Vermont State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

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

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?
- No

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- No

8. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- Most women would not willingly choose an abortion but many are put into a position where they must. The choice should be theirs.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Education (higher)
- No Answer

2. Education (K-12)
- No Answer

3. Environment
- No Answer

4. Health care
- No Answer

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- No Answer

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- No Answer

7. Welfare
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded categories
- I didn't answer any of the above because they are not related to anything. It isn't just a matter of spending more or less but of spending wisely. We could spend more on everything and still not get the results we want - we need to be mindful of spending in relation to effectiveness. And the spending in each category needs to be looked at as part of the whole budget.

1. Alcohol taxes
- No Answer

2. Cigarette taxes
- No Answer

3. Corporate taxes
- No Answer

4. Gas/Oil taxes
- No Answer

5. Property taxes
- No Answer

6. Sales taxes
- No Answer

7. Income taxes (low-income families)
- No Answer

8. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- No Answer

9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- No Answer

10. Other or expanded principles
- Again I didn't answer the above. Each tax is part of our membership for belonging to a democracy where we try to take care of each other, the environment, etc. So how those taxes are collected is all in relation to each other and other expenses. In general taxes should be as progressive as possible. There are times when we may want to tax behaviors such as smoking. But we do need to be somewhat careful that those who are least able to pay do not carry an undue burden - maybe provide smoking cessation classes free.

1. Tapping into Vermont'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
- Once again I have not answered these because they are all isolated. Everything needs to be looked at in relation to other areas. There really is no rainy day fund. Each of these must be looked at as part of the whole and how they relate. For example, perhaps we do need to institute some furloughs, but we need to be strategic about it - it can't be across the board.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- No

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- No Answer

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 Answer

8. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- No

1. Other or expanded principles
- 4) Until we have limits on Independent Expenditure Only PACS it puts the parties, which are more grassroots based and democratically organized, at a disadvantage. b)while it is a good idea I would need to study how it would play out. And spending limits vary - for example someone who is well known in Chittenden county may need to spend less to get the word out than someone who is from a more rural part of the state. d) We have a redistricting committee but the Legislature is bipartisan and does a good job.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No Answer

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 legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
- Yes

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

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?
- No Answer

7. Do you support requiring labels on foods that have been genetically engineered or contain genetically modified ingredients?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I hesitate to answer most of these because they are yes/no, black and white answers. That isn't the way it works. Most of our legislation is much more nuanced than that and it requires a lot of input from people with different opinions. I want to listen to all sides and see what makes the most sense.

Economic

1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- No Answer

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

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

4. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- No Answer

5. Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No Answer

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

7. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- As I said before, these are yes/no and that isn't the way it works. For example, e) I wouldn't support spending just to spend, but might support a particular program that would help create a climate that encourages more prosperity for our citizens.

Education

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

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- No Answer

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

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- No

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No

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

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Vermont high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I did answer some and feel I probably could stand by them. But I am beginning to sound like a broken record with my dislike of yes/no questions.

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 Answer

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to Vermont's energy infrastructure?
- No Answer

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

5. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- You're going to start thinking I can't make up my mind or don't know anything. Very few questions deserve a yes or no. Those I have tried to answer, the others are more complicated than yes/no - they need to be looked at in relation to all the other issues.

Gun

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

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

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

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Ditto to my answer on Environment and Energy.

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- No

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

4. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

6. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No Answer

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. Do you support same-sex marriage?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Vermont's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Vermont's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- These were odd questions because we have already done these so the decisions have been made - no need to weigh in anymore.

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.
- Universal, publicly funded health care (money is already being spent - would be allocated progressively); make sure patient choice at end of life is continued; continue to strive for more accountable and transparent government; expand access to dental care by creating new position of dental practitioner. Many others that never make it on anyone's radar but are important to those affected.