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 don't believe in abortion as a form of birth control, but I do believe women should always have the ultimate decision for what they do with their reproductive systems/health. To say, "it's about the baby's life," then we must also protect life across the board. Children are born into poverty, broken foster-care systems, and other dire circumstances, yet many of the same people who say, "we must protect the child," won't even care about that child's life once it enters the world. If you're pro-life, be pro-life in every area of life. Not just when it comes to abortion.

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 can't afford to relentlessly tax American citizens and we also can't afford to limit our ability to protect our citizens. Therefore, government should strive to create a balanced and equitable system that works for all Americans. Do I believe in a strong military? Absolutely. Do I believe we are imbalanced in the funding we authorize for defense? Yes. We must protect our VA benefits and protections to those who serve, but we also can't negate the needs we have domestically, by overextending funding towards international liabilities without helping our citizens at home. Protection is dynamic, not linear.

Campaign Finance

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I vehemently want to bring an end to Citizens United. Government is no longer representative because it's run by special interest and corporations. I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, Independent, Moderate, Libertarian, or anywhere in-between; the citizens of the United States voices should have the ultimate say in what the local, state, and federal government does. It is my focus to support efforts that bring the full power of government being led "by the people, for the people."

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?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- Taxation and economic development need balance. I believe in lowering the corporate tax rates from the previous levels before the new Tax Plan. The United States possessed one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. However, there are too many loopholes and deductions allowing very little general revenue to support domestic efforts. We lose billions every fiscal year, because many corporations still outsource and participate in corporate inversions. Although many are starting to issue $1000 bonuses, this is a marketing ploy to sell the new tax plan. Economic and corporate planning is not that reactive to governmental changes.

Education

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- NCLB was a disaster on the American Education System. We are still seeing the effects of it's policies and regulations on the standards issued to school systems across the country. The ESSA, was a bi-partisan effort that allowed for more innovation at the state and local level; therefore, granting schools the ability to adjust to their individual needs. However, I think the greatest role the Federal Government can have, is the ability to set the expectations of Equality, Excellence, Innovation and Technology in schools, and only stepping in when at-risk schools are consistently failing to produce high-quality education for children.

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
- The Federal government can and should have a central role in the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, and needs to set a formal standard of expectations across the automobile industry and appliances. In doing so, the federal government will also need to commit to research and development, so cross-sector collaborations can take place through public-private partnerships to spur innovation and economic development for State and Local markets.

Guns

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- No, this is not about taking away guns. Let's squash that from the beginning. I'm concerned about protecting the lives of American citizens in every possible way we can. I'm pro-2nd amendment, but I also understand the need to discuss the protection of our citizens' liberty to live uninhibited lives. We need comprehensive gun reform, not just gun-control. We need to address the issue of suicide in the United States, as well as issues we face with registration and access to high-capacity magazines. Even military veterans have questioned why there's a need for magazines above 15-round capacity. Let's discuss it.

Health Care

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- I believe in fixing a landmark piece of legislation in a bi-partisan manner. There's never been a perfect law, but lawmakers are stagnate, complacent, and agenda-driven to ignore the needs of citizens, suffering every day. In the current form, the ACA desperately needs reinsurance. However, the entire healthcare model needs an overhaul into a better system that will work for the everyday working class and low-income families. Medicaid and Medicare need to be protected and preserved, but we must eliminate the inefficiencies that result in abhorrent cost drivers before we can eradicate the ineffectiveness of medical coverage in the U.S.

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
- This is a loaded, linear question to a complicated matter. I absolutely want to enforce our immigration laws, enhance border security measures, increase the needed resources for our border patrol and ICE, but the issue of immigration enforcement in the United States reaches far beyond the discriminatory discussion about our southern neighbors. We need comprehensive immigration reform that doesn't result in temporary measures. A legitimate path to citizenship, that respects the rule of law, protects our citizens, but also encourages a welcoming atmosphere for those wanting to enter the United States and pursue better opportunities.

Marijuana

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

2. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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
- I understand the importance of democracy and stabilization in the Middle East. I also understand we cannot afford for terrorist organizations (like ISIS) to jeopardize the global economy in a region where many of the world's energy resources are produced (and stored). However, wars in the Middle East are placing an insurmountable strain on American families. We are sending military personnel overseas, to fight wars we shouldn't be in, only to come back to few resources when they return. We don't need an increase, we need a strategy that will eventually allow us to bring our men and women home.

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.) Developing realistic and executable legislative actions that address socio-economical issues across our communities within the 2-year elected timeframe 2.) Achieve the passing of significant legislation into law that improves and/or eliminates currently experienced social injustice. 3.) Develop sustaining relationships with public officials, local activists, and constituents from both sides of the aisle to efficiently solve complex problems with permanent financial and sociological solutions. I don't make empty promises, so I'm not about to patronize our constituents with policy I feel I can personally fix. It is going to take many efforts and people involved to solve our country's challenges.