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Patty Lovaas' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Patty Lovaas refused to tell citizens where she 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.

What is the Political Courage Test?
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.

Montana Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test

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) regarding abortion.

a) Abortions should always be illegal.
b) Abortions should always be legal.
X c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester.
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
X e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
f) Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
X g) Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
I believe counseling could and should be required prior to any abortion. An emphasis should be placed on the emotional consequences of terminating a life in addition to the options available which are not a long-term commitment. The final decision however rests with the individual if the infant cannot be sustained out of the womb. Once the infant can be sustained outside of the womb, the decision to terminate the life whether by abortion or abandonment by my standards is a criminal offense and needs to be dealt with as such.

Indicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once.1) Budget Priorities2) Defense Spending3) 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.Family Income TaxesOther TaxesDeductions/Credits

Maintain Status a) Agriculture
Maintain Status b) Arts
Maintain Status c) Defense
Maintain Status d) Education
Slightly Decrease e) Environment
Slightly Decrease f) FEMA
Maintain Status g) Homeland security
Slightly Increase h) International aid
Maintain Status i) Law enforcement (Federal)
Maintain Status j) Law enforcement (State)
Maintain Status k) Medical research
Slightly Decrease l) National parks
Slightly Decrease m) Public health services
Maintain Status n) Scientific research
Maintain Status o) Space exploration programs
Maintain Status p) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Slightly Decrease q) United Nations
Slightly Decrease r) Welfare
s) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Armed forces personnel training
Maintain Status b) Intelligence operations
Maintain Status c) Military hardware
Slightly Increase d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Maintain Status e) National missile defense
Maintain Status f) Pay for active duty personnel
Maintain Status g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
Maintain Status h) Research and development of new weapons
Maintain Status i) Troop and equipment readiness
j) Other or expanded categories
Eliminate a) Less than $12,000
Slightly Decrease b) $12,001-$40,000
Slightly Decrease c) $40,001-$100,000
Slightly Decrease d) $100,001-$180,000
Maintain Status e) $180,001-$350,000
Maintain Status f) $350,001 and above
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Capital gains taxes
Maintain Status c) Cigarette taxes
Maintain Status d) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status e) Gasoline taxes
Slightly Decrease f) Inheritance taxes
g) Other or expanded categories
Slightly Decrease a) Charitable contribution deduction
Maintain Status b) Child tax credit
Slightly Decrease c) Earned income tax credit
Slightly Increase d) Medical expense deduction
Maintain Status e) Mortgage deduction
Maintain Status f) Student loan credit
g) Other or expanded categories
Yes 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
Yes 5) Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
The tax structure of this nation needs to recognize that most of the domestic economic stimulus comes from small business and should not be the same as the large, multinational, publicly held companies.
The currrent scheduled repeal of the estate tax just passes the tax to the beneficiaries once they sell or transfer the estate. It sounds better, but it is not eliminated, it is just transferred.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

a) Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
b) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
c) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
d) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
X e) Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
f) Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
g) Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
X h) Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
i) Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
j) Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
Government officials should never lose sight of their purpose; to serve the people, not to run their lives. All government agencies need to focus on effectiveness in serving the people and need to be evaluated based on that premise. Ineffective agencies need to be restructured or eliminated. Government agencies should be evaluated on a consistent basis for effectiveness. Government agencies should institute and practice ethical standards in all acts performed for the people. Any government official or agency which falters from these standards needs to be held accountable.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
f) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
X g) Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
h) Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
i) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

a) Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs.
X b) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
c) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
e) Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
f) Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
g) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
X h) Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
X i) Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
j) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
k) Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
Education policy should focus on individual excellence, not financial subsidies. Based on personal experience, whatever you expect from children is what you will receive. If you expect the best, you will get the best. If you expect mediocrity, you will get it. By placing a label on children as unintelligent we limit their future potential in life. Individuals have varying talents. We should strive to bring those talents to the surface. That principle is what needs to be the focus when establishing education policies.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today’s job market.
X b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector.
c) Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
d) Increase the federal minimum wage.
e) Support the right of workers to unionize.
f) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
g) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
h) Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws.
In summary, I believe unions provided benefit to workers at the beginning of the industrial revolution in this country when there were no laws to protect workers in the infancy stages of this country's growth. In current times, I believe they have evolved into a special interest group which have in fact hampered domestic economic production. I would oppose forcing anyone to "join the club" to be employed. This concept is totally contrary to the free market enterprise system. Government workers and most larger private employers have company policy and grievance procedures in place which do not necessitate union intervention.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
c) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
d) Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
e) Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
f) Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
g) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
h) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
i) Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
j) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
k) Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
l) Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
We are currently dependent on fossil fuels. These should be developed in the United States in the short term and funds generated from the production used to enhance the alternative energy sources - wind, solar, geothermal. This would accomplish many goals.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.On (c) and (d), indicate what levels (#1-6) you support for the following categories.

a) Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
b) Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials.
c) Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
d) Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
Concerning the second amendment rights established by the Bill of Rights, I believe that the Bill of Rights is a sacred document which we as citizens should honor and respect. They are individual rights which our founding forefathers in their infinite wisdom established to protect the individual. This set of individual rights has served this country well for over 200 years. There is no justifiable reason to change it.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

a) Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
b) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
c) Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
d) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
e) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
f) Support expanding child healthcare programs.
X g) Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
Personal medical savings accounts are the answer to our health care costs. Medical care choices would be shifted from the insurance companies to the individuals. Financial penalties for unauthorized withdrawals would help fund Medicare and Medicaid.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.

a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
b) Establish English as the official national language.
c) Support a temporary worker program.
d) Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
f) Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
g) Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
h) Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
We are a nation of immigrants which have enjoyed freedoms unequaled in any other country in the world. We must remember this fact above all else. We must however have established guidelines and standards for citizenship. We must also have established guidelines and standards for admission to enter or work in this country which protect and preserve the rights of our current citizens.

International AidIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international aid.International PolicyIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international policy.International TradeIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.

X a) Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
b) Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
c) Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
d) Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
e) Other or expanded principles
a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
c) Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
d) Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
e) Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
f) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
h) Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program?
i) Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
j) Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
k) Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
l) Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
m) Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
Yes n) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
Yes o) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
p) Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
q) Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
r) Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
a) Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
b) Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
c) Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
d) Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
I do not believe we should leave Iraq until it is stable and the Iraq people can manage it by themselves. This needs to be the continual goal; transfer rule to the citizens and inhabitants.
Whenever there is human rights violations, the United States should provide immediate assistance without question.
The answer to the country's economic well being is not in the multinational companies, but with small individual companies that allow individuals to utilize whatever talent they possess to create domestic jobs and local economic growth for the communities where they are located. The tax structure of this nation needs to recognize that most of the economic stimulus comes from this source.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.

a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
b) Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
d) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
e) Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
No f) Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
g) Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
h) Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
We are naive as a nation if we allow ourselves to believe that there are not individuals who wish to harm our nation, our people or our social and political beliefs. The events of 9/11 are evidence that we as a nation must always be prepared to ward off any threats to our social and economic well being. This is and should be the main responsibility of our federal government, to protect its people from outside threats.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

No a) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
Yes b) Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
c) Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
d) Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
Yes e) Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
Yes f) Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
Yes g) Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
We as a nation should always strive to preserve and protect the civil rights established by our founding forefathers in the Bill of Rights. They are sacred and should remain so.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.

a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
b) Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
c) Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
d) Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
e) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
All entitlement programs need to be evaluated. Taxing entitlement benefits is the least controversial but is it right? Veterans are saluted for their service but are they properly cared for after they return? Is public welfare truly providing benefits to those in need? Entitlements use the largest portion of the spending pie and contain the most bureaucracy.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
X b) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
c) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
d) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
All entitlement programs need to be evaluated. Taxing entitlement benefits is the least controversial but is it right? Veterans are saluted for their service but are they properly cared for after they return? Is public welfare truly providing benefits to those in need? Entitlements use the largest portion of the spending pie and contain the most bureaucracy.
The current law and tax structure for nonprofit organization status needs to be overhauled to limit the operation of these organizations to the stated purpose for which they were established. Accountability is necessary to provide assurance that donated funds are being used as intended. All government agencies need to be evaluated on effectiveness in serving the people. Ineffective agencies need to be restructured or eliminated. Small business tax structure should recognize the valuable economic contribution they make to the country and should not be the same as the large, multinational, publicly held companies. This is the strength of our nation.

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