Todd Lally's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Todd Lally refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2010 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
Issue Positions
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2010.
- Todd Lally. 1998. Project Vote Smart: Kentucky State Legislative National Political Awareness Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "d) Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered."
- Seum, Dan. V.E.T. Slayer Endorses Lally. Todd Lally is the true conservative choice for Congress in Kentuckys third district. Republicans have a proven leader for Congress this year. Todd is pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-family, and will protect our borders. No other candidate has Todds military record of service to his country and commitment to our community." (lallyforcongress.com)
- Todd Lally. Conservative Values. 25 June, 2010. "It is with this in mind that I share my conviction in support of the right to life, for we must vigorously defend these rights for those who cannot defend themselves. I am very proud to have been endorsed by Kentucky Right to Life in this run for Kentuckys Third District Congressional seat." (lallyforcongress.com)
- Todd Lally. Republican pilot Todd Lally will be challenging John Yarmuth for U.S. 3rd District seat. 25 June, 2010. "Lally an anti-abortion and gun-rights advocate who courted the Tea Party vote led voting with 52 percent with 90 percent of percent of the votes counted." (www.courier-journal.com)
- Todd Lally. V.E.T. Slayer endorses Lally. 25 June, 2010. Todd Lally is the true conservative choice for Congress in Kentuckys third district. Republicans have a proven leader for Congress this year. Todd is pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-family, and will protect our borders. No other candidate has Todds military record of service to his country and commitment to our community (lallyforcongress.com)
- Todd Lally signed American Family Business Institute: Death Tax Repeal Pledge. (www.nodeathtax.org)
- Todd Lally. 2010. Campaign For Liberty: 2010 Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded YES to: "Indicate the tax cuts you are willing to vote for: Estate Tax Cut." (www.campaignforliberty.com)
- Todd Lally. 2010. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky): Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. "I would support a freeze on all discretionary spending and bailouts and support a rule in Congress that would require a two-thirds vote before any tax increases were passed." (www.thevoterguide.org)
- Todd Lally. Issue Position: Job Creation. "Jobs are created by business, not by government. Government serves to protect businesses and consumers from collusion, corruption, and misuse of monopolistic control. Government should manage these tasks with as little extraneous impact on business as possible. As your Congressman, I will support the limited role of government as a steward to business, and help it to encourage business growth, which inevitably leads to job growth. The American people are suffering in this economy, and the sooner our government stops smothering us with bandages and the outrageous spending that accompanies them, the sooner Main Street can get back to the task it has been successfully fulfilling for 234 years, growing this great nation's economy." (votesmart.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Todd Lally. 2010. Campaign For Liberty: 2010 Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded YES to: "Will you oppose so-called "Cap and Trade" legislation?" (www.campaignforliberty.com)
- Todd Lally signed the Contract from America. "Stop costly new regulations that would increase unemployment, raise consumer prices, and weaken the nation's global competitiveness with virtually no impact on global temperatures." (www.thecontract.org)
- Todd Lally. 2010. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY): 2010 Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. "Cap & trade legislation is a job killer since companies anticipate significant increases to their energy cost...The recent revelations of scientists using biased and manipulated data to falsely substantiate claims of global warming has seriously eroded any confidence the American people have in global warming claims." (www.thevoterguide.org)
- Todd Lally. Issue Position: Cap and Trade. "Climate change has become such a politicized issue that any governmental action to address it would be either unguided or misguided or dominated by emotional response. Cap and Trade is no exception. Given the aforementioned lack of objective understanding, we do not need to stifle American industry with job-killing regulations at a time when 1 in 10 Americans are out of work and even more are underemployed." (votesmart.org)
- Todd Lally. Lally Reacts to Vice President Joe Biden's Visit. 1 June 2010. "While I applaud all efforts to increase energy independence, the route in which this Congress has decided to go runs right through the energy heartland of Kentucky. Faced with 10 percent unemployment, skyrocketing debt and uncertainty about the world economic market, there are better solutions than implementing the radical Cap and Trade proposal championed by Vice President Biden and Congressman Yarmuth. How many times must we hear about yet another government program that if we just pass it and spend more money, prosperity is around the corner. The administration and Mr. Yarmuth need to finally realize "Your programs are not working, in fact, they are worsening the already bad conditions we are in." Louisville and Southern Indiana can do better!" (votesmart.org)
- Todd Lally. 1998. Project Vote Smart: Kentucky State Legislative National Political Awareness Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms."
- Seum, Dan. V.E.T. Slayer Endorses Lally. Todd Lally is the true conservative choice for Congress in Kentuckys third district. Republicans have a proven leader for Congress this year. Todd is pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-family, and will protect our borders. No other candidate has Todds military record of service to his country and commitment to our community." (lallyforcongress.com)
- Todd Lally. 2010. Campaign For Liberty: 2010 Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded YES to: "Will you vote to oppose any legislation that allows the federal government to prohibit the sale, use, or carrying of firearms?" (www.campaignforliberty.com)
- Todd Lally. Issue Position: Gun Control/Right to Bear Arms. "Many people who argue in favor of stringent gun control legislation typically do so with sincere intentions. However, their arguments, when taken to their logical conclusions, prove to be naïve or misguided. Restricting the access of law-abiding citizens to...own guns would not solve the problem of gun violence. While strict rules against ownership would only be followed by those responsible members of society who obey the law, the criminals among us would violate guns laws in the same way they violate all the others. I refuse to tell someone that they do not have the right to protect themselves in their own home, and I will not take away their ability to do so...Q: Do you think people should be allowed to carry weapons anywhere? A: Appropriate legislation strives to strike the proper balance between liberty and security. Given that the purpose of carrying a weapon in public is for protection, then any venue that can limit everyone, including criminals, from carrying a gun should retain the authority to do so." (votesmart.org)
- Todd Lally signed the Contract from America. "Defund, repeal and replace the recently passed government-run health care with a system that actually makes health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn't restricted by state boundaries." (www.thecontract.org)
- Todd Lally. 2010. Campaign For Liberty: 2010 Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded YES to the question Will you oppose any attempt to nationalize our health care system, including any sort of public option for insurance? (www.campaignforliberty.com)
- Todd Lally. 2010. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY): 2010 Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded "I strongly oppose this legislation...This bill opens the door to publicly financed abortions, the rationing of care, and the limiting of physician choice. Additionally, the bill contains the unconstitutional individual mandate requiring, for the first time, someone to buy private health insurance. If the bill came up for repeal, I would support it both in committee and on the floor," to the question "Do you support the health-care reform package that passed, or would you vote to repeal some or all of it? What would you replace it with?" (www.thevoterguide.org)
- Todd Lally. Issue Position: Healthcare. "I challenge those who trumpet a single-payer option to provide one example of a government agency outperforming the private sector." (votesmart.org)
- Todd Lally. 2010. Numbers USA: Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. Replied "YES" to the question "Do you OPPOSE offering the officially estimated 11 million people illegally in the U.S. long-term work permits and/or a path to citizenship (whether through a blanket amnesty or an 'earned legalization' or other form)?" (www.numbersusa.com)
- Todd Lally. 2010. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY): 2010 Kentucky Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded: "A failed state is [a] safe haven for terrorist activity and we should maintain a presence there [in Afghanistan] for some time" to the question "Do you support Americas current military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan? How long should the United States keep troops in both countries?" (www.thevoterguide.org)
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.
| a) Abortions should always be legally available. | |||
| b) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |||
| c) Abortions should be legal only when pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered. | |||
| X | d) Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered. | ||
| e) Abortions should always be illegal. | |||
| X | f) Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements. | ||
| X | g) Prohibit the late-term abortion procedure known as "partial-birth" abortion. | ||
| h) Support "buffer zones" by requiring demonstrators to stay at least 15 feet away from abortion clinic doorways and driveways. | |||
| i) Other | |||
| No | j) Should Kentucky government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services? | ||
Indicate the principles you support (if any) concerning affirmative action. State government agencies should take race and sex into account in the following sectors:
| Yes | a) College and university admissions | ||
| No | b) Public employment | ||
| No | c) State contracting | ||
| d) Other | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.
| a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff. | |||
| X | b) Support contracting with private sector firms to manage medium security prisons. | ||
| X | c) End parole for repeat violent felons. | ||
| d) Expand the use of the death penalty for additional circumstances relating to murder. | |||
| e) Oppose the death penalty. | |||
| X | f) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders. | ||
| g) Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community. | |||
| X | h) Increase state funds for programs which rehabilitate and educate inmates during and after their prison sentences. | ||
| i) Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. | |||
| X | j) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes. | ||
| X | k) Strengthen penalties and sentences for sex offenders. | ||
| l) Lower the limit defining drunk driving to .08 blood alcohol content. | |||
| m) Prosecute juveniles who commit murder or other serious violent crimes as adults. | |||
| X | n) Increase pay for police officers. | ||
| o) Other | |||
| No | p) Do you support the Racial Justice Act, which allows accused killers to seek review of whether race played a role in their death penalty prosecution? | ||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning the economy and employment.
| X | a) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses. | ||
| X | b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion. | ||
| c) Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice. | |||
| X | d) Increase funding for state job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market. | ||
| e) Support collective bargaining for public employees. | |||
| f) Implement a deposit on beverage bottles and cans. | |||
| g) Increase the weight limit on coal trucks. | |||
| h) Other | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
| X | a) Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators. | ||
| X | b) Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs. | ||
| X | c) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious). | ||
| d) Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools. | |||
| X | e) Support sex education programs which stress abstinence. | ||
| f) Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices. | |||
| g) Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance. | |||
| h) Increase state funds for hiring of additional teachers. | |||
| X | i) Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools. | ||
| j) Support additional funding for a literacy research center and literacy intervention programs in elementary schools. | |||
| X | k) Other | ||
| Undecided | l) Do you support requiring students to take a statewide exam (CATS) and provide financial rewards or penalties to schools based on the results? | ||
| Higher pay for teachers. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
| X | a) Require the use of cleaner burning fuels in order to prevent pollution. | ||
| X | b) Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution. | ||
| X | c) Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented. | ||
| d) Require the state to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land. | |||
| X | e) Provide funding for recycling programs in Kentucky. | ||
| f) Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations. | |||
| g) Suspend participation in unfunded, federally mandated environmental protection legislation. | |||
| h) Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power company. | |||
| i) Block new mining permits for coal companies controlled by other companies that have violated environmental regulations. | |||
| j) Support stricter regulations on large scale hog production. | |||
| k) Other | |||
| Undecided | l) State environmental regulations should not be stricter than federal law. | ||
| Yes | m) Do you support the Kentucky Forest Conservation Act that requires logger training and the use of certain techniques to reduce erosion? | ||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding government reform.c) Do you support current limits on the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?
| No | a) Do you support amending the Kentucky Constitution to limit the number of terms of State Senators and Representatives? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the current law which limits the number of terms the Governor can serve? (2, 4-year terms) | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) PAC | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns? | ||
| No | f) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns? | ||
| g) Would you vote to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring an annual balanced federal budget? | |||
| Undecided | h) Would you support an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution requiring the legislature to meet every year? | ||
| i) Other | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.
| a) Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons. | |||
| b) Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms. | |||
| X | c) Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms. | ||
| d) Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms. | |||
| e) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms. | |||
| f) Other | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.
| X | a) Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees. | ||
| b) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care, through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary. | |||
| X | c) Support the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) that provides access to health care for uninsured children. | ||
| d) Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants. | |||
| e) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | |||
| f) Guaranteeing medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government. | |||
| X | g) Support state-funded incentives that increase the supply and retention of health professionals in rural areas. | ||
| h) Other | |||
| Undecided | i) Do you support the current law that allows insurers to charge more for people with poor health? | ||
| Undecided | j) Do you support the current law that allows insurers not to provide coverage for people with certain conditions such as AIDS, strokes and cancer? | ||
| Undecided | k) Do you support recent changes to the Medicaid program that brought it under a managed care system? | ||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.
| X | a) Increase state funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy. | ||
| X | b) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees. | ||
| c) Increase state funds to provide child care to children in low-income working families. | |||
| X | d) Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support. | ||
| X | e) Favor banning smoking in public places. | ||
| f) Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day. | |||
| X | g) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth. | ||
| h) Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans and job training and placement. | |||
| i) Other | |||
| No | j) Do you believe that the Kentucky government should include sexual orientation in Kentucky's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | k) Do you believe that the Kentucky government should recognize same-sex marriages? | ||
Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories. Select one level only.
| Maintain Status | a) Agriculture | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Education (Higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Transportation infrastructure (highways, roads, bridges) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Welfare | ||
| i) Other | |||
Indicate the tax levels you will support. Select one level only.
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Gas taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Sales taxes | ||
| j) Other | |||
| Yes | k) Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes? | ||
| Undecided | l) Do you support the proposed constitutional amendment allowing the Kentucky legislature to change or eliminate taxes on personal property? | ||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.
| X | a) Maintain the current time limits on welfare benefits. | ||
| X | b) Require able-bodied recipients to participate in work activities in order to receive benefits. | ||
| X | c) Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients. | ||
| d) Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients. | |||
| e) Provide child care for welfare recipients who work. | |||
| f) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work. | |||
| g) Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home. | |||
| h) Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare. | |||
| i) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs. | |||
| j) Other | |||
| I would work very hard for easing the tax burden on all Kentuckians. I would like to eliminate the state's annual car tax that many feel is unfair and unneeded. My second priority would be to revitalize my district's aging utilities. The funding could come from the $240 budget surplus. |
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