Positions

Illinois State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test

Abortion

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

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legal.
- X

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

4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

6. Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period.
- No Answer

7. Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors.
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget and Tax

State Budget: Indicate 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.

1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Emergency preparedness
- Maintain Status

4. Environment
- Slightly Increase

5. Health care
- Slightly Increase

6. Law enforcement
- Maintain Status

7. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

8. Welfare
- Maintain Status

9. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

State Taxes: Indicate 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.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

4. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Maintain Status

6. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Increase

7. Property taxes
- Greatly Decrease

8. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

9. Vehicle taxes
- Maintain Status

10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

11. Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales?
- Yes

12. Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget?
- No

13. Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget?
- Undecided

14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance and Government Reform

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

1. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Illinois governors?
- No

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Illinois state senators and representatives?
- No

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

1. Individual
- Yes

2. PAC
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Parties
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

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

7. Should Illinois participate in the federal REAL ID program?
- Undecided

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

1. Should an Illinois state constitutional convention be held, what do you feel is necessary to be addressed?
- The most important constitutional changes are in campaign finance and income tax law. I believe that we must introduce sweeping changes to limit the influence of money on politics, beginning with those listed above, but also including some form of public financing of campaigns. Regarding the income tax, the constitutional mandate of a flat tax has been a real challenge to both the stability and fairness of our revenue stream, and I believe that it should be revoked.

2. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime

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

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

2. Support the death penalty in Illinois.
- No Answer

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

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

5. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
- No Answer

6. Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
- No Answer

7. Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws.
- No Answer

8. Support hate crime legislation.
- X

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

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

1. Support state funding of universal pre-K programs.
- X

2. Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer

3. Support state education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students.
- X

4. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- X

5. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- No Answer

6. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- No Answer

7. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X

8. Support using a merit pay system for teachers.
- X

9. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- X

10. Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of Illinois to pay in-state tuition at public universities.
- X

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Employment

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

1. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today?s job market.
- X

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector.
- No Answer

3. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- X

4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

5. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

6. Support the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in Illinois' anti-discrimination laws.
- X

7. Increase the state minimum wage.
- X

8. Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will.
- No Answer

9. Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
- No Answer

10. Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
- No Answer

11. Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X

12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environment and Energy

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

1. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X

2. Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc).
- No Answer

3. Provide financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops.
- X

4. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
- X

5. Increase funding for improvements to Illinois' power generating and transmission facilities.
- No Answer

6. Support funding for open space preservation.
- X

7. Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
- X

8. Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
- X

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

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

1. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

2. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- No

3. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- Yes

4. Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- Yes

5. Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

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

1. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
- X

2. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

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

4. Allow patients to sue their HMOs.
- X

5. Require hospitals and labs to release reports on infections that are a risk to public health, while not compromising patient confidentiality.
- X

6. Legalize physician assisted suicide in Illinois.
- X

7. Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

1. Should Illinois recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- Yes

2. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- Yes

3. Should Illinois provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples?
- Yes

4. Do you support a moment of silence in public schools?
- No

5. Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools?
- No

6. Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
- Yes

7. Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
- No

8. Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions?
- Yes

9. Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?
- Yes

10. Should Illinois continue affirmative action programs?
- Yes

11. Do you support state funding of stem cell research?
- Yes

12. Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research?
- Yes

13. Do you support allowing pharmacists who conscientiously object to emergency contraception to refuse to dispense it?
- No

14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- First, we must expand state funding of public education, and, with it, bring real leadership and implementation of best pedagogic practices to ensure outcomes that will benefit all of our citizens and our economy. Second, we must work to substantially curb carbon emissions, making Illinois a national leader in environmental policy. Third, we need to restore citizens' faith and participation in government and politics. This includes overhauling our campaign finance system, creating greater transparency and access to government, and rooting out corruption and waste. Perhaps most importantly, it means making our elected officials available and responsive to all constituents.