Colorado 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
- My exception for rape and incest victims is limited to the first trimester.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

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

2. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees?
- Yes

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- I think some government agencies are overstaffed and/or overpaid. I do support having stricter guidelines to qualify for Medicaid. Some states have no personal income tax at all. Why can't Colorado do the same?

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
- While I do support campaign contribution limits, I think Colorado's are much too low. It makes things hard for non-wealthy candidates to compete with wealthy ones.

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
- Sanctuary cities and states are a threat to our economic health and safety.

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 Colorado?
- No

7. Do you support increasing state funding for improving Colorado's roads and bridges?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I support Proposition 109 and oppose Proposition 110. We need to fix our roads, but raising sales taxes would be a burden on our population.

Education

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- Common Core is making our students dumber. I consider myself to be a pretty smart guy, and there are some Elementary level Common Core questions I can't answer. We should not only fund charter schools, but provide non-wealthy parents with vouchers for private schools. Per pupil public school funding in this country is higher than average private school tuition.

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?
- No

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

4. Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Maintaining a free market is the best way to preserve the lowest prices for energy and public safety. I believe in the people and our businesses to make the decisions that will best move our energy industry forward.

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?
- Yes

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- I am a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment and will oppose any bills that attempt to strip our citizens of their Constitutional Rights.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Colorado'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

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

6. Other or expanded principles
- Generally speaking, government intervention in the healthcare market makes things worse. The disaster that is Obamacare is proof of that. I do think we need to do what we can to eliminate the opioid epidemic though. Part of this solution would be deregulate the nutraceuticals industry so more people will seek natural remedies over drugs.

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- The preservation of the 1st Amendment is vital in my opinion. I will not pass any laws that strip our individual entraprenuers or independent small businesses of their religious liberties.

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) Significantly reduce or eliminate the state personal income tax. We can do this by going after wasteful spending. 2) Reduce regulations of businesses. Unnecessary regulations cost businesses money that they could otherwise use to pay their employees more. 3) Preserve free speech. Specifically, I will make sure that the ridiculous "Safe Space" and "Microaggression" rules that exist in some colleges stay out of Colorado.