South Dakota 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?
- No Answer

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
- Babies are a gift from God.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Maintain Status

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Greatly Decrease

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

3. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease

5. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

1. Tapping into South Dakota's "rainy day" fund
- No

2. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No

3. Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining
- No

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

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

6. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- The budget needs to be balanced. I have been on the Senate Appropriation committee for the past 4 years. During this time, the state budget has been fiscally responsible.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

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?
- No

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?
- No

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

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime & Public Safety

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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?
- Yes

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 directing a portion of contractors' excise taxes into a grant fund for large construction projects?
- Yes

6. Do you support tax incentives for wind energy projects?
- No Answer

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

8. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing forclosure?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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. Do you support eliminating tenure for new teachers?
- No Answer

4. Should South Dakota provide financial incentives for teaching math and science?
- Yes

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

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

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

8. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from South Dakota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- I support the legislature eliminating tenure on a state-wide level and allowing local school boards to make that decision.

Environment & Energy

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

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 state funding for improvements to South Dakota's energy infrastructure?
- No

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

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

6. 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
- Felons and mentally unstable persons should not be allowed to carry or own guns. I support the Second Amendment.

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?
- No Answer

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- No Answer

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
- No Answer

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 South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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.
- My top priorities are open government and fair taxes. The people own the government. The people have a right to see the checkbook of the government. The government should work for the people and not the other way around.Taxes should treat everyone fairly. Currently the property tax system is broken as some tax payers are paying more than their fair share due to laws passed by the legislature.