Torrey Jaeckle's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Wisconsin 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? | ||
| No | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Most importantly I believe that the issue of abortion should Constitutionally be left to each state to decide the issue for themselves. And while I am pro-life, I believe the best things we in the pro-life community can currently be doing to eliminate or minimize abortions is to work on changing societal attitudes towards the issue, and providing help and support for women facing unwanted pregnancies. I do have a concern about the potential unintended consequences of completely outlawing abortion without a necessary and corresponding change in societal views and attitudes on the issue. | |||
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 Wisconsin's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| j) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Wisconsin'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 | ||
| Yes | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| With regards to (b) I believe that long-term we can reduce spending in this area if true reforms are introduced and implemented that add more market-based incentives into the system. I have a strong concern that public school employment growth has vastly outpaced enrollment growth over the past few decades. In addition, Wisconsin now spends almost twice as much per pupil (in real inflation adjusted dollars) than it did in 1970, with no major corresponding increase in achievement. However, until necessary reforms are enacted that allow us to reduce costs, I support holding current funding constant. | |||
| With public employee costs (wages, benefits, and pensions) typically constituting over half of all state and local government spending, I believe we really need to focus on that issue as well. I believe we should repeal Wisconsin's law that authorizes collective bargaining for public employees. Wisconsin has one of the highest unionization rates of public employees in the country, and studies have shown that states with the highest unionization rates also have the highest public vs. private sector worker pay gaps. Public sector unionization holds taxpayers hostage and leaves them footing the bill. | |||
e) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| No | a) Do you support online voter registration? | ||
| Yes | b) Should voters be required to present government-issued photo identification at the polls? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Wisconsin governors? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Wisconsin state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| 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? | ||
| With regards to (a), I could potentially support a bill on this if had appropriate safeguards in place. The bill that was offered this past spring did not, and I did not support it. Online voter registration increases the potential for fraud, and because we already have easy and simple same-day voter registration at the polls, I don's see this as a critical issue for the state right now. That said, I am open to discussions on any bill that purports to offer appropriate safeguards against fraud. | |||
| 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) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the criminalization of drunken driving for first-time offenders? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | f) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| With regards to (g) I do not support an Arizona-style immigration law in Wisconsin, but I do support the ability of state and local law enforcement officers to work with federal authorities when illegal immigrants are arrested for serious crimes. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support capping interest rates and fees on payday loans? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | g) Do you support using public funds to construct a high-speed rail line in Wisconsin? | ||
| No | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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 Wisconsin high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| No | 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)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Wisconsin'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? | ||
| I believe the best way to allocate funds to the most promising energy technologies is through the market system, rather than the political process. I support a state role in encouraging the development of such technologies, but do not strongly support a strong state financial role in the funding of such technologies. State funding is more likely to go to those with strong political connections rather than to the most promising technologies. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should it be a state felony to purchase a gun for a convicted felon? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| With regards to (a) I believe individuals with severe mental disabilities, with serious mental illness, and convicted felons should be restricted from purchasing and possessing guns. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Wisconsin? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| With regards to (b) I support measures that remove many of the state's current restrictions and mandates on commercial health insurance, but not measures that increase government involvement, mandates, and restrictions. I have laid out my position on health care reform on my web site at http://www.torrey2010.org/Issues___Health_Care.html | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Wisconsin allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| 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 Wisconsin's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Wisconsin's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| With regards to (d), I fully appreciate the ethical issues involved. I have a hard time using taxpayer dollars to fund things certain taxpayers may find morally offensive. I support research in this area, but also realize that there may be ways to fund this research without forcing taxpayers who disagree with it to fund it. I am open to discussion on finding a way to accommodate both sides on this issue, if possible. i would also like to do much more research into the issue myself. | |||
| 1. Adding more choice and competition to our education system. See http://www.torrey2010.org/Issues___Education.html 2. Improving Wisconsin's business climate in order to grow our economy, jobs, and tax base. See http://www.torrey2010.org/Jobs___Economy.html 3. Increasing transparency within the state government by creating an online state spending database, where the public can see how it's money is being spent. |
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