Michele Poague's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Michele Poague is currently being tested through the 2020 Political Courage Test.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Colorado State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | |||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | |||
| h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| Every situation is unique. I'm in favor of less legislation on every issue preferring to leave all decisions in the hands of those closest to the situation. In many cases, I think the parents should be notified, but their may be exceptions. 18 is an arbitrary age we use and does not denote adulthood. I do support private funding of Planned Parenthood and believe they offer invaluable service to our community. I do not support public funding of anything beyond what is outlined in the constitution. | |||
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 Colorado's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Eliminate | 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) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Colorado's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| Yes | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| We must balance our budget. We must cut spending everywhere. I would propose alternate ways of funding and alternate ways for providing neccessary services. | |||
| Until we manage to gain control of our spending some taxation will be required. The money belongs to the people and they should decide where it should be spent. I would seek to minimize government and the burden of taxes. | |||
| Colorado's "Rainy Day" fund should only be used for emergencies such as fires or tornadoes. Increasing taxes or fees is not the answer; reduced spending is the only way to balance any budget. Mandatory anything can have a negative effect. Salaries, pensions, collective bargaining, furloughs, and layoffs must be decided on an individual basis. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| I believe there should be a limit on how much money can be spent on any campaign for any office. That would ensure no politician or political office could be bought by the highest bidder be that a corporation or individual. Bipartisan means Democrats and Republicans working together to exclude the other political parties. Independent (not associated with any party) redistricting is a must. | |||
| 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 the legalization and regulation of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| a) In rare cases, capital punishment may be the best solution. b) & c) I support decriminalization of non-violent and victimless crimes. d) 18 is arbitrary. It depends on the child and crime. e) Unsolicited photos/text should be treated as a minor offence if reported to local authorities as offensive to the receiver. If the receiver requests the sender stop, and sender continues, it should fall under stalking/harassment laws. f) I strongly support reform if our current immigration laws, but not amnesty for illegals. Many immigration offences are trespass offences and should be handled by the local police. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Reducing regulations is the best way to stimulate job growth and American wealth. The government created thousands of new jobs by instituting the TSA, but it created zero wealth. Every government job filled or subsidy handed out decreases America�s wealth. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Colorado high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| a)Common Core Standards are incentive to teach to the test and not teach children how to learn. b) c) All students learn at a different rate and often by different methods. d) Parents should have the choice to send their child to the school that best suits that child. e) If the state is funding a school, it's a public school and would fall under state regulations, defeating the purpose of creating a charter school. f) Private scholarships should cover the bulk of college funding. g) Illegal immigrants should not be attending Colorado high schools. | |||
| 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 increased regulations on hydraulic fracturing of "fracking"? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Colorado'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? | ||
| Our environment is too important to leave in the hands of an institution that has failed to teach our children, failed to balance it's budget, and failed to control crime. Most environmental issues are local and only those who are directly affected by the issue have the right to impose or not impose restrictions. The American Industrial Revolution was not funded by government. We should encourage private industry jobs that can develop new energy sources. There is far too much conflicting data to be certain we have any real effect on the climate. | |||
| 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 fully support the 2nd amendment. Our right to possess weapons of any kind is a fundamental right of self-protection. It is not only our right, but it is our duty to protect ourselves. We cannot protect our families or ourselves if our attacker has better or more powerful weapons. I support gun clubs and associations that teach safe handling and care of weapons. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I would like to see health insurance structured more like car insurance. IE: If you get into an accident you would pay a deductible and your insurance would covers the rest. If you need a new tires or oil change you would pay for it out of pocket. I would like to see a choice of "Extended Warranties" that would cover you if your transmission fails, but I don't think it's fair to ask other people to pay for your failed transmission because you didn�t change the fluid regularly. I believe this would greatly reduce the overall cost of healthcare. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Marriage is a religious ceremony. The government should not be involved in marriage licensing. Civil unions are contracts between two people and should be treated like all other contracts; gender has nothing to do with the agreement. Anti-discrimination laws often cause have a negative effect on the minority it�s designed to protect. The law and forces employers to ask questions about ethnicity and keep records. I would hate to see ones sexual orientation added to the list, though I understand the need for protection. | |||
| Minimize spending to balance the budget. Eliminate Federal funding wherever possible, freeing Colorado of Federal mandates that waste our money. I would propose a bill forcing a word-cap on the State Constitution, which is far too expansive for the average citizen to understand. The legislature would be required to repeal out-of-date or bad laws before introducing new laws with less-than or equal number of words. Instead of trying to fix a poorly written laws with amendments that are cumbersome and difficult to understand, the legislature would have to write a better and more concise law to replace the old one. |
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