A. Russell's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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A. Russell has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Texas 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| a) Killing unborn babies is wrong for the building of mankind and I strongly support pro-life legislation. c) I truly believe that any pregnancy is a gift from God and that there are many people within our society that will raise children spared from abortions. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Texas'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 Texas's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories: | |||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Sales taxes | ||
| No | f) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| b) I believe public universities' charges are too high and their fees need to be decreased. c) State employee salaries are not compatible with private sector salaries and I would like this disparity adjusted. d) I think there are some unnecessary state employee positions that could be combined. e) It seems that the medical facilities (including pharmacies) are charging more than necessary, which drives up the cost of Medicaid, and I believe that we need to stabilize these charges. | |||
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? | ||
| b) If a candidate can find a way to spend less, then the candidate should be encouraged to spend less. d) I feel when it comes to redistricting, people are free to live in a district of their choice (provided they can afford to). | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| d) I do not think a minor has had enough experience to fully comprehend right from wrong, thus they have a high chance of rehabilitation. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| d) I will support all State job-training programs that are proven worthy under the sunset principles of Texas rules. g) I believe that financial incentives (for instance, a property tax break for five years) will help encourage the private sector to create businesses which will equal more jobs. i) I believe that the more money a person makes, the more money things will cost (bread was not always $2 a loaf). | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| a) Common Core is a set standard that I believe should be enhanced, modified, and redeveloped to fit the needs of each State's schooling system. e) Charter schools are parent choice schools. The public does not elect, or have a chance to vote, for charter schools' leadership. However, I believe that if a parent chooses to send their child to a charter school, then their educational property tax funds should also be given to that school (ISD or Charter). | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | 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'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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| The government must have a purpose for existing. The environment and energy issues are great causes for the State of Texas to handle, as well as lead other states. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support allowing concealed carry on public college campuses in Texas? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Texas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Texas's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I believe "In God We Trust," when it comes to all sexual behaviors. | |||
| 1) Texas' Hunting/Fishing Licenses should not expire yearly. I believe they should emulate the Drivers License/License to Carry Handgun renewal timeframes. 2) Prisoners should not be released from prison unless they have learned/obtained a basic job trade. This training should be paid for with money already in Texas Prison accounts, such as the Texas Prison Education Budget. I strongly believe that my plan will help them acclimate into society and discontinue the cycle of repeat offenders. |
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