Michael Clark
Libertarian | Texas
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Michael Clark
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2020
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 47
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Monterey, CA, Certificate, 2005
WORK & MILITARY
United States Air Force, E4, 4
AFFILIATIONS
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Neutral
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.
Agree
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Did not answer
ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.
Strongly Disagree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Disagree
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Did not answer
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Governments should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with taxpayer or public funds.
No Answer
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Disagree
I promise to protect the freedom of Christians to share the Gospel and to practice Biblical principles.
No Answer
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
The “separation of church and state” means that the state should remain out of religious issues that are not harming individuals as well as ensuring that the church doesn’t have any particular endorsement from the state to conduct their business. We are all Americans. But we are not all religious and the rights of every individual should be preserved.
HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.
Strongly Disagree
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
The key to making products and services more affordable is to free the market. Open up insurance companies to trade across state lines and ensure that proper consumer information is in place because no business has the right to deceive you.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Neutral
IMMIGRATION
I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.
Disagree
State and federal funds should be denied to any public or private entity, including but not limited to sanctuary cities, that are not in compliance with immigration laws.
Neutral
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Everyone should have the chance to be admitted to the United States. That’s also a chance that should come with precautions. Violent criminals, murderers, rapists, etc. should be denied access. We can achieve this through background checks. I believe in the Ellis Island style approach where it didn’t take years to vet applicants. The resources that would be used for a physical barrier could be better used for upgrades systems and trained staff to conduct background checks to ensure that safety is maintained.
EDUCATION
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Disagree
I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly Agree
Promotion of the LGBT agenda in public schools, including teaching of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”, is completely inappropriate and should be opposed at the state and local level.
Neutral
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Christian from my teen years on. The rights and values of the individual are paramount. If the defense of the rights of the individual happen to coincide with religious teachings, that’s a wonderful thing but religious/spiritual beliefs should not be the basis for determining the rights of the individual.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and immigration, which of the following best describes you overall?
No Answer
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
While there may not be publicly available information about my stance on economic, social, foreign policy, and immigration issues, none of the above answers other than “no answer” apply to me. As the Libertarian candidate, I am not a “kind of liberal, kind of conservative” melange of beliefs. I subscribe to the libertarian platform for actual conservative economic policy as well as actual Liberal social policy. But these are also loaded issues and require more targeted talking points as opposed to a self prescribed generalization of beliefs.
What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
I have limited experience with government positions. Most recently, was a member of the HOA board in the subdivision. I consistently held leadership positions in my military career and I’ve been described as “tough but fair” by my brothers and sisters in arms.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I’m for all your rights, all the time, so long as they don’t infringe on the rights of others. I want you to keep your paycheck and voluntarily give to programs that you believe in instead of having a bloated bureaucracy that forces you to give your money and spends with abandon. You can’t operate your home finances like that and the government should be expected to do the same. I want to ensure that every citizen maintains the right to property. I want the government to uncoil its tendrils from the free market through overreaching and redundant regulations so that everyone has the chance to chase the American Dream. I implore you: vote your conscience instead of by letter. Republicans and Democrats have had their shots at producing results you desire. If I don’t, please vote me out. But give me the chance and I’ll show you that, while it may seem frightening to have more freedom, it’s also the one thing every American should fight for the most.
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
I support the use of Sharia law as a basis for legislation and judicial decisions in the United States.
Strongly Disagree
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Strongly Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Guns are property and citizens have the right to own property. Felons who have been convicted should not be able to carry in public until their punishment is considered complete to society.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Strongly Agree
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Neutral
In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?
1) Legalize recreational drugs for adults. The prison system is inundated with people who have harmed nobody but themselves by choosing to possess or use a plant for themselves. There are far greater threats to society than people choosing to possibly harm themselves. 2) Eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing. 3) Reduction, if not complete obliteration, of property taxes. When you purchase a home or land, you have to rent it from the state when it’s paid off. If you don’t, the state can come in and take it from you, sell it, and have no qualms about it. As an individual, you can never REALLY own your property. The state does.
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Did not answer
