Tim Kelb's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Tim Kelb has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Kansas 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| The only reason I said yes to questions E and F is because currently, abortion is legal, therefore minors should have parental consent/notification. However, I don't think that abortion should be legal for any reason. Also, you shouldn't punish the unborn child, not matter what the reason/cause of the pregnancy is (in reference to question C). While such things are horrible realities in this world, two wrongs don't make it right. The death of the unborn child is not going to take away the reality of what happened. In fact, it could result in further physical or emotional trauma. | |||
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 can use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Kansas's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support instituting an annual cap on the growth of state spending? | ||
| Greatly Decrease | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Eliminate | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Greatly 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) | ||
| No | j) Do you support eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit? | ||
| No | k) Do you support eliminating the home mortgage interest tax deduction? | ||
| l) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Establishing a "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | 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 | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| I think that the state should have to "live within their means" just like every other citizen has to do. Also, states should not increase taxes because of shortfalls in their budget. That's like punishing someone else for your mistakes. It's wrong, and there's no reason for it. | |||
| I don't support taking any more money out of the people's pockets. I support eliminating waste where ever it may lie, in government expenditures. This would save money for the state and the taxpayers. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | 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 allowing the governor to appoint appellate court judges with approval from the State Senate? | ||
| In regards to question F, I would rather have appellate court judges elected, that way they aren't beholden to any one political party/idea. | |||
| 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? | ||
| In regards to question B, our prisons are overpopulated as it is. However, I would only agree to alternatives to incarceration, on a case by case basis. | |||
| 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? | ||
| In regards to all of the questions, I don't support increasing state spending, due to the likelihood of increased taxation. If increasing taxes were "off the table" and we reallocated state funds, then I would support job training programs and infrastructure projects for job creation. | |||
| 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) 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 Kansas's high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support allowing municipalities to vote for property tax increases to fund local schools? | ||
| In regards to question F, I think that state financial aid should be solely needs based, and should be in the form of loans, not grants. Also, if the community itself wants to increase their own property taxes to help local schools, then that's their business, as long as the money goes to the right place, and is not wasted. Plus, it would need to be a 3/4ths majority vote. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Kansas'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? | ||
| Question C, only if it doesn't increase taxes and that the money was used as intended. | |||
| Yes | 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 only support restriction of purchase/possession of guns in regards to violent criminals and minors. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support converting Medicaid into a managed-care plan by 2013? | ||
| No | f) Do you support expanding Medicaid in Kansas in compliance with the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | h) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| No | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Kansas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Kansas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Question B: While I, personally, do not agree with the lifestyle of same-sex couples, I don't believe that it's my business (or the governments), to interfere with the relationship between two consenting adults. At the same time, I believe that their needs to be consideration in the issues of: next-of kin, inheritance, and insurance, regarding same sex couples. I think that people should be able to decide who their "next of kin" is, without having to worry about legal difficulties or civil unions. | |||
| First priority would be an audit of all state spending, done by a non partisan committee. This will let us find out where the financial waste is so that we can eliminate it. This would reduce the amount of taxes that we take from the people, and would help fix the state budget. Second priority is to streamline the adoption process (without sacrificing quality) so that "unwanted children" can be placed in good homes quickly. This might even cut down on abortions in our state. |
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