Survey Responses

I am the Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor. I am a long-term resident of Texas. I have a Law Degree from the University of Houston Law Center and Political Science degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. I am married, with two adult children, and live in East Texas near Lindale.

I am running to change the focus of state government from serving special interests to serving the public interest. I define the public interest as healthy people, healthy society, and healthy environment. I want to build a public consensus on the basics of the public interest as a way for the public to give continuous direction to state government and to overcome the divisive tribal and identity politics of the establishment parties.

The essential functions of state government should be designed to serve every Texan and should not be designed as monopolistic fiefdoms for special interests. This means that, while the needs of the majority should be served effectively, we should always allow for alternatives and the needs of others who are not in the majority.

I am personally very concerned that Texas is seriously unprepared for the effects of global warming and the people of Texas are at great risk as the scramble to cope with heat, drought, and flooding is beginning.

First key message

We need to make major improvements in urban public transportation and alternative transportation infrastructure. I propose allocating 10% of the state transportation budget to increasing the city bus fleets and to creating cycle tracks in Texas cities.

Second key message

We need to make significant investments in the Texas rural economy. These investments should be designed to increase the incomes and money circulation in rural areas. I propose a sole-proprietor greenhouse investment program to help families enter a greenhouse produce business, with a pricing program that will allow local, healthy, food to be available to all Texans at reasonable prices. I propose that Texas begins an educational and research program to encourage farmers and ranchers to develop more sustainable and chemical-free agricultural practices that farmers and ranchers can employ with confidence. I also propose increasing the county road and bridge fund and allowing bicycle paths to be built with these funds.

Third key message

I propose that we reform the electoral process in Texas. Our democracy needs to be strengthened and improved. I propose that we amend the Texas constitution to require that electoral districts be drawn in a way that prevents gerrymandering. Electoral district boundaries would have to meet a mathematical test that makes them mostly rectangular in shape. I believe we should adopt ranked-choice voting in our elections. This will expand the ideas and policy choices that are discussed in elections and reduce divisive campaigns. I also propose a statewide primary for all parties with ballot access and also including independent candidates. This would place the parties on a more equal footing and give independent candidates a chance.

I have a degree in Political Science and a Law degree. I have practiced law, worked in agriculture, managed small business, and taught high school math. I am familiar with all the regions of Texas.

I propose significant expansion of FQHC clinics, taking full advantage of Medicare, and expanding access to health care. I would seek to repeal laws that discourage specialization in women's care or single out providers who offer abortion related services. I believe abortion is primarily the choice of the woman and should be available up to 24 weeks. Also, it should be easier to have children.

I am opposed to tax breaks or incentives to data centers and they should pay for any increased capacity they require. Water use should be strictly limited and pollution forbidden. I am skeptical of the business case for data centers. I believe they are part of the AI bubble and an example of Wall Street mal-investment and of how our monetary system is not appropriate for the future.

I support a regulatory approach that would require AI use to be disclosed, all AI programs to be identified by a marker that must be given in any access request or query result, and AI access to specified file folders prohibited. I believe that addictive programming should be banned and AI should not be permitted to provide personal details about individuals or imitate individuals.

The state wastes a lot of money with high-stakes testing and excessive bureaucracy, which should be spent on teacher and parent resources and the well being of students. The voucher program is a threat to public education funding and should be repealed or at least means tested. I would consider the state acquiring school district bond debt and collecting only the principal, waiving interest.

I have a detailed election code reform proposal. I propose ranked-choice voting, a statewide primary for four parties and independents, reduced candidate filing fees, more polling places with better access, and a constitutional amendment with rules for electoral districts to eliminate gerrymandering. The voters' power in democracy must be restored.

Disagree — Health care providers should be treated the same in terms of eligibility to receive federal funds for legal healthcare services.

I would place the woman as the first person to decide the circumstances for an abortion. The rule that the elective abortion is available up to 24 weeks seems appropriate.

Strongly Agree — This concept is generally interpreted as human life is sacred until birth, after which human life is subject to the desires of the ruling class. However, human life, including the life of a pregnant woman, is sacred and should not be subjected to government or societal coercion.

Choose not to answer — I do not agree with the concept of creating human embryos for experimental purposes.

Disagree — There are multiple ways to induce abortions and restricting a method that is safe for the pregnant woman is unwise. While there have been many efforts to prevent abortion, history shows there are only two possibilities: legal abortions or illegal abortions. The primary reason for abortion, in my opinion, is the pregnant woman believing that she cannot possibly care for the child or bear the social stigma.

The minimum wage should be adjusted for inflation. The U.S. monetary system is controlled by the Federal Reserve banking cartel. The result is a society plagued by inflation, usury, and mal-investment. Workers need protections.

Neutral — Free enterprise means freedom from rentier extraction and monopoly. We do not have free enterprise. Other societies have been prosperous without emphasizing these values, but for our culture, private property and economic freedom are very important. It is still essential that public infrastructure provides a foundation for the economy. Government policy and investment should directed to developing wise use of resources, economic security and opportunity, and to protecting the environment.

For the U.S.: reduce military spending, replace the Federal Reserve with a Greenback system and eliminate new federal debt, reduce subsidies to corporations. For Texas: reduce spending on car-dependency infrastructure and increase alternatives, reduce subsidies to Wall Street corporations, reduce spending on agencies that have not been successful in their mission, and reduce debts of local governments and agencies.

Separation of church and state means that the government should not show favoritism to any religion and should not promote the religious doctrines of any religion. The government should not suppress religion. There is a large overlap of religious doctrine and values of social harmony but neither the government nor government officials should claim values of social harmony as a justification for government promotion of a particular religion.

Agree — The government has an interest in preventing religious strife. Businesses that present themselves as serving the public at large should be held to that standard. As far as particular products or services are concerned, businesses should have the freedom to choose which products and services they provide, but there are anti-monopoly laws which should be enforced.

Choice B) Medicare for all plus private insurance. The state of Texas should focus on preventive primary care, taking full advantage of Medicaid, healthy foods, and increasing access to medical care. The focus on insurance for healthcare tends to ignore government policies that harm public health. Policies such as auto-dependent transportation, encouraging use of harmful chemicals, and allowing cartels and monopolies to control healthcare have a detrimental effect on peoples' health.

Strongly Disagree — This concept really represents a government subsidy for Wall Street corporations which would use this information for pricing, distribution, and marketing. I would not say that "treatment" is an economic burden. The database, if any, should be about chemical exposure, water quality, and nutrition availability.

Disagree — The historical record shows that it is the United States Republican and Democrat parties that are a threat to China. China responds to U.S. threats and that response is labelled as aggression. The Wall Street failure to pursue innovation and renewable energy is not China's fault. Neither is Wall Street's dependence on military spending and imperialism for corporate profits. The establishment has simply failed to have a successful plan for competing with Chinese development.

The U.S. uses Israel as a tool of imperialism. The U.S. goal is to control fossil fuels and geographic access in the Middle East or West Asia. Israel attacks any country that is not aligned with U.S. imperial goals. The genocide of Palestinians is a crime and should be immediately halted by denying aid to Israel. Since we must transition to renewable energy, as much of the world is doing now, support for Israel will be less and less important for the U.S.

Agree — Sanctuary cities address a symptom of fascist policies that persecute a defenseless minority. The U.S. actually encourages undocumented immigrants in order to reduce labor costs for some business. The "anti-immigrant" policies serve to intimidate undocumented immigrants and present a theatrical demonstration for credulous voters. The immigrant crisis should be resolved with a combination of foreign policy that improves lives in foreign countries and reform of immigration laws.

Disagree — The idea that the Dept. of Education controls public education is a fallacy. In Texas, public education is controlled by the Tx. Education Agency through a testing/standards/grading regimen. This policy has failed to improve student competence and thinking ability. The Republican party, in particular, has denigrated public education and consistently reduced resources and quality. The Democrat party has mostly stood aside, silently aiding the assault on public education.

Agree — Public education should be funded solely by American governments. Foreign governments or organizations that fund private education in America should be prohibited from supporting anti-American divisive teachings or propaganda that supports foreign government interests.

Agree — This is another somewhat phony issue. Parents are the primary influence on the development of their children, but they should not be able to place unreasonable demands on public education, which must serve the entire population. In Texas, the Republican party education policies fail to support parents in helping their children in school and ignore parent concerns about the standards/testing/grading regimen for controlling public education.

Agree — The whole "transgender" debate ignores the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals that pervade our food and water. These chemicals have been proven to induce sex changes in other species, but their effects on humans are totally ignored. I do not know how significant this is, but I strongly believe it should be seriously studied with urgency.

Disagree — Religions do not own the definition of marriage.

Disagree — I do not support gambling in general. In limited cases, such as placing bets at horse races, gambling is important to an industry that provides varied employment. The Texas lottery system should be evaluated to determine whether it actually helps the people of Texas. I do not favor advertising for gambling and I am opposed to internet gambling. Gambling addiction should be a recognized medical condition and free therapy to overcome this addiction should be widely available.

I believe that god created the universe, including planet earth, and the unique environment that allows life as we know it. Deliberate harm to the environment is disrespectful to god. Failure to nurture the environment is a failure to use unique human abilities for the divine purpose of sustaining life. God's creation is beyond human comprehension, so there is no final or truly correct doctrine humanity can devise. We must recognize that uncertainty in spiritual matters is the human condition and it is our challenge to question and develop spiritual values. To say that humanity is made in the image of god is also to say that god is made in the image of humanity — the reflection works both ways.

Strongly Agree — The Texas constitution does not require a photo ID for voting. Various efforts have been made to limit voting by working families and members of lower economic classes, including photo ID's that may be difficult to obtain for some eligible voters.

Neutral — The idea of reparations has been proposed as a way of redressing the wrongs of slavery and racial prejudice. We should be committed to redressing the extreme economic inequality created by the Federal Reserve system which concentrates wealth for the financial elite and condemns so many to poverty and hopeless debt through usury.

Agree — I believe this issue is promoted by the establishment political parties, Republican and Democrat, as a divisive wedge issue. This issue is used to appear conservative or progressive and avoid addressing economic inequality, imperialism, climate change, and other issues that affect the population.

Strongly Agree — It is beyond dispute that we are experiencing global warming. The effects are now increasingly visible and harmful. We will eventually see rising sea levels destroy coastal cities. The urgent political action required is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase organic content in agricultural soils. The Federal Reserve system is an impediment to action due to the incentives it creates and its inability to provide funding for programs to reduce emissions and protect the environment.

Reliability is understood as reliable supply and reliable to not worsen climate change. At present, we have only solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries. Water issues limit hydro-power. Nuclear power is too expensive and takes too long to build.

Choose not to answer — These labels have been so distorted by media propaganda that they are meaningless. Conservatives are against conservation and liberals are against liberty. I am a Green Party candidate. For Texas, I propose increased public transit and transportation alternatives, investment in rural agriculture for sustainability, and electoral reform to increase democracy. My proposals are at https://kmm2026.org. In general, I favor social justice, environmental stewardship, peace and non-violence, and grassroots democracy.

No.

No.

The criminal justice system should uphold the rule of law, protect against crime, and ensure justice for all. It should not be used as a tool of oppression or political agendas. It should not be used instead of appropriate medical care such as mental health services or as a substitute for social services such as housing or shelter. In particular, drug prohibition should not be a criminal justice matter.

Strongly Agree — I would not limit this to online activities. Government has a responsibility to protect children in all circumstances and should have a well developed written, publicly available, concept of the best interests of children in order to guide government policies and actions in this regard.

Agree — I agree, but the question is extreme and pejorative. The separation of church and state means that government should not show favoritism to any religion nor oppress any religion. There are what I call civil values of public harmony which overlap with religious doctrines, but this overlap does not justify any religion claiming that a civil value means they have a special relationship with the government.

For Texas, only U.S. citizens should be allowed to purchase guns in this state, with proof similar to drivers license requirements. Guns should not be sold on credit. If we cannot ban assault weapons or explosives, the purchaser should be required to register and law enforcement should conduct a yearly inspection to verify the weapon location and condition. I believe the value of guns and the threats to gun ownership are greatly exaggerated as a marketing strategy.