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David Kearns' 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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Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

David Kearns 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.

What is the 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.

Florida State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test

Pro-choice a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
No 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?
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?
i) Other or expanded principles:

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 Florida's budget.

Greatly Increase a) Education (higher)
Greatly Increase b) Education (K-12)
Slightly Increase c) Environment
Greatly Increase d) Health care
Slightly Increase e) Law enforcement/corrections
Greatly Increase f) Transportation/infrastructure
Maintain Status g) Welfare
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Increase c) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status d) Gas/Oil taxes
Maintain Status e) Property taxes
Greatly Decrease f) Sales taxes
No a) Tapping into Florida'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
All of these programs were slashed since 2010. We need a realistic approach and we need to stop creating pretexts for privatizing as is being done with corrections and education.
One cannot claim to be a champion of small business and continue to hamper business with sales taxes. Small business suffers while corporations get billions in breaks for theoretical jobs prommised on spread sheets.
A healthy economy spurs growth which fills the coffers. It is a false premise that these steps MUST be taken to balance the budget. A new economy in alternative energy would spur growth and revenue for the state.

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?
The average person who wishes to run for office faces a nearly insurmountable barrier in the form of corporate funding of incumbents and those willing to do the bidding of those with power and money. Government is "of the people, by the people, for the people." We need to return to our values.
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 legalizing the possession 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?
Yes f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
On c.) we have lost the war on marijuana. I am coming to the conclusion we need to tax and regulate this for high THC content and additives. The revenue can be used to go after the hard drugs, and rampant sales of perscription medication ruining our communities. f.) local police can and should enforce all laws. Wherever possible in immigration issues they need to involve the feds first, enforce themselves second. In that order. The feds are the experts.
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?
During the previous recession we saw the need to expand unemployment insurance benefits. In special cases such as that yes. People were chucked into the street and then, there WERE no jobs to go to, to "pull up bootstraps" and "get" as it were. What was the head of a household expected to do? Republicans had no answer but drug testing and reproaching those who dared asked for increased benefits.
No a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
No 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?
No e) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
No f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
Yes g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Florida high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
I've looked into it, and seen enough. The privatization effort currently underway in the state comes with prongs. 1.) make it impossible to teach and impossible to learn.2. cut funding even for capital improvements 3. manipulate the local school board to go along. 4. point to the failing schools as the reason.5. take all prongs in the fork and feed the public schools to contractors in the private sector, who then rip off the taxpayers. Two words:evil, scheme. One more word RICO.
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 Florida'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?
This state could be a Mecca for alternative energy;what the silicon valley was to the computing industry. Instead we have the oil and gas companies, the Koch brothers buying politicians, and standing in the way. In this state we seem to be good at producing smart bombs (for the oil wars) and dumb people by destroying public schools. It does not have to be this way. We live surrounded by sunshine, sea and wind. Its time to take advantage of these all. Now.
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?
No e) Do you support enacting legislation granting immunity to Floridians who show guns or fire warning shots in self-defense?
e. is a weird question. Immunity is something you grant to people for testifying against the mafia. No.If you fire a gun, if you show a gun you better do so responsibly and for good reason. If your bullet hits a target you better be able to either justify it, or pay for the damage one way or another.
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?
No 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?
Emergency room care only is what we had, prior to the affordable healthcare act. Treating people in the emergency room for the end stages of heart disease, diabetes and others costs all of us MORE in terms of increased insurance and healthcare expenses. For the first time, millions of Americans and Floridians have access to healthcare. It is a good thing and we need to expand the benefits.
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 Florida's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Florida's anti-discrimination laws?
Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed to all under the U.S. Constitution. These are what make people happy, who are any of us to stand in their way. Discrimination in housing and in the job market has been the norm for some who express themselves in a loving manner, in a different direction than most of us. It needs to stop.
1.) Saving public schools and corrections from the corporate rip-off;reversing course on those as they are dangerous and threaten the fabric of society as we know it. 2.) Beginning the new economy in alternative energy in my state benefiting my constituents. 3.) Elections and their fairness will be an emphasis in my first term. Fair elections are the tree from which springs all other issues. We need to review our elections infrastructure and fix it.

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