Fiddes' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Oregon State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | |||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| At this time, abortion rights are a federal issue, not a state issue. The Supreme Court has given mothers a choice. Just as a mother has a right to choose whether or not to let her baby live, the Golden Rule indicates she should extend that right of choice to her baby, just as her mother did for her. We must protect our young girls from predators who use the "convenience" of abortion to cover up their crime. Sexual education issues should be decided by parents or the local school board, not the state. | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category- you can use a number more than once.2) State TaxesIndicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category- you can use a number more than once.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Oregon's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Other or expanded categories | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Oregon's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Redirecting excess income tax collections to a permanent "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | c) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | d) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | g) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| The state should practice some form of zero-based budgeting (see http://www.mackinac.org/5928), with a constitutional justification for the existence of any department or program. The Oregon legislature should be focused on making the economic pie bigger instead of how to apportioin percentages of a shrinking economic pie. Beyond taxing, the state is placing more and more restrictions on individual liberties through property restrictions and ownership requirements. Businesses are required to do more and spend more in order to meet ever increasing state requirements that stifle economic and job growth. | |||
| Fees: About half of Oregon's income is derived from fees. These fees are draining the lifeblood out of the private sector and stifling our economy. Rather than cutting state spending, as the voters want when tax cuts are passed, the state responds to tax cuts by increasing fees. Measures 66 and 67: These taxes and fees are stifling our economy and causing businesses and jobs to leave or stay away. Businesses should never be taxed on the gross sales. Businesses locate and grow where they can make profit. It is the Oregon legislature's responsibility to create a job-friendly environment. | |||
| Rainy Day Fund: If the legislature exercised discipline to truly save money, I would support a larger amount going into the rainy day fund, but the legislature has placed unfunded mandates on future generations in spite of the balanced budget requirement in the state constitution. Again, the focus of this political courage test is based on the assumption that the size of the economic pie cannot change. OREGON NEEDS TO FOCUS ON INCREASING THE PRIVATE SECTOR ECONOMY. This will resolve many of these issues. The state should focus on performing constitutionally mandated responsibilities and let local government handle the rest. | |||
d) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Oregon governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Oregon state legislators? | ||
| No | c) Should the Oregon state legislature be required to convene in annual sessions? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | e) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Changes in campaign finance reform will require a Constitutional amendment. This is something the voters will have to decide. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| Yes | d) Should minors accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as adults? | ||
| Yes | e) Should minors who send sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Public safety is a fundamental responsibility of the state. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Individuals should take the initiative to better their skills or education in their areas of interest instead of waiting on the government to choose their next job. The state should be subcontrating as many jobs as reasonably feasible in order to reduce the number of state employees and provide a broader base for the private sector to grow. Instead of comparatively focusing on what other states are doing, Oregon should be leading the way in economic development. We have some of the nation's richest resources and are located in one of the best positions for import/export. Oregon should be busy. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Oregon high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Most of these questions should be answered at the local school board level. Oregon's schools were stronger when most funding came from the local tax base rather than hand-outs from the state. If a local school district chooses to use merit pay or straight salaries, the state should not have influence either way. The school board answers directly to the voters, and should have great latitude in the way they run their district, representative of the local voters' desires. Charter schools are funded by state money funnelled through their sponsoring school districts, with 20% usually kept by the districts. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Oregon's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| All funding related to energy issues should be to provide a stable energy resource to enhance and encourage sustainable private sector business growth, which will lead to a stable economy. Open space preservation funding should only come from voluntary funding sources like the lottery or donations to the state. Environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of global climate change are ineffective, except for reducing the effects of Oregonians' economic independence. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| Americans have the Constitutional right to bear arms. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support continuing to allow physician-assisted suicide in Oregon? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| We need to explore and open options for health insurance. Health insurance is not a right. Health insurance is an option. Forcing someone to pay for health insurance is as unconstitutiional as forcing them to purchase a vehicle. Tort reform is the most effective way to curb the cost of insuring health care providers. Doctors should have great latitude in prescribing medicines, including marijuana. However, I believe marijuana should be regulated just like any other prescription drug. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| No | b) Should Oregon allow same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Oregon's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Oregon's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| The family is the unique foundational building block of society. Our nation and state were built and populated by families. Naturally, it takes a mother and a father to create a family. Affirmative action is the state choosing winners and losers based on ethnicity or gender. All citizens should be equal in the state's eyes. Anti-discrimination laws should be reserved for ethnicity, gender, physical disabilities, or age: a person cannot select them, so these should not be discriminated against. However, some jobs cannot be physically performed by people with disabilities, so common sense must prevail. | |||
| Jobs. Oregonians need private sector jobs, which means business growth. Without profit, businesses cannot grow. Oregon needs to reduce micromanagement, fees, and restrictions. Education. Quality education is the foundation of a bright economic future. The legislature has funded education LAST for as long as I can remember. Every time we "need" a tax increase, it is always "for the children". Education should be funded FIRST. Transparency. The state departments and treasury need to be audited. Some form of zero-based budgeting should be enacted. Commerce. Smooth traffic flow and fast communication are essential to creating a world class economy in Oregon. |
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