Michael Johnston's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Michael Johnston 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.
Ohio State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Prohibition, in any form, includes numerous negative consequences. In the case of safe, proven medical procedures the alternatives that we experienced prior to 1973 included needless death and suffering from unsanitary procedures. I support the right of all Americans to obtain the healthcare procedures they and their doctor deem necessary without interference or prohibition from government. I support ensuring that all Ohioans are able to access affordable, quality medical coverage. | |||
1) 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.2) 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.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Ohio's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Ohio's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Ohio's legislature has repeatedly slashed funding to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Ohioans. As a result, our schools and communities are crumbling under the financial pressure of local tax increases that further depress our economy. | |||
| Ohioans deserve a tax system that works for everybody, not just the politically connected donors. Over the past several years, the legislature has voted to shift our tax burden from a fair and even distribution onto the backs of the middle and working classes. Our property, sales, and CAT taxes have increased significantly while the wealthy received tax decreases larger than the annual pay of the average Ohioan. As a result, our economy is stagnating. People have lost purchasing power, and many face losing their homes to support these tax cuts. We deserve a representative government. | |||
| Ohio's legislature has balanced the budget by slashing spending and attacking the economic security of the middle and working class. We must work to return our tax system to one that is fair to all taxpayers. On the spending side of the equation, it is time that we looked at how our institutions are structured. Modern technology and organizational developments can allow our public sector to increase productivity while providing better service. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Ohioans deserve a redistricting method that removes the power from the hands of politicians in Columbus. Neither the Republicans nor Democrats can be trusted to draw fair lines under the current system. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| I oppose the death penalty and support eliminating crimes that have no victims. Our laws must be updated to reflect the advances in technology that are currently causing our children's lives to be ruined, while encouraging children to make better decisions. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| JobsOhio is our current economic development effort. It has become an unaccountable money pit that appears to serve as a kickback slush fund for the governor's largest corporate donors. With the help of JobsOhio, our state has fallen to the bottom of the nation in job creation, demonstrating that financial incentives to business do not create jobs. Rather, we should look at broad-based changes to encourage investment such as energy efficiency standards that had nearly $6billion worth of investments in the pipeline until the legislature changed the rules, preventing thousands of Ohioans from finding jobs in a growing sector. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | |||
| e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Ohio high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Ohio needs a strong education system. While the questions here allow only for a yes/no response, many of these questions contain gray areas. We must work to improve the quality of and access to our educational system, including pre-K and vocational schools. | |||
| Yes | 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 state funding for improvements to Ohio's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Ohio can and should be a global leader in the research, manufacture, distribution, and installation of new sources of energy. Our university system and rich history in manufacturing provide us with a unique position to lead the way and grow our economy into a future of sustainable, locally-sourced energy with a robust distribution network. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns already exist, and are fairly well-balanced in Ohio. All gun sales should be treated equally under the law as required by the 14th Amendment, including background checks. Ohio's laws related to carrying and use of firearms are fairly balanced, and I would oppose experimenting with the lives of our citizens at the behest of special interest groups who are unconcerned with the side effects of the policies they advocate for. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| All Ohioans should have access to the medical care they need. Government should not restrict the options of citizens regarding safe, proven procedures and treatments. We must ensure that our healthcare providers are able to fully utilize their education to provide increased quality of care while helping to control overall costs. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Ohio's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Ohio's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| When one of us is not free, none of us are free. Our nation has a strong history of expanding civil rights and equality, and we must continue that tradition. The right time to do the right thing is now. If elected, I will still be a second-class citizen under Ohio law. I will not stop fighting until all Ohioans are treated equally under the law and the promise of America can be kept to every citizen, regardless of any individual characteristic. | |||
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