Joan Brausch's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Joan Brausch has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Michigan State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| We, as a state and as a nation, should be doing whatever we can to support women through sexual education, good health care that is non-judgmental and comprehensive, pre-natal and post-natal care, early childhood education and care and day care. We need to save the lives of both mother and child and improve the quality of both of their lives. | |||
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 Michigan's budget.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | 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) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Michigan'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 | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 4) Do you support providing financial assistance to Detroit's city pension system from the State of Michigan's "rainy day" fund? | |||
| Our infrastructure and our education systems are what will draw businesses to our state if they are healthy and thriving. We must invest in both our children and our roads, bridges and critical services. | |||
| We, as a state, must take a good, hard look at how we fund both our roads and our schools. Both of these important and vital services are underfunded and the funding systems are in need of overhaul. We need to have all parties at the table to find workable solutions - long-term solutions - for both education and road funding. | |||
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 | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| We should use California's current method for redistricting as an example of an independent entity doing the redistricting for the state. | |||
| 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) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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 government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| In this day and age we need a common core of learning standards across our country. People move from place to place; we want our kids to have the same education standards no matter where they go. The implementation of Common Core has been problematic but the standards are solid, I believe, and have a lot going for them. We need to give them time. Tenure - is it producing effective teachers? That's a loaded question! I think a better question would have been "Is teacher training producing effective teachers"" and that answer is "NO". We need better teacher training. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | 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 state funding for improvements to Michigan's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| The restrictions I support are background checks and a license. I don't think that's asking too much. We are required to have a license to operate a car or to operate a 4-wheeler. A weapon should be considered something we handle with the same sense of responsibility. | |||
| 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) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| In an ideal world, I would love to have universally accessible publicly administered health care. That's not possible right now. What I do support is the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion. It has given people who have never had health care that option - people no longer have to wait until they are seriously ill to see a doctor in the emergency room because they can't afford a regular doctor. Their children are covered until age 25. Folks can't be rejected because of a pre-existing condition. This is a good thing. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| There should be no discrimination of anyone in the workplace, in housing, where they shop or live based on gender, sexual orientation, race or religious belief. I applaud the efforts of those who have tried to create policies at the local level to add hiring/firing rights for the LGBT community. What I find even more heartening is the effort by over 80 CEOS of large corporations in (Michigan Business Leaders for Michigan) who have recommended to our State Legislature that Michigan should ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. | |||
| My top three priorities: Education, Jobs and Roads. My children grew up in the 1980s and had a wonderful public education. Our kids today are not getting that same education because the funding and dedication to education is not there. We have had many part-time jobs move in to the 98th District over the past 25 years. As a region, we need to work together to bring in businesses that will put people to work with full time jobs that pay good wages. Lastly, we need our roads fixed - for safety, for our famlies, businesses and farmers. |
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