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 Issues.
Thank you for your interest in the Fleming for Texas campaign. Trey is committed
to the value of “group genius” and original thought to help address the
many difficult issues facing Texans today. Please take a few minutes to
get to know his stance on the issues that matter to you.
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Education.
I believe in
our public education system and recognize
the myriad of challenges that system faces
today. We must reduce the size of the classrooms
in Texas, especially in Kindergarten to Third
Grade. I want to put a plan in place to go
from 22 to 18 students per teacher in 5 years.
We need to pay teachers more, arm teachers
with the tools and authority they need to
be successful, and reduce the bureaucratic
headaches our teachers face. I believe that
every 1st to 3rd grade classroom in Texas
should have a teachers aide for at least
1/2 of the school day. I also believe we
need better programs in place to retain our
teachers,
including a program that ensures a teacher
can retire with their full pension benefits
and still be eligible for the social security
benefits of their spouse. I am also wholeheartedly
against school vouchers, as they would serve
only to assist a select few children and
leave behind many others. I also believe
in building tuition reimbursement for anyone
who will spend seven years teaching in a
public school after college.
Education
is the silver bullet in the United States.
When you go in for brain surgery, you
want the best and brightest working on
you, and you’re willing to pay more for
that assurance. Why not ask the same
of the people who will be working on
the brains of our children for 12 years
of their lives? Why not ask for the best
and brightest and then compensate, train,
and measure them accordingly? Only when
we sincerely commit to fixing the problem,
not just assigning the blame, can we
truly expect Texas to deliver the best
public education in America. It is time
for our public schools to deliver on
the promise that our children deserve
and the future that Texas demands.
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School
Violence.
We need to commit every resource possible to keep our kids safe while they
seek the strong education every Texas child deserves. I believe in active awareness
and education programs among students, teachers, and parents alike to help
recognize and prevent violence in our schools before it strikes.
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Child
Abuse and Neglect.
Having grown up with a mother working for Child Protective Services, I
have a unique insight into both the challenges faced by our State employees working
to protect children and the often unmentioned and horrendous nature of the abuse
to which some children in Texas are subjected. I consider my highest priority
to be keeping our kids safe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nothing is more fundamental.
I will fight for pre-emptive programs to help parents recognize and deal with
anger as it arises. I will fight for better tools to enable our hard-working
state employees to do their jobs. I will fight for stiff and immediate punishment
for anyone who dares to harm a child. In fact, I’d prefer to see a “1 strike
you’re out” plan to enhance Jessica’s law. Don’t Mess With Texas should be amended
to read “Don’t Mess With Texas Children”, period!
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Healthcare.
I believe Texans deserve the very best healthcare available, no matter what
their age, income, or employment status. It is our duty as members of humanity
to look after the least, last and lost among us, and I will fight for affordable
and sufficient healthcare for all Texas citizens.
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Health
Insurance.
I believe every Texan deserves affordable health insurance. I also understand
the challenge our businesses, health insurance companies and doctors face in
working within a system that is currently in such bad shape. No matter the
cause of our current health insurance crisis in Texas, we MUST call upon our
leaders
to help ensure that every child in Texas has adequate health insurance. I will
support any legislation that will strengthen and improve the CHIP and Medicaid
programs.
We currently
have approximately 5.6 million Texans without
health insurance (according to the Center
for Disease Control and Prevention). That’s
nearly a quarter of our entire statewide
population and more than all of the residents
of Harris County combined. Health insurance
premiums are averaging over $10,000 per
family and only approximately 60% of employers
currently offer health insurance to their
employees. It’s time to begin thinking
about Transformation. Not simple changes
here and there, but true Transformation!
We must solve this problem and keep our
state healthy.
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Prescription
Drugs.
The rising costs of prescription drugs have put Texas families, and especially
our seniors, in a perilous position with no end in sight. To have to choose between
buying your required prescriptions or paying your electric bill is not the lifestyle
our founding fathers had in mind when they gave us the right to “life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.” We must work with the public and private sector,
hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and our citizens to resolve
the pressing crisis of prescription drug costs. We must not only be able to pursue
happiness: we should be able to afford it, as well.
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The
Environment.
I favor incentives that promote Texas businesses operating in ways that favor
our environment. Texas has some of the most spectacular lands, lakes, oceans,
peaks, and valleys in the entire nation. I will take an aggressive stance to
keep Texas beautiful for generations to come.
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Terrorism.
I am committed to fighting all forms of terrorism.
We must secure our borders against
the threat of intrusion by those who
might put our citizens at risk. We
must also secure our homeland within
its borders to keep our people safe.
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Capital
Punishment.
I believe there are only a few circumstances
where the death penalty is justified: extreme
cases where the ongoing risk and “inspiration
factor” of a criminal to like-minded followers
is greater alive than dead (i.e., Osama bin
Laden) and in cases where children are the
victim of physical or sexual abuse or, God
forbid, taken from this earth by the deliberate
intent of another. Any other murderous act
and potential threat to society can be solved
by a life spent in a prison; a life of solitude
so uncomfortable that it is truly a deterrent
to criminal intent.
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Employment.
If you look hard enough, you can find statistics
to support any side of an issue. However,
the common consensus is that women are paid
less than men for equal work and that workplace
discrimination exists based on race and/or
sexual orientation. I believe employers should
pay salaries based on capability and performance,
and I am against discrimination of any sort,
whether it be based on race, sex, age, nationality,
or sexual orientation. Working-age adults
should begin the race on an even playing
field and let their performance pave the
way for their careers.
Our
district itself isn’t suffering as much
from high unemployment as are other areas
in the state. However, while the unemployment
rate is relatively low, so is the “good”
employment rate. We may have jobs, but
what we need are good jobs. Many of our
families are fighting to make ends meet,
and over 1/3 of all single-parent families
in our district live below the poverty
line. It’s time to make life just a little
bit easier. It’s time for more than just
jobs. It’s time for good jobs and truly
equal employment in Texas.
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Energy.
I am in favor of finding any way possible
to reduce our dependency on oil and to increase
the use of renewable energy in America. In
fact, Texas currently leads the way in the
creation of renewable energy. We produce over
25% of the nation's wind energy and are taking
measures to substantially increase that figure
in the years to come. I will work with the
Energy Industry to foster incentives for the
exploitation of renewable energy, and, together,
we will ensure a clean and plentiful energy
future for Texas.
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Immigration
and Our Southern Border.
I am against all forms of illegal immigration
and welcome those who have followed the process
to become a naturalized citizen of the Unites
States. This is the greatest nation on earth
and we are a land of legal immigrants.
As
for closing the border, we need to enforce
the laws currently on the books. Simply
building a wall may curb some illegal
immigration, but it’s not the long term
answer in and of itself. It will take
manpower along the entire border to effectively
monitor the wall. We should also look
for creative ways to leverage technology
to assist in the management of our borders.
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Transportation.
Texas highways are a critical part of the
infrastructure of our state. Texas'
rapid population is posing enormous transportation
difficulties for our municipalities, cities,
and state. As such, I’m in favor of giving
Texans alternative means of travel such as
light rail and other forms of mass transit
in all of our major cities. I’d also like
to see better transit options between each
of our major cities in Texas.
I am
vehemently opposed to the Trans-Texas Corridor
(TTC) as it will put the hammer to farmers
and ranchers, small towns, and truck drivers
all across Texas. It will open our border
and put our citizens at risk without any
tangible benefit to our state. The TTC
is being sold as a solution for traffic
congestion in our major cities by including
commuter rail and passenger highways, but
nothing could be further from the truth.
This is about international trade THROUGH
Texas, not FOR Texas. We must stop this
plan, open it up to Legislative debate,
revision, and approval, and deploy a plan
that will truly address the transportation
needs of Texas.
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Gun
Control.
As a gun owner and avid hunter, I firmly
believe in the right to own a firearm. This
is a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
I will not support any unreasonable restriction
on the right to own a firearm. I have received
an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association
and the Texas State Rifle Association for 2008.
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Taxes.
I am in favor of finding a way to reduce property
taxes for all Texans and would not
support the idea of a state income
tax.
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