Joshua Derke's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Joshua Derke has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 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.
Michigan 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? | ||
| Abortion is a medical procedure, and as such, as a private medical matter between a patient and her doctor. This is the essence of case law on this issue: women have a right to privacy, and any law that places an undue burden on her ability to seek this medical procedure is unconstitutional. I don't personally like abortion; I'd like to do everything possible to reduce it. However, I do recognize the authority of the constitution and the necessity of protecting individual liberties consistently. Better ways to address this issue include good sex education and easy to access contraception. | |||
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 Michigan's budget.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Michigan's "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 | ||
| Yes | 4) Do you support providing financial assistance to Detroit's city pension system from the State of Michigan's "rainy day" fund? | ||
| Michigan's future depends on being able to provide the best education possible for all of its students, regardless of socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. This will require significant increases in spending on early childhood education, as well as K-12 education and higher education. Burdening our students with loans prevents them from buying homes, starting families, and building their lives. Michigan's transportation infrastructure is crumbling: the roads are breaking apart and the bridges are in poor condition. This will require long-term structural overhauls that significantly raise funding and provide new revenue sources. | |||
| Taxes on the middle class and low-income families need to be reduced, while corporate taxes could be slightly raised. This will help to create a fair system that puts families first so people are not struggling from paycheck-to-paycheck. This includes reducing the pension tax, reinstating the 20% level of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and reducing middle class taxes. The sales tax could also be modernized so that it covers internet purchases, which will raise revenues and help balance to playing field for brick-and-mortar stores, keeping Michigan dollars in Michigan. | |||
| Michigan's rainy day fund is currently being replenished. Students at universities are already suffering from tuition hikes and crippling student loans, so raising tuition even further does nothing to help them or the state. Eliminating public worker collective bargaining is not an option because I believe that all workers should be able to collectively bargain for better pay and benefits. Mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees are only short-term patches that don't address the foundational problems with the state budget. Reducing medicaid benefits harms the people that rely on the program for their health. | |||
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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Campaign finance reform is vital if we're to take money out of politics and give all citizens an equal voice, instead of excluding those that cannot donate large amounts of money. Independent commissions for redistricting are vital for ending partisan gerrymandering, which reduces outcomes that reflect the actual will of the voters. Gerrymandering has a distorting effect on our politics. I do not support requiring a government-issued photo identification to vote because it has a disproportionate negative impact on the poor and minorities, and serves as a way to keep people from voting. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I do not support the capital punishment because of the number of cases that have come to light in which an innocent person was executed. We cannot bring these people back from the dead to right the wrongs that have been done to them. Supporting alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders is a no-brainer; Michigan spends $2 billion per year on prisons, and that will only get higher. If we can find a way actually help these people become productive members of society without prison, we all win. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Economic policies that put money into the pockets of hardworking Americans, either through a minimum wage increase or through financial assistance to homeowners who are facing foreclosure, will help to keep the economy strong and growing. The data shows that states that have raised the minimum have experienced the fastest and biggest job growth in the country. This makes sense: when people have more money, they can buy more goods and services. Helping people keep their homes helps to keep responsible families and homeowners in the homes. The film incentive has brought jobs and money to the state. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | 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 Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Common Core provides for a broader, more structured education through the standards it sets for math and English. It isn't a federal take-over; states accept them voluntarily and communities have a lot of control. I support merit pay for teachers as long as it is fair and not dependent on standardized tests. Vouchers should not be used for private or religious schools. And illegal immigrants who graduate from Michigan high schools should be given the opportunity to prove themselves as professionals, and if possible, they should also be provided a path to citizenship. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Michigan'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? | ||
| Michigan's energy future lies with green, clean energy. We have to develop the infrastructure to support wind and solar over time, which will help to secure Michigan's energy independence. Michigan can become a leader in green energy, and our businesses and manufacturing can become the engine that drives it across the country. I do support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions because of the looming threat of climate change. No matter political ideology, one has to recognize that climate change is accepted by 97% of scientists, and that we need to prepare Michigan to deal with that. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| 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) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| My stance on guns is pretty straightforward: people have the right to use guns to defend their lives and property, but because of their nature as lethal weapons, we should take reasonable precautions to ensure they only end up in responsible hands. Citizens should be allowed to carry concealed guns, provided they have the proper permits. I also support background checks for all guns purchases including those at gun shows, as well as licenses for the possession of firearms. I think this is a reasonable requirement, especially given that we require licenses for things like driving motor vehicles. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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 that to seriously address healthcare in this country we need to keep all options on the table, and go with the one that, empirically, works the best. Could this be universal healthcare? It could be. I definitely support commercial health insurance reform, especially of the kind that were established under the Affordable Care Act. I also support the medicare expansion, which in Michigan has added 400,000 people and has beat expectations. And the best data shows that medical marijuana would be a useful treatment for several ailments, such as pain management for cancer patients. | |||
| 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 Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I support same-sex marriage whole-heartedly. I think that consenting adults should be able to make their own decisions about their associations. Part of this is marriage; if two people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, want to get married the 14th amendment of the Constitution provides that they should receive the same protection of the laws that straight people enjoy. I also support updating Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include both sexual orientation and gender identity, which is also supported by corporations like Kellogg, Steelcase, GM, Apple, and Google. | |||
| Education is a top priority, and includes increasing funding for education across the board. We need to reduce the loan burden on college students, as well as ensure that early childhood education is well-funded. Economics is another priority, and this includes bringing Michigan into the 21st century. The infrastructure is one of the most pressing problems, and it will require long-term structural reforms that includes new and expanded funding sources. This can be achieved by revamping the sales tax to include internet purchases, or increasing fees and taxes in other areas. Either way, we'll have to pay for the fix. |
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