Patrick Bengtson's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Patrick Bengtson has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Kansas State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | |||
| 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 (b), federal case law defines the framework in terms of viability, not trimesters. Pre-viability, state may regulate if not "undue burden." Post-viability, state can regulate/outlaw but with mandatory exception for the health or life of the mother. I also believe in exceptions for rape or incest. In (e) and (f), requires "judicial bypass," as stated in federal judicial decisions. Regarding (g) and (h), I am not in favor of prohibitions on public expenditures for teaching hospitals performing abortions. | |||
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 can use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Kansas's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| No | h) Do you support instituting an annual cap on the growth of state spending? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | j) Do you support eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit? | ||
| No | k) Do you support eliminating the home mortgage interest tax deduction? | ||
| Yes | a) Establishing a "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: | |||
| Would consider changes to tax positions depending on budget deficits and the nature of services facing cuts. | |||
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 | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support allowing the governor to appoint appellate court judges with approval from the State Senate? | ||
| For (e), not for current election, but yes for subsequent ones. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| In (d) and (e), I think it depends on the facts of each individual case. Sweeping decisions are inappropriate, whether "yes" or "no." Regarding (f), I remain concerned about racial profiling, but would support enforcement of immigration laws as permitted by recent U.S. Supreme Court opinions. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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 Kansas's high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support allowing municipalities to vote for property tax increases to fund local schools? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | 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)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Kansas's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| 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? | ||
| c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | |||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| For (c), would not support conceal-and-carry on college campuses. Concerned about conceal-and-carry, but would review in context of larger implications statewide. Would limit more tightly conceal-and-carry for other sensitive areas because of public safety concerns. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support converting Medicaid into a managed-care plan by 2013? | ||
| f) Do you support expanding Medicaid in Kansas in compliance with the Affordable Care Act? | |||
| No | g) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | h) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| Regarding (d), question rendered moot because of recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. For (e), I would keep certain sensitive populations in traditional plan, not KanCare. Also would seek greater oversight to protect patients. Regarding (f), Medicaid expansion no longer required for "compliance." Not in favor of Medicaid expansion as outlined in the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), but in favor of continued Medicaid reform, possibly partial expansion. We have a variety of options depending on developments here, in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals across the country. | |||
| 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 Kansas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Kansas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
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