Paula Overby in 2018 MN Senate race

On Abortion: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right

A: Support--Politicians are not qualified to decide if or when a mother's life support should be withdrawn from an unborn fetus. Women must have control over their own reproductive capacity. If the public has concerns about child welfare, we should invest in better prenatal services, sex education, and family planning.

On Budget & Economy: Stimulus AND market-led recovery

A: Oppose--It is not an either or question. They can work in tandem. The issue is how we get from one to the other. I support a massive realignment of government spending away from war toward social investment, restructuring our education and health care systems which constitute the fastest growing costs in America today.

On Civil Rights: Supports same-sex marriage

A: Support--I also believe that government is much too heavily invested in the religious values implied by marriage and family court law is not keeping up with cultural evolution. The system is currently overwhelmed and really in need of a major overhaul.

On Crime: Oppose "tough on crime": it promotes autocracy

A: Oppose--There is no evidence to support the narrative that deterrents reduce crime. We have the highest rate of incarceration in the entire world and yet we remain one of the most violent societies among the economically advantaged nations. Get tough on crime is a political narrative that empowers leadership and promotes the kind of autocracy toward which we are steadily advancing.

On Drugs: Marijuana isn't a gateway drug

A: Oppose--There is no evidence to support that as any meaningful concern. The war on drugs is a vehicle for authoritarian agendas and corporate control of the prescription drug industry.

On Education: Vouchers are ok locally but not federally

A: Oppose--A voucher funding model can improve school choice for parents but it also encourages a competitive funding model that tends to focus on maximizing profits over improving quality. The rapidly rising cost of education and one-and-half trillion dollars in student debt certainly portends the failure of an unregulated private education market. I support a generalized funding model that would minimize disparities

On Energy & Oil: Pursue green energy aggressively; it is the future

A: Support--It is the future of energy production and we should be pursuing it aggressively. It also offers major benefits in terms of supporting community cooperatives, localized solutions, and energy independence. It is fundamental to the growth of the new grassroots economy.

On Environment: Protect natural resources from exploitation

A: Oppose--Our shared natural resources should not be exposed to exploitation for the profiteering motives of a few wealthy investors.

On Foreign Policy: Oppose American Exceptionalism

A: Oppose--There is nothing exceptional about America except our diversity. I certainly support an expansion of diversity in our government and our institutions.

On Free Trade: Expand free trade but not economic exploitation

A: Support--Trade is a critical economic tool and I support the expansion of free trade but current trade policy typically supports the expansion of economic exploitation and the expansion of wealth inequality. It is the tantamount example of the social failure of a conservative belief in a global oligopoly.

On Government Reform: Make voter registration easier

A: Support--I support that. Diversity of opinion is our strength. Polarization is our undoing.

On Gun Control: I don't support an absolute right to gun ownership

A: Oppose--The second amendment specifies the need for a well-regulated militia which certainly assumes some level of accountability. As such, I don't support an absolute right to gun ownership. Just as citizens claim the right to use weapons for protection, citizens have the right to claim protection for the misuse of those weapons. That said, I believe the extreme levels of gun violence in America filters down from a high level of militarism promoted by the weapons manufacturers. It is evidenced by weapons as a major US export, surplus military transfers to local police departments through the 1033 program,

On Health Care: Oppose ObamaCare; Medicare for all is a better path

A: Oppose--The Affordable Care Act failed on a basic principle of mainly providing public subsidies to a failed health care system that is entirely focused on maximizing profits over any meaningful regard for public health. I support an aggressive accounting of health care spending by this organization, expanding consumer protections and choice through cost transparency.

On Homeland Security: Shift military spending to social and economic development

A: Strongly oppose--We need to shift our military spending to social and economic development. The expanding conflict with China exemplifies that challenge. They are investing in economic strength while we are spending all of our resources on war. I don't see a military confrontation with China having any beneficial resolution.

On Immigration: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens

A: Support--We could certainly use a major reform of immigration policy. Illegal aliens who are generally poor tend to support America's strong demand for cheaper service level labor. Legal immigrants tend to arrive as refugees or visa programs. They tend toward an export of American technology and wealth.

On Jobs: Oppose affirmative action

A: Oppose--don't agree with this approach. Quota systems create a lot of unintended consequences. It also favors the idea of forcing women to work which generally undermines women's roles in child rearing, education, health care, social organizing, elder care and all manner of social service. We need to value what women do. I believe in social investment over subsidies for wealthy monopolies.

On Principles & Values: Don't empower human institutions with authority of God

A: Oppose--I do not wish to empower human institutions with the authority of God. People should have the liberty of expressing their individual beliefs in the public sphere. The first amendment right to free speech is the most important guardian of freedom and democracy. We also should not have laws and elected officials respecting any establishment of religion as provided in the constitution.

On Social Security: We need a safe way to save for retirement

A: Oppose--What we really need is a safe way to save for retirement. Social security was created to address poverty among an aging population and some will say it's a pay as you go system, not a retirement plan. But for millions, it is their only source of retirement income. $5.6 Trillion dollars in retirement funds held in trust by the federal government is not an asset owned by the public, it is a debt held by the public in the form of US treasury notes. The money has already been spent.

Q: What about IRAs?

A: Private plans like IRA's do build asset value but these plans are also vulnerable to market exploitation. I believe we should continue to have public and private

On Tax Reform: Wealth does not trickle down

A: Support--It's not a meaningful question. The federal government supports wealth inequality by spending programs that support the wealthy. Taxes minimize the inflation that results from government's deficit spending. Wealth does not trickle down. A healthy economy depends on the circulation of money. It is hindered by the accumulation of money which is what we see today with the growing inequality of wealth. We need new spending priorities.

On War & Peace: I support the Powell doctrine, not foreign entanglements

A: Strongly support--I support the Powell doctrine which was designed by the military command to prevent civilian leadership from long intractable counterinsurgency wars that certainly defines all of America's entanglements today. There is no foreseeable solution and no exit strategy.