Chad Dewey's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Chad Dewey has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Michigan State Legislative Election 2012 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | i) Do you support increased licensing restrictions for abortion providers? | ||
| j) Other or expanded principles: | |||
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 Michigan's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | h) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| Eliminate | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Eliminate | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | j) Do you support requiring a two-thirds vote of the legislature in order to approve all future tax increases? | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Michigan's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| Yes | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| Yes | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Redundant, bureaucratic, wasteful government programs and departments. | |||
| Wyoming and North Dakota has a 0% personal income tax, 0% corporate tax, with a 4% sales tax and are enjoying some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. This is something that could be implemented in Michigan if we could get legislators in Lansing to stop wasting taxpayer dollars. Eliminating the corporate tax would provide real incentive for businesses to come to Michigan rather than get chased out and jobs will be created. If Michigan eliminates the personal income tax, people will be able to keep more of their money rather than give to the government to squander. | |||
| Eliminating redundant, bureaucratic, wasteful government programs and departments. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support Michigan's emergency manager law? | ||
| Michigan's emergency manager law circumvents those who are elected by replacing them with someone who is not elected and may not know or understand the community they are taking over. While the emergency manager law may sound good on the surface, it can be very easily abused by the government. | |||
| 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) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| 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 a constitutional amendment affirming a right to collective bargaining in Michigan? | ||
| No | h) Do you support construction of a new bridge across the Detroit River to Canada? | ||
| Yes | i) Should Michigan allow more casinos? | ||
| j) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support replacing pension plans for new teachers with 401(k)-style retirement plans? | ||
| Yes | e) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| i) 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 state funding for improvements to Michigan's energy infrastructure? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I would like to see how Arizona's new law works out. In a nutshell, if you pass a background check when you purchase a handgun, you are automatically allowed to carry concealed. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| No | 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) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | e) Do you support establishing a state-run health insurance exchange? | ||
| No | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| The government should have very little (if anything) to do with health care. Everything the government gets involved in ends up very badly. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775 - they've had 234 years to get it right; it's broke. Social Security was established in 1935 - 74 years to get it right; it's broke. Fannie Mae was established in 1938 - 71 years to get it right; it's broke. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 - 44 years to get it right; they're both broke. TARP, Omnibus, the list goes on and on... | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I don't think the state should have anything to do with marriage at all. When did marriage go from being a religious ceremony to something the state has to regulate? The idea that you must obtain a license from the state to be married insinuates that you are doing something illegal if you get married without the permission from the state. I.E. Driver's License, Concealed Pistol License, Hunting License, etc. It is ridiculous to think that people must get permission from the state in order to be married. | |||
| My three top priorities are preserving personal liberties, limiting the size and scope of government, and lowering or eliminating taxes. Michigan has a lot of bureaucracy, waste, and unnecessary programs that could be eliminated to reduce taxes. Michigan legislators are in the habit of giving tax credits, incentives, and grants to specific businesses attempting to bring jobs to Michigan. It isn't working and is against free market principles. We should learn from states like Wyoming and South Dakota. These two states have no personal income tax, no business tax, and enjoy some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. |
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