West Virginia State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- Yes

3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- Yes

8. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- Yes

9. Other or expanded principles
- Regarding abortion after rape or incest -- this should only be considered if the rape or incest is reported to law enforcement within 48 hours.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

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.

1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status

3. Environment
- Slightly Decrease

4. Health care
- Maintain Status

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Maintain Status

7. Welfare
- Greatly Decrease

8. Other or expanded categories
- In some of the above cagegories the money needs to be redirected within the category e.g. directing education funding to charter schools, merit pay and encouraging school choice or in Heath care focusing on health care saving accounts

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.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Decrease

4. Gas/Oil taxes
- Slightly Decrease

5. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease

6. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Maintain Status

8. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Maintain Status

10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

Budget Stabilization:

Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing West Virginia's budget.

1. Tapping into West Virginia's "rainy day" fund
- No Answer

2. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No Answer

3. Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining
- No Answer

4. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- No Answer

5. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
- No Answer

6. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- Our budget is balanced and does not at this time need any of the above "budget stabilization" proposals.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- Yes

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes

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

7. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

8. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- Yes

Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?

1. Other or expanded principles
- I support the current campaign contribution limits.The 2011 redistricting process was the most self-serving arrogant process I have seen in recent history by the legislative leadership. It ignored the public interest for narrow political considerations. More at: http://www.wvrecord.com/arguments/240332-their-view-redistricting-opinion-is-the-real-turkey.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

2. Do you support reducing prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes?
- Yes

3. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes

4. Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
- No

5. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- Yes

6. Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
- No

7. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- When reducing sentences of non-violent offenders, the person forfeits some of their rights such as allowing random drug testing at any time.

Economic

1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes

2. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- No

3. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No

4. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

5. Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
- No

6. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- Although financial incentives may be helpful for some, a much better alternative is to reduce taxes and regulations to job creators, thereby making the state more job friendly.Traing and education should be required for unemployment benefits.

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- No Answer

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- Yes

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- No

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- Yes

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from West Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- I am unfamilar with the national Common Core State Standards initiative.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
- No

2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- No

3. Do you support increased regulations on mountaintop removal mining and disposal?
- No

4. Do you support increased regulations on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" in the Marcellus Shale?
- No

5. Do you support state funding for improvements to West Virginia's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

6. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- No

7. Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No

3. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- No

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes

4. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No

5. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- Yes

6. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- I favor private health care saving accounts where the individual has more choice over these decisions including the cost.

Social

1. Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
- Yes

2. Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
- No

3. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

4. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- There should not be similar benefits for civil unions that there are for marriages.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, on an attached page, or via e-mail, 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.
- Jobs and economic development are my top priorities. By simplifying and lowering taxes, less government regulation, right to work and prevailing wage reform, with tort reform to stop costly lawsuit abuse, we can make West Virginia more business friendly. That goes hand in hand with my philosophy that the best welfare program, the best health care plan comes from a good paying job. This also expands the tax base to better fund programs like education and law enforcement, roads and infrastructure needs without raising taxes.