Maxwell Bero has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2020 Political Courage Test.
Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
Abortion is fundamentally an issue of women's health. The federal government needs to act to make abortion both safe and legal for all women who seek it and remove judgment from women who are often making one of the hardest decisions of their lives. |
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? | ||
I firmly support both Medicare-for-all and an increased wealth tax. I believe that healthcare is a human right, and the federal government should provide that care to all people through a universal healthcare system like Medicare-for-all. I also support increasing the highest tax bracket to 70% or more (on money earned over $10 million) in order to provide for more government services, such as Medicare-for-all. |
Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
I believe that all campaigns should be publicly funded and independent expenditures to campaigns, committees, parties, and PACs should be eradicated. Currently, money provides a large advantage to all who seek elected office, and the costs associated with running a campaign push many people away from political participation. This barrier needs to be removed, and money should not be a prerequisite for elected office. |
No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
I support the current level of defense spending (with minor increases that mirror inflation). It is important that we maintain our current armament and make sure that it doesn't fall into disrepair, but there are other pressing issues facing our country today that deserve more budgetary focus. |
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? | ||
Corporations already find loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes; cutting taxes on corporations only puts more money in the hands of the wealthy. Lowering taxes on businesses has never proven to lead to economic growth. Historically, government spending (on infrastructure projects and other societal services) has been proven to have a direct impact on the economy by providing jobs to those who need them. |
Yes | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
Education should not be different in different states. A child's education in California should be no different than Texas, Florida, Maryland, etc. Letting states dictate their own standards leads to wildly different levels of education and very different priorities. In modern times, with technology and communication at the level it is, there is no real reason for that. |
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? | ||
I firmly support massive government investment in green technology and prioritizing sustainable development, otherwise known as the Green New Deal. Our current dependence on fossil fuels is not only unsustainable, but also actively damaging to the planet. The US needs to be global leaders in making green technology and sustainable economic practices legislative priorities. |
Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
As a teacher, I have seen the impact of the rise of school shootings on our nation's students. They are scared and want things to change. I am also tired of seeing stories of an aggrieved partner using their gun to kill. I firmly support universal background checks, red flag laws, and other reforms to keep guns out of dangerous hands, while also ensuring that law-abiding gun owners who practice safety are allowed to keep their arms. |
No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
I support implementing a national, universal health care system (colloquially known as Medicare-for-all). Until that is achieved and implemented, I do not support repealing Obamacare. |
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? | ||
A vast majority of unlawful immigration occurs when people overstay visas after traveling legally or traveling via aircraft. A wall at the border is a ridiculous waste of money when our country has other problems that need to be addressed. I also do not believe that an immigrant who is unlawfully present should face the risk of deportation; families should not be separated and people's lives overturned simply because of unlawful immigration. The path to citizenship should be simplified and streamlined to make it easier for all immigrants to gain formal citizenship. |
Yes | 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? | ||
Though I answered 'Yes' for the first question, I believe diplomacy is always the first and most important tool when dealing with other countries. All disputes should be first and foremost discussed in the UN or directly with the other countries. I do not support the US taking military action unilaterally. I would instead support joint actions between allies, preferably NATO, to address threats and hostile nations. |
Yes | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
Generally yes, but not fully open trade. I do not support engaging in economically damaging, hostile trade wars with tariffs, quotas, and other measures. However, fully open trade can be damaging to some sectors of the US economy and lead to jobs leaving. Any economic decisions must be made carefully and with an abundance of evidence and research. |
My top three priorities in Congress will be to fight for universal health care (Medicare-for-all), the Green New Deal, and net neutrality/other technology company regulations. To fund these ambitious ideas, I will aggressively support an additional, higher tax bracket on the wealthiest Americans, as well as closing corporate loopholes and making the largest businesses pay their fair share of taxes. The wealthiest country in the history of the world should not have citizens who go without healthcare, and should be able to take leadership on the issue of climate change. |
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