Chris Colvin's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Chris Colvin has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Montana State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| An abortion is always a tragedy, but bringing an unwanted (perhaps abused, neglected) child into the world is also a tragedy. It is usually best if the parents are involved, but not always. The parental notification/consent issue has strong arguments on both sides, and perhaps there should be some "middle road" involving an objective (yet concerned) third party input- perhaps a school health professional. I think parents should teach their children the "facts of life", and be willing to make contraception/protection available to their children- but not all parents are willing or able to do that. It's a tough problem. | |||
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.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Eliminate | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Eliminate | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Property taxes | ||
| Eliminate | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Making people unproductive is destructive- "welfare" and "corrections" are examples. Education makes people more productive, better citizens. (Pre-K) needs greatly increased spending. (K-12) doesn't need increased funding so much as it needs reform to make it efficient (more good teachers, fewer administrators, less union power), and then "greatly increased" funding might make sense. Community Colleges are very efficient, and deserve increased influence in the system. Increased funding to the universities should be targeted to produce desperately needed professionals/paraprofessionals for Montana- primary care, court appointed/environmental attorneys, math and science teachers and researchers. It will also attract good employers. | |||
| Everyone should pay taxes, and those who benefit most should pay the most- in direct proportion to how much benefit they derive. Any asset the State guarantees title to should be subject to the same flat tax, no matter who owns it, what form it takes, how much they own- no exemptions, exclusions, deductions, corruption. "Eliminate" REGRESSIVE taxes- and the income tax is worst of all. Not only regressive- it is intrusive, time wasting, corrupt, creates distorted business models, barrier to upward mobility, selectively enforced, routinely evaded, favorite weapon of the Police State and makes us a nation of liars. | |||
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? | ||
| Election laws should be changed to break the stranglehold the Democrats, Republicans have on the election process. The same "Big Money" owns both parties, restrict the "partisan" debate to trivial "non-issues", routinely spoil elections, punish voters who want change- and ALWAYS gets what it wants. People should vote. Voting should be quick and easy, absentee, online- with only a Social Security number needed for ID. A computer check will prevent fraud, enable fraud to be traced- with severe penalties. Those who seek to make voting difficult create the fraudulent results. Gerrymandering is corrupt. | |||
| No | 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 legalizing 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | g) Do you support increased driving regulations? | ||
| Because the justice system is imperfect, and often unfair- and the Constitution and Bill of Rights are routinely ignored- the State can't be trusted with the power to take human life. Incarceration should be for people who have injured others and are a threat to public safety- not for those who commit "victimless" crimes. Marijuana prohibition is a "victimless" crime. Education and treatment is better remedy. Kids are kids, and when they make a mistake their lives shouldn't be ruined forever. State and local police should prioritize crimes which have caused people actual injury- not laws to "prevent" crime. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| No | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Good consistent labor and environmental laws, fair taxes and a competent, educated, up to date labor force;clean and beautiful environment, our high quality of life attract and retain desirable employers. Constantly changing laws, excessive unemployment benefits, overreaching "discrimination" laws, welfare, high minimum wage, artificial stimulation of the economy, anti-foreclosure subsidy, special tax benefits- create parasites, waste, paperwork, corruption, frivolous lawsuits, demoralize the labor force, distort the business model- drive employers away. The one change which would address all these questions with one answer- get rid of Montana's Income Tax, and then the Federal Income Tax. The implications would be huge. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Montana high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I believe top quality, free public education (with defense, public health) is MOST important to the future of the State and Nation- and I'm not satisfied with any of it. Merit pay, vouchers, tenure, unions, charter schools, religious schools, "for profit" schools, financial aid, athletics, illegal immigrants, etc- are all about MONEY in a broken system-not about quality of the education. Common Core is an attempt to guarantee quality and accountability- so I'm for it in principle. Community Colleges are the best, most efficient places to put money, under current conditions. Pre K, K-12, and the Universities need radical reform. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Montana's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| If "alternative energy" included forest waste, passive solar, earth shelter, surface/volume efficiency, solar orientation, geothermal and other durable, basic, cheap, clean, low-tech, proven technology and the "funding" were property tax advantages for using those principles- then I'd support it. Fossil fuels need to pay for themselves and the future problems they cause, not be allowed to pollute, generate huge profits, dodge taxes and get subsidized at the same time. Expensive, complicated, high tech hobby-builder ideas which generate overpriced structures with short life-expectancy, foreign profits and toxic wastes aren't worth subsidizing- they're part of the problem. Open space benefits everyone. | |||
| 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 support most current restrictions and background check laws- but not expanding them in Montana. "When it becomes a crime to own a gun, only criminals will own guns." I think suppressors should be less restricted, less expensive- because I like to shoot but hate the noise. In other countries it is considered polite, are required. I also think non-violent felons should be able to regain their right to hunt and shoot, because they are wholesome activities. The government shouldn't be allowed to know where all the guns are, be tempted to think they can tax or confiscate them. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I think Canada has a better system, and Canadians agree- every one I've asked. As it is, the Federal Government is the only "dog" big enough to stand up to the "wolves" of the healthcare industry. Charges are arbitrary, opaque and dribble in over months- collectors are merciless, profits unconscionable. The working poor pay the highest prices. I'd propose a law requiring "chargemaster" price-transparency, quick calculation of charges, effective recourse procedures and for everyone (Medicare, Medicaid, public and private insurance, individual without insurance) to be charged the SAME price, terms. Marijuana should be legal, not require a doctor's prescription. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Montana's anti-discrimination laws drive away employers, not because they are wrong in principle- but because they overreach and they are welfare for trial lawyers. Employers know they're extremely vulnerable, they never recover the cost of fighting the frivolous discrimination lawsuit- and are regularly extorted using the system. Many leave Montana, because these laws make doing business in Montana is too risky. I would advance the idea that civil rights discrimination laws always involve balancing one person's civil rights against another's, and to the extent that State Law differs from Federal Law it needs to be equalized with Federal Law. | |||
| The most important issue in my district is the cyanide and heavy metal contamination of the local water table and Flathead River from unprotected toxic waste pits at the defunct CFAC Aluminum Plant owned by Glencore- a huge foreign multinational mega-conglomerate which is doing all it can to avoid responsibility. The MTDEQ claims it lacks funds to do legal research and scientific testing- and I would fund the agency with Montana's surplus, and force Glencore to clean up. The second issue is the expansion of Medicaid to meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act, with pricing parity and transparency. |
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