Robert Johnston's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Delaware State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Women considering an abortion should be provided all of the facts regarding the physical and mental risks associated with abortion such as sterility, cervical cancer and infection and depression. In addition, women should be provided with a list of service providers, both government agencies and non-profit organizations, that provide assistance to pregnant women, new mothers, and those looking into adoption opportunities. | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate 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 TaxesIndicate 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.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Delaware's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Delaware's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| These views are in reference to current spending levels in the current economic climate. With unemployment at close to 10% in the state we need to postpone some spending, increase our efficiency, and focus on job creation. All of these services are important, and we need to continue to provide them. Once we get unemployment down to a reasonable level we will have more revenue to expand these services. In the meantime, government has to learn to do more with less, just like small business owners and families have been doing for years. | |||
| DE property taxes are significantly lower than surrounding states. We could raise property taxes and still be below the average. We need to keep income taxes as low as possible in order to keep our cost of living low. This will help attract businesses because the cost of living for their employees will be lower. | |||
| State government needs to figure out how to do more with less. This means each department head must improve the efficiency of his or her department in order to lower costs while providing the necessary services. This is what small business owners do every day. I do not support arbitrary, across the board layoffs, but there may be departments that can do the same work with fewer staff through the use of technology and implementation of efficient work flow processes. Use of the "rainy day" fund is a last resort only. | |||
c) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Delaware governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Delaware state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| 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? | ||
| a- violent, pre-meditated murder with 100% DNA evidence b- home arrest d - depends on the situation. let the judge and/or DA decide each case e - yes, misdemeanor - this is to protect the child | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the expansion of state-regulated gaming? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| a- there needs to be a balance between protecting the community and hindering free enterprise b- we no longer have an advantage over PA or MD. need to find better ways to attract tourists. c- yes! - could be co-funded by the private sector d- yes, including partial benefits for those who find part time work e - creative legislation is better f- as long as the projects add value g- loans, not grants. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Delaware high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| e- there should be an application process that begins in 9th grade to motivate kids to study and work hard. there should also be a post-graduation "pay-back" where graduates can "pay-back" the state by working in the state for a period of years, volunteering in the state, or financial contribution to the tuition fund. f- illegal immigrants should become legal immigrants. We should make the process toward citizenship more streamlined and efficient, but non citizens who do not pay taxes should not have access to any government benefit | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support instituting a statewide recycling program? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for improvements to Delaware's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| a- out source with a % of revenue back to the state b/c/d-loans or grants for projects that lead to job creation f - work with the nonprofit sector to set up land trusts | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| a/b - convicted felons forfeit their rights to own weapons c - with a license | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Delaware? | ||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| Anyone who enters and emergency room for any reason must be treated, regardless of their ability to pay. 12-16% of an average person's insurance premium goes to cover this cost. Those who are not eligible for free medicare coverage, yet cannot afford private coverage should be permitted to buy medicare coverage at an affordable rate. In this way, they will have access to preventative care, and can have non-emergency issues treated by a primary care physician rather than an ER. This will reduce costs significantly. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Delaware allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Delaware's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Delaware's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| a- marriage is a religious institution first and a state institution second b - any two adults, regardless of the nature of their relationship f/g - Because it will make it to easy for dishonest people to file false claims. Discrimination of any kind should be prosecuted, but we don't need to list every possible scenario. If anyone can prove that they were fired, not hired, not sold a house, etc. for any reason other than their job performance, resume, credit score, etc. than they can file a claim. | |||
| My number one priority is to get more people back to work. If we are able to get our unemployment numbers down to a reasonable level, most of our other problems will be taken care of. To do this we must attract new businesses to the state, help existing businesses grow, and encourage entrepreneurs to start their businesses here. To do this we must keep income taxes low and our cost of living low. We must implement creative legislation like the Financial Center Development Act of 1981 that brought 40,000 jobs to the state. |
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