Keith Laufenberg
Democrat | Florida
Candidate Profile*
Liberal
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Keith Laufenberg
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2020
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist 35
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, A.S. legal assisting, 1988
WORK & MILITARY
U.S.M.C., PFC, 3
AFFILIATIONS
Carpenter's Union Local #452, Journeyman Carpenter, Carpenter's Union Local #586
Journeyman Carpenter
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
LIBERAL (2)
Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida
Florida Planned Parenthood PAC
OTHER (1)
*Boots of Recovery
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (3)
Dem. Environmental Caucus of Florida
FL Alliance of Planned Parenthood
Democratic Ladies Club of Hernando County
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE*
*Additional information was received after the evaluation was assigned and was not considered in the Panel Evaluations, therefore it is for additional educational purposes only.
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.
Neutral
I support the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires health care providers to provide life-saving treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortion should be allowed if the woman having the child is in danger of dying in any fashion, icluding suicide, or if the woman or child's life is endangered due to a medical problem. In short it is the woman's decision, in the end, whether or not she has control of her body and her decision, in the end, unless she is incapacitated in some way that endanger either life.
ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Disagree
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Police. I would either defund the police or find a different way from the way they operate today, in 2020.
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.
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.
Neutral
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Strongly Agree
I promise to protect the freedom of Christians to share the Gospel and to practice Biblical principles.
Yes
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
The State should not and cannot tell worshippers how to worship or who to worship. This should continue. The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.
Strongly Agree
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
We truly need Universal Health Care in the United States and it can’t come too soon, As I’ve said many times we have a health care crisis at this time. What I know about Universal Health Care, Single-Payer Plan is this: I lived under it, in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, from 1970-1980 and I can attest to the fact that it is the difference between night and day for the average working man. I was a journeyman carpenter then, local #452 and it also helped by providing me and my family, with dental care and eye-care as well as all care for any type of illness. I had two children born in Vancouver one in 1976 and one in 1977 and everything was covered by Universal Health Care, Single-Payer, and the government-backed Plan even sent me monthly checks for the first several months to help with expenses raising the two children. Fast forward, seven years, 1984 and I am in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and my wife has two babies and when I sold my home, I paid a $5000 lien to the hospital.
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.
Strongly 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.
Disagree
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Anyone who is not a criminal or threat to the security of the United States and their children should also also be welcome. Remember, please what Emma Lazarus once said:“Give me your tired, your poor; Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these: the homeless, tempest-tossed to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door! She must be rolling over in her grave with a man like Trump attempting to ruin those wise and heart-felt words.
EDUCATION
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Agree
I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.
Agree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian, a Baptist for many decades but was at one time an agnostic, then a hypocritical sometime church goer and, finally, a born-again Christian who was baptized at my neighborhood Baptist church, in North Ft. Lauderdale, a few decades ago, in 1982, as to the best of my recollection.
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?
Liberal
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
All anyone has to do is go to Laufenberg2020.
What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
I owe my alliegance to no one but myself and the political caucuses who offer me questionnaires to fill out fool me not: I answer them truly as I believe, knowing very well that certain of these questions must be answered a certain way or I will not get their "endorsement." If I answer falsely it will hurt not only myself but also my soul and, therein, I can no longer claim the truth, which is the only thing any man running for a political office owes to the voting public and I will not lie as so many politicians do today that it has come to be expected by the voting public. Donald Trump has lied so much we don't expect him to tell the truth and it even appears that he does not himself know a lie from the truth. I have lived my entire life as if I were going to die tommorrow but, after my baptism so many decades ago now, I learned that I must, forevermore learn as if I will live forever, as God has this planned for our souls and we must, as Christian believers, never deny this fact.
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 will take a vow to tell the truth to any and every question or policy and speak with as many of my constituents as possible to assess what it is exactly they want and expect from me.
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
I support the use of Sharia law as a basis for legislation and judicial decisions in the United States.
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?
No
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Today, in 2020, we have more guns than people in the USA, and more than 1/3 of all mass shootings occur here even though we have only 5% of the World's population and our civilian population owns 50% of all the guns in this world. And, we have a gun-show loophole that allows anyone with enough money to buy any gun, rifle or assault weapon, such as an AK-47, at any gun-show and, because it is considered a private sale, no background check is required.We must get rid of this loophole.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Agree
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Agree
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Strongly Agree
In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?
1.Universal Health Care. 2.Civil Rights Bill to get rid of Florida's "Right to Work" law & allow in unions & a $20 minimum wage. 3.-Environmental Bill that not only addresses climate change but addresses Florida's eco-system that has been destroyed and continues to be destroyed by those who could fix it if only they did not worship money so. We must act before the earth dies for when she dies we too, all, will die also.
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Capitalism is a system that gives cover to a law like the right to work law which, actually, provides no rights and no work, banning unions and paying too many workers minimum wages and even below that. Racism, of course fits right in with this system, which has been in existence ever since Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas, the America and wrote to King Ferdinand of Spain saying, quote: "in the name of the Holy Trinity we can send all the slaves and brazil wood which could be sold. Columbus sent 5,00o slaves across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1496. From buying & selling slaves comes racism.
