Liz Jones' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Wisconsin 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? | ||
| No | 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 believe that access to birth control and factual information for all women is important. I have also worked with victims of sexual assault who needed to have access to Emergency Contraception and do believe that all reproductive health choices need to remain legal and accessible for both men and women. The more we educate people now, empower them to make good decisions, and have access to birth control if and when they do decide to have sex, the rarer it will be that they are in a position where they have to access other options. | |||
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 Wisconsin's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| a) Tapping into Wisconsin's "rainy day" fund | |||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| No | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| I need to look into all programs to see specifically how they should be funded going forward. | |||
| Again, before making single statement answers, I need to look more deeply into what each tax program funds, what is currently being taken, and from whom. I am a property tax payer, as well as an income tax payer, etc. I also understand what my taxes pay for. I do think that there needs to be a more fair system for taxes that lessens the burden on homeowners and the working families in our district. | |||
| Some things that we should be looking into are taxes on things such as internet businesses that sell products to people in our state, but do not pay the tax here. That is not raising taxes, that is collecting what should have been coming to Wisconsin all along. I think we spend too much money in the justice system housing, feeding and providing health care to people that, in SOME cases, there are better options that would make them better citizens rather than better criminals while they are making amends for their crime. | |||
e) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support online voter registration? | ||
| No | b) Should voters be required to present government-issued photo identification at the polls? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Wisconsin governors? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Wisconsin state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | f) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| I do think that term limits are potentially a good idea. Although I don't think there is anything wrong with someone beginning in one office and later running for another office. I don't think having a career in public policy is necessarily a bad thing, but we need to be open to some fresh ideas when it comes to how our government is currently run. I think we should have a similar standard for local government, but we also run into the problem of having qualified and committed people willing to run for local office. | |||
| 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? | ||
| d) Do you support the criminalization of drunken driving for first-time offenders? | |||
| No | e) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | f) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| Many of these questions, I would say, "it depends" on the situation, the extent of the violence or damage done and the age of the offender. Laws should be enforced, but the state and local police already have enough to focus on working to keep violence off the streets and out of homes, keep the people of our communities safe, and are supposed to "protect and serve"- I do not think that immigration enforcement falls under their local and state mission. | |||
| a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support capping interest rates and fees on payday loans? | ||
| 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? | ||
| f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| Yes | g) Do you support using public funds to construct a high-speed rail line in Wisconsin? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles | |||
| a) Do you support national education standards? | |||
| b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | |||
| c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Wisconsin high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| believe that a strong educational system is the foundation of a strong economy. I deeply value my education and know firsthand how important it is that we make education accessible and affordable to everyone, we need to make sure that we find ways to keep kids in school, help people in the district afford a college education, and offer training opportunities to those who are laid off from jobs or are going back into the work force. We need to prepare our leaders of tomorrow with a great education today. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| 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 Wisconsin's energy infrastructure? | ||
| 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? | ||
| As we move to the future, we need to have more sustainable practices in many areas, the definition of sustainable speaks for itself- we need to keep Wisconsin resilient for the long haul, and that means finding ways to support our environment. We need to look into options to lessen our dependence on oil. Also, it brings with it opportunity for people currently in agriculture to find ways to move into the future, and train the next generation of farmers with careers like sustainable management and new technologies. | |||
| a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
| b) Should it be a state felony to purchase a gun for a convicted felon? | |||
| c) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| d) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | |||
| I believe in the 2nd amendment in our Constitution. I shoot trap and archery and was a Level 2 National Archery Association teacher. I started the shooting sports training program for 4H in St. Croix County. I believe, that hunting and target shooting sports are a part of our culture in west central and northern Wisconsin. We need a common sense approach to gun ownership to find the balance to keep our community safe and not violate people's Constitutional rights. | |||
| 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? | ||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| Yes | d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Wisconsin? | |||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| Quality health care needs to be accessible to everyone in our nation. Nobody should die because they cannot receive care. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Wisconsin 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? | ||
| e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Wisconsin's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Wisconsin's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
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