Laurie Rinaldi's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Hawaii 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? | ||
| No | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| b). I do not support abortion. I definitely do not support late term or partial birth abortion. If abortion is to remain legal, it should only be within the first trimester of pregnancy, but women who are planning to have an abortion should be required to watch a video of an abortion and be counselled on the affects of abortion on the woman for years after the abortion. g).I do not believe sex education should be taught in schools, especially without parental consent. | |||
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 Hawaii's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | 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) | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Hawaii'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 | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| No | g) Legalizing and regulating gambling | ||
| a&b. We must audit the DOE to target and eliminate waste. We could actually reduce school funding once we eliminate waste. We spent over $16,000 per student last year, which is more than tuition is at most private schools. Our children should be receiving the best education in the country for that kind of money, yet we are 47th in the nation in education. We do not need to increase spending on education, but eliminate the wasteful spending of TAXPAYER DOLLARS. | |||
| We should reduce all taxes. Reducing taxes has historically improved the economy. The current legislature believes raising taxes and increasing spending is the way to conduct business. During these tough economic times businesses continue to survive by making difficult management decisions, reducing costs and cutting expenses. We should expect the same of our government. The current legislature has approved tax increase after tax increase, impacting the economy by overtaxing our citizens and small businesses. The Hawaii State Legislature approved a 36% pay raise for themselves. Instead of reducing the size of government, they are expanding it. This must stop. | |||
| b. If you do the crime, you should do the time. c. Again, an audit of the DOE will target and eliminate waste, which should eliminate the need to increase tuition rates. d. Businesses in the private sector are having to cut costs, as well as laying off employees. Government should be expected to do the same. The cost of the government is paid for by TAXPAYER DOLLARS. That money should be spent wisely. I do not support school furloughs. f. Government should not perform functions which are more efficiently and less expensively peformed by 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 Hawaii governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Hawaii state legislators? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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) 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? | ||
| b. While I believe "if you do the crime, you should do the time", I support using faith based programs of counseling or substance abuse treatment to rehabilitate. In seeking opinions of former inmates regarding the overcrowding of Hawaii's prison system, I learned the majority of inmates are incarcerated for drug related crimes. Faith based programs have a low recidivism rate compared to government based programs, which have a high recidivism rate. We must explore the best possible rehabilitation means with the lowest recidivism rates. We should expore re-opening the Big Island prison to avoid sending prisoners to the mainland. | |||
| 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 support providing healthcare cost reimbursements to small businesses that hire new employees. I would also support tax incentives for business to encourage plans for capitol improvements which would stimulate the construction industry. e. I support spending for infrastructure only on an as-needed basis, not just for the sole purpose of job creation. If government reduces regulation on the small businesses that drive our economy, that in itself will encourage economic growth and job creation in the private sector. | |||
| 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 Hawaii high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| We must conduct an audit of the DOE to eliminate waste. This will free up funds for education, which will in turn reduce the cost of education. I support localized school boards, consisting of parent volunteers, to make local decisions based on the needs of the students in each area. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Hawaii'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? | ||
| b). Government needs to reduce spending, not increase spending. Any alternative forms of energy should be produced by the private sector, as a business. While we must be good and responsible stewards of the earth, we must use the resources currently available to us, while encouraging the development of alternative energy resources in the private business sector. The private sector can always perform more efficiently and less expensively than the government. I would support tax incentives and lending for businesses developing alternative renewable, energy sources, as long as they have a viable business plan. | |||
| 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? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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 Hawaii? | ||
| Yes | 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 Hawaii allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| No | 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 Hawaii's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Hawaii's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Government must eliminate waste and reduce spending before raising taxes. Any service that can be provided by the private sector should be. The purpose of the government is not to provide equal things, but to protect our God-given rights. Decreasing taxes and decreasing government regulation will stimulate our economy by making it easier and less costly for businesses to conduct business and to hire employees, encourage entrepreneurship, and allow individuals to keep more of their hard-earned money. An audit of the DOE will target and eliminate waste so the majority of the money spent will go directly to the classroom. |
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