Tennessee State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

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

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?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- Yes

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

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- c) Guaranteed lifetime pensions have already shown the ability to bankrupt corporations and are at present a drag on many states finances. Proving how unsustainable they are. Now would be a good time to start a conversation about managing what is predictable and saving future generations from the hardships currently taking place in states like Illinois and California to name a few.

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?
- No

4. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

2. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- No

3. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No Answer

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- c) There is a big difference in a six year old minor and a seventeen year old minor. Local courts and juries should have the latitude to decide what is proper for the community involved.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

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?
- Yes

4. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No

5. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- Yes

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Tennessee?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

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

2. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Tennessee high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- b) So long as it does not diminish the quality of education at the public schools or exceed what the public schools receive for similar education.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- No

2. Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- No Answer

4. Other or expanded principles
- c) If government made the mess then government needs to clean it up. An example would be the pollution left behind from nuclear development during the forties and fifties in Oak Ridge. I am sure there are many other examples. If its a business then the company needs to meet or exceed current requirements as part of being responsible to the community it serves.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- No Answer

4. Should a license be required for gun ownership?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- c) That needs to be a local decision. Different communities have differing views.

Health

1. Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
- No Answer

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Tennessee's health care programs?
- No

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?
- No Answer

5. Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- a) Lets see what comes of last years increase in funding. d) Law or no law anyone determined to end their life will do it.

Social

1. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws?
- No Answer

2. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws?
- No Answer

3. Do you support greater efforts by Tennessee state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- No

4. Should Tennessee permit localities to adopt "Sanctuary City" immigration policies?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- a) and b) If an employer is looking for the best person for a job they would be foolish not to hire someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity, if they are the best person. On the other hand if an employer does discriminate the market will decide, over time, whether they will be successful or not. I don't think there is much tolerance for those that discriminate.

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.
- Lets get high schoolers, on track to graduate, out of the class room and into some form of job shadowing and give them credit toward graduation. It can be on a truck, in a showroom, a call center, a factory, any number of professions. No additional funding required. It is time for our state to push back against the federal government. The feds are broke and continuing to take direction from them will do the same to us. Our system was designed for the states to act as numerous experiments and not to be dictated to from above.