South Dakota 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
- The prohibition of public funds to organizations associated with abortion restricts health care options, particularly to women, in a nation that has chosen to prioritize insurance companies over the healthy lives of our citizens. Legislators care not about abortion or other health care issues, as evidenced by the far-too-common discovery of vocal pro-life imposters securing abortions for their mistresses. While I am morally opposed to abortion as a birth control measure, I realize that restricting this option only makes matters worse. Ending unneccessary abortion starts with creating a world women want to bring children into.Choice is part of that world.

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. Other or expanded principles
- The issue is not revenue, but prioritization and efficiency. We need to be looking for ways to put more money into working families' pockets, which means ending sales tax on food and hygiene products in my opinion. It is inhumane and unacceptable that every time there's an issue with the budget, real or perceived, we look to squeeze more out of the people who have the least to give. If we do need revenue, let it come from the top for a change. Tax massive corporations paying too little to our citizens, dirty energy and oil pipelines, or interstate trusts.

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. Do you support South Dakota transitioning to an open primary election system?
- Yes

6. Do you support prohibiting out-of-state contributions to state ballot initiative committees?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- South Dakota deserves open primaries and publicly funded elections. Our state is not like any other, and it is unreasonable to allow money from interested entities out of state to influence our elections with their dollars. It is particularly abhorrent given that in many cases, those who seek to influence our elections do so to gain more control of our resources while misnaming us as deplorable and degrading our home as a "fly-over state." Out-of-state moneyed interest has resulted in an insurmountable super majority and a mentality among our legislators that they do not answer to us, the people.

Crime & Public Safety

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

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?
- No

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Regarding immigration, the federal government has misused its authority and degraded those seeking refuge as little more than a political distraction tactic. This practice is not new. As a matter of fact, it is old and established enough to support the argument that we should be empowered to create our own immigration laws while we work on reinstituting integrity in the federal government. I do not support open borders, but I believe we have failed to show basic humanity in our dealings with refugees and I would not hold our state and local police to that low standard.

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?
- No

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 South Dakota?
- Yes

7. Do you support legalized state-sponsored sports betting in South Dakota?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- We cannot continually legislate the circulation of money. We cannot continually beg government to promote a balanced economy. First, because integrity is too easily bought these days and second, because even with the best intentions response is too slow and that's not the way a healthy economy works. In order to promote and robust, responsive economy we must empower the working people of South Dakota to bargain for their fair share of the wealth their labor creates. We don't just want business here, we want business that will improve the lives of our citizens. Work without livelihood is slavery.

Education

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- I am an advocate of universal education. Money should not bar the road to enlightenment - information belongs to everyone. Regarding tuition for the unlawfully immigrated, I advocate for their advancement. Here's why: people do not leave their homes and risk everything to raise their children in a hostile community because it sounds like a great life. The conditions that drive people to immigrate unlawfully will never be addressed or ammended by those who can't make an argument for themselves. Educate them, empower them to change their circumstances any way we can, arm them with knowledge and confidence for change.

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
- I also oppose any attempt at industrial mining of gold or uranium in the Black Hills or Pe' Sla. No more oil pipelines - especially if they aren't even footing the bill for their own clean-up funds. We should also look at banning fracked and tar-sands oil from coming through our state.

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
- As a gun owner, I support the Second Amendment and will protect the right to own and carry guns. As a community, we must promote responsible gun ownership. We should ensure that those who own and carry guns are mentally and emotionally equipped to do so, that they have been trained on how to use and maintain the weapon, and that they are knowledgeable in a range of de-escalation techniques to ensure that if a gun owner is ever in a position to have to use that weapon for self-defense, they are ready to do so.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through South Dakota'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?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- I support universal health care. The first step on the road to creating an equitable, accessible health care system is taking down the for-profit insurance companies that have hijacked our governent to force us to support them. Insurance is not healthcare.

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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.
- 1. Protect our land, air, and water from encroaching corporate interest - no industrial mining in the Black Hills or Pe' Sla.2. A complete and very transparent overhaul of the current budget so we know exactly where we can afford to make cuts, how to take advantage of efficiencies, and get some explanations on why we're funding things that hurt our communities and claiming we can't afford to help. 3. Setting an example of what transparent, representative government looks like by working closely with community representatives to keep my actions public.