Craig Thomas' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Idaho 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? | ||
| c) Plan "B" emergency contraception should be used first to prevent pregnancy. g &h) Parents should be involved in their child/children's education and they should choose which option they want their child/children to learn in school. | |||
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 Idaho's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Idaho's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | 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 | ||
| No | e) Withholding cost of living increases for Idaho state government retirees | ||
| Yes | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | g) Reducing general fund support for Idaho state parks | ||
| Yes | h) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| a) I think some degree programs could be eliminated and overlap between all State-funded 4-year universities could be reduced. Also, many associate degree programs available at CWI and CSI should be left to those schools and discontinued at the 4-year Universities. d) Better options and savings can come from reforming health insurance law and partnering with private insurers for MedicAid and Medicare. g) Better cost and fraud control should be used and guidelines reexamined. | |||
| c) This tax only punishes corporations based in Idaho. A fee based license would be a much better program, and would encourage more businesses to locate here. f) The 1% added a few years ago should be dedicated to public schools. Grocery items should be exempt. g,h,i) Income taxes could be eliminated with reductions in State spending and a slightly higher sales tax coupled with a small State property tax. With proper planning this could be accomplished in a short period of time. | |||
| b) Probation and parole programs can be used. Not a "get out of jail free." d) Some agencies are only copies of what is available in the Private Sector and should be eliminated. e) Promises were made and should be kept. f,g,h) The costs of these programs could be reduced/eliminated through contracting/partnering with the private sector. | |||
c) 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 Idaho governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Idaho state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| d) If an individual decides to spend their own money to run for office, then that is their choice. However, the voters may want to think twice as to why that office is worth spending a large amount of money to that individual. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Should minors who send sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the suspension of business licenses for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| c) As long as certain substances are classified as illegal, then their possession should remain a criminal act. d) This should be left to judicial review to decide. e) This should be handled in the Juvenile Court. f) Employers should use a system such as E-Verify and do their due-diligence. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support increasing the grocery tax credit? | ||
| a) Regulations should be reduced/removed where they inhibit commerce, but should still reasonably protect the environment and the populace. b.c) I would support a work program where unemployed workers were placed with companies to train and work for little/no additional pay while receiving unemployment benefits. e) Infrastructure should expand as needed, not just to create a temporary source of employment. g) I support eliminating sales tax on grocery items instead of increasing the credit. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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 Idaho high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| a) The States are perfectly capable of establishing their own sets of standards. Local control is always the best option. c) I think good teachers should be rewarded for their hard work, not simply because they furthered their education. d) I also support "magnet" or "specialized" high schools that focus on one or more groups of study programs such as the humanities or math/science. e) I support state-sponsored loan programs for certain degree programs at Publicly funded schools. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Idaho's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | 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,b,c,d) I support state funding for development of all energy sources and infrastructure. People have little or no choice when it comes to utilities and spending should be focused on investment for self-supporting entities, not taxpayer subsidized industries. However, the most productive role for government is in removing regulation that strangles new energy development. Small energy co-ops should be encouraged without subsidies. e) Open space preservation should be handled at the state a local levels for wildlife managment and recreation only. Not by the Federal government. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Both the United States Constitution and the Idaho State Constitution guarantee this right and I FULLY support it. | |||
| 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 Idaho? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| c) If they are not over-regulated and used to allow insurance companies to offer better policies and more competitive rates. d) I would support legislation and reforms that could reduce/eliminate "cost-shifting" so that cash payors can receive the same prices as insured individuals. f) I fully support "living" wills and feel they should be respected, but do not support forcing someone else to commit an act to end one's life. g) Only if this is in a Pain Clinic setting with a doctor on staff. Not a "club" setting as is found in California. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Idaho 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 Idaho's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Idaho's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| b) I think civil unions should be allowed for all couples. Idaho used to have a "common law" provision that has recently been removed from law. c,d) There is no need to destroy life to help save it. Adult stem cell research has proven over and over that it is much more effective in treating several disorders. I would support state funding for the development of a University-type medical research and learning facility. | |||
| 1) Eliminate corporate taxes and business personal property taxes. If we are going to spur business and job development, then we must be a business-friendly state. 2) Restructure the Public school system. Bring control of the curriculum and expenditures down to the local school levels. Parents and teachers should be deciding how to educate Idaho's children, and principals should actually be in control of their schools. 3) Reduce government spending by eliminating wasteful agencies and programs that can better be handled in the private sector with little or no cost to the taxpayers. |
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