Filemon Vela on VoteMatch

VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Ban anti-abortion limitations on abortion services: Strongly Favors topic 1 Access safe, legal abortion without restrictions: Strongly Favors topic 1 Rated Funding abortion avoids discrimination against poor women: Strongly Favors topic 1 Rated Constitutional right to terminate pregnancy for health: Strongly Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	More funding & services for victims of domestic violence: Strongly Favors topic 2 YES on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act: Favors topic 2
Neutral on topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (0 points on Social scale)	Enforce against anti-gay discrimination in public schools: Strongly Favors topic 3 Don't elevate gender identity as a protected class: Strongly Opposes topic 3
Neutral on topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Favors topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (-5 points on Economic scale)	Rated GOP can't beat ObamaCare, so they pretend it's a "disaster": Strongly Favors topic 5
Strongly Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-5 points on Economic scale)	Keep system sound but don't privatize Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Sponsored keeping CPI for benefits instead of lower "Chained CPI": Strongly Opposes topic 6 Rated 100% by ARA, indicating a pro-Trust Fund stance: Strongly Opposes topic 6
Strongly Opposes topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (-5 points on Economic scale)	Sponsored extending subsidized federal student loan rates until 2015: Opposes topic 7 Rated No-strings-attached block grant will kill transparency: Opposes topic 7 Rated Oppose private and religious school voucher programs: Strongly Opposes topic 7
Opposes topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (+2 points on Social scale)	Voted YES to require GMO labeling: Opposes topic 8
Neutral on topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (0 points on Social scale)	Rated 62% by the NAPO, indicating a moderate stance on police issues: Neutral on topic 9
Strongly Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-5 points on Economic scale)	Require background check for every firearm sale and transfer: Strongly Opposes topic 10
Opposes topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (+2 points on Economic scale)	Incentives for business hiring, plus government hiring: Favors topic 11 Rated Raising estate tax to 1990s level means $448B in new revenue: Strongly Opposes topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+5 points on Social scale)	Give those educated here a reasonable path to citizenship: Strongly Favors topic 12 Rated Voted to legalize DREAMer immigrants via military service: Strongly Favors topic 12 Increase both high-skill and family-based visa caps: Favors topic 12
Strongly Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+5 points on Economic scale)	$25B more loans from Export-Import Bank: Strongly Favors topic 13
Neutral on topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (0 points on Economic scale)	$500M and 3,000 troops to Africa to fight Ebola: Opposes topic 14 Two-state solution despite Israeli settlements on West Bank: Favors topic 14
Neutral on topic 15: Expand the military (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+5 points on Social scale)	Statehood for the District of Columbia: Favors topic 16 Automatic voter registration for all citizens: Strongly Favors topic 16 Holiday on election day; revamp for easier voting access: Favors topic 16
Strongly Favors topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (+5 points on Social scale)	No military force against Iran without Congress approval: Strongly Favors topic 17
Strongly Opposes topic 18: Prioritize green energy (+5 points on Economic scale)	Explore for new oil & gas wells throughout South Texas: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Rated Drill for oil & gas in offshore OCS & Eastern Gulf of Mexico: Strongly Opposes topic 18
Strongly Opposes topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (+5 points on Social scale)	Rated B by NORML, indicating a pro-drug-reform stance: Strongly Opposes topic 19
Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (-3 points on Economic scale)	Raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2016: Favors topic 20 NO on prioritizing spending in case debt limit is reached: Favors topic 20

Filemon Vela is a Libertarian-Leaning Progressive
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