Linda Curtis

While I respect those with different views than mine (many of them are my friends), I agree with the father of modern-day conservatism, who said, "There is no way in the world that abortion is going to be abolished. It has been going on ever since man and woman lived together on this earth," Barry Goldwater, Aug. 6, 1992. Abortion should be allowed when medically approved. Our government should stop trying to legislate morality. The Right to Life position should be to protect all our lives and all our liberties. I believe my brand of conservatism which focuses on preserving our real wealth – land and water, our natural resources – is true conservatism that serves all citizens. But we Texans are forced to put up with bad actors who run both parties and to accept the emergence of a kleptocracy. Kleptocracy is a government by people who use their power to steal their country's (our State’s) resources. The GOP is splintering into factions that are vying for raw political power. They want us all fighting about abortion, transgender and race while kleptocracy abounds and a complex border crisis is caught in the incessant political posturing of both parties. This is a no-win for every Texan, unless you’re crazy enough to want a civil war. Meanwhile, billions of dollars and our precious water supply, are subsidizing companies from across the globe who are setting up shop right here in Central Texas. This situation represents a clear and present danger to our local economies. My Republican opponent, Stan Gerdes, wants us at each other’s throats about monuments, race, gender that disrespects people's privacy, civil liberties, and property rights. He won’t even answer a question from anyone other than his paymaster – former Governor Rick Perry. Rick Perry sits on the board of the largest profiteer (Energy Transfer) off our grid’s collapse. Gerdes bought the primary with $600K from every lobbyist this side of the Pecos, including Energy Transfer. His campaign is financed almost entirely by out of district money from across the state and country. In essence, our rural communities, where people mostly vote Republican, are in real danger of putting a political predator in Austin to misrepresent us at the very same time our water, our land and any sense of fair play in elections are at risk. Meanwhile, my Democratic opponent, Madi Eden, has shown little interest in taking on the kleptocrats within her own party. Number one on the list is former Austin Mayor and State Senator, Kirk Watson, another permanent incumbent like Rick Perry. Watson is running AGAIN for Austin Mayor. If elected, he will without question, nail Austin’s affordability coffin shut as he continues to snooker Democrats. Here’s my challenge to all independent minded Texans, regardless of your party and ideology. There is no way out of the madness of what is happening to our communities other than by going independent. Disclaimer: I am just one independent. I do not claim to represent all independents. I ask for your help to put some political judo on the two-party system to get them off balance in House District 17. I need about 35% to win in a three-way race. There is no runoff in November. Because I’m a long-shot, if we manage to pull off a win in HD 17, I believe we will see a full-blown independent movement in Texas with more people like me to solve – not make – problems. Thank you for the opportunity!

Disagree

I have no problem with Planned Parenthood or any other abortion providers receiving funds for providing services to people on Medicaid and Medicare, so long as they are approved services.

Agree

I want people, and not the government, to have complete control over their medical, religious, and life decisions.

Remember Ross Perot's "crazy aunt in the basement”? “All the neighbors know she's there, but no one wants to talk about her." Perot's crazy aunt was the federal deficit. Today, these are my crazy aunts in the Texas state legislative basement begging to be let out in this election. Help me set them free!: • Accurately value large-scale commercial properties which were, on average, undervalued by 40% in a comprehensive study by the Texas Appraisal District Association in 2006, resulting in a $4 billion annual tax loss. The push by some sincere legislators was to pass sales disclosure for commercial properties. It is still not passed. I I am hearing from experts in commercial properties that the appraisal districts are doing a better job at commercial valuations, but the properties could still be undervalued by roughly 20%. The abuses continue, however, more significantly and more likely in land valuations. I have solid reports of land valued at 0%! What’s more, million+ dollar homes are another sad undervaluation story I won’t get into here. I do know of at least one $5 million home in Austin that is valued at less than half. • Elect, rather than appoint, appraisal district board members, giving taxpayers more direct accountability. Just remember average homeowners have a built-in disadvantage on their tax protests. Though you can do it on your own, many people cannot do it themselves. • Unburden homeowners (and renters, by default) from paying the full freight for public education – the state can, and should, pick up more of the tab. Cutting the State’s massive corporate giveaways is one obvious source of funding for schools. • Allow Texans the right to repeal massive subsidies that allow billions in giveaways to corporate giants and flim-flam startups. Texans should be allowed to vote to reverse HJR 4, passed by a 1.65% margin in 1987. (Did you catch the hundreds of last-minute applications seeking notorious Chapter 313 subsidies, i.e. property tax breaks on school taxes, before this program is supposed to end in 2022.) You want me in the Legislature, to work with like-minded legislative colleagues, to take a shovel to this bull-puckey. Otherwise, you might expect the worst of public subsidies – Chapter 313s – to be renewed in the next session. • Require bond packages to ITEMIZE projects and allow voters to choose which ones they support. Ex: Austin ISD just slammed a $2.4B bloated bond on the November ballot. It won't give the voters a choice to reject bulldozing buildings for new ones with fancy (and expensive) architectural design or to prioritize teacher salaries and academics over new sports facilities. This is SO all kind of Texas wrong! • Adopt water policies that address aquifer sustainability, to ensure the “inheritance” of future generations of Texans, The current amount of groundwater pumping, alone, threatens the slow-recharging aquifers of HD-17. I call our water policies of moving water for buildout in areas without adequate local supply “The California Water Model.” It’s a proven disaster but neither of my opponents are speaking out about this. • Make high-end water users pay the true value of groundwater to the counties where the supply originates, and pay more, the more water they use. My district's (Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee and Milam counties) groundwater is being raided for out-of-district projects like municipal supply and chip plants without fair compensation to those who “contribute” to that supply by having their water involuntarily drained by heavy pumping. • Give landowners substantial tax breaks when their water, and therefore property value, is stolen from under them. • Reform Toll Roads –the people who brought you more expensive roads through debt financing with regressive (usurious) rate penalties and tolls that are never retired, was a cabal of former Republican Governor Rick Perry and Democrat Kirk Watson, leaders of the Central Texas growth-gone-wild machine. It's time for an independent electoral revolt on this issue alone. • Fund a state-provided booklet that explains exactly how much Texans are paying for all of its programs, similar to the federal budget booklet, "Uncle Sam's Checkbook" authored by longtime independent federal budget nerd Jeff Harper. P.S. Pay attention now. Otherwise, one of my opponents is taking money from every lobbyist this side of the Pecos, and he will keep these crazy aunts locked up.

With growth-gone-wild in Texas (too many people moving here too fast, brought on by the giveaway policies of Rick Perry and his Democratic friends in big municipalities), what does it mean to "balance a budget"? We have too much demand for public infrastructure -- roads, water, public safety, education, etc. Therefore, like in other high-growth states such as the State of Florida*, local taxing authorities should have the right to impose much more robust development impact fees. These fees are one-time charges to developers to help pay for the infrastructure needed for new developments and is one way to make growth pay for growth. *In Florida, developers pay one-time fees on new developments for new schools, new public safety (police, fire, and EMS), and new libraries in addition to those paid in Texas. Texas only allows for limited fees for water, wastewater, sewer, and roads, and only cities can impose these fees. Texas counties can “eat cake”. Don't let your Republican and Democratic officials tell you this will make housing more expensive. Impact fees on new developments shift the costs back to developers to share the load in the costs for new infrastructure demanded by new growth. Most municipal officials are also guilty as sin on pushing pedal to the metal on growth. The cities of Austin and San Antonio, Williamson County officials (Ds and Rs), peddle the fallacy that more growth equals more prosperity. The truth is growth cannot completely pay for growth. So, pressing pedal to the metal on subsidizing growth is a poverty and scarcity creator. Ordinary citizens get this – we feel it every day. Most politicos either don’t get it or don’t want to get it. For some excellent analysis of the challenges of growth in Texas, I refer you to Texas2036.org founded by Tom Luce. Luce was a supporter of Ross Perot.

Neutral

Though I agree, most Texans would want to know how the heck we would pay for this, particularly college. I would also like to see trade schools readily available to our population. We might find the dollars if you put the hogs at our public trou But, for now, understanding where our tax dollars are going is not easily accessible to the average Texan or even our Legislators. Until a lot more citizens get a real look under the hood of our state budget, this discussion is all hat and no cattle.

Disagree

Businesses are private entities, and unless they have a monopoly, they should be able to set their own policies. Consumers can go elsewhere, thereby voting with their own purses.

None, unless, of course, there is something illegal going on. House Bill 1239 was passed in the most recent regular session of the Texas Legislature. The bill states that the government can't tell religious outlets to close for any reason, even during a pandemic.

I agree with B because that’s about as good as you can get in a healthcare system that is breaking because the takeover of the system by profiteering hospital corporations, Big Pharma and even the “doc-in-a-box” operations. I am not running for federal office. I’m running for Texas Legislature. I disagree with the Legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid. We should take advantage of all healthcare dollars available. That said, we all know the healthcare system is unsustainable due to excessive profiteering. This is why many younger people support Bernie Sanders’ call for “Medicare for All” and most seniors will defend their Medicare with all their might. I recently wrote an article for the League of Independent Voters News blog, “Cuban Bullish on Ending Duopoly” I hope you will read it. Businessman and political independent Mark Cuban is using the marketplace to take a big bite out of Big Pharma’s profiteering with his new company, Cost Plus Drugs. They are producing pharmaceuticals for pennies on the dollar by cutting out the mega-profits. I am urging we get buy-in from more business leaders, like Cuban, to work with non-profits to find solutions – marketplace and governmental – to save our dying healthcare system. This is especially important to rural communities who are losing their local hospitals. We need to create through a real national dialogue a uniquely American – and depoliticized -- system to guarantee quality healthcare to our population.

When I was growing up, I remember how the discovery of the polio vaccine was welcomed as a godsend. Requiring that children be vaccinated prior to enrolling in school was uncontroversial. I believe that once a vaccine has been proven safe, and capable of preventing the serious illness and death resulting from a highly contagious disease, vaccine mandates – for school enrollment, hospital employment, institutional settings (nursing homes, prisons, etc.) -- can be ethically justified. Moreover, they have already been legally justified – a lawsuit filed by some Houston Methodist Hospital employees to prevent that institution from requiring them to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was dismissed by a U.S. District judge. The court ruled "This is not coercion. Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus." The Supreme Court has previously upheld vaccine mandates on the grounds that individual autonomy is not absolute and can be curtailed when it threatens public health and safety. A mandate under these circumstances is not coercion – you can refuse vaccination. Still, if you do, your employer, school, etc. retains the right to protect your fellow citizens against the harms that could result from your refusal. The same argument goes for the right of someone to spoil your water, your land, or your air by doing something on their own property. Property rights, like personal autonomy, are not absolute.

Stop invading other countries, conducting proxy wars, and engaging in provocative policy-making while playing policemen of the world. I've long been an anti-interventionist like Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan, Ralph Nader, and others who have little in common but are tired of endless and destructive wars. Please remember, though, that I am not running for federal office where I would be expected to vote on foreign policy questions. I am running for Texas Legislature.

Choose not to answer

I'm not following this issue closely enough and the Texas Legislature is not engaged in foreign policy. I am running for Texas House, not the U.S. House.

Agree

I’m for a strong enforced border, not a wall. I believe the wall costs too much and does too little. More than any single issue in Texas, the border crisis cannot be solved through our two-party system. The problems are incredibly complex and are incredibly polarized. To SOLVE the problems, we have to get the politics out of it. Therefore, I support the development of a commission, led by independent non-partisans in business and the non-profit world to bring all stakeholders together.

Anyone who wants to come here should be considered if they are law-abiding and able to contribute to our country. The U.S. is facing an acute labor shortage: for every 100 jobs, there are only 60 unemployed workers. Labor shortages harm supply chains, which drives inflation. The labor force has shrunk, partly due to recent low net international immigration levels. We should remove unnecessary administrative and procedural barriers preventing immigrant workers from filling unmet needs in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. DACA recipients are a considerable resource that our country has already invested in (they came here as children). Still, their potential contributions to our country are limited by their uncertain immigration status. Congress should pass a permanent legislative solution for them.

Neutral

I agree that our system of limited government only works when there is a shared moral consensus among its citizens, and our shared morality has historically been based on Judeo-Christian values. But we do not live in a theocracy, and our Constitution provides for the separation of Church and State. Those challenging separation of Church and State have a right to their opinion and to challenge it. I believe most Americans of all faiths do not want to mix their religion with politics.

Agree

We shouldn't discriminate against people based on gender, and most people I know get this, including my conservative supporters. The basic principle I use is to ask myself this question. How is this hurting me, my livelihood or my property?

Disagree

I have a feeling about this that you may not like hearing, but I believe both parties’ activist wings are focused on race issues because it’s what I call the “cheap sale.” It’s easier for them to keep their base riled up on these sticky wickets (CRT and monuments) than to address the complex issues facing every one of us in the economic times ahead. That said, I want to be very clear that I do not believe that we should allow our history of slavery to be whitewashed. See answer on Reparations.

I believe all people deserve respect, and dignity, and to not have matters of utmost importance to them politicized. I believe in everyone's right to determine what's best for themselves with those they choose to include in those decisions. Get the government out of our bedrooms, bathrooms, and religion, please. And respect everyone. The Golden Rule is the Christianity that I understand and embrace.

Disagree

Most people can get a photo I.D. The law can spell out extenuating circumstances that can be considered for people who can't get a photo ID.

• Enact the Texas Voter Choice Act for fair ballot access, opening up the field to more than two choices in Texas, including online petitioning. • Give Texans the power to petition for statewide, county, and local measures for public votes. • End gerrymandering in favor of redistricting by independent, non-partisan redistricting commissions or a panel of retired judges. • Adopt rank-choice-voting and approval voting, ending expensive and poorly attended runoff elections. • End straight-ticket voting in Texas – already accomplished. Voters must go down the ballot and choose in each race, thinking before they vote. :) • Enact term limits – I support 12 years in each chamber, but just realize voters, not legislators, pass them. That's why petition rights are so important • Make it easier to vote, not more difficult. I support vote by mail and know it can be secure and widely used, as is the case in the State of Oregon for decades. It is also very important to the disabled and seniors. • Make campaigning more accessible to grassroots candidates by allowing campaigning 30 feet from the poll. It is currently 100 feet when most parking lots are within 100 feet. Note: Most of these reforms are parked at LIVTX.org/grow-the-independent-movement. I believe Texas voting practices are pretty good in House District 17. One of our GOP primary candidates, a computer forensic expert, just went through the process and found no significant issues.

When deranged individuals motivated by White Supremacist ideas, anti-Semitism, or "anti-whateverism" murder innocent people, yes, that threatens domestic security. This is one of the most urgent calls for the development of a multi-party political system where the non-violent views of the "extremes" are not snuffed out but are part of a continuum of discussion that doesn't drown out common sense and decency.

Disagree

Advocating for reparations stirs racial tension and isolates the black community. I prefer to focus on what we can do to unite our poor and working-class folks across the racial divide as have some of our country’s most iconic black leaders -- Martin Luther King to the Black Panther Party, which invented the "rainbow coalition" that included poor white people.

Our water, our land and our environment are God’s creation and it is our responsibility to protect it for our kids and future generations. My problem with your question is that it is binary and does not address the anarchic and self-defeating policies being pursued in Texas today where we are allowing profiteers the right to pollute, destroy and profiteer off of our natural resources. The truth is that our "environment" -- water and land -- cannot be separated from our economy. Our current officials are allowing the destruction of land and water resources in the name of economic development without considering the real costs and potential negative impacts on our economy! For example, 25 miles east of the Capitol Dome is one of those sneaky last-minute applications for a Chapter 313 subsidy to the Elgin ISD that would allow the clear-cutting of at least 2,100 acres of heritage forest for a solar farm! How is this a sound investment in a county that had the most destructive fire in Texas history, losing 1.5 million trees in 2011? Speaking to the Bastrop Conservatives in August, Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s response was to tell his constituents to defeat it at the local level. Good luck with that since, perversely, schools rely on Chapter 313's to bring in additional funds! The highly subsidized and high water usage Samsung Taylor plant (thanks to local and state officials, they are getting 90% property tax waivers for 30 years) was allowed to grab a massive amount of Milam County's water supply for a chip plant. Milam and other HD17 counties' water supply is already under duress due to the Vista Ridge/San Antone Hose mass over-pumping. Yes, America needs chip plants, but not in this area, where the aquifers are under siege. There are 11 more applications by Samsung for subsidies, guaranteeing a water crisis if they are passed. Note: Those granting the subsidies live in neighboring counties and were specifically led by Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell. We just love how generous he is with OUR WATER in H.D. 17! If you let these "leaders" continue to put the environment in a dueling match with jobs, we risk a crisis for both. What’s more by allowing them to destroy the wealth of a community -- our water and our land – the crisis is guaranteed.

Neutral

Fracking is a fact of life, and the market determines what will survive in this arena. But, let's stop pretending! Of course, Texas oil and gas interests should have a seat at the table, but they should not have a monopoly on all the seats. This recent article in the Dallas Morning News (try to open it with a Chrome browser: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2022/08/08/texas-grids-future-could-be-up-to-oil-and-gas-execs-others-in-little-known-group/) is a must read for the 2023 session.

To do those things society needs and individuals and businesses cannot do and to ensure we all live by the same rules.

Choose not to answer

Remember the song "Don't Fence Me In"? I no longer believe in a "left-center-right" paradigm. Voters across the party and ideological aisle have a common purpose in today's emerging "kleptocracy" – a system ruled by people who use their power to steal resources -- right here in the heart of Texas. Most independents -- now 45% of the electorate -- have a mixture of views. Though independents have views that are along that spectrum. I don't think you can add them all together and pick the midd

The News Blog at IndyTexans.org goes way back. I've been active in Central Texas since 1993. You can also read an in-depth bio and recent AustinBulldog article about me at my campaign website at Linda4Lege.org. Go to the "About" page and the "News" page. Google my name, and you shall receive.

no

The in-depth solutions on my "Solutions" page should be up by the time you read this questionnaire. In short, they are: • Make growth pay for itself and harness property appraisals gone wild. • Keep our water local -- audit and cutback Vista Ridge, the "San Antone Hose". • End giveaways to corporate interests that destroy our land and water future – the foundations of our communities' wealth. • Secure an independent review of how growth challenges our electric grid, and how best to meet our future needs for power. • Open up Texas elections to electoral competition -- to more than two choices! Most of all, I want voters to fully realize you can't judge a book by its cover – slap a label on us and you're done. Most Texans, including those who vote in the party primaries, are independents. We vote for the person, not the party, and vote on issues. Thanks for asking me to be part of your process. Visit with me at Linda4Lege.org. Unlike my GOP opponent, I freely give you my phone number. Call me at 512.697.8809.

Agree

I would not change what exists. Police officers have qualified immunity.

Agree

I support a group called "Just Liberty" which has brought together conservatives and liberals -- and independents -- to work on these issues. One of my campaign team members is a retired police officer. He and I believe most police officers prefer not to deal with mental health issues and prefer to devote themselves to policing crime.

I support the Second Amendment and am a gun owner. I also support stopping people who are mentally unstable or who have committed violent crimes or animal cruelty from getting their hands on guns. I hope the new law has tightened up reporting and background checks, and I don't have a problem with a court denying weapons to someone, so long as the person charged has full rights to defend themselves in a court of law.

Disagree

It seems like a stretch to sue dealers and manufacturers so long as they follow the law, but I know we will see how this plays out in court.