John Beard refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |||
X | b) Abortions should always be legal. | ||
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |||
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. | |||
e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. | |||
f) Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions. | |||
g) Other or expanded principles |
State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.
Slightly Increase | a) Education (Higher) | ||
Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
h) Other or expanded categories | |||
Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
Maintain Status | b) Capital gains taxes | ||
Greatly Increase | c) Cigarette taxes | ||
Maintain Status | d) Corporate taxes | ||
Maintain Status | e) Gasoline taxes | ||
Maintain Status | f) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000) | ||
Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000) | ||
Maintain Status | h) Inheritance taxes | ||
Slightly Decrease | i) Property taxes | ||
Maintain Status | j) Sales taxes | ||
Maintain Status | k) Vehicle taxes | ||
l) Other or expanded categories | |||
Yes | m) Should Internet sales be taxed? | ||
Undecided | n) Do you support expanding the sales tax to certain services to increase state aid to education? | ||
No | o) Do you support allowing additional casinos to open in Iowa? | ||
No | p) Do you support allowing table games at Iowa race tracks? | ||
q) Other or expanded principles |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?
Yes | a) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Iowa governors? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Iowa state senators and representatives? | ||
Yes | 1) Individual | ||
Yes | 2) PAC | ||
Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
No | 4) Political Parties | ||
Yes | d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
Undecided | e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns? | ||
Yes | f) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying, and ensuring accuracy of votes? | ||
Yes | g) Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Iowa are closed? | ||
Undecided | h) Do you support the use of bonuses to help attract and retain department directors? | ||
Undecided | i) Should Iowa recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? | ||
No | j) Should Iowa restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman? | ||
k) Other or expanded principles |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff. | |||
b) Implement the death penalty in Iowa. | |||
X | c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. | ||
X | d) End parole for repeat violent offenders. | ||
X | e) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders. | ||
X | f) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. | ||
g) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes. | |||
h) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults. | |||
X | i) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth. | ||
j) Increase funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent and to respond to terrorist attacks. | |||
k) Other or expanded principles |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
a) Support national standards and testing of public school students. | |||
b) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school. | |||
c) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school. | |||
X | d) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure). | ||
X | e) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers. | ||
f) Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay. | |||
g) Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools. | |||
h) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams. | |||
i) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries. | |||
X | j) Increase funding for Head Start programs. | ||
X | k) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable. | ||
X | l) Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods. | ||
m) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs. | |||
n) Require the school year to begin the first week in September rather than in August. | |||
o) Other or expanded principles |
Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:
X | a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today's job market. | ||
b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion. | |||
X | c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses. | ||
X | d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families. | ||
X | e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families. | ||
X | f) Include sexual orientation in Iowa's anti-discrimination laws. | ||
X | g) Increase the state minimum wage. | ||
X | h) Support increased bonding to pay for economic development projects (Vision Iowa). | ||
i) Other or expanded principles | |||
Yes | a) Public employment | ||
Yes | b) State college and university admissions | ||
Yes | c) State contracting | ||
Yes | d) Other or expanded principles | ||
I look forward to the day when Affirmative action is no longer recquired. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
X | a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology. | ||
b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, and oil). | |||
X | c) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned. | ||
X | d) Support funding for open space preservation. | ||
X | e) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law. | ||
X | f) Other or expanded principles | ||
Safeguarding Iowas natural resources improves our quality of life and makes good economic sense. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
X | a) Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | ||
b) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
c) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
X | d) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns. | ||
e) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns. | |||
f) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows. | |||
g) Require a license for gun possession. | |||
h) Other or expanded principles |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.
X | a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary. | ||
b) Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs. | |||
c) Limit the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | |||
d) Support patients' right to sue their HMOs. | |||
X | e) Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied. | ||
f) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government. | |||
g) Legalize physician assisted suicide in Iowa. | |||
h) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. | |||
X | i) Require insurance companies to provide mental health services at parity with physical health services. | ||
j) Other or expanded principles |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.
a) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients. | |||
X | b) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients. | ||
X | c) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work. | ||
d) Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare. | |||
e) Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations. | |||
X | f) Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor. | ||
g) Support marriage promotion programs for welfare recipients. | |||
h) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs. | |||
i) Other or expanded principles |
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