Georgia 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
- Every citizen of the United States should have sovereignty over her body. No pro-life position can write laws that endanger women's lives. In fact, studies show that abortions go down when women have access to health care and contraceptives. No politician should stand between a woman and her doctor to make decisions about her body, the most private property she owns. The fact is that "pro-choice vs. pro-life" is a false choice. We can protect women's constitutional rights AND reduce the abortion rates - the right way.

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
- To balance the budget, we need to ensure that tax revenue is collected on an equitable basis and that we reduce spending that is not necessary. Taxes should be apportioned so that those who benefit most from this society, also pay the most in taxes. With respect to defense spending, equipment should only be purchased if it is needed by the Pentagon and reflects today's defense realities.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- Big money should not play a role in who is elected to represent the people. Votes should be earned by a candidate through his or her character and position on the issues - not through his or her ability to raise the most money - particularly when it comes to corporations and PACS. I would support legislation that heavily taxes PAC and corporate contributions.

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 best way to promote long term economic growth is through federal spending on critical projects like updating our aging infrastructure. Corporations should not pay lower taxes across the board when there is no guarantee that their tax savings will be used to raise wages and create more local jobs, especially when they will benefit from spending on infrastructure.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- Federal testing requirements should be completely eliminated. Instead, federal funding should be directed to help schools in impoverished areas. Moreover, schools should be equipped to provide students with the skills they need for the future - whether that means going to college or learning skills to enter directly into the 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 believe that our country needs a Green Revolution where we focus on developing renewable energy sources and reducing our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. I also believe that our country's investment in a Green Revolution will promote economic growth.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I do support gun-control legislation, but I also believe in the 2nd amendment. Gun control legislation should be focused on reducing access to weapons that can cause mass casualties, protecting children from accidentally firing weapons, and preventing weapons from getting into the hands of the wrong people.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- While I believe that the ACA was a step in the right direction, I am ultimately in favor of a single payer health care system. No one should die because they are poor, and nobody should become poor because they are dying. We must reduce the cost of health care for the average citizen by cutting out excessive profits to the insurance companies while ensuring that healthcare professionals are adequately compensated.

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 path to full citizenship by Dreamers, who have been vetted and came to this country by no fault of their own. While I believe we need to have stronger enforcement of our immigration laws, especially amongst employers, those laws should reflect both compassion and the needs of our economy. Current undocumented immigrants should be provided a path to citizenship presuming they are vetted and pay any and all back taxes.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I would support legislation that legalizes marijuana for recreational purposes as long as it increased tax revenue and was accompanied by a strong education program and certain restrictions. I believe the more likely bi-partisan path, however, is to first legalize medical marijuana, which, in my opinion, is a decision to be made between a patient and a doctor.

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
- We should not use military force or interventions unless the United States is directly under threat. We have invested in too many unsuccessful military conflicts that only harm civilians. Our defense tactics, however, need to be updated to reflect modern threats such as cybersecurity and election meddling.

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) Health Care is a Right. No one should die because they are poor, and no one should be poor because they are dying.2) It is fiscally conservative to invest in a strong society up front, rather than paying a penalty for neglect.3) Politicians should be listening to the people, not engaging in cash wars funded by lobbyists and big corporate interests.