Michael Cummins' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Michael Cummins has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
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.
Minnesota State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| I believe that life begins at conception and should be cherished and protected until natural death. I do not support our tax dollars being used to fund abortions. | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate 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.2) State TaxesIndicate 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.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Minnesota's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| j) Other or expanded categories | |||
| No | a) Tapping into Minnesota's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| d) /office workers e) federal issue People who work in the field need to maintain but office workers should go to 32 hours - 4 days work week | |||
d) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support a state constitutional amendment mandating a retention election system for all judges? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Minnesota governors? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Minnesota state legislators? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| 3) Corporate | |||
| 4) Political Party | |||
| Yes | e) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| d-2) yes and no; Some limits. Races should not be bought by groups. d-3) yes and no; Some limits. Races should not be bought by groups. d-4) yes and no; Some limits. Races should not be bought by groups. I do not want elections being decided by groups - our elections should be decided by the voters. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | g) Should all funds raised from the sale of seized property be turned over to the state general fund? | ||
| Capital punishment only when DNA 100% puts them at the crime. We need to be enforcing our laws, our borders and the people who live in the U.S. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support expanding gaming at race tracks? | ||
| No | c) Do you support public funding for construction of a new Vikings stadium? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | g) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| The government needs to get out of my business - I do not need or want their help. We need to help individuals who are displaced to get them back into the work force. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternative pathways to teacher licensure? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Minnesota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I believe that we need to embrace a variety of learning methods at the local level. We must create a strong culture of learning. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support lifting the state moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants? | ||
| No | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for improvements to Minnesota's energy infrastructure? | ||
| No | f) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | g) Should mining companies be required to provide financial assurance to cover the estimated cost of environmental impact before starting operations? | ||
| No | h) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| We have the ability to be energy independent within the next 50 years but it will be through building effencincy, renewables and nuclear | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| The second amendment is the most contested amendment. We cannot take these rights for granted. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Minnesota? | ||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| There is no doubt that action must be taken to get health care costs under control. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| No | b) Should Minnesota allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
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