Missouri 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
- I don?t believe that the government should be involved in legislating morality, or a woman?s body. I personally would, in most cases, advise against abortion. But, as a man, I don?t think it?s my place to make such a life altering choice. That decision should be left to the mother!

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
- We have a lot of waistful spending in Missouri. I feel that if we are going to cut spending, that we should make those cuts in areas that don?t make it harder for people to get by. Instead of making cuts, how about we increase our tax revenues by bringing in new companies and better jobs. I feel that when citizens make more money, that will increase our tax revenues and better stimulate the economy. Maybe we should offer employee tier-based incentives to companies, that would lower their corporate tax rate with the more people that they employ.

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
- Campaign finance reform is vital to get the corruption out of our states capital. I feel that campaign finance reform will help balance the scales, back in favor of the people. Right now, it?s sad to say, the people don?t mean that much to our elected officials. Corporations and speacial interest groups funnel in so much money that the scales swing heavy to their side. We need to better balance these scales, so that the people will once again have their voices heard by the very people that they elect to represent them!

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?
- Yes

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- If our state were to legalize marijuana, we could tax it and bring in higher tax revenues without raising taxes on the citizens. In instances like these, I support a sort of usage tax. In extreme cases, like murder, I feel that it is ok to charge a minor as an adult. If we let minors get off free from these types of crimes, then they will be emboldened to commit them and could be manipulated or coerced by other bad actors.

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?
- No

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 Missouri?
- Yes

7. Do you support increasing state taxes on tobacco products?
- Yes

8. Do you support increasing funding for the Missouri Department of Agriculture?
- No

9. Do you support implementing tolling stations on Interstate 70 to increase transportation funding?
- Yes

10. Other or expanded principles
- We can?t lower taxes until education and other needs are fully funded! I support guaranteed employment for all able-bodied Missourians. I believe in hand-up, not hand-outs. Once an able-bodied person has been off work for a certain amount of time, and they still haven?t found employment, then they can come work for the city, county, or state for their benefits. I feel that we have got to make it better to have a job, of your choosing, as opposed to working for your benefits. But, I wont even have this conversation until every working Missourian has a living wage.

Education

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

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

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Missouri 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
- No Answer

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
- No Answer

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Missouri'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 would like to expand Medicaid and offer it on the open market for every Missourian to have the option to buy into it, at cost. I feel that this would help to lower the price of health insurance due to the private insurers need to compete. This would either force them to lower their prices, or up the values of their services. At the very least, it would be a lower priced option.

Social

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

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

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

4. Do you support the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- I have mixed emotions of Confederate monuments. Where-as I see how they can be hurtful, I also see it as history that we don?t want to repeat and a way to keep people aware of these atrocities.

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.
- Education: I would like to expand the A+ program to four-year universities and bringing more trade schools to Missouri. This would be an increase in our states budget, I feel that this is an investment in our states future. Healthcare: I want to expand Medicaid and allow it to be purchased on the open market, at cost. Infrastructure: We need to make improvements to our states roads and bridges. This will also be an increase in our budget, but companies wont bring in new jobs without better conditions. All of these will factor in bringing more jobs to Missouri.