Timothy McGhee's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Timothy McGhee has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he/ she may face if elected.
Virginia State Legislative Election 2011 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | 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) Should parental notification be required before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | f) Should parental consent be required before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| I believe in supporting human life at all stages, including opposing the death penalty. I do not believe we should allow medical professionals to separate women from their children and their money for purposes of sex selection, genetic DNA testing, organ harvesting, or convenience. If a doctor is faced with a choice between one dead patient and two dead patients, I'm in favor of making sure he has the option of choosing one. | |||
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 can use a number more than once.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Virginia's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Virginia's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| Yes | g) Reducing public pension benefits | ||
| On health care, I think we can find ways to put decision-making into the hands of people to help lower costs so that it's not a top-down decision. I'm grateful we will not be spending money on the power plant I can see out my window. | |||
| This question leaves out the possibility of making changes to these taxes within each of these broad categories, and that's where I would like to see adjustments made. There are ways to recalibrate how taxes are calculated that can provide a greater level of justice. In some instances, I could see myself supporting a change in either direction depending on the total outcome. We are going to need to have all the options on the table. | |||
| We are heading into a financial situation for the next decade which will require us to put all the options on the table. This list of options is a start, and there are a variety of ways to adjust how these things are done such that they are less of a direct top-down change, and would also include the input of the people. I can see differences between my approach and how options are worded here, but the general principle remains one of considering all the options. | |||
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 Virginia governors? | ||
| No | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Virginia state legislators? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Having been on the candidate side of the process now, I have seen that disclosure can actually encourage more money in politics. It's a ready made donor list. Money can function as speech in politics, and I think people should have free speech both in public and in private. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| In Virginia's criminal justice system, juries often have a choice between a fine and a prison term. For repeat offenders, I think juries should be required to try another option if one punishment has already been tried. That is, if someone has already been to prison for a previous crime of similar degree, if a fine is an option in the current case, that option would be a requirement in that case. Too many times, juries make decisions based on what would be a punishment for them, and not what would be a punishment for the defendant. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | d) Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support comprehensive public pension reform that incorporates a defined contribution plan, similar to a 401(k)? | ||
| Insofar as expansion of unemployment benefits relates to supporting marriage, I would consider that as an option. Otherwise, requiring employers to pay people no longer working for them is justice for neither the employer nor the employee. Infrastructure projects for purposes of job creation: not the purpose of the infrastructure job itself (though those jobs would be temporarily created), but for the later jobs that infrastructure would later support. Pension reform: we are going to need to have all the options on the table, with maximum available justice as the goal for all involved. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| High school exit exams: (1) it should not be a state mandate, and (2) we shouldn't wait until graduation to see if students are ready to graduate. Regarding financial aid: I would rather we lower the price if we can afford financial aid, than to create debt for students. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| No | e) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| No | f) Do you support state funding for improvements to Virginia's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Human activity and climate change: I believe it would be better to prepare for the effects of climate change than to try and stop it. History has shown geopolitics shifts because of climate change, and those who hold on to the past get left behind. There is universal demand for energy, so state funding should not be needed for energy sources. There are ways other than finances to guide the development of our energy resources. Open spaces: we all like parks. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring background checks on all firearms sales at gun shows, including sales by unlicensed dealers? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| The second amendment is clear: the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| No | 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) Do you support requiring individuals 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 legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Virginia? | ||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| It's not the government's job to promote a private business. | |||
| No | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| No | b) Should Virginia allow same-sex couples to form civil unions/domestic partnerships? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support affirmative action? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| As someone who came from a majority minority community, I see value in diversity. Justice applies to individuals and to people groups. If those ideals end up competing with each other in the short term, I prefer to take the long view. Diminishing the effects of generational poverty will help everyone in the long term, especially as it relates to previously raised funding questions regarding programs that help the poor. | |||
| I am making only one promise: to uphold the Constitutions of the United States, and of Virginia as revised in 1971. After that, everything else emanates from fundamental principles like life, liberty and justice. Child support reform is a top justice priority. Virginia needs to cross-reference child support, child custody, and child visitation cases together. If a child is pulled from a home, child support to that home for that child should stop automatically. Instead, not only can orders stand for years, but a judge has no option to correct injustices found later. No funding would be required. |
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