Texas Congressional Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Other or expanded principles
- Whereas, I am a medical person and I took an oath to preserve life, personally, abortions would not work for me unless, my life was at stake. However, I would not attempt to make decisions for another woman as to whether she should get an abortion. It is certainly her choice, the primary care provide and those who are affected.

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- I realize that America is run on our taxes paid into the system. I am okay with the taxes that we pay however, I want to be sure that all Americans are paying their fair share. It is vitally important that we have better infrastructure, roads and bridges for safe travels of our citizens, school buses and emergency vehicles, etc. In regards to defense spending, military interventions in other countries has become too costly. We have more than 700 installations around the world; the cost is amazing. We can curtail our military budget by redirecting funds toward cutting the deficit.

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- Unions have to publicly disclose how they spend their money and donations. Corporations are not held to this same standard. Those standards should be the same. Citizens United is a prime example of how corporations can spend money without reporting the donors.

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- There have been studies to show that during financial crisis and its impact on the economy, the government has increased government spending in order to stimulate our economic growth. There have been billions of taxpayer dollars appropriated toward the economy and policy makers examined the outcome of federal spending; and say no real economic growth. Even though the studies are not all consistent, historical evidence suggests an undesirable outcome with government spending. Reason being is, it crowds out the private-sector from spending and uses money in unproductive ways.

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- Education is directed on state level however, considering where Texas rates in education, the federal government needs to be an influence in our educational system by allocating funding to improve our numbers. It presently only give to those school districts that follow certain federal guidelines. That funding is a small amount of less than 4% and is normally for disabilities. Otherwise, it is on the state level.

Energy & Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Other or expanded principles
- There is widespread popular support for using renewable energy, particularly solar and wind energy, which provide electricity without giving rise to any carbon dioxide emissions. There is a large source of renewable energy in West Texas. Of course, cost is always an issue and how efficiently it is to deliver. Emissions and mitigate climate change are real and growing in importance at all levels. Without the benefit of legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency has finalized rules affecting vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions from power plants. Washington will keep in place legal challenges to ensure that they remain in place.

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Other or expanded principles
- As a Texan, we have always owned weapons in our home for hunting and protecting the land. When I am in the community, I rely on my law enforcement. We must keep weapons from the hands of mentally challenged dangerous militia. Certain military style weapons should not be for purchase accept for defense purposes. It must be common-sense gun-control.

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

2. Other or expanded principles
- All Americans should have healthcare; that includes healthcare being affordable. Some groups agree that a repeal could lead to increases in the number of newly uninsured Americans, the number of people facing difficulties from pre-existing conditions, the size of the federal deficit, and how much money people will have to pay for their health care. We must make healthcare more affordable so that we can have a "Healthy America."

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- I do not believe that Immigrants are using a Wall to cross the borders. They are building tunnels to cross underground. No doubt, we must protect our borders and the safety and security of our nation. I do not believe that a border wall is the answer to that problem. Finally, we do not have funding to deploy millions of people, therefore, we must end this discussion by establishing a lawful immigration Law. Then we must continue to enforce, protect and serve our communities and nation. We have a system whereby people can enter our country, use it.

Marijuana

1. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Unknown Position

2. Other or expanded principles
- Recent years there has been a support for marijuana legalization which has reached a tipping point. The majority of Americans now favor legalization. Many feel that marijuana legalization is a response to the failures of the war on drugs. Marijuana is a relatively safe drug however, there are risks, and how will these rick be controlled? There are lots of research regarding the usage, one in particular is, leading to more usage. In my career, I have seen results of excessive usage. Marijuana certainly should be looked at in regards to jail time; it ties up our criminal justice system.

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- No

3. Other or expanded principles
- The Government of the United States should transition to a foreign policy that includes reducing the size of the United States nuclear arsenal to a minimum deterrent level. As a retired U.S. Army officer and war veteran, Ihave seen too many lives loss from M16's and other war heads. I can not imagine a nuclear war. We should completely support the implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Administrative Priorities

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.) Veterans Benefits & Homeless: Donated 5 acres of land to build housing in Tyler, Texas for the homeless.2.) Healthcare--All Citizens: We either pay on the front end (smaller rates for insurance) or the back end (in the emergency room). 3.) Education: Public education and cost of college.