Richard Tannous, Jr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Richard Tannous, Jr. has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Michigan State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortions be illegal after 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| No | i) Do you support increased licensing restrictions for abortion providers? | ||
| j) Other or expanded principles: | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, 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.2) State Taxes:Using the key,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.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Michigan's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | j) Do you support requiring a two-thirds vote of the legislature in order to approve all future tax increases? | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Michigan's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| Yes | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| The sales tax must be enforced with online and mail purchases, the state loses a half billion a year. Also, the state needs to look at services being incorporated into the sales tax, we are largely a service based economy. If done correctly the service tax could reduce the overall sales tax rate. | |||
| We must ensure that all corporations are paying the proper amount state and federal taxes and not allowing loop-holes. We must also reevaluate property tax being tied to the value of the home and establish solutions should there ever be another housing crisis or the market dips again. Sales tax needs to incorporate services. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | f) Do you support Michigan's emergency manager law? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | 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 decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Minors need to be treated as minors until a certain age. Around the ages of 16-17 most young adults have a full concept of the impact of violent crime, however most teenagers do not have a concept of the full impact of their actions. There have been ridiculous charges against minors as adults since the changes in the laws; some as young as 10. | |||
| No | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support a constitutional amendment affirming a right to collective bargaining in Michigan? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support construction of a new bridge across the Detroit River to Canada? | ||
| Yes | i) Should Michigan allow more casinos? | ||
| The bridge construction will create jobs but it should have been approved through the legislature. However, the current majority would not debate the issue. I support more casinos, but if we move in that direction we should consider a concentration to attract tourists. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| No | d) Do you support replacing pension plans for new teachers with 401(k)-style retirement plans? | ||
| No | e) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Tenure is not a job saver, it is protection due to the political nature of public schools. If a teacher is not doing their job, they need to move on and the old tenure rules allowed that process to happen. What should have changed was the timeline and technical errors should have been at the judges discretion, not gutting it. Charters should be funded by the state as they were intended, as experimental schools not replacements for public education. Although illegal immigrants and their families pay into the economy of the state, they are not residents. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | 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 Michigan's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Gun ownership and the exchange of weapons should be properly regulated to prevent them from getting into the hands of criminals. We must however, balance this well with the protection of the the Second Amendment. | |||
| Yes | 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) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support establishing a state-run health insurance exchange? | ||
| No | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| With healthcare I support the proposal that will increase the 'risk pool' of the insured, this will lower the cost. Whether that is through public or private methods is not my greatest concern. We need to do what works best to ensure the common good. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Economy: the state needs make improvements by creating a equitable tax structure that is not balanced on the backs of working families, senors, and the poor. The tax system that the current majority passed created one of the lowest large corporation tax structures and no real jobs have been created. Our sales taxes must be reformed. Education: K-12 cuts need to be restored, our kids should not be at the bottom of the list. Environment: our state needs to protect the greatest source of fresh water in the world and our other resources, not look at short term economic gains. |
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