Garrett May's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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California State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | 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? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| I believe that the best course of action is to continue to protect the lives of the unborn. The best way to do that is to not only establish further protections for them, but to also limit the instances where abortions are practiced currently. | |||
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 California'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 | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| j) Other or expanded categories | |||
| No | a) Tapping into California's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | d) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | e) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| California faces a crisis of titanic proportions and the only way we can succeed in facing it is to make necessary cuts in spending. The best way to do this is not by taking a straight cut across the budget in all categories. However, we need legislators who are willing to take the time to audit each department and to see where cuts can be made and where up-to-date practices and systems can reduce the cost of government in our State. | |||
| I greatly support returning the State legislature to part-time, as well as instituting penalties for members of the legislature when they fail to pass a balanced budget on time. | |||
e) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| No | a) Should California hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the state constitution? | ||
| No | b) Do you support changing the requirement for state budget passage from a two-thirds vote to a majority vote? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for California governors? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support limits on the number of terms for California state legislators? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| In regards to a, I am personally open to the idea of a constitutional convention, but I am currently unconvinced of the necessity of it. I believe to do it would be a very difficulty task with an unclear outcome. If possible, we need to work with the State constitution that we have. However, if it proves to be futile to do so, I will support holding a constitutional convention. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support suspending the sale of bonds that would finance the California high-speed rail? | ||
| For letter e above, I support spending on infrastructure projects as they are needed to keep California growing, safe, and healthy. I do not support spending on said projects solely for the purpose of "job creation." | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from California high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I support national education standards that allow States freedom to create and execute their own curriculum. National education standards are important for the purpose of ensuring that all students in this country are properly educated and ready to succeed in both higher education and the job market. However, States need to have freedom to adapt any national guidelines for their own needs. They should be able to maintain this freedom as long as their students meet the national standards. | |||
| 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 California'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? | ||
| In regards to letters a, b, and d: I support State funding so long as, the State does not get into the energy business. I believe that with some assistance, such as tax credits and deductions, the private sector in California can achieve large amounts of progress in regards to energy independence. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| For letter d, I support requiring a license for gun possession so long as the licensing process is no more inhibitive of gun ownership than the licensing for driving a vehicle. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the establishment of a single-payer, publicly-administered health care system for California? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | e) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | g) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in California? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I completely oppose Obamacare. I believe one of the most important aspects of health reform is tort reform. The greatest increase in cost to medical practitioners is malpractice insurance. Also, I believe that when people have a greater freedom of choice, they will be able to find insurance that fits their needs and is within their budget. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should California allow same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships? | ||
| 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 California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| For letter c, I support state funding in the form of tax incentives, both tax credits and deductions, for firms involved in adult cell research. | |||
| My number one legislative priority is small and large business and industry growth. My second priority is to build non-governmental agencies, organizations and charitable institutions for the purpose of reducing and eliminating dependance on tax-payer funded programs. My third priority is to make California's education system internationally competitive and tailored to meet each student's life goals. |
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