Michael Lapointe's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Michael Lapointe has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Washington Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| This issue was settled decades ago by the 1973 Roe vs Wade Supreme Court ruling. All persons, women and men, have the right to determine their own health care options and decisions in consultation with their physician and anyone else they choose, free from unwanted government interference. I have participated in a number of Pro-Choice demonstrations and will continue to defend a woman's right to choose when elected to Congress. | |||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Still struggling to recover from the Great Recession it is unconscionable that our defense spending is hitting the 600 Billion dollar mark. Our expanded military is a drain on our economy and unnecessary. We can defend our Country and reduce military spending, all while embracing real diplomacy, the only viable solution to armed conflict. A progressive tax code is necessary to eliminate loopholes, tax havens and subsidies to corporations. I propose these things not to specifically balance the budget but to spur public/private sector job growth, adding to the tax base, which will help balance the budget. | |||
| Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | |||
| I am for eliminating indirect campaign contributions. I want to see the Supreme court's "Citizens United" decision overturned. I call for a Constitutional Amendment that declares corporations are not people and money is not speech. Further, we need to pass legislation for public funding of elections so there is a level playing field. We must elect people based on their integrity, positions on issues and their plan to implement change that will move us forward. The unfettered flow of money from special interests only makes clear who own a politician not who is the better candidate for that elected position. | |||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Minorities are disproportionately sentenced and subject to harsher penalties in the justice system. We know innocent people have been executed. Racism, bigotry, police misconduct and simple errors can lead to unjust sentencing. We must ensure the safety of society by incarceration for life if necessary but I draw the line at ending anyone's life. Alternate sentencing must be be used where feasible. The punishment must rise to the level of the offense but we can save lives and keep our communities safe by integrating people back into society through alternative sentencing diversion programs instead of warehousing them in privatized prisons. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Yes, but the reforms must make sense. I am against Common Core testing and the like that set unrealistic and punitive standards that penalize good teachers and arbitrarily fail students. There is no one size fits all solution in education. I am also against privatizing education through charter schools. We need to build on what works in the system we have not scrap it outright. And we need to build on our educational system with well-paid teachers whom we listen to. Who better understands the barriers to receiving a good education then those who teach and live in the community? | |||
| No | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| I am an environmental activist. We must immediately begin funding ( by removing fossil fuel tax breaks and subsidies. transitioning to green energy solutions as we transition away from fossil fuels. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Climate change is real, humans are a major cause of it and we must fix it now by any and all means possible. There are many forms of green energy options, they all must be reviewed and all viable solutions utilized. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I see nothing that threatens our rights by registering guns and banning of assault rifles. But if we are really serious about stopping the rampant gun violence in America we must start to deal with the underlying socio-economic inequalities that exacerbate the problem. There is always outrage at these mass shootings that soon fades away with no action taken on the gun violence. We need to have that ongoing discussion and try different approaches. If we continue to do nothing, the problem will only get worse. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| ACA was a good start but it still has Big Pharma and Health insurance companies ingrained in the system. Until we remove them both we will never have a fair health care system that provides the best care for all people regardless of their financial ability to pay or not. I am for single payer medicare for all. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| We need a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants. I am for implementation of the dream act. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Discrimination and bigotry of any kind is unacceptable. All people in society should be treated equally and afforded the same rights as anyone else. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| This is an attempt to try once again to privatize Social Security. It will only add to the insolvency possibility of social security. In fact, had George W. Bush's plan to privatize S.S. gone through the trust fund likely would already be insolvent. The answer to fix S.S. is a simple one, scrap the cap. | |||
SpendingIndicate what federal spending levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.TaxesIndicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.
| Maintain Status | a) Agriculture | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Maintain Status | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Increase | l) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| Again, these are just "what if" type questions and subject to change. My answers will be determined on many factors, available funds, urgency of more important issues, ...etc. But some issues like c,d and e will not change as they are the most urgent. | |||
| Again, these are just "what if" type questions and subject to change. My answers will be determined on many factors, available funds, urgency of more crucial issues, ...etc. | |||
| There are three main issues, climate change (most urgent), Influence of money in politics, and wealth inequality. I feel that only by eliminating the unfettered influence money has in politics, can we begin to adequately address any of the other issues. We must overturn Citizens United and I call for a Constitutional Amendment declaring corporations are not people, start transitioning to green energy solutions and stop the Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement. This will be met with resistance by corporations and sadly by politicians who depend on corporate money to keep them in office. |
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