James McClammer, Jr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
New Hampshire State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal only within 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| No | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| I would like to preface each statement with the word 'Generally'. There are always exceptions to the rule. For example, I believe: Generally, parental notification should be required before an abortion is performed on a minor. However, there are instances in which notification may not possible in a timely manner, or the relationship between the parents and minor is so poor that a thoughtful and rational decision is impossible, or in extreme circumstances the relationship is so strained that the life of the minor could be at risk. | |||
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 New Hampshire's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into New Hampshire's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | 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 | ||
| Access to secondary and higher education must be increased, but costs to deliver these important services must be controlled. The environment is being degraded at unacceptable rates and conservation of our resources is of vital importance to future generations. Health care should be a basic right. New Hampshire is the safest state in the nation and spending can be reduced without sacrificing safety. If prisons focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment the cost of law enforcement can be reduced. Investing in public transportation will reduce degradation of the environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and provide access to jobs. | |||
| Taxes on products that contribute to social and medical problems for society should be increased. Corporate taxes should remain constant to maintain the New Hampshire Advantage. Gasoline taxes can be increased if the revenue is used to repair our neglected infrastructure, promote public transportation projects and stimulate job growth. Property taxes need to be decreased to reduce the burden on low income residents and the elderly, and to increase the affordability of housing. | |||
| In short, the whole suite of proposals needs to be assessed to determine a combination that has the less adverse effect on the most vulnerable citizens of our state. | |||
c) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| No | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for New Hampshire governors? | ||
| No | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for New Hampshire state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| The corporations have the economic power. We should limit their political power. Otherwise, corporations, or other special interest groups, will control the law and become king, and the law will no longer be king. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| 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 support capital punishment for a very small subset of crimes. Minors do not have the physiological development or cognitive ability of adults and should not be treated as if they do. I have not given much thought to minors transmitting sexually-explicit photos by cell phone. If we let state and local police enforce federal immigration laws, should we also let them enforce our federal tax laws? | |||
| No | a) Do you support establishing a state income tax? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the expansion of state-regulated gaming? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I was a bit reluctant to answer these questions because the answers to most would be qualified. A better answer for most would be - MAYBE. Overall, I believe the tax structure needs overhaul to lessen the burden on the middle class. I currently support government borrowing (at very attractive interest rates) and spending to stimulate job growth, but once the economy is back on track I believe reduction of the federal deficit should be a priority. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from New Hampshire high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| I belive that if the federal government subsidizes education is should measure the effectiveness of that support. Administering an exit exam may measure the effectiveness of a high school education, but there is a potential that the information may be misused. Thus, the purpose of an exit exam must be clearly defined. We need to look at other ways to educate our children, charter schools is one such way. Our children are our future, we need to invest in them. If immigrants are tax paying citizens of the state, then they should be eligible for in-state tuition. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | 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 providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to New Hampshire's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| I support investments by the state that will provide a variety of efficient, renewable, environmentally friendly and domestic sources of energy. I also believe investments in our energy infrastructure can lead to job growth, lower energy costs and less long-term impact on the environment. In addition to the development of energy sources, we need to conserve open space and mitigate, where practicable, for impacts of human activiites on our ecosystem. | |||
| 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? | ||
| However, I do not support allowing convicted felons to possess guns or the brandishing of arms in government buildings, such as court rooms and the state house. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in New Hampshire? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should New Hampshire continue to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| The three top issues are intertwined, the - economy, environment and education. I believe we need to provide a greater variety of educational opportunities for our children (such as charter schools and online learning opportunities) that will reduce the cost of education but provide our students with the tools to improve their job skills, create new jobs, and acquire the wisdom to conserve and utilize our natural resources in a responsible manner. We need to keep taxes low to provide a friendly environment to businesses, but we must reduce the property tax burden on the elderly and working poor. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.