Utah 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?
- No

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
- To the limited extent that I support government involvement in this area, I favor pro-life restrictions. However, I recognize this issue as a very personal matter in which the government's role should be limited. I personally choose life, except in the most extreme situations.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Environment
- Slightly Decrease

4. Health care
- Greatly Decrease

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Maintain Status

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Maintain Status

7. Welfare
- Greatly Decrease

8. Other or expanded categories
- Greatly Decrease

1. Alcohol taxes
- Greatly Decrease

2. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Decrease

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)
- Eliminate

8. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Eliminate

9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Eliminate

10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

1. Tapping into Utah's "rainy day" fund
- Yes

2. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No

3. Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining
- Yes

4. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- Yes

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

6. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- I am not in favor of reducing salaries for current state employees, but the pay/benefit structure should be adjusted for future employees so that it is comparable to the private sector.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- No

2. Political Action Committee
- No

3. Corporate
- No

4. Political Party
- No

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

1. Other or expanded principles
- I strongly support voter ID requirements--but would allow for reliable forms of ID in addition to "government-issued" ID.

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?
- Yes

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

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

6. Do you support a ban on cell phone use for drivers under eighteen years of age?
- No

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

8. 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?
- 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. Do you support increasing the number of liquor licenses statewide?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- d) Financial incentives should be limited to post-performance, and dependent on the number and nature of jobs created.

Education

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

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 Utah high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- f) Financial aid provided by the state should be limited to low interest student loans.

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 hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"?
- No

4. Do you support state funding for improvements to Utah's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

5. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes

6. Do you support increased energy development on federal lands?
- Yes

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

8. Other or expanded principles
- d) Only to the extent that Utah's energy infrastructure cannot be improved through the private sector.e) I will support state funding for open space preservation when Utah obtains control of the public lands within its boundaries.

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
- Prior restraint is no more acceptable with respect to our Second Amendment rights that it is with our First Amendment rights. The right to keep and bear arms is fundamental to the personal freedom that the Constitution was designed to protect, and government must not interfere with such rights until an individual has forfeited the protection of that right by violation of law.

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 Utah's participation in a "Healthcare Compact" that seeks to transform Medicare and Medicaid into block grants?
- Yes

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

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

7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes

8. 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?
- Yes

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- a) This answer is my personal opinion--I do not believe that government has a legitimate role in licensing or regulating marriage or civil unions.

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.
- 1) Economic Liberty: reform Utah's regulatory framework by establishing a minimal threshold of a demonstrable public health or safety risk as the basis for regulating economic and occupational activities. 2) Education Reform: empower the individual schools with more authority and autonomy by eliminating the role of the federal government, and decreasing the control exercised by the state and the school districts. Establish educational trust accounts for each student to be used by their parent/guardian for educational services anywhere within the public school system. 3) Public Lands: obtain ownership/control of the vast majority of public lands within the state's borders.