Minnesota 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.
- No Answer

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
- I support the current limitations under law and believe we must do more to prevent unintended pregnancies.

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)
- No Answer

2. Education (K-12)
- No Answer

3. Emergency preparedness
- No Answer

4. Environment
- No Answer

5. Health care
- No Answer

6. Law enforcement
- No Answer

7. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- No Answer

8. Welfare
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded categories
- These national surveys are not very applicable given the complex state/local partnership we have in Minnesota. For example, there is no category for property tax relief or services to persons with disabilities which we characterize as "human services". We define "welfare" as income assistance and it is less than 1% of the state budget and approaching a 10 year low. I believe every area of the budget must be scrutinized carefully and investments prioritized. The state has a constitutional obligation to fund education and it needs increased investment.

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
- No Answer

2. Cigarette taxes
- No Answer

3. Corporate taxes
- No Answer

4. Gasoline taxes
- No Answer

5. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- No Answer

6. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- No Answer

7. Property taxes
- No Answer

8. Sales taxes
- No Answer

9. Vehicle taxes
- No Answer

10. Other or expanded categories
- I believe in progressive taxation. There are some tax provisions in Minnesota law that need adjustment to achieve that, particularly the tax rate on the highest earning persons who pay less as a percentage of their income than the middle class.

11. Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales?
- No Answer

12. Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget?
- Yes

13. Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget?
- No Answer

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 Minnesota governors?
- No

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Minnesota 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 Minnesota participate in the federal REAL ID program?
- No

8. Should Minnesota allow homeowners whose mortgage is in foreclosure a one-year deferment on their primary residence?
- No Answer

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

1. Other or expanded principles
- Minnesota passed many bills addressing various facets of home foeclosure. We approached in a matter more sophisticated and fair than a simple deferment for all.

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. Establish the death penalty in Minnesota.
- No Answer

3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- No Answer

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
- We need to do more in crime prevention and reducing recidivism. We have funded pilot projects to explore the most effective approaches. Drug courts and mental health courts are doing a good job in rehabilitating lives while still holding offenders accountable.

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. Support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer

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.
- No Answer

8. Support using a merit pay system for teachers.
- No Answer

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 Minnesota to pay in-state tuition at public universities.
- No Answer

11. Other or expanded principles
- Education is one of the states highest obligations and investments in this will help Minnesota attract and maintain good jobs. Research shows early childhood education is one of the most cost effective investments we can make - we need to do much more in this area.

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.
- No Answer

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.
- No Answer

4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- No Answer

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

6. Increase the state minimum wage.
- X

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

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

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

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

11. 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. Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops.
- No Answer

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

5. Support funding for improvements to Minnesota's power generating and transmission facilities.
- X

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?
- No Answer

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

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

4. Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No Answer

5. Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No Answer

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.
- No Answer

6. Legalize physician assisted suicide in Minnesota.
- No Answer

7. Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

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

2. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- No Answer

3. Should Minnesota provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples?
- No Answer

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

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

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 Answer

8. Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions?
- No Answer

9. Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?
- No Answer

10. Should Minnesota continue affirmative action programs?
- No Answer

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

12. Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research?
- No Answer

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

14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

1. 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.
- see www.DianeLoeffler.com