Kate Falvey
Democrat | Minnesota
Candidate Profile
Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Kate Falvey
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 19
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, MA, 2013
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Govenaires Drum & Bugle Corps, Board and Corps Director
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
LIBERAL (6)
Minnesota AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Minnesota Council 5
Women Winning
SEIU Minnesota
Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL)
OTHER (1)
IBEW Local 343
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (5)
Education Minnesota
SEIU MN State Council
AFSCME Council 5
Women Winning
IBEW Local 343
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (2)
Education Minn (2022)
National Education Association (national, state & local affiliates) (2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortion should be allowed when necessary. It is up to the pregnant person (with or without the guidance of a medical professional) to decide if it is necessary and this is private decision that the government should not be involved in.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Disagree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Agree
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
The über-rich should be paying more taxes. The rates are too low for those in the upper tiers of earnings.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
I would reduce anything that is frivolous or streamline procedures so that money is not wasted. I would reduce corporate bailouts.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Agree
I believe that we must fully fund public education PreK-14. SOME COLLEGE should be no cost to students. (BTW, this is already happening all over the country with PSEO and Concurrent Enrollment courses). Should they wish to carry on their education after a two-year associates or technical degree, then they would pay for additional years of school.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Disagree
No, they should not. Private business can do as they wish. But, they should also realize there are consequences to their choices of whom to serve or what to sell. Also, if a person works in an establishment that they know sells products against their religious beliefs, maybe they should consider getting a job somewhere that does adhere to their personal belief system.
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
The government should only be able to close a church if illegal activities are being performed there, like it is a front for an illegal business, it is into human trafficking, etc. However, if a church decides to "preach" politics or host political rallies, they should no longer be eligible for tax-exempt status. In our nation of freedom of religion, if you do not like what your church is talking about in their sermons, there are many other options. It also means we have freedom FROM religion and there should never be any legislation that is based on religious beliefs.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.
B) We should all have access to basic, universal healthcare. I call it the "Chevrolet" of healthcare. If you want the "Cadillac" of healthcare, and can afford it, then that should be available to you as well. NO ONE should go bankrupt from cancer. NO ONE should have to worry about their insulin costs. NO ONE should worry about whether or not they pay for food or pay for antibiotics. Healthcare is a basic need like housing and food and we must do better to make sure everyone has some kind of coverage. People should not be prevented from going in to the clinic for a checkup or an illness because they can't pay the visit fee. This lack of coverage has driven people to use the Emergency Room as their primary care physician and that is driving up prices for everyone. The way we solve the abuse of the ER, the "wait until it's going to kill me" mentality many have about seeing the doctor, is to provide universal, basic healthcare. That way it truly is HEALTHcare and not SICK care.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
A private business (employer) can do whatever they want. It is their business. They should be able to require vaccines or not, and their employees can take it or leave it. That's private business. A school already requires vaccinations. Schools are a hotbed of germs and preventing the spread of disease is important. Having vaccination requirements to attend school has been successful in the past and will continue to be in the future. The government also requires vaccinations for military members, schools, etc. Do I believe that the government should require all citizens to be vaccinated, well, that depends on the situation. During the pandemic, I felt that if you wanted to refuse the vaccine, then you should also sign a waiver that you would pay (or your insurance would pay, whatever you had) for your COVID treatment, should you contract the virus and need treatment. You can't have your cake and eat it too. The government was offering free vaccines and free treatment. If you want to refuse the free vaccine, then you should refuse the free treatment. Having vaccination requirements to travel internationally is also nothing new. Governments all over the world have specific vaccinations for entering their countries.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Did not answer
I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Did not answer
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Did not answer
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Did not answer
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Disagree
Public money is for Public schools. "School choice" is a misleading term. School choice DOES exist - if you want to send your kids to private or religious schools, you are absolutely free to do so. You have a choice already.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Disagree
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Strongly Disagree
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Neutral
This country has a violent, racist history. It is likely that the institutions and the public systems that are in place are also racist. I believe more in the classist point of view. The rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer and the SYSTEM is designed to keep things that way. At the very least, the systems are designed to keep one class down and lift another class up and the class of people that it keeps down trends toward people of color.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe that in general, people are good. I believe that hate is learned. I believe that we must take care of our neighbors, regardless of whether or not it affects us directly. If my neighbors rise, we all rise. I believe that there is a reason that most religions of the world have some form of the Golden Rule in their teachings: "do unto others as you would have done unto you". Humans are social creatures and although that breeds conflict, especially when resources are scarce, we generally function better in a group than alone. I believe that communication is key to good relationships. I believe people should listen more than just "wait for their turn to speak". I believe we are all works in progress trying to find our place in the world. I value family and friendship above all things. I value the beauty of the world around me and the sustenance that the Earth can provide for us. I value reading not only as a vocabulary builder, but also as a way to lose yourself in a world that you may have never known otherwise. I believe that music can bring cultures together.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Agree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
I would make sure that there is a federal standard (at least for federal elections) for how many voting locations there are - say 1 per 10,000 people or whatever. I would make Election Day a national banking holiday.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Did not answer
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Neutral
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.
B) not only are the laws and regulations worth the cost, but they often CREATE jobs.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Neutral
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Government has a role in the national, state, and local level. These roles are inherently different. Government can be used for very good things - especially in keeping consistency with regulations and trade. The purpose of government, generally speaking, is to give the people a voice but without making them give up their time. The representatives we elect are SUPPOSED TO discuss our issues and our needs with other representatives and then do their best work to serve our needs together. We choose these people to work on our behalf. When they make those decisions, they are supposed to return home and discuss (or answer for) those decisions. This is the best way for us, as a people, to keep our lives going while having confidence that our needs are being listened to and someone is working on our behalf.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Lean Liberal
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
I have responded to several weekly questions in the Steele County Press
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
no
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
I believe that personal medical decisions and bodily autonomy are essential freedoms that we must not lose. I believe that PreK-14 education should be fully funded and that all educational support professionals should make a living wage and receive full benefits. I believe that we must re-evaluate our systems and institutions to make sure processes and procedures are equitable and we remove discriminatory practices.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Neutral
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Agree
The police department must be able to work in tandem with social workers and psychologists. It's like at a school: the teacher is not a trained psychologist or social worker; they are teacher. Same with the police officers.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
There must be more regulation on the guns bought at flea markets or privately - or acquired (gifts, etc.) privately. Those entities should have the same required background checks as a retailer. All gun owners should have an annually-renewed license and complete regular training for re-licensure. The "red flag" laws should include psychological referrals and behavior records from schools. Families should be able to restrict the ability of those at risk for committing violent acts from purchasing guns.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Neutral
It is a tricky one because if the dealer knew someone was flagged after a background check and sold the gun anyway, they should be held liable. I am not sure about the manufacturers because they are usually too far removed from the sale.
