Utah 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
- Women are smart as I see all the time. They have much control over their lives. Sadly, feminism has encouraged many to think the "end all and be all" of being female is having the "right" to an abortion. An abortion is the taking not only of an unborn child's life but of a woman's dignity. It's 2018, not 1968, and more women could "choose" to be smart - to avoid situations where men may take advantage of them, to learn about and practice contraception, to not act and dress as if they're "advertising" their sexual availability, etc.

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. An income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Utah has a good history of balancing budgets because legislators generally don't cater to special interest groups demanding more money for their narrow constituencies. In general, Utah's legislators realize that most people work very hard and don't have a lot of surplus money. Higher taxes aren't fair to most people. As to reducing state employee salaries or pensions, this should not have to happen. As to medicaid, as long as it's going for the truly needy, I wouldn't reduce benefits. However, if Medicaid becomes another entitlement program for working age and work eligible people, I would reduce benefits.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates?
- No

2. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- No

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. Do you support using primary conventions as the sole method of selecting political party nominees?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- The regulation of campaigns is difficult and expensive to do. Many well-funded candidates lose because most voters are paying attention.

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- As to minors and how they are treated, I believe it should be a case-by-case basis. Our juvenile courts were started because we believed there was a difference between children and adults, and unless the crime is very vicious, we should try to rehabilitate youth. The stat and local police cannot totally ignore the immigration laws. I believe they need to be sensitive to local communities but can't go so far as to ignore federal laws. Illegal immigrants often prey on other immigrants.

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?
- 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 Utah?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- The USA has prospered because people were generally allowed to succeed or fail on their own efforts. Of course, governmental regulation and intervention is necessary e.g. the safety net. There must be a balance. State spending often occurs because of special interests demand it and then use contacts to get access to that money. If taxes are low and state funds limited, special interests have less incentive to seek these funds for their own benefit. The minimum wage allows young, inexperienced people to enter the labor market, learn skills and work habits and progress. Too high wages limits these jobs.

Education

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

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

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

4. Do you support increasing the state gasoline tax to fund the education budget?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Education is critical to every thing we do as a society. We need community-wide intervention to improve education. More funding is not the answer. As a community we need to spend time as well as spend money on our schools. Parents are over-whelmed with challenges and need community help.

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?
- No

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- Yes

4. Do you support increasing state funding to improve air quality?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Isn't everyone for clean air and clean water? The question is how do we go reach these goals. We have people in the private sector working on these problems. Yes, it may sound good to have politicians promise tax dollars for these projects, but sometimes when the government steps in "to help," it allows unscrupulous people or a politician's patron to reach into the government money for projects that don't work. If private enterprise can keep more of its money for research, we could find solutions quicker and less expensively.

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?
- Yes

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- Gun control legislation in my opinion is chopping at the branches of a problem while ignoring its roots. The root common denominator of most shootings is a disturbed person, not an inanimate gun. People intent on killing will find a weapon. Restricting guns will not stop unstable people, and, most importantly, the measures necessary to restrict guns are distracting us and wasting our energy from preventing the root problem of violence of all kinds - hurt children who grow up to be embittered adolescents or adults! Let's get to the root of the problem and stop all violence.

Health

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

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

5. Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- The pay gap between men and women is largely because the life and work cycle of many women is different from men's. Many women leave the work force to raise children, often working part-time and not building up the seniority of men. Women who do not take time out for family matters are paid on par with men. To have government step in and enforce equal pay is a distortion of our market system. Also, many women do not want the arduous or dangerous work of men who work with heavy machinery, auto body parts, hazardous chemicals, etc.

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.
- From my experience in public health administration and education, nationally and in Utah, I will work for community-based health programs that prevent problems from developing or spreading. Public health programs are as essential to Utah's health and well-being as individual health care. As to private health care, I have worked also in clinics for the underserved and want to help all Utahns have health care. Preventing problems is fundamental and begins in our schools. Health status is directly correlated with education, and teachers are as important as doctors, and I will work to improve their professional status and work conditions.