Chuck Hockema's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Chuck Hockema has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Indiana State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after 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 the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| I believe in protecting life, liberty and property. I realize there are times when we can't avoid harm to innocent life. Choice vs. Life is a false construct. When two consenting adults CHOOSE to engage in activities that result in creating a new life, they have made their choice. That choice does not entitle them to avoid the natural consequences of the action by ending someone else's life. The law must be narrowly defined in the case of rape and incest so that we do not permit consenting individuals to use this exception as a pretext for an abortion. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate 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 Taxes:Using the key, indicate 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 Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Indiana's budget.
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement/corrections | |||
| f) Transportation/infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| f) Sales taxes | |||
| g) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | |||
| i) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| j) Do you support phasing out Indiana's Business Personal Property Tax? | |||
| a) Tapping into Indiana's "rainy day" fund | |||
| b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | |||
| c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | |||
| d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | |||
| e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
| f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| A-G: All government programs have some element of waste- and are overly complicated. When any program demands more funding, we should look for ways to eliminate wasteful spending and regulation first. I am not aware of a single current government program that can justify increasing taxes without first addressing waste and accountability issues. I have advocated for legislation that would eliminate waste and allow Indiana to better fund government. | |||
| A-I: Indiana has at least 28 different tax revenue streams. These revenue streams contain multiple taxes and fees. With so many taxes, it is nearly impossible and certainly impractical for Hoosiers to understand how much they are paying in taxes or even what kind of taxes they are paying. The resulting confusion reduces the government's accountability to taxpayers. The state should make efforts to consolidate tax revenue streams, increase transparency, and efficiency in administrative, compliance, and enforcement. | |||
| A-F: Balancing the State budget should follow the same principals as spending. Eliminating waste should be our first concern. The state's rainy day fund should not be used if tax revenues are growing at a reasonable rate. Budget shortfalls can be a spending or a revenue problem and should be carefully evaluated. Collective bargaining is a constitutional matter, not a budget-balancing gambit. The state should leave business decisions like tuition rates to university officials and local boards. I would evaluate Medicaid reductions or layoffs on their merits, not for the sole purpose of balancing a budget. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| 1) Individual | |||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| 3) Corporate | |||
| 4) Political Party | |||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| A: Current restrictions on contributions to state candidates are adequate. If the public believes that a race has been negatively influenced by contributions, they should vote the offending candidate out of office. I see nothing wrong with encouraging voluntary spending limits. D: A truly bi-partisan redistricting would be unlikely, so I would give deference to the current law. E: I support photo identification that does not impede people who can legally vote. Indiana should continue to provide voters that do not have IDs the opportunity to obtain one free of charge. | |||
| 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) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
| f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| D: I would rather adjust legal remedies for minors, than blur the line by treating them as adults in some situations. E: Minors who send explicit pictures should not be branded for life as sex offenders. Parents should be the first line of defense for non-violent children. F: Naturalization is the federal government's exclusive constitutional responsibility. However, states already have the right to arrest and turn in those who are not citizens. The state should not provide incentives that encourage illegal immigration. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| 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 government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | |||
| No | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| I believe in "the people" and their ability to participate in a free market. The government should not try to control what goods and services are available to consumers by subsidizing businesses. B: If we take less from those creating jobs, they will provide more jobs and training. This approach would eliminate the need for this brand of corporate handouts. E: Increasing government spending for the purpose of job creation results in fewer jobs and delayed economic recoveries in the long run. F: Taxpayers should not be forced to bail out banks or homeowners. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | |||
| Yes | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Indiana high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| We have some of the nation's best teachers in the Greater Lafayette area. A: Education is the State's responsibility. B-E: Tenure is problematic because it decreases and distorts incentives. Laws that allow for more school choice increase performance incentives and parental involvement. Parents should be trusted with decisions affecting the welfare of their children. No one has a greater interest in a child?s well-being and success than parents. These decisions include how and where children are taught. We need to rely more on the relationship between teachers and parents and less on regulation from Washington DC and Indianapolis. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Indiana's energy infrastructure? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | |||
| C: Consumers already pay for these improvements. Collecting taxes to funnel money through the government to those currently providing energy will only increase the cost of energy. D: The state currently has vast land holdings that are more than adequate. E: I believe the best environmental policy is to hold people accountable when they pollute or encroach on the property rights of others. Increasing the number of laws in this area will make it more difficult to consistently enforce current laws. | |||
| a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
| b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | |||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| A-D: Law abiding citizens have the right under the State and Federal constitutions to bear arms. Increasing restrictions will only make purchasing guns more difficult for those who should have them. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | |||
| No | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| B: Most of the reform that needs to take place is at the federal level. Third-party payer systems, government incentives, and arbitrary limits have created problems in health care that can only be fixed by reducing government involvement and allowing competition similar to home, life, and auto insurance. F: This seems like over-reaching by the legislature into judiciary. | |||
| a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | |||
| b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | |||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Indiana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Indiana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I do not support redefining marriage. B: Many of the opportunities sought by same-sex couples could be obtained through traditional legal means; such as trusts, partnerships, powers-of-attorney, etc. | |||
| My first priority is to author legislation that will make job creation easier, simplify the tax code, and reduce the financial burden on all Hoosiers. Eliminating waste in our tax code will reduce financial pressures on small businesses and individuals without just shifting the burden to others. With my children attending three different public schools in the district, I am very concerned about public education. Economic growth will make it easier for Indiana to provide adequately funding. I believe education is vital to ensuring that Indiana prospers and our form of government remains strong. |
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