Michael Stevens' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Michael Stevens has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2018 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
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.
Maine State Legislative Election 2016 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I would support the use of public funds for an abortion that is the results of the commission of a crime or is to save the life of the mother. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Maine's budget.2) State Spending: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.3) State Taxes: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.
| No | a) Tapping into Maine's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| Yes | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| d) Health care | |||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| Question "c"-I would add benefits to salaries (or wages) for a "compensation package" and proceed from there. Question "d"-I would propose eliminating positions once employees leave these positions. If necessary, I would decrease work weeks, not institute furloughs (this is based on my current level of knowledge on this topic-it is subject to adjustment, should I become aware of other pertinent information). | |||
| Welfare funding would be decreased by eliminating more fraud and abuse, thus reducing the need to maintain the same level of spending. | |||
| Question "h"-I feel that everyone should have to contribute something. I am referring "only" to those who pay NO state taxes. People tend to pay more attention and be more thrifty with their own money than when using other people's money. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | 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 maintaining the provisions of the Maine Clean Election Act? | ||
| Question "g"-"The Maine Clean Elections Act" should be renamed. The word "clean" is extremely misleading. The changes voted in last election should be rescinded. The deceptive advertising mislead the general public. | |||
| 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 legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| No | g) Do you support additional funding for programs intended to reduce drug addiction in Maine? | ||
| Question "b"-Alternatives should be punitive, as well as rehabilitating. I would support fines and/or community service. Question "f"-This is for legally-owned possessions and those that are not likely to be used to harm the public. Question "g"-The governor has already increased spending in this area. I would wait a year or so to see the effects before making any changes. | |||
| No | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| No | i) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Yes | j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them? | ||
| Question "a"-Government spending DOES NOT grow the economy. Question "e"-Unemployment benefits have already been expanded. Re-entry into the job market should be the goal. Question "f"-Taxpayer money should not be given to anyone who will use the money inappropriately or illegally. Question "h"-I would support tax breaks to lending companies who provide payment options to such people. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Maine high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Question "b"-There are many influences to a student's success, most are outside of the influence of the teacher. Questions "c" & "d"-We should not prop up unsatisfactory schools and force our children to endure them. Competition should "weed out" the failing schools and allow taxpayer dollars to be spent more efficiently. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| 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 Maine's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| No | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| Questions "a" & "b"-Producing energy should not be up to the government to fund. That is for the private sector. I would support tax incentives, though. Question "d"-I support preservation of open space, but no more acquisition for the time being. Question "e"-I support a much smaller government intrusion, but not total elimination. THERE IS NO MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING_Hasn't been for almost 18 years. Question "f"-The EPA has already weighed in on this issue...at this time, nothing more is needed. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Question "b"-Despite what you hear-there are background checks already being done...no more are necessary. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Questions "a, b & c"-Obamacare needs to be repealed. Our problem pre-Obamacare was cost & pre-existing conditions. Our medical insurance industry was in need of opening up interstate access. That would have decreased costs immensely. A public fund or government-type option could have been created to care for those with pre-existing conditions. The government has no business running the entire industry. | |||
| No | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Maine's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Maine's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
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