Michigan 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?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- If we are serious about reducing abortions we need better sex education, a living wage for all, create an economy that works to make Michiganders a priority.

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?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- If corporations pay taxes we won't need to raise taxes on Michiganders. I support a progressive tax of up to 10% for citizens making more than $600,000 a year.

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
- I would support voter ID if that voter ID were freely given to all Michiganders with automatic voter registration to remove all barriers while maintaining provisional ballots.

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
- There are rare circumstances a minor should be tried as an adult. If truly near adulthood and for certain heinous crimes but we need to make sure we don't let minors be tried as adults flippantly.

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?
- 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 Michigan?
- Yes

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

8. Do you support eliminating Michigan's mandatory no-fault auto insurance?
- Yes

9. Other or expanded principles
- Michigan's taxes are already some of the lowest in the nation and any further reduction will only harm infrastructure funding. It will only unlock a few pennies and hurt our common roads. Employers do not create jobs with extra money but when there is extra demand. Demand rises when people have good wages.

Education

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- Particularly children brought here by parents who broke the law, those children should not be punished for their parent's crimes. Those students should have the opportunity to get a good job and pay into the system for roads and infrastructure. The laws prohibit them from benefiting from public programs as it is.

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. Do you support decommissioning the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil from Canada to the U.S.?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- We need to focus on renewable energy and job creation.

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
- I support the second amendment in its full text "well regulated" meaning we aren't free to own anything and everything. The Supreme Court has upheld certain restrictions on certain levels of firearms. I believe laws act as deterrents analogous to speed limits and seat belt laws. We can do our part to make sure guns are accessible to all as it is their Right no matter the reason but to also keep guns out of the hands of the ineligible.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Michigan'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. Do you support using state funds to provide public health services to citizens exposed to lead contamination in the Flint Water Crisis?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Religious exemptions are contentious and bear more conversation.

Social

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

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

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

4. Should able-bodied "food stamps" (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients meet a work requirement to be eligible for benefits?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Work requirements are counter intuitive as they penalize people who live in rural areas and penalize people based on an economy possibly not hiring making it also harder to navigate the bureaucracy. None of us choose our gender or orientation any more than race or ethnicity. We must move towards protecting these kinds of non-choice issues.

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.
- Wage tied to the cost of living with tax breaks for small businesses to help them "get there". Our State tax of 5% puts .50 cents of every hour worked in minimum wage to tax revenues a $15 would put .75 cents of every hour worked into revenue. This would force wage competition for skilled labor to raise in step and create an economy that allows Michiganders to learn a trade, go back to school or start their own small business and on their way to employing a living wage. This is how we fix the roads.