Joseph Huey's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Joseph Huey has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Utah State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| In addition to (f) above, parental consent should be required unless a judge of competent jurisdiction determines otherwise and is in the best interest of the minor. As to (g) above, those who receive public medical coverage should have access to an abortion in the case of incest, rape, or when the life of the women is endangered. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate 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 Taxes:Using the key,indicate 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 Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Utah's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories: | |||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| j) Other or expanded categories: | |||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Utah's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| A "rainy day" fund usage would be a last resort and only if absolutely necessary. Some of the other categories may not be an absolute but would be looked at for need. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| I am definately for an independent commission in redistricting to come to an objective result instead of a purely political result. As to campaign limits, I am in favor of limiting contributions as a means of limiting undue influence in public affairs. | |||
| 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) 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? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support a ban on cell phone use for drivers under eighteen years of age? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Under (d) above, this should depend on several factors, including but not limited to, age, mental capacity, the nature of the crime, and whether the act was premeditated. Under (f) above, of course exempted would be in case of an emergency. | |||
| No | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support increasing the number of liquor licenses statewide? | ||
| I support the principles in (d) and (e) above as they tend to "prime the pump" for recovery in economic activity. Under (d) I think in order for private industry to receive an incentives that some objective measures should be adopted and met prior to receipt of public funds by the private business. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| No | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Utah high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I definately support the Common Core State Standards or Utah Core Standards as it has become known here. The legislature can be more collaborative with all parties affected in regards to education rather than just the legislature deciding what is to be done on its own. In response to (b) above, the merit evaluation for teachers should be based on progress of the individual students and not in relation to grade level. | |||
| 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 increased regulations on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"? | ||
| d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Utah's energy infrastructure? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support increased energy development on federal lands? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| I think that developing alternative energy sources will enhance our energy independence as well as new technologies that will enhance economic development here in Utah. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Some constitutional rights are not absolutes for example "free speech" as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes stated one cannot yell fire in a crowded theater. The second amendement also should not apply to certain categories of weapons (i.e., assult weapons). In regards to (c) above, concealed weapons should not be allowed in schools or churches. | |||
| 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) Do you support Utah's participation in a "Healthcare Compact" that seeks to transform Medicare and Medicaid into block grants? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I support the health care exchange that Utah has in place, it is a foundation but needs to become more effective. In regard to (d) I generally support the block grants but there must be adequate oversight to ensure coverage does not become less that what is in place now. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I do think that marriage should be between one man and one women, but not treat unfairly people who have alternate life styles. | |||
| In Utah there is a serious lack of adequate funding of public education in kindergarten through grade 12 as well as in higher education. At a State level there must be the resources to ensure every child in Utah an excellent public education opportunity. One source for funding would be through a comparable (to other rocky mountain states) excise tax rate. A limitation on dependents for tax purposes or through property tax rates are other alternatives. |
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