Oregon State Legislative Election 2000 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when pregnancy results from incest, rape or the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

5. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- No Answer

6. Support prohibition of the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- No Answer

7. Support "buffer zones" at abortion clinics by requiring demonstrators to remain a certain distance from doorways and driveways.
- No Answer

8. Prohibit Oregon Health Plan from funding abortions and organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

Budget and Tax

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories.

1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase Funding

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase Funding

3. Environment
- Maintain Funding Status

4. Health care
- Maintain Funding Status

5. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase Funding

6. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase Funding

7. Welfare
- Maintain Funding Status

8. Other
- No Answer

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Capital gains taxes
- Greatly Decrease

3. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

7. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

8. Inheritance taxes
- Eliminate

9. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

10. Vehicle taxes
- Maintain Status

11. Other
- No Answer

12. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- No

13. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
- Undecided

14. Would you support returning any operating surplus to Oregon taxpayers?
- Yes

15. Would you support placing any operating surplus into a "rainy day" fund?
- No

16. Do you support using the entire tobacco settlement to create a health care trust fund?
- No

17. Do you support using a portion of the tobacco settlement to fund public schools?
- No

18. Do you support increasing the gas tax to pay for road repairs?
- Undecided

19. Do you support allowing federal income taxes over $3,000 per-couple to be deducted from state taxes?
- Yes

20. Do you support replacing the weight-mile truck tax with a diesel gas tax?
- Undecided

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer

2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- No Answer

3. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X

4. Support the use of the death penalty in Oregon.
- X

5. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

6. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- X

7. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

8. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

9. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- X

10. Support .08 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
- No Answer

11. Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
- No Answer

12. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- No Answer

13. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
- No Answer

14. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- X

15. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- X

16. Other
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
- No Answer

2. Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- No Answer

3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer

4. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X

5. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- No Answer

6. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- No Answer

7. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

8. Support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- X

9. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer

10. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- No Answer

11. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- No Answer

12. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- No Answer

13. Provide funds to reduce K-12 public school class sizes.
- No Answer

14. Other
- No Answer

15. Do you support increasing state funds for education?
- Yes

If so, how should this be accomplished?

1. Increase personal income taxes.
- No Answer

2. Increase corporate taxes.
- No Answer

3. Other
- X

Employment and Affirmative Action

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning employment.

1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- No Answer

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X

3. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- No Answer

4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

5. Other
- No Answer

Affirmative Action: Which of the following state agencies should take race and sex into account when making employment decisions?

1. College and university admissions
- Yes

2. Public employment
- No

3. State contracting
- No

4. Other
- No Answer

Environment & Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- X

2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- X

3. Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
- X

4. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- X

5. Support funding for recycling programs in Oregon.
- X

6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- X

7. Suspend participation in un-funded, federally-mandated environmental protection legislation.
- No Answer

8. Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power companies.
- No Answer

9. Support removing dams along Oregon rivers to aid the salmon runs.
- No Answer

10. Create an interstate authority to manage the Columbia River.
- No Answer

11. Ease state land-use controls to allow more development in rural areas.
- No Answer

12. Other
- No Answer

13. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- Undecided

Government Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding government reform.

1. Do you support the current limit on terms for Oregon Governors?
- Yes

2. Do you support the current limit on terms for Oregon State Senators and Representatives?
- No

3. Individual
- Yes

4. PAC
- Yes

5. Corporate
- Yes

6. Political Parties
- Yes

7. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Undecided

8. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- Yes

9. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- No

10. Do you support voting on-line?
- No

11. Do you support on-line voter registration?
- Yes

12. Do you support increasing the number of signatures required to place an initiative on the ballot?
- No

13. Other
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.

1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- No Answer

2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

3. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- X

6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- No Answer

7. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- No Answer

8. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.

1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- X

2. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
- No Answer

3. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer

4. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- No Answer

5. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer

6. Support a patient's right to sue his or her HMO.
- X

7. Support a patient's right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X

8. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- X

9. Increase the minimum poverty level required to be eligible for the Oregon Health Plan.
- No Answer

10. Other
- No Answer

Social

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

1. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X

2. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- No Answer

3. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- No Answer

4. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- No Answer

5. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- No Answer

6. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans, and job training and placement.
- X

7. Phase out state-run video poker machines.
- X

8. Other
- No Answer

9. Should physician assisted suicide be legally available in Oregon?
- No

10. Should Oregon include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws?
- No

11. Should Oregon recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No

12. Should Oregon restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
- Yes

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.

1. Maintain current time limits on welfare benefits.
- X

2. Maintain the requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- X

3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- No Answer

4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- X

5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer

6. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer

7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- No Answer

8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer

9. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

10. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

11. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- No Answer

12. Other
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- My top priority is to reduce government interference in the lives of Oregon citizens. This is done through prudent tax control and the strict oversight of state bureaucracies.Another priority is to improve Oregon's school finance system. The legislature mandated school reform ten years ago and still cannot quantify a relationship between dollars appropriated and the results that are expected of the K-12 system. The system is confused and needs clarity.