Diego Zavala's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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Diego Zavala has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2022 Political Courage Test.
Texas Congressional Election 2022 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I believe in individual liberty. A woman must have the right to choose what happens in her body. Full stop. | |||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| Government is a social contract between the governed and those governing. We forfeit individual liberties in exchange for collective prosperity. In an attempt to achieve this prosperity, citizens must have access to what is deemed by many as basic human rights. Universal healthcare and education is a basic requirement of any government. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| As it stands, unregulated campaign contributions are one of the biggest threats to our democracy. Seats and votes are for sale to the highest bidder. Power must rest solely in the hands of the citizens. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
| To an extent. Officials cannot be absolved entirely from personal liability. There is a large amount of discretion in these positions and there must be accountability for those decisions. | |||
| No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| We spend enough on defense. In this century, American supremacy will be solidified by the education of our citizens. Large investments in resources is needed in renewable energy infrastructure, not weapons. | |||
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| Yes. However, historically speaking, corporations have shown a trend of abusing this stimulus. Since the 2008 recession, corporations have used federal bail out packages dishonestly. Moving forward, there has to be transparency and accountability for how these funds will be used. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| Education is a nuanced topic that requires the discretion of individual states. The educational needs of Texas are not the same as those in Rhode Island. However, the standards of equity, accessibility, and quality must be enforced by the federal government. | |||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| My district is on the frontlines of the impact of climate change. From extended blackouts to destructive floods, the impacts have been devastating and the severity and frequency of this tragedies will only increase. Bold action is needed to ensure the security of our communities. It is foolish to not dedicate as much as we can to mitigate the most severe impacts of climate change. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| Businesses have been impacted severely by the pandemic. To place the responsibility of caring for their employees squarely on their shoulders is not just. If we will ask this of them, the federal government must play a significant role in support. | |||
| No | Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border? | ||
| No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| The volume of undocumented immigrants in our country is just too large for this to be done effectively and humanely. For too many, deportation is a death sentence. In regards to immigration, punitive measures will make it more difficult to move people out of the legal limbo they currently occupy. Expanded deportation will lead people to burrow themselves deeper into hiding. If we champion a clear path to citizenship, we can incentivize undocumented immigrants to participate in all aspects of our government. | |||
| No | Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? | ||
| Military intervention, historically, has created power vacuums and ineffective governments that have led to generational instability. The solutions to these complex conflicts are not found at the barrel of a gun. | |||
| No | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
| Tariffs are an integral component of international trade. A sweeping ban on them would be irresponsible. | |||
| Like many Americans, my constituents deserve expanded access to universal healthcare and education. It is not a question of how much it will cost upfront, but what it will cost us in the future if our current trends continue. A poorly educated and unhealthy population will not make for a strong country. Furthermore, we need to ensure that the decision making power is solely in the hands of citizens. In Congress, I will dismantle the current system of unlimited campaign contributions and revoke the power of corporation and special interest groups to influence our elections. |
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