Ted Brown

Disagree

While I'm personally opposed to abortion, I don't believe we can assign legal protection under our laws until a baby is viable outside the womb.

Neutral

I am in favor of IVF if people choose to conceive a child that way. I don't know under what circumstances that embryos are destroyed, but I want to leave medical decisions between doctors and patients, without the government being involved.

While I'm personally opposed to abortion, in theory, this should be a woman's choice until the fetus would be viable outside the womb. In reality, over 90% of abortions are performed in the first and second trimesters, so in the first 16 weeks, long before viability.

Strongly Disagree

I am opposed to taxpayer-funded abortions. If someone wants an abortion, they should pay for it themselves.

Strongly Disagree

The Comstock Act is from 1873 and must be repealed. I believe that patients should be able to obtain FDA-approved drugs, like abortion drugs, through the mail.

Strongly Agree

I strongly support free enterprise, free market capitalism, and private property rights. This is what led to most of mankind coming out of poverty over the last 200 years. It's countries that reject these principles where people are the poorest and most desperate.

Disagree

I disagreed because I don't think taxes should be raised on anyone. However, if rich people want to voluntarily pay more taxes, they are welcome to do so. Sadly, the federal government spends and wastes so much money, that any amounts we are talking about would probably run the government for only a few hours or minutes.

Strongly Agree

I don't believe we can actually reduce the national debt, which is unsustainable at $40 trillion. But we can stop adding to it by eliminating annual budgets deficits. These deficits are what are constantly being added to the debt. Spending needs to be cut across the board, in every program, agency, and department.

(1) The Pentagon: this bloated agency can't pass an audit and justify previously appropriated amounts. They need to be reined in to promote the defense of this country and not interference all over the world. (2) End taxpayer subsidies to big business. Well-connected donors get what they want from pliable politicians. (3) Revert to the size of government envisioned by the Constitution, with no federal involvement in housing, transportation, education, and many other agencies.

Disagree

I believe in freedom of association, so I generally think businesses can decline to perform such services. But I think it must be clear what their policies are, clearly posted on their businesses, since I believe in truth in labeling.

It means that the government doesn't interfere in churches and religion, and religion doesn't interfere in politics and running the government. Obviously, every politician is entitled to their religious beliefs, but they have no right to impose them on everyone else.

For now, C, but eventually D. I'm opposed to government involvement in health care, but at this point, so many people are dependent on Medicare and Medicaid, that some kind of transition is necessary to not cut people off with no alternatives. This is something I will be examining in great detail if elected, since there is a financial crisis involving these programs on the horizon.

Strongly Disagree

I oppose government keeping a database of Americans for any reason. I'm a strong supporter of digital privacy and want to discourage government knowing more about us. We need to know about everything they are doing, but they don't need to know what we are doing!

Between (C) and (D). I believe in a strong national defense, since that's the main function of the federal government. However, U. S. intervention all over the world, especially in the Middle East, has brought a lot of blowback and unintended consequences that threaten us. We need to withdraw all U. S. troops, close our bases, and cut off all military and financial aid to every country in the Middle East. We need to end this ridiculous Iran War now.

Agree

Yes, the CCP isn't very creative, so they have to steal trade and industrial secrets from other countries like the U.S. They aren't really a military threat to us, since that would be uncharacteristic, because they are too smart to waste so much money having a worldwide empire like we do. China is doing more to increase their financial influence around the world, and they may end up being successful with that. But like us, they will probably be burned by giving a lot of foreign aid.

The relationship is understandable but has outlived its usefulness. U.S. military support of Israel has destabilized the Middle East and led us to all the conflicts we have there now. Most Americans sympathized with Israel after the 2023 Hamas attack, but Israel's out-of-proportion, over-the top response has led to the deaths of 70,000+ women and children in war crimes and absolutely destroyed Israel's "brand name" all over the world. We must end our military and financial support of Israel.

Agree

Yes, we have to be vigilant about possible terrorism, and Islamic terrorists seem to be the most likely villains here. Luckily, they haven't been able to keep harming us here at home that much since 9/11. They hate us mostly because we are over there in the Middle East interfering in that part of the world. If we stopped doing that, like I propose, I think we would have a lot less to worry about.,

It should be much easier to immigrate here legally. I believe in an Ellis Island-style immigration system where immigrants come to our checkpoints, identify themselves, get checked out for criminal records, and if clear, they should be welcomed to our country to work and make better lives for themselves and their families. Immigrants have always been good for this country's economy and have a lower crime rate than citizens.

Neutral

I don't think this should be necessary, and it wouldn't be if we adopted the Ellis Island-style immigration system I propose. Local police have no obligation to enforce federal law. However, they also don't have a right to interfere in federal agents enforcing federal law.

Strongly Agree

The federal government has no constitutional role in education.

Strongly Agree

I'm not sure how much this is happening, but I would worry if foreign governments tried to interfere in our educational system. They probably have enough to worry about with their own education systems!

Neutral

This issue has been blown out of proportion, but in reality, there are very few trans people in this country, less than 1% of the population. I think people should be able to identify themselves however they want to, but I also do worry about medical means of doing so that could have very negative physical effects. Thus, any surgeries should only be for adults. But overall, since I don't like to get between doctors and patients, there could be rare circumstances otherwise.

Strongly Disagree

This definition is absolutely fine for religious organizations to adopt, but not government. As long as government is in the business of registering marriages, any adults who want to get married should be able to do so. I would prefer government getting out of marriage completely.

I don't think it's appropriate to do so. Under our Constitution, there is no religious test allowed in order to hold public office. I think very personal beliefs should be kept that way, instead of candidates making political hay out of them.

Agree

I think it's fine to require an ID at the polling place to vote, but I don't think it's OK to require ID to register to vote, like is being promoted in the SAVE Act. I reject Republican election fraud paranoia, since there's no evidence that very many ineligible people ever vote. It's a myth to rouse the party faithful. I think it should be easier to vote, not harder.

Agree

I agree but only partially. Biological males should not be in women's shelters and women's prisons. We need a bathroom compromise where establishments agree to provide individual restrooms so people can avoid any strangers in the restroom. For sporting events, gyms, and any other spaces, it should be up to the organization putting on the event or owning the property to make the rules and to clearly let people know what those rules are ahead of time so they can decide whether to participate.

I believe in a free market in energy where all forms are encouraged to compete. This includes fossil fuels, wind, solar, hydroelectric, and nuclear. Sadly, I think that people are a bit too afraid of nuclear power but shouldn't be.

No

No. I have never been arrested for any reason.

Moderate

You should have a choice for "Libertarian," since it is a separate philosophy that is basically more conservative on economic matters but more liberal on social matters. Generally, conservatives probably agree with me 50% of the time, and liberals probably agree with me 50% of the time.

Agree

I think that parents are most responsible for limiting their kid's internet usage and applying parental controls to the internet to protect their kids. Of course, government should investigate and prosecute anyone sexually harassing kids online. However, I don't want government too involved, such as requiring ID to use the internet. It's an opening for government to track our every move online and ultimately control us digitally.

I'm a strong 2nd Amendment advocate and believe in the right to keep and bear arms. People have the right to concealed and open carry their weapons. I'm opposed to "gun free zones," since criminals will not obey and thus leave a lot of people vulnerable (like schoolchildren).