of bodily autonomy- that no one can make someone else do with their own body what they do not want to do.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

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

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

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. An income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- We must fund our government's operations. We must also spend that money wisely so that it is an investment in our State's current and future success. Austerity programs have been unsuccessful time and time again and often result in shortfalls in government revenues that hamstrings critical elements of governance. If someone keeps winning elections on the mantra of "tax cuts" what's going to happen when we can't afford to fund our schools or maintain our roads? Oh- we're already there...

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
- I believe that we need to reel in not only the enormous amounts of money that are being passed around in politics but we should examine how campaign contributions connect to legislation. Unfortunately the candidates and politicians that align with big-money donors tend to win elections simply because they have exponentially more resources than is practical for a regular citizen to procure. Somehow we need to level the playing field so that more "regular people"- not just wealthy people or their willing mouthpieces- are able to be competitive in elections. Also we should work to empower voters not discourage them.

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?
- Yes

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I also believe that we need to work on reforming our Justice System so that laws are applied correctly and fairly. This includes immigration reform to accommodate immigrants who wish to come the the U.S. legally as well as addressing refugees fleeing a place that's violent and unjust. We're a nation of immigrants from all over the world who were often fleeing violence and repression in our own native lands. We need to be no less sensitive to those issues now- especially in light of our global economy and the many interests that we have- including conflicts- in foreign lands.

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?
- Yes

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 Missouri?
- Yes

7. Do you support increasing state taxes on tobacco products?
- Yes

8. Do you support increasing funding for the Missouri Department of Agriculture?
- Yes

9. Do you support implementing tolling stations on Interstate 70 to increase transportation funding?
- No

10. Other or expanded principles
- After the last round of tax cuts in Missouri I believe that we need to figure out how to pay for our current commitments like schools and roads before we cut anything else. We also need to focus on creating better-paying jobs through entrepreneurship, bringing in new businesses and technologies and by supporting our public schools, making college education more accessible and affordable and by encouraging people to enter the skilled trades. I'm not a fan of toll roads and we are likely going to have to pay to improve our infrastructure through higher taxation by raising the fuel tax.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Missouri?
- No

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

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

4. Do you support increasing funding for the state education budget?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- We must fully fund our public schools, work to make college affordable and do our best to make sure that students all over the state are offered a quality education that lays a foundation for them to be healthy and prosperous adults. We also need to work on improving the schools in our rural areas that lack local revenues to properly support their operation. This includes encouraging new businesses and technologies to find places in our rural areas to provide new employment opportunities for rural residents which will raise revenues for schools as well as provide better paying jobs.

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
- We must commit to being good stewards of our natural resources as we only have one planet to live on. Past mistakes and indiscretions have poisoned and polluted our land, sea and air many times over the course of the modern age and we must continue to develop cleaner and safer technologies and ways of disposing of waste. We owe to ourselves, our children and generations beyond to do better. The recent rollbacks of environmental protections serve to increase corporate profits while causing harm to the people of Missouri. I have a problem with that.

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
- I support our Constitutional Right to Bear Arms. I also believe that dangerous weapons should only be in the hands of those responsible enough to use them- which I believe is the vast majority of American citizens. In order to keep EVERYONE safe from the misuse of firearms we need to tackle the issues of illegal gun ownership, the selling of ammo to criminals and making sure that legal gun sales are made to those who can pass a basic background check to keep them out of the hands of criminals, the unstable and those with a criminal history.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Missouri's health care programs?
- Yes

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No

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?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- The opioid epidemic is effecting families all over our District, State and Country. We need to put together a comprehensive plan to address addiction and abuse by connecting Law Enforcement, our Justice System, Healthcare providers and so forth to provide counselling, follow-up, accountability for recovering addicts and so forth. We also need to reform our Healthcare system to make care more accessible, affordable and effective.

Social

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

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

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

4. Do you support the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Justice in America is meant to be applied to EVERYONE equally- not to favor a certain skin color, gender, ethnicity, religion, income, sexual identity or whathaveyou. We must protect our women, LGBT communities and minorities from harassment and disenfranchisement. We have had both great and not-so-great historical moments in our short history as a nation. Some are meant to be memorialized with pride and others should be remembered as a reminder to not be repeated again. In some cases a town plaza might be appropriate whereas in others a museum that gives the monument historical context might be more appropriate.

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 believe that my top 3 Legislative priorities- Education, Healthcare and Employment speak not only to voters' concerns (in my experience) but also to serve as a basis for making Missouri- and America- a more peaceful, healthy and prosperous place for everyone to live, work and play. Improving our schools creates a more highly trained workforce. A more highly trained workforce means better jobs for Missouri residents. Better education and higher-paying jobs means that it's more likely that people will live a healthy life and have access to quality Healthcare services.