Alabama 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
- Abortion & reproductive issues are very private & personal matters that are best left between an individual woman and her physician. The issue has no place in politics, and therefore should not be politicized. Further, I respect the 1973 decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade. Since this matter has already been decided, and repeatedly upheld, I have little tolerance for those who continue to revisit the issue. I simply do not believe a woman's right to choose can or should be legislated or litigated, and to do so is an unfair imposition on her privacy.

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?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Alabama must look for novel ways of generating revenue and solving it's financial problems. Perhaps a turn away from archaic dogmas that have thwarted our economic progress as a state, and a turn toward ideas like the education lottery, or de-criminilization of marijuana, could breathe new life into our dying economy and inspire hope for many of our residents. Or how about re-entry programs for those who now fill our overcrowded underfunded prisons, and add to the astronomical burden of housing and providing medical care for them? Just some thoughts off the top of my head.

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
- Many of the matters mentioned above constitute radical and unfair changes in the law that have resulted in a patently unfair imbalance of power in Alabama, as well as other states.

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?
- No

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- Until the severely broken judicial system in Alabama is completely overhauled, I believe there should be a moratorium on Capital Punishment.

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?
- Yes

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?
- Yes

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Alabama?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- I do not necessarily believe one's eligibility for welfare benefits should be based on whether they can pass a drug test or not. A drug-addicted welfare recipient could very well have another fiscally responsible individual manage his or her benefits while he or she pursues drug rehabilitation. Drug addiction is a form of mental illness that must be addressed as part of an overall plan of intervention intended to heal that individual.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Alabama?
- Yes

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

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe that public education money should be spent in the public school system. And because we have so much money going into the private sector, this could partially account for so many of our failing schools, who are deprived by virtue of the money directed toward and diverted into the private education sector.

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
- No Answer

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
- Gun-sense laws can be effectively implemented without stripping citizens of their 2nd Amendment Right. For ALL citizens, but especially children in public schools, measures that ensure complete freedom from the fear of being attacked with a firearm must be implemented. I favor criminal background checks for ALL Gun purchases, keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, "Red Flag" Laws, Stopping permit-less carrying of firearms, keeping guns out of schools and off college campuses, Stopping Gun Trafficking and Straw purchasing, Funding Gun-Violence Prevention Research, Promoting responsible gun ownership, storage, and other measures that ensure safety & responsible gun ownership.

Health

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

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

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

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
- Everybody needs some form of health care insurance by one means or another. Those who cannot afford health care should be deemed eligible for the expanded Medicaid benefits available under the Affordable Care Act. It's very simple.

Social

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

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

3. Do you support greater efforts by Alabama 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
- 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.
- Prevention of further Hospital closings, & expanded access to health care would be my #1 priority, which I would fund through the expansion of Medicaid; (2) I would decrease the number of failing schools in AL through an Education Lottery strictly for education, & aimed during the first years, at studying the cause of failing schools, and turning them around. (3) For general economic growth & prosperity, I would support measures such as de-criminalizing marijuana vs regulating its sale and use to create new sources of revenue. Reduce prison populations, to lighten the financial load on the State.