Barry Short's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Barry Short did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Utah State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| I generally support the use of public funds only for very limited specific contracted activities. Most public funds should be returned to taxpayers. Government is to be our servant, not our parent. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Utah's budget.
| No | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| Yes | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
| No | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| I support moving many state employees off the state payroll. For example, The Utah Transit Authority should be transferred to the counties it serves, removing all its employees from the state payroll and pension system. DABC should be limited to enforcement of laws regarding serving minors: privatize the sales and distribution of alcohol, a completely unnecessary activity that keeps too many people on the state payroll. Taxation is an act of coercive violence (pay or be punished); therefore, I believe as a legislator I would have a moral imperative to make taxes as low as possible. | |||
| No | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | e) Do you support using primary conventions as the sole method of selecting political party nominees? | ||
| I would place no restrictions on donations,but do support transparency in revealing them, so that people may choose not to vote for a candidate funded in ways of which they may not approve. As to conventions, I support parties choosing their candidate in whatever way they wish, but not at public expense. I support ranked preference voting as an alternative to primaries. I also support making administrative elected positions, including County Attorneys, Clerks, and Sheriffs, nonpartisan offices, and would like to reconsider filing fees for these positions and the effect that current fees have on candidate participation. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| No | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| My local police are not federal employees. Federal conscription of my local police means they are NOT doing the job for which they are hired, which is every bit as important as whatever the feds want them to do instead. As to minors, if a minor is to be treated as an adult if they commit a crime, why bother having laws distinguishing minors from adults? Either they are or they aren't. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Utah? | ||
| Government should not be in the business of choosing winners and losers in business. Firstly, because the marketplace tends to do it whether or not government likes the result; and secondly, because history has shown government is just not very good at it: mostly it pours money down the drain. For example, in 2006 Utah taxpayers spent $58 million to expand the Salt Palace convention center - right as internet communications made many of the trade shows which traditionally used that type of space obsolete. And then, the legislature ran the biggest user (the Outdoor Retailers) out of the state! | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Utah? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Utah high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| No | d) Do you support increasing the state gasoline tax to fund the education budget? | ||
| Gasoline tax may only be used for road construction and maintenance, as stated in the Utah Constitution. I do not favor an amendment to change that. As long as Utah provides public education, as required by our state constitution, I support initiatives to find ways to provide a better education while not spending more. Immigrants in Utah public universities receiving in-state tuition rates should be on a citizenship track in order to receive those benefits. As to federal standards, I support abolishing the Department of Education. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| No | d) Do you support increasing state funding to improve air quality? | ||
| I believe the state has a role to play when demonstrable damage to another individual's person or property is being done. With greenhouse gases, or any other form of pollution, including water, there is a test to be met as to whether or not actual damage is occurring. Government does not have a role in directing my economy, but it has one - in fact, its only proper role - in protecting my rights. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| The 2nd Amendment should be understood as a confirmation of self-ownership. If you have self-ownership, then you have the right to self defense. If you do not have the right to self defense, then you are someone else's property. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| No | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Utah's health care programs? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| I support self ownership. I don't recommend suicide, or euthanasia, and support non-coercive ways to discourage them. But, ultimately, it is not a decision I have any right to take from others. I support revisiting Utah's medical licensing in order to remove restrictions in the availability of care. I support expanding Utah's program to grant expanded prescription writing to some categories of nurses, to create a lower-cost "front line" of medical care similar to what was formerly provided by the General Practitioner. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support greater efforts by Utah state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Just stay out of it and let the people sort it out. They're smarter than the legislators anyway. | |||
| 1. Cut taxes 2. Examine all programs for waste 3. Implement zero-base budgeting 4. Eliminate corporate welfare 5. Embrace modern voting methods, including ranked preference, and eliminate straight ticket voting. 6. Reduce the number of state government employees 7. Call for a complete overhaul of the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing. 8. Privatize alcohol sales and get employees out of the state pension program. 9. Limit government to its proper role as a defender of individual rights. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.