John Powers' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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John Powers has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Wisconsin State Legislative Election 2016 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? | |||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | |||
| h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| We need to make contraception as socially acceptable as Viagra. We need science based sex education taught in schools. We need easily available information and support programs for unwed mothers. We need support programs for mothers in poverty. We need to make adoption an easier option for both sides. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Wisconsin's budget.2) State Spending: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.3) State Taxes: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.
| a) Tapping into Wisconsin's "rainy day" fund | |||
| b) Decreasing funding for public universities | |||
| c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | |||
| d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
| e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement/corrections | |||
| f) Transportation/infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Small business taxes | |||
| e) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| f) Property taxes | |||
| g) Sales taxes | |||
| h) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | |||
| j) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | |||
| Wisconsin currently wastes tax dollars on poorly supervised loans/credits that are supposed to be creating jobs but are not. We give more of our tax dollars per pupil to private schools than to our public schools. More than a billion tax dollars are wasted in tax give aways that create zero jobs. The money is there - we just need to change our priorities in how we spend it. | |||
| Fully fund our public schools. Create loan programs for college students equal to programs for businesses. Give our DNR back the authority to protect our resources. Bring our federal tax dollars back to the state in the form of Medicaid funds. Create a ten year plan for Wisconsin that gives us a long range guideline for spending on schools, roads, health care, job creation, welfare, and the environment. | |||
| Cigarette smoking has been drastically reduced in Wisconsin - in part due to increased taxes. Alcohol taxes have not been raised since the 70s. A tax increase on alcohol should be part of a state-wide program to reduce the drinking problem Wisconsin seems so proud of. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| 1) Individual | |||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| 3) Corporate | |||
| 4) Political Party | |||
| b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | |||
| c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | |||
| d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | |||
| I am taking no donations of any kind because I believe we no longer hold elections. We hold auctions. We need to limit the money spent on campaigns and the time allowed to campaign. We need to bring back the Government Accountability Board. We need a non-partisan board to draw district maps. We need to make voting easier in Wisconsin, not more difficult. That can be accomplished even while requiring IDs. The voter ID laws are based on a lie. There is not voter fraud. | |||
| 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? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | |||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| No | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| No | f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | |||
| Yes | i) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them? | |||
| No | k) Do you support the use of public funds for the construction of professional sports stadiums? | ||
| No | l) Do you support the enactment of right-to-work legislation? | ||
| m) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | |||
| d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | |||
| e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
| g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Wisconsin high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| Wisconsin public school teachers have not had tenure since sometime in the first half of the last century. That whole phony argument and lack of respect for our teachers has led to a serious teacher shortage in the state. We need to fully fund our public schools. The voucher system has not improved scores and should be eliminated. We all come from immigrants. Any one who graduates from a Wisconsin high school and is accepted in a state university should be eligible for in-state tuition. They are our future. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| 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 Wisconsin'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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | |||
| b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | |||
| d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | |||
| Back ground checks are a must. We should eliminate private ownership of semi-automatic weapons and large capacity magazines. I am a gun owner. | |||
| a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | |||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | |||
| We do not have a problem with the quality of our health care or access to health care. We have a problem with the individual being able to pay for health care. Health insurance should not be a for profit industry. | |||
| a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | |||
| b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Wisconsin's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Wisconsin's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| People are different. It has been that way since the beginning. Get over it. | |||
| Fully fund our public schools. Work to create good jobs that support families. Fully protect our natural resources. Remove corruption from our state government. The funding is available to accomplish these goals, we just have to re-think our priorities in collecting and spending our tax dollars. |
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