John Knabe's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Nebraska 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| I think sex ed is a parent's job first and foremost. I do not believe that it belongs in school. However, that is a choice of the school, community, and parents of those districts. It really is about local control. | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate 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.2) State TaxesIndicate 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.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Nebraska's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Nebraska's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | 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 | ||
| I believe that higher education is an investment in yourself. As such I think it should be the primary responsibility of the student to pay for higher education. Many of our roads and bridges are in need of repair and those are things everyone uses. | |||
| Property taxes are too high in Nebraska. I would like to spread the tax burden around so that more people have a stake in their schools and local governments. I propose using a sales tax to offset some of the property tax liability. I also support a flat income tax, instead of a progressive tax. This will let hard working people take home more of what they earn. | |||
| Spending cuts are the best way to balance the budget. When Nebraska's citizens are making cutbacks in their households, raising their taxes to keep state spending up is not a good way to go about things. | |||
e) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Nebraska governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Nebraska state legislators? | ||
| c) Should there be fewer counties in Nebraska? | |||
| Yes | d) Should the winner of the statewide popular vote receive all of Nebraska's Electoral College votes for president? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | f) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| No | g) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| I think it is a person's or group's right to spend their money how they wish. If they want to give tons of money to a candidate that is their prerogative. We still have to have men and women of integrity running for office regardless of where their money comes from. I don't support REQUIRING disclosure of campaign finance information, but it doesn't hurt a candidate to do so. It can only help a candidate who is open and honest about who is supporting him. People want honest leaders. | |||
| 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 minors accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as adults? | ||
| No | e) Should minors who send 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? | ||
| f) The federal government is not doing their job. If the states want to take control of their own borders and do the right thing, then they should have the right to do so. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| d) I would rather make our tax climate more suitable to business growth rather than give them tax breaks to come to Nebraska. f) All people need to take responsibility for themselves. If you buy a house and can't pay for it, your neighbor shouldn't have to pay for it. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Nebraska high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| a) Education is not mentioned in US Constitution, therefore it is a state responsibility. b) But it should not be the only measure of whether a student is able to graduate. d) I am undecided on this. I would like to research this more. e) In the form of loans only. | |||
| a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | |||
| b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | |||
| c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | |||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Nebraska's energy infrastructure? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| a-c) I am undecided on this. It seems I am leaning more towards "no" because if the market were right for alternative or traditional energy sources then a private sector business or farm would already be involved and would not need subsidies. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| a) Convicted felons should not be allowed to posses firearms, but any law abiding citizen should be able to purchase and posses a gun. | |||
| 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 Nebraska? | ||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| No | b) Should Nebraska allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | 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 Nebraska's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Nebraska's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support lowering the age of legal adulthood in Nebraska to eighteen years of age? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 1. I would like to revamp the property tax system and the income tax system. I think we can make it more fair. We need to spread the burden around a little better by using more of a sales tax and a flat income tax. 2. I would also like to ease government restrictions on private companies and small businesses. Many times the restrictions and permitting processes cost a lot of money that could better be spent on product development, new hiring, or new investments. |
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