Doug Weiskopf's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Doug Weiskopf has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he/she stands on the issues he/she may face if elected.
Texas 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? | ||
| No | 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 requiring a doctor to show a sonogram to patients seeking an abortion? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| Yes | i) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| In cases of rape or incest I recognize that there are very limited circumstances where abortion may be the best option, but it should not be the preferred option. I do support parents having full authority over an abortion being performed on their minor daughter--as they would any other surgery. I also favor the father of the child having a say in any abortion, just as I favor requiring him to take shared financial responsibility for the child. | |||
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 of the proposals you support (if any) for balancing Texas's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Sales taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Texas's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| I favor increasing state funding for inter-city and commuter rail, such as a "Texas Triangle" connecting D/FW with Houston and San Antonio/Austin, and commuter rail connecting College Station with Galveston through Houston. | |||
| I would impose a fee on individuals wiring funds out of the country and increase licensing fees on tattoos and body piercings. | |||
| The "rainy day fund" is for truly unforeseen budget shortfalls or emergencies, not what we have experienced lately. I would end all public benefits for non-citizens, including in-state tuition, welfare or medical benefits and all translations of public documents into foreign languages. Work with other states to reduce as much as possible state costs of supporting illegal aliens. I would also work to restore the integrity of state dedicated funds, such as those for transportation, education and parks. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support strengthening restrictions on the state's use of eminent domain? | ||
| I support full and quick disclosure of all political contributions--including both monetary and "in-kind" contributions to candidates, parties and PACs. Funds raised by labor unions would have to be raised totally independently of their system for collecting dues, and unions that represent public employees would not be allowed to contribute in any way to candidates or parties. I would also put limits on use of campaign funds after each election was over. | |||
| 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 decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | g) Should municipalities be allowed to prohibit law enforcement from checking the immigration status of individuals in custody? | ||
| I am open-minded to reform of drug laws, including some decriminalization, but so far have seen no proposals that expand liberties while maintaining self-responsibility for the consequences. Since state and local governments bear the brunt of the cost of illegal immigration it is ridiculous not to allow them a hand in enforcing immigration laws. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Federal, but not state, regulations on business are generally too intrusive and punitive. Most business regulations should be on a state or local level. However, I do favor reforming regulations on businesses and landlords that will make them more responsive to their customers and neighbors. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Texas high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| What I have read of the "Common Core Standards" sounds very good, but ultimately I favor the state having full control over the curriculum. I support a limited use of the merit system for rewarding teachers since they have no control over the assignment of students to their classrooms. I will work hard to try to restore as much power to the local school districts, and as much authority and control over the classroom to the individual teacher. | |||
| Yes | 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)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Texas energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| As stated earlier, I will work hard to make sure state law requires industries to be good neighbors and responsible for protecting the environment where they are located. And my district contains some of the largest petrol-chemical industries in the state. On global warming, I am not convinced it is real, and if so that it is the result of industrial action. But if it is, I fear that Asian polluters (India, Indochina and China), which we cannot control, are much bigger contributors than Texans. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | 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 generally support a broad interpretation of the 2nd Amendment, but I do not oppose background checks, even for sales by individuals, and to prevent the mentally ill having access to 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring individuals 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 allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| In medical malpractice cases I would limit punitive, but not actual, damages and put a cap on attorney's fees. The requirement to provide treatment without proof of insurance would be restricted only to providing basic treatment in life-threatening situations. I would also severely restrict medical use of marijuana. | |||
| Yes | 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 Texas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Texas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I would NOT require employers to recognize same-sex partners as dependents for insurance purposes. | |||
| My number one priority will be improving the quality of education available for every Texas student. I will start by reducing the emphasis on--and power of--the so-called standardized tests in public schools and returning control of the classroom to individual teachers and school districts. I also want to work to protect the strength and viability of Texas' public employees' pensions and benefits and the Teacher Retirement System. I will work with the governor and federal officials to control the tide of illegal immigration and eliminate that expense, so that we can focus on education and improving Texas' transportation infrastructure. |
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