South Carolina 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?
- 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
- Even on rape, incest, or life of the mother, procedure must be done in 1st TM. If life of the mother after 1st TM, it would be her decision.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

State Spending:

Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.

1. Education (higher)
- Greatly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Maintain Status

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Greatly Increase

7. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease

8. Other or expanded categories
- 1. SC has to reduce number of School Districts for K-12 and improve funding formula's2. SC needs to reduce unemployment, med-caid, and other welfare programs. We are paying too many to not work.

State Taxes:

Using the key,indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

3. Corporate taxes
- Greatly Decrease

4. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Maintain Status

8. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Maintain Status

9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Maintain Status

10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

Budget Stabilization:

Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing South Carolina's budget.

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

2. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No

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

4. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Rainy day fund used only in a dire emergency-not from lack of financial mgt by Gen Assembly. medicaid and medicare should be allocated to states for their implementation/handling.

Public Pensions:

To mitigate South Carolina's public pension shortfall, do you support:

1. Reducing benefits of current state employees?
- Yes

2. Ending the Teacher and Employee Retention Incentive (TERI) program for future employees?
- Yes

3. Reducing cost-of-living adjustments for current and future employees?
- Yes

4. Requiring state employees to work longer before retiring?
- Yes

5. Increasing employee contributions by current and future employees?
- Yes

6. Preventing employees from factoring unused sick and vacation days into benefit calculations?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- We should go to 30 yrs service for current and Rule of 90 for new. New should by min of 57 age. Increased contributions if needed to maintain fund integretily

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?

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

Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?

1. Other or expanded principles
- If you limit contribitions, why would limit spending be done?

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

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

7. Other or expanded principles
- Sending sexually explicit shots of someone else should be criminal. Photos of yourself is pcnental.

Economic

1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes

2. Do you support efforts to increase limits on unions in South Carolina?
- Yes

3. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes

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

5. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

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

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

8. Other or expanded principles
- [b) Do you support efforts to increase limits on unions in South Carolina?] Candidate wrote 'by "Right to Work".'[f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?] Candidate underlined "purpose of job creation" I support increased spending on infrastructure but not for the purpose of job creation. On mortgages, a contract is a contract. The borrower is responsible.

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- Yes

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?
- No Answer

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

8. Other or expanded principles
- [d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?] Candidate checked both "yes" and "no". State Gov should provide financial aid from lottery proceeds for higher ed. I can support vouchers for private schools if details are "right".

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 opening South Carolina's waters to offshore drilling?
- Yes

4. Do you support state funding for improvements to South Carolina's energy infrastructure?
- No

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

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

7. Other or expanded principles
- I support alt. energy and traditional energy developement thru utility Rate adjustments as needed. I do support research grants to public colleges.

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?
- Yes

3. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- [d) Should a license be required for gun possession?] Candidate wrote CWP CWP's should be required.

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

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes

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 Answer

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- [b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?] Candidate checked both "yes" and "no". If by civil unions you mean two people who choose to live together, yes. If civil unions mean bestowed legal rights, no unless the parties agree to a contract of sorts.

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. Spending limitations with creation of a budget stabilization fund. Can be 10 yr revenue average or pop. growth + inflation but limited to a "Balanced Budget" meaning no deficit.2. SC Gov restructuring eliminating redundances including between SC agencies and between SC and Fed's.3. Improving K-12 education by school choice for public schools, more charter schools, better teacher quality, requirements other than attendance for promotion, improved teacher/admin ability to discipoine incl expulsion. Schools should not be viewed as a babysitter even for single parents.