| How has this campaign been different than last year’s campaign?
What makes this race unique is the short timeline. Last year we ran against a corrupt incumbent and had months and months to draw a contrast between my opponent and me.
Now we’re 3 ½ weeks into a 5-week election cycle. We’ve knocked on thousands and thousands of doors, made thousands of phone calls, put up signs and raised significant financial resources – and we’ve crammed all that activity into a very short period of time.
It is the short timeline in this race that makes it so crucial that Democrats from around the state join our fight to restore honesty and integrity to this district’s voice in Austin.
What specific improvements do you want to make to public education in Texas?
I believe there are some very obvious things the legislature can do to improve our public schools.
It is totally unacceptable that Texas teachers are paid $6,000 below the national average. How can we recruit the best and the brightest high school and college students into the teaching profession when we won’t pay hard-working teachers what they deserve?
Meanwhile, the teachers we do have are forced to use out-of-date textbooks and are saddled with bureaucratic red-tape that forces them to teach to the test.
I am ready join Democrats and moderate Republicans in the House to pass meaningful solutions to these challenges.
How do you feel about the following Republican-proposed education initiatives: vouchers, the 65% rule, and an incentive-based system of teacher pay?
I will address these issues one at a time.
On vouchers: I absolutely refuse to give up on our public schools. I sympathize with parents who feel a desperate desire to see their children succeed and who are frustrated by the legislature’s failure to act for public education. But I simply won’t stand for people like James Leininger who believe they can buy the legislature and push a radical agenda to destroy our schools.
On the 65% rule: I do believe that we should get the most out of every education dollar. But I won’t pretend to claim that an arbitrary number like 65% is the right answer. My opponent is a strong supporter of the 65% rule, but what matters to me are results for our children.
On teacher incentive pay: this issue disturbs me. I’m for paying every teacher the good salaries they need and deserve. I won’t support a divisive proposal such as this one that pits teacher against teacher, and punishes educators who are willing to tackle the job of working with children with disciplinary challenges, learning disabilities and more.
How do you think we create tax fairness in a state as big and diverse – economically, geographically, and socially – as Texas? Is it time to start exploring the effects of a statewide income tax?
The first question to ask about any new tax proposal is this: what does it do for our public schools? I will not support a tax plan that does nothing for public education and simply swaps one tax for a slew of others while raising taxes on 90% of our families.
I want a plan that is fair to all Texans, that requires everyone to pay their share and isn’t just a short-term quick fix. I want to listen to the Perry/Sharp Commission’s recommendations and evaluate them and any other proposals based on those principals. I do not support a state income tax.
My opponent says he wants to “cut property taxes by 33%” and has admitted that he supports an increase in the sales tax. Well, that sounds an awful lot like House Bill 3 if you ask me. The last thing our state needs is another vote for the failed policies of the corrupt Republican leadership.
If you could fix one thing about health care in Texas, what would it be?
While there are certainly many things we need to do improve access to quality, affordable health care, one thing we need to do is restore the CHIP cuts of 2003 to thousands of children around the state.
Beyond education and health care, what are some of the unique issues facing the citizens in HD 106?
Our district is a working class, blue-collar district made up of diverse families. We face the same kinds of challenges as Texans across the state. We want to send our children to quality schools and to make college affordable for middle-class families again. We want to breathe clean air and we have some important regional transportation challenges in North Texas.
I know you’ve been a big proponent for cleaner air in the city of Dallas. The TCEQ is currently considering rules to increase air quality in the nine counties that make up the DFW non-attainment area. What do you believe is the best course of action to increase the quality of air in your district?
This is another issue where the difference between my opponent and I couldn’t be more strong. When the Dallas Morning News asked my opponent this same question, his response was “I’m not familiar with that issue.”
I have been and will continue to be an advocate for clean air once in Austin. I believe that air quality needs a regional solution in which drivers, industrial facilities, and other point sources contribute to our clean air plan. |
