Summary
2018 Libertarian Candidate for US House – Virginia 11th District
OnAir Post: Stevan Porter
About
Source: Campaign Site
My name is Stevan Porter and I’d like to thank you for taking time to visit my website and learn more about “Porter4Us” — my 2018 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. Working together I believe we can present a better option for political discourse and ultimately for making changes to how our country is run so that it better serves all of us.
The concept of “us” is critical to understanding me, my campaign, and the type of Congressman I hope to be. In my view “us” is not a dividing reference in a fight between “us and them”. Rather it refers to ALL OF US who make up this great country. There is so much we all share in common but the trend in American politics — fueled by the media and two party political system — is to divide us and polarize us into groups. Democrat versus Republican. Left versus right. Liberal versus conservative. Men versus women. Black versus white. And so many more.
This polarization and unwillingness to collaborate respectfully, listen to each other, and truly seek common sense and workable solutions MUST STOP NOW.
It is time we truly put country and people above party and power. With your help, I will champion that cause in DC for us.
Stevan was raised in the Seattle area and moved to Northern Virginia in 1995. Stevan married his wife Johnise in 2009 and has lived in Herndon for the past 9 years with their dogs Biscuit and Crumpet.
Education
Stevan has a Bachelors of Arts from Washington State University in Social Sciences (Sociology minor) and has completed post bachelor work in philosophy at Gonzaga University and theology at The Catholic University of America. In addition to this, Stevan is a Nationally Registered Paramedic and a Nationally Certified EMS Instructor.
Employment
Stevan has worked over 22 years in the Information Technology Sector with 17 years being at Oracle, where he currently works as Senior Principal Technical Support Engineer. Stevan also currently works as a Part-Time instructor for the Loudon County Department of Fire and Rescue.
Community
Stevan served on the Loudoun Volunteer Services Board of Directors from 2005-2008 and continues to serve the community while volunteering as a Deputy Chief and actively participating in EMS calls as a Paramedic. Stevan is also an active member St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Herndon.
Life of Service
Stevan has dedicated his live to public service through organizations such as the Knights of Columbus (Fraternal Service Organization) where he served as Grand Knight and currently serves as Financial Secretary. Stevan also serves as a Deputy Chief with the Loudon County Volunteer Rescue Squad.
Web Links
Videos
Stevan Porter for Congress Thoughts on State of the Union 2018
February 2, 2018
By: Stevan Porter for Congress
Policy Positions
Source: From Candidate Site
Democracy
Government Reform
Government Reform is a major aspect of my campaign and involves a variety of different topics. In my opinion this is one of the most important issues of our time and I will work hard to improve it. Some of my views are listed below.
1.) Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is a major issue in Virginia and other states. We need to come up with non-partisan methods of establishing districts in a fair manner.
2.) Limited Government
3.) Transparency
With truly rare exceptions for security reasons, governing should be done in an open and fully credible manne
4.) Term Limits
While I understand the arguments, I do not generally support term limits. Voters should pay attention to their elected officials actions and use the ballot box to remove them as needed.
Economy & Jobs
Fiscal Policy
Our country is nearing $20 trillion in debt. That fact is both staggering and shocking. We must start turning that around now!
The best exact steps to do this will require careful consideration, discussion, and collaboration. We did not end up in this situation overnight and we are not going to fix it overnight. We must be cognizant of the fact that many people are severely dependent on federal funding in one manner or another. This means that we must proceed in a careful and well thought out manner. But we must proceed!
First of all we must actually pass a budget. The fact that our leaders have consistently failed to do so is a disgrace. No business or even most households would tolerate this situation. So why are we allowing our nation’s leaders to get away with this?
I will not support any budget that does not — at minimum — reduce the annual deficit by at least 10% in the first budget cycle. Ideally I would like to see a balanced or surplus budget, but I am realistic in that that is probably not a reasonable first step in this process. Once we begin the process of moving towards a balanced budget, I believe it will become easier to continue to move towards the end goal. We must start somewhere, however.
So how do we do this? Again I strongly believe that this needs to be a thoughtful discussion among all interested parties. Some of the ideas I would propose include:
- Actively look for and eliminate wasteful spending. Part of this includes changing policies so that government agencies are not penalized for good financial stewardship. The “use it or lose it” mentality has got to go!
- Reduce unnecessary regulations and the simplify the tax code. A truly obscene amount of money is spent on enforcement and application of regulations and the current tax code. We can do better.
- Greatly reduce or eliminate most public funding of charities. While we can leave in some incentives to give to charities (i.e. tax deductions), the federal government really should not be in the business of determining which charities get YOUR money. That is a decision better left to the individual and hopefully through better fiscal policy we will put more money in the individual’s pocket to do just that.
- Downsize or eliminate unnecessary federal departments and programs. There are a lot of things that are currently done by the federal government that would be better left to state/local government or private entities. In some cases there are things that really are not needed at all.
- Re-evaluate our foreign aid policies. I understand that there are valid humanitarian and strategic reasons for providing limited aid to other nations. The who, what, and why behind these policies though needs to be seriously examined.
Health
Marijuana
I support the nationwide legalization of marijuana and other cannabis related products for medical use. Furthermore, I support ending the federal prohibition of marijuana which would allow the individual states to determine – as a number of them already have – how to regulate use, possession, production, and sale in a manner similar to how alcohol and tobacco are currently handled.
There is a substantial amount of information and research available regarding the relatively safe (especially as compared to alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics) medical, recreational, and industrial uses of marijuana and hemp. Ending the prohibition of cannabis also allows for better product safety, legally supports both private and public economies, and undermines criminal organizations and black markets.
While legalizing marijuana has long been a Libertarian position, it is interesting to note that efforts to decriminalize cannabis are gaining momentum across the political spectrum. In fact, US Representatives Tom Garrett (R-VA), Scott Taylor (R-VA), and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) have introduced the “Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017” in Congress which mirrors my position on the issue.
Immigration
I believe that the two criteria for individuals wishing to immigrate to our country should be whether they 1) pose a risk and 2) can contribute positively to the economy/nation. Assuming that they meet those two tests, a path to legalization for those who have been in the United States and contributing to our nation for an extended period of time would be appropriate. Moving forward, however, the U.S.A. needs to do a better job of uniformly enforcing our immigration policies in a prompt and fair manner.
I do NOT support building the “Wall” proposed by President Trump. While border security is important especially in this current age and with a welfare state, the wall is a soundbite solution. Real border security can be better achieved with a mix of physical barriers (fences, wall segments, etc.), electronic surveillance, and human resources appropriate to the specific border area in question.
