Colorado State Legislative Election 2004 National Political Awareness 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.
- X

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

6. Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- X

Budget, Spending, and Tax

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Greatly Decrease

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- f) (if we are only talking roads & mass transit)Colorado citizens passed the TABOR amendment which impacts the CO BudgetThe environmental issues aren't necessarily budget related.

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Decrease

3. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

4. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

5. Estate taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Gasoline taxes
- No Answer

7. Income taxes
- Maintain Status

8. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

9. Sales taxes
- Slightly Increase

10. Vehicle taxes
- Slightly Increase

11. Other or expanded categories
- Tax products traded on internet at buyer's location. Restore income tax for upper 1%.

12. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- Yes

13. Do you support securitizing Colorado's tobacco settlement payments?
- Yes

14. What are your proposals for correcting Colorado's structural budget deficit? Please use forty (40) words or less.
- We need a rainy day fund. Stop refunds during poor economic times.

15. 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 the current limit of two consecutive four-year terms for Colorado governors?
- No

2. Do you support the current limit of four consecutive two-year terms for Colorado state representatives?
- No

3. Do you support the current limit of two consecutive four-year terms for Colorado state senators?
- No

4. Do you support term limits for Colorado judges?
- No

5. Do you support gubernatorial appointment and senate confirmation of Colorado judges?
- No

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial 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. Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying, and ensuring accuracy of votes?
- Yes

8. Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Colorado are closed?
- Yes

9. Should Colorado recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- Yes

10. Should Colorado restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
- Undecided

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

1. Other or expanded principles
- Civil Unions should be recognized for homo & heterosexual couples. Marriage should be left to the churches.

Crime

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

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

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

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

4. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- No Answer

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

6. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
- X

7. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- No Answer

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

9. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

10. Increase funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent and to respond to terrorist attacks.
- X

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

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

1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- X

2. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- X

3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- No Answer

4. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- No Answer

5. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- No Answer

6. Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay.
- No Answer

7. Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

8. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer

9. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- No Answer

10. Increase funding for Head Start programs.
- X

11. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- No Answer

12. Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
- X

13. Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
- No Answer

14. Other or expanded principles
- X

Employment and Affirmative Action

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 in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- 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. Include sexual orientation in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws.
- X

7. Increase the state minimum wage.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles
- X

Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:

1. Public employment
- Undecided

2. State college and university admissions
- Undecided

3. State contracting
- Undecided

4. 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, and oil).
- No Answer

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

4. Support funding for open space preservation.
- X

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

6. Require electric utilities to increase the power supplies they get from renewable energy.
- X

7. Create a water conservation district in Colorado's Front Range.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles
- X

Gun

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

1. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X

2. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

3. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- X

5. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X

6. Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
- X

7. Require a license for gun possession.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles
- X

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.
- No Answer

2. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer

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

4. Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
- X

5. Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X

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

7. Legalize physician assisted suicide in Colorado.
- No Answer

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

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

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

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

3. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X

4. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- X

5. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

6. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor.
- X

7. Support marriage promotion programs for welfare recipients.
- No Answer

8. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 75 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.
- Restructure current budget priorities to address educational crisis, to address class size, teacher retention & student accountability. Health care dollars should go to patient care & not administrative costs at insurance companies. Address ozone issues through stricter emissions testing. Encourage economic development that includes keeping jobs in Colorado & not outsourcing. Assist small business by reducing government red-tape.