Chuck Fellows' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Michigan State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may 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 may use a number more than once.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Michigan's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Other or expanded categories | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Other or expanded categories | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Michigan's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Instituting a tax on physicians | ||
| Yes | c) Extending the sales tax to more services | ||
| Yes | d) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | e) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | f) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | g) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | h) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| Missing is early education( 0 t0 5), the most important investment and the cornerstone of the foundation of Michigan's future. K-12 and Higher will continue to struggle to achieve their learning goals until early education, with an ROI of 18%, is fully supported. Special Note:Health care cost containment is outside the sphere of influence of government. Policy and statute can only compel cost reductions, real improvement requires large popular support and the will to change from within the industry. | |||
| Michigan's tax structure is out of date and unfit for a 21st century economy. We do need a graduated income tax and a broader sales tax. A simplified tax code is also required. The MBT is poorly designed and must be replaced in a revenue neutral fashion (see (c above.). Headlee and Prop A need adjusting. | |||
| The budget is not the problem - cash flow is and correcting that requires an honest change to the overall tax structure in this state. Those that oppose must claim ownership of the cuts they recommend and no longer stand on the sidelines assigning blame. Taxing Physicians would make the health care cost problem worse and distract them from cleaning up their own cost mess, an action absolutely required in order to resolve public and private cash flow issues. | |||
c) 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 Michigan governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Michigan state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Transparency could be a "quid pro quo" for adjusting the length of term limits. A senior group suggested that legislators should wear outfits similar to what NASCAR drivers do, with patches that display their contributors sized by amount of contribution. One pointed out that their outfits would probably be dripping oil...... | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | f) Do you support repealing the state's motorcycle helmet law? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Note that 75% of Michigan's inmates have a treatable learning disability. We should be benchmarking successful correction practices with a goal of successful integration into the general population and productive use of our inmate population. Long term the cost is far lower than current practice. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state regulation of the auto insurance industry? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| History has taught us that government investment in education, infrastructure and research leads to economic growth and increased quality of life. A major, but ignored, economic issue is the failure to adequately fund early education despite the longitudinal studies that demonstrate these programs lead to higher graduation rates, higher educational attainments and higher incomes. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| No | 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 Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Lists of content requirements must not be allowed to masquerade as standards. Standardized testing is a waste of time and money. The private sector has shown that merit pay for jobs that require innovation, imagination, flexibility and creativity reduces productivity and quality. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Michigan's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| We may be at a tipping point in regard to the environment and the private sector has failed to demonstrate the vision necessary to secure a sustainable energy future for our children. Our economic growth versus the global economy demands we invest in sustainable practices and the efforts of a few major corporations and enlightened developers have demonstrated that these practices are profitable over the longer term. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| In the hands of the well trained and emotionally stable guns are not a threat, although this same group will advise that guns are always dangerous. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Michigan? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| The rest of the developed world has shown, conclusively, that universal health care is less expensive, of higher quality and leads to greater longevity. To be globally competitive we must stop discriminating against sick people. The cost problem is not government, it is failed business practice in the health and pharmaceuticals industries. The knowledge and skills required to correct this failure are available from U of M, MSU and successful corporations in the private sector. What's missing is the will to change. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Michigan allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | h) Should legal counsel for indigent defendants be managed by the state? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Lansing must become focused on three challenges, the economy (jobs), the budget (a cash flow problem) and education (the foundation for Michigan?s future). At present all other matters not of an emergency nature are subservient to work on these challenges. Clarity as to who ?owns? a problem must be determined to insure that the owner has thoroughly defined the problem. Funding depends on the willingness of the legislature to bring our tax structure into alignment with a 21st century economy, to face reality and be honest with the citizens of this great state. |
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