Joan Cohen's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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Joan Cohen refused to tell citizens where he/she stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2010 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Maine State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
| a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |||
| b) Abortions should always be legal. | |||
| c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |||
| d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. | |||
| e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. | |||
| f) Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period. | |||
| g) Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors. | |||
| I support current Maine law. Abortion should be safe and legal. | |||
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.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.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (Higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Emergency preparedness | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Vehicle taxes | ||
| Undecided | 1) Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales? | ||
| No | 2) Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget? | ||
| 3) Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget? | |||
| Yes | 4) Should state funding to local school districts be reduced to help balance the state budget? | ||
| Maine taxes and spending are too high. We must do a thorough review of all governmental programming to ensure that our tax dollars are being spent as effectively and efficiently as possible. I support the principles of the nonpartisan Maine Public Spending Research Group and GrowSmart both of which encourage thoughtful analysis of State spending and outcome research. By streamlining and restructuring Maine government, we can provide important and necessary services, control taxes, and free up critical resources to grow the economy. | |||
| Maine's taxes and spending are too high, and we need to address the problem immediately. We need to substantially reduce our income tax burden which, among other things, encourages high wealth individuals to domicile outside the state. We need to put in place a tax system that is fairer, more exportable, and far less volatile so that our income stream is more predictable. Mainers deserve a tax system that is equitable, stable, and conducive to economic growth. | |||
| Maine fees are high, and increases should be considered only to the extent driven by inflation or expansions in the services provided. I believe that quality education is fundamental to Maine's success; however, the current state school funding formula is unfair and penalizes service centers like Portland. Over 40% of the state budget is aid to K-12 schools. We must lower statewide education costs in order to reduce our state and local tax burden. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?
| Yes | a) Do you support the current limit of terms for Maine governors? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the current limit of terms for Maine state senators and representatives? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) PAC | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Parties | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| No | e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state-level political campaigns? | ||
| Undecided | f) Should Maine participate in the federal REAL ID program? | ||
| Maine's current term limits for state legislators gives the bureaucracy and the lobby too much power since they are the ones with the long term institutional memory. I would like to see term limits expanded slightly (another 4 years) so that our legislators are given ample time to understand the issues and the process. More informed legislators means better decisions, and better government. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
| a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and hiring of additional prison staff. | |||
| b) Establish the death penalty in Maine. | |||
| X | c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. | ||
| X | d) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders. | ||
| e) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults. | |||
| f) Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws. | |||
| X | g) Support hate crime legislation. | ||
| A strong public safety system is important to Maine's quality of life and economic security. I would support innovative measures that have been tried with success elsewhere and that represent "best practices." As with all government, I believe we need to focus more on regionalization as a means of decreasing costs and improving efficiency. We also need to look at better coordinating our mental health system with our prison system where appropriate. Maine prisons cannot continue to be the place of last resort for the mentally ill. There are better, and cheaper, ways of serving this population. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
| a) Support state funding of universal pre-K programs. | |||
| b) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). | |||
| X | c) Support state education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students. | ||
| d) Support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams. | |||
| e) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school. | |||
| f) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school. | |||
| g) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries. | |||
| X | h) Support using a merit pay system for teachers. | ||
| X | i) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable. | ||
| j) Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of Maine to pay in-state tuition at public universities. | |||
| Quality education is essential to our economic and social sucess and our children's future. I support testing to measure academic success, but testing must recognize and accommodate different learning styles. I am disinclined to support vouchers since I believe we need to focus on improving the public education system for all. Choice is a laudable goal, but it is best achieved by encouraging our existing systems to meet the needs of a diverse range of students. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
| a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in todays job market. | |||
| X | b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector. | ||
| X | c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses. | ||
| X | d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families. | ||
| e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families. | |||
| f) Increase the state minimum wage. | |||
| g) Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will. | |||
| h) Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. | |||
| i) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients. | |||
| j) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients. | |||
| Job training is a laudable goal, but at this point, I would need additional information to determine whether the current level of state spending is adequate. With respect to business regulation, Maine is considered to have a poor regulatory environment and we would do well to reduce this burden. I do support the goal of encouraging welfare recipients to get back to work either through additional job training or the opportunity to obtain necessary day care. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
| X | a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology. | ||
| b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc). | |||
| c) Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops. | |||
| d) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned. | |||
| e) Support funding for improvements to Maine's power generating and transmission facilities. | |||
| X | f) Support funding for open space preservation. | ||
| X | g) Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming. | ||
| h) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law. | |||
| Climate change is the greatest environmental crisis of our time. We must focus our efforts on conservation and developing renewable sources of energy so we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We must provide access to information about conservation, facilitate conservation efforts, and facilitate the development of alternative energies. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
| Yes | a) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | b) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Undecided | c) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Undecided | d) Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| I support and respect the sport of hunting and the hunting tradition in Maine. I also respect the Second Amendment. I believe that the Second Amendment did not anticipate the proliferation and magnitude of guns and violence that we have today. I believe we need practical legislation, we need to enforce the laws on the books, and close loopholes. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.
| X | a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary. | ||
| b) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government. | |||
| c) Support Dirigo Health in Maine. | |||
| X | d) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | ||
| X | e) Allow patients to sue their HMOs. | ||
| X | f) Require hospitals and labs to release reports on infections that are a risk to public health, while not compromising patient confidentiality. | ||
| X | g) Legalize physician assisted suicide in Maine. | ||
| X | h) Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. | ||
| Maine people deserve access to high quality and affordable health care. There is no doubt that our current health care system is broken, and its costs are hurting Maine people, businesses, and government. Maine can only do its best with the tools and resources available, but only the federal government can truly and fairly allow us to achieve universal health care. Dirigo is well-intentioned, but broken. | |||
['Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.', 'Legislative Priorities']
| Yes | a) Should Maine recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? | ||
| Yes | c) Should Maine provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples? | ||
| Undecided | d) Do you support a moment of silence in public schools? | ||
| No | e) Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| No | g) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Undecided | h) Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions? | ||
| Undecided | i) Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions? | ||
| Undecided | j) Should Maine continue affirmative action programs? | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support state funding of stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | l) Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | m) Do you support allowing pharmacists who conscientiously object to emergency contraception to refuse to dispense it? | ||
| I do not oppose the observation of religion as long as it is not sanctioned by the school or state. I would oppose state interference with the private exercise of religion. | |||
| 1. Grow Maine's Economy. Maine must develop a comprehensive plan to achieve sustainable prosperity, including business innovation, job creation, and environmental stewardship. We must reduce our tax burden by finding government efficiencies and rebalancing our tax structure. 2. Energy Solutions That Work. Maine must become a leader in creating innovative strategies to reduce oil consumption and foster "green industries" that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and stimulate economic growth, new jobs, and a cleaner, healthier environment. 3. Lower Health Care Costs. We must develop bipartisan solutions to this crisis that truly lower costs, improve access, and improve quality. | |||
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