Bud Laurent's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Oregon State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | |||
| b) Should abortion be legal only within 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 sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | |||
| h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | |||
| I think our goal as a society should be to erase the need for abortion through effective education and protecting a woman's private decision to prevent conception until deciding to have a baby. Every baby should be wanted. While I believe abortion with appropriate limits should be a decision of the last resort for a woman to make, established law provides that it is still a choice -- particularly in situations involving rape and incest. Obviously, the moral aspects of abortion may never be completely resolved, but matters of religious understanding do not belong in American jurisprudence. | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category- you can use a number more than once.2) State TaxesIndicate 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 StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Oregon's budget.
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement | |||
| f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gasoline taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| f) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| a) Tapping into Oregon's "rainy day" fund | |||
| b) Redirecting excess income tax collections to a permanent "rainy day" fund | |||
| c) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | |||
| d) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | |||
| e) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | |||
| f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| g) Privatizing certain government services | |||
| Oregon faces several years of reduced revenue requiring program budget cuts. I believe that Oregon citizens need to have an informed conversation to prioritize which services they deem most important before the legislature makes further cuts in specific programs. Elected representatives have a responsibility to conduct these conversations among their constituents while providing factual data to support or refute recommendations generated. The growing percentage of state spending mandated through voter initiative should be recognized and addressed, also. This conversation must also include consideration of reforming Oregon's acknowledged dysfunctional system of revenue generation. | |||
| Oregon's general funds rely heavily on personal income taxes, making them the 5th highest in the nation, while many of its other tax categories are well below median when compared to other states. Reforming Oregon's badly broken revenue system must be as high a priority as making budget reductions with a goal of achieving a system that is fair, adequate, just, and as stable as possible. This conversation must include Oregon business interests so that a new revenue system will help to enhance, rather than harm, innovation and job creation in the state. | |||
| While the current Rainy Day fund was recommended to be 10-12% of the General Fund, the current economic recession shows that the goal may need to be higher. However, a Rainy Day fund is a luxury of good times, and our first priorities are to keep vital programs as healthy as possible while working to achieve the fair, adequate, just and stable revenues I call for in the preceding question about taxes. Only when Oregon has enjoyed substantial job recovery and revenue reform can we direct our attention to creating an appropriately sized Rainy Day fund. | |||
d) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Oregon governors? | |||
| b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Oregon state legislators? | |||
| c) Should the Oregon state legislature be required to convene in annual sessions? | |||
| 1) Individual | |||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| 3) Corporate | |||
| 4) Political Party | |||
| e) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | |||
| f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | |||
| Campaign finance reform is the key to government reform in that we need to eliminate the corrupting influence of unlimited contributions from big corporations and political action committees. The American public understands this: public opinion of the US Supreme Court's recent Citizens United decision which endorsed the right of corporations to contribute to political campaigns without limit was universally negative -- about 80% of Americans opposed the decision. Oregon should be first among states to approve a Constitutional amendment to remove the definition of "corporate personhood" from First Amendment rights -- the first step to campaign finance reform. | |||
| a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | |||
| b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | |||
| c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | |||
| d) Should minors accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as adults? | |||
| e) Should minors who send sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
| f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| Oregon voters have passed a number of initiatives in past years which have contributed to an increase in prison population. Given rising costs of incarceration, it may be time to examine how these costs can be reduced while still protecting public safety. A guiding principle in this should be remembered: it is probably less expensive to prevent the conditions leading to crime than it is to deal with criminals after the fact. As to capital punishment and other consequences of criminal behavior, it is the informed opinion of the voters which ultimately matters. Finally, federal authorities should enforce federal laws. | |||
| a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | |||
| The problem with questions like these, and many of the preceding, is that the best answer is "it depends." It is the business of government to provide programs and services which pertain to the "public trust" - things which generally apply to the "good of the whole," have the general support of the public, and are best if not subjected to unregulated profit-making endeavors. In regard to job creation, a carefully constructed public-private partnership can work, but with these caveats: no business should be deemed "too big to fail," and profit should not be privatized while loss is socialized. | |||
| a) Do you support national education standards? | |||
| b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | |||
| c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
| f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Oregon high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| I believe public education is a cornerstone of democracy and America's success. It is also badly in need of change since American students are falling behind the rest of the world by many measures. What needs to be done to better serve Oregon's students should be referred to those most affected: teachers and students. I would like to see a commission formed, composed of the best and brightest teachers and students from middle school to graduate level, to suggest how Oregon's educational system should change to meet 21st Century needs. | |||
| a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | |||
| b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | |||
| c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Oregon's energy infrastructure? | |||
| e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | |||
| I believe in sustainability as a principle in all endeavors. The conversion from fossil fuels to non-carbon sources of energy is a win-win: good for the environment, good for the economy, and the government has an appropriate carrot and stick role to play in this transition, with the degree of each determined by the willingness of the private sector to partner with the public sector. | |||
| a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
| b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | |||
| d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | |||
| It's a matter of common sense that tools of violence in the wrong hands are dangerous. Therefore, some level of regulation to deter firearms from being possessed by those ill-fit to use them, also makes sense. At the same time, American citizens have a right to self-defense if attacked, and the Second Amendment suggests that bearing arms in a protected right. While an increasing number of states allow the carry of concealed weapons, I'm not persuaded that should be allowed in places like school campuses, public rallies, public buildings, as firearms, knives, etc., are certainly not allowed in airports. | |||
| 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) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| f) Do you support continuing to allow physician-assisted suicide in Oregon? | |||
| g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | |||
| Health care available to everyone benefits everyone, and there is nothing to fear from a single-payer system as long as choice of physician is maintained and competition among insurers is encouraged. Here are two guiding principles which I believe are important: 1) everyone should participate in paying for some part of their health care and should participate actively in maintaining their own health; 2) closely monitored nonprofit insurers are better for us than for-profit insurers. Reasonable tort reform should be a goal, prescription drug prices must be lowered, and community clinics established throughout Oregon. | |||
| a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | |||
| b) Should Oregon allow same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships? | |||
| c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | |||
| e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | |||
| f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Oregon's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Oregon's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| Personal decisions that do not materially affect the peace and security of another should remain just that: personal and private. Innovative medical research, one of the places America still leads the world, is developing new methods of testing that avoid the need for embryonic stem cells. As to discrimination, the Constitution says, "all men are created equal," and, while equality is a work in progress, how can discrimination in any form be defended? | |||
| Getting Oregon back to work with livable wage jobs; stabilizing funding for public education so that Oregon can have world-class schools; establishing Oregon's unique health care system that provides access to all Oregonians to quality care while controlling costs. Underpinning these three priorities is revenue reform to reduce the burden of personal income taxes on, especially, lower- and middle-income workers while still generating sufficient revenues to support priority programs. |
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