Please describe what you believe are the most significant issues in this race, why and what you'll do to address them?

Party unity is of the utmost importance as we approach the 2020 election cycle. Republicans must be united to fight and disrupt the democrats efforts to "turn Texas blue" in the next year. That would have a devasting effect on our state as well as our nation. We, as Texans have a reputation of  being independent, standing strongly for traditional Christian and family values, and self-responsibility. I am a firm believer in all of those values. If we continue to allow those with conflicting values into positions of power, we will lose our identity as Texans and become just another state. TEXAS is and must remain a leader and example of our traditional values. Electing officials that hold and stand for these values is a must at every level of government. 

As Precinct 43 Chair, it is my firm intention to work closely with the party leadership of Montgomery County to build a united party in order to bring the best possible candidates to the voters that will represent, be true to, and fight for Republican/Conservative values at the local, state, and national levels.

Do you promise, if elected, to abide by the RPT platform? And if not, please enumerate what problems you have. 

Yes, I am a life-long Republican and support the Republican Party of Texas platform.

What differentiates you from your opponents?

I plan to attend and participate in all CEC meetings and as many republican sponsored events as possible. I have attended CEC meetings since the summer and several events, but have yet to meet my opponent. I believe that attendance and participation is essential to being a responsible representative of those that elected me. It is my goal to become an active contributor to the Montgomery County Republican Party of Texas. It is not in my nature to be an observer, but to be an active participant.

What best describes your political ideology most(circle only one).   
1.        Republican                     
2.        Grassroots                     
3.        Conservative
4.        Tea Party

I describe myself as a Conservative Republican. I believe in limited government, keeping taxes low, and holding elected officials accountable for their actions while in office.

Please list 3 federal agencies that are popular in our culture and should be abolished

The top Federal agency that should be abolished is the Department of Education. The education of our children should rest with the parents of those children. The policies and decisions pertaining to educating children should be made and determined at the local level and the federal government should just stay out of it.

The Bureau of Land Management is an unnecessary bureaucracy that too often infringes upon the rights and freedoms of private land owners, ranchers, and farmers. This agency's rules and regulations need to be curtailed. Many of the policies that govern public lands are redundant and could easily fall under the auspices of the Dept. of the Interior.

I also have strong objections to the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. This agency's power is often restrictive and prevents common sense use of land, water, and air. It implements outrageous rules that adversely affect homeowners, ranchers, farmers, and businesses without regard to the cost and consequences of the rule on people and livelihoods. Everyone wants clean water, air, and land, however, people should come first.

Should Texas GOP limit their elected officials to 8 years or less from the same office, even though it will force some good candidates to leave an office?

I am a strong supporter of term limits. Governing should never be a lifetime career. We are seeing the adverse effects of this policy in today's political arena. Some, perhaps not all, elected officials that have held the same office for decades begin to believe they are "in charge" and become tyrannical in their attitudes. This was not the intention of the Founding Fathers, nor should it be allowed to continue.

I would even venture to say that there should be no "political class", and that everyone should be limited to 10 or 12  years total of elected office. Put a stop of office hopping.

When you leave office what accomplishment/s do you want to be your hallmark, your legacy, and why?

A major reason for getting involved in the grassroots level of government is to bring our Party together for the good of Montgomery County, our Great State, and our Nation.

My goals are

1. increase the number of Republican voters that cast their vote in all 2020 elections

2. to promote Christian values and standards of the Republican Party

3. to put forth a viable and winning ballot of Republican candidates for upcoming elections

Accomplishing these goals would be a milestone in my life and hopefully would be a legacy to build on.

What form of federal tax law do you support (e.g., current, flat tax, fair tax, other) and why?

I understand the necessity of paying taxes, but like my Grandfather, I don't like paying them.

I believe that everyone should pay taxes, but that it should be fair and equal across the spectrum. I don't have an economic degree, but I have long held that if you make a dollar you pay a dime. Our tax laws are too complicated and complex for the ordinary taxpayer to understand the system. Lawyers that make millions helping their clients "out smart" the tax laws are an example of how seriously these laws need to change.

So, I suppose a flat tax, comes closest to my personal philosophy. (the 10 percent is not set in stone!)

A couple of years ago, a resolution was put forth by MoCo GOP to institute a 20% Homestead Exemption.  Did you support or oppose this and why?

I have only lived in Montgomery County since March of 2018, therefore, I am not familiar with this resolution. I do, however, support the Homestead Exemption. Homeowners are over taxed as it is. Any relief has merit and I agree with a freeze of tax rates for those 65 and over.

Do you believe the Second Amendment grants an individual right or a militia right?

The Founding Fathers were a group of wise men who through personal experience knew and acknowledged the importance of an individual to be free, to live their life according to their beliefs, and that government should not be allowed to interfere in those rights. Hence the Constitution. They also recognized that there were specific rights that had to be preserved by the people and for the people. Hence the Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment is one of those rights. This lesson was learned at great cost throughout history. That lesson was that when the People are not able to defend themselves, their families, and their property they become subject to the tyranny of government and the lawless. Our Founding Fathers watched this play out when the British tried to disarm the colonists in order to preserve control over the People. The People, being an independent group, refused to give up their arms and were willing to fight and die for that right. Hence the birth of the United States of America.

I firmly and stringently support the right of American citizens to "keep and bear arms". I understand that there are circumstances in which some people should have that right rescinded, due to lawless behavior, but the government has no right to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens to arm themselves.

Please explain your interpretation of the Tenth Amendment and the principle of nullification. Do states have a right of nullification? What should the federal government do if a state attempts nullification?

The Tenth Amendment is another statement by the founders that the Federal government must be limited in order to protect the freedom of the people to govern themselves. State's rights was and is a key element in the founding and development of this country. Each colony was settled by a group of strong independent people who gave up everything they knew and loved to come to this unknown wilderness because they believed in their God given rights to live their own life, worship as they chose, and to better their lives by the sweat of their own brow. I am sure they did not make the decision to leave their country, their families, and their culture lightly, but the strength of their convictions drove them to face the unknown and make a new life. That independent spirit grew with each generation and built towns and families. The various colonies learned to work and trade with each other but they each maintained their own identity. Even after the Revolution and establishment of one country, the colonists did not find it easy to blend, but time prevailed and we became one country. However, even today, most states maintain a separateness and individual identity.

The 10th amendment grants certain rights or pervues to the Federal govt. which would necessarily limit states rights in those specific areas, but all other rights belong to the state (people). If a state chooses to usurp the rights of the Federal govt then the courts must settle the issue. Federal government must be limited, however, in order to protect and preserve the sovereignty of the nation, states must comply with the Constitution.

States can certainly challenge the Constitution and have every right to do so.

Do you support or oppose federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other agencies that perform abortions, both in the U.S. and abroad (even if they use money derived from other sources)?

Abortion is an abomination before God.  I do not support, in any form, the use of tax dollars to support it. Organizations nor individuals who support or preform abortions should receive government funding or tax credits, nor should such organizations or individuals be allowed to contribute to candidates or campaigns to support abortion.

Planned Parenthood and other such organizations should not be tax-exempt because that is essentially a form of receiving federal and state funding.

At what point should the "right to life" or "personhood" be granted to new human beings (e.g., at conception, birth, 5 days old, etc)? What action, if any, will you take to reflect this in law?

A Human Being, a Soul, is created at the moment of conception. Every Republican/Conservative candidate and elected official must hold this belief to receive my support. It is not a gray area in my opinion. God grants life and our Declaration of Independence states unequivocally there is a right to "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness". How anyone can deny an innocent child that right has much to answer for to his Maker.

Do you support or oppose allowing parents direct the flow of federal education funds (e.g., to their school or home school of choice)? Support? Oppose? Please explain.

This question has been part of my life since the 1980's when I taught in a private Christian school. Many folks beleive that if they are paying tuition they should not have to pay school taxes. Some believed that their school taxes should go to their school of choice.

I would love to be able to direct where my taxes go, but the reality is we aren't given that choice. My biggest concern for private, non-government schools is that if they accept any type of tax funding, whether it is direct funds, tax breaks, or tax credit, the government has a "foot in your door" and will begin to dictate rules and regulations because tax funds are accepted, then government claims the right to enforce rules and regulations even if they go against the values of the entitiy receiving the funds/credits.

Parents are or should be the ultimate decision-maker regarding how they educate their children and they should not be punished for choosing private or home schooling over government funded schools by being forced to pay taxes and tuition.

I would support measures to provide a way to reduce the tax burden to everyone, but at the same time, government has to be kept from interferring with those non-government shcools.

Do you agree with precinct chairs involvement in republican primaries? Why or why not?

I am not sure what this question is asking. Precinct chairs are elected during the primary. The duty of precinct chairs is to work to bring out the Republican voters, to work with the CEC and County Chair to aid Republican candidates in their efforts to get elected.The elected county party representatives should vet and endorse candidates to make sure they uphold the platform and beliefs of the Republican Party. The people of Montgomery County should be able to put their faith in those Republican candidates, endorsed by the County party leadership, to be honest, ethical, and supporters of the Republican Party platform. 

What's your impression of GOP Speaker Dennis Bonnen after he was caught offering a Quid Pro Quo to Empower Texans Michael Quinn Sullivan?  Should Speaker Bonnen resign?  Should he suffer legal ramifications for his action/s?

I once heard Mr. Bonnen speak to a small group of people and was very impressed. However, he has been in Austin too long and like many career politicians he apparently believes he has a lot of power.

I was very disappointed to learn that he was seeking to work against fellow Republicans in our state and in his efforts he tried to elicit and involve the help of a fellow Texan with promises to provide media credentials.I am not naive enough to believe that "deals" are not part of the SOP, but to work against his own party is not acceptable. In his position of Speaker of the House, this is completely unacceptable. He was not only working against his own party but was working against TEXAS cities and counties. Then to lie about it makes it even worse. He should resign his speakership immediately.

Speaker Bonnen is a prime example for term limits and proves the old adage, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. 

I understand that he has announced that he will not seek re-election and he will be leaving his office in disgrace after such a long career. Rep.Burrows should be forced to resign as well. Neither should be able to seek or hold public office again as they have both violated the public trust.

Is there anything in your background of an embarrassing nature that should be explained before your election? Arrests/Convictions? Bankruptcys?

No.

What, if anything, should be done to protect our borders from illegal immigration?

I strongly believe in the sovereignty of the United States and that we have the duty and the right to protect our borders and limit who crosses those borders.

The border wall is one of the best solutions, but it has to be a strong unscalable wall with all the bells and technology whistles to protect it. Border crossings should be limited and have strong screening and search capabilities. I recently learned that there are "fast pass" type agreements with large trucking companies in Mexico that allows them to enter the US with little to no screening. That is not acceptable.

We should have strict laws and the means to enforce those laws for those who request asylum.

Amnesty comes in many forms.  What's your view as it pertains to Texas?

The reality is there are millions of illegal aliens in the country and in Texas. We will never be able to remove them, especially the Dreamers. It is a heart wrenching problem, but illegal is illegal.

I am not in favor of amnesty which allows illegal aliens to become citizens. That is not fair to legal immigrants.

"Dreamers" at age 18, should apply for citizenship, but they have to get in line behind the legal immigrants, and while they wait, they need to at least complete a high school education, get a job, pay taxes, and have a valid IRA or other retirement fund (not social security nor should they be eligible for benefits). If they are involved in any illegal activity (at any age), they are ineligible for citizenship and should be deported.

Since Pres. Trump has cracked down on illegal immigration, there should be no amnesty or path to citizenship for those crossing the border illegally. They must be sent back.

Do you support or oppose the referendum passed by both the MoCo GOP Executive Committee and SREC to allow voters, at the statewide level, to decide in the voting booth whether or not they want a particular toll road?  Why or why not?

I am not a fan of tollroads. We pay taxes to provide and maintain roads, then we have to pay even more to use them! I believe that voters should have a say in how their tax dollars are spent and if any new taxes should be authorized. So, I would support a referendum to require any actions concerning tollroads be approved/disapproved by voters.

I believe taxes are too high due to misuse and no accountability on the part of politicians.

Did you take a public position on the May 9, 2015 Road Bond, and if so, what was it? And in a few sentences, explain why.

I am afraid I am not familiar with the May 9 Road Bond and therefore am unable to give a responsible answer to this question.

What does being a conservative mean to you?

I proudly stand for traditional conservative values. I strongly believe in the following:

1. Pro-Life, life begins at conception
2. fiscal responsibility,reducing taxes and accountability for elected officials
3. smaller, less intrusive government,
4. traditional family,marriage is between a man and a woman
5. parental rights  and responsibility regarding the education and health of their child
6. Pro-business, capitalism/free market and business must be protected
7. Constitution originalist, Constitution is the supreme law of the land, the Constitution is not a "living document" meant to be interpreted by changing social morays.
8. Sovereignty of The United States and the State of Texas

I support these values and support candidates and elected officials that also support these values.

Do you support the Montgomery County Republican Party By-Laws as adopted by the CEC on 6/26/18?  And if not, why not?

Yes, the By-Laws were duly approved by the CEC and the state party.