Brad Hessel's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
On The Ballot: Running, Libertarian for State Senate (NC) - District 18
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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.
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.
North Carolina State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Generally, folks should have the right to choose to abort up until the time the fetus would be viable outside the womb, and not thereafter. While I do not favor curtailing public funding for organizations that perform abortions per se, I am generally skeptical of public funding for most non-government organizations. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing North Carolina's budget.
| No | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| Yes | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
| No | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| I would prefer replacing Medicaid entirely over time by phasing in enhanced health savings accounts (with limited government funding for folks at the low end of the income continuum) but that has to be implemented�or, at least, initiated�at the Federal level. | |||
| No | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| While I believe the First Amendment protects the right to make political contributions/expenditures, we need materially enhanced campaign financing disclosure rules. This information�including �dark money� donations to PACs�should be reported and publicly viewable in real time. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| No | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of North Carolina? | ||
| I favor phasing in a guaranteed minimum income as a replacement for most existing public assistance and retirement programs, but this needs to be implemented/initiated on the Federal level. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in North Carolina? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from North Carolina high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| No | d) Do you support increasing funding for the state education budget? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support North Carolina's "Innovative School District" program? | ||
| The flexibility we afford to charter schools should be extended to all public schools. We should also implement �back-pack budgeting� whereby the tax dollars allocated to the education of each child can be vectored by parents to pay for her/his education as they see fit. This would provide choices to families at the low end of the income continuum who are not being well-served by their local public schools but currently are stuck with them. Introducing a market feedback mechanism would reward schools that perform well and over time lead to increased quality. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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 teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| I favor strengthening liability law such that a both the owner and the immediately preceding seller of a firearm can be held responsible for damage caused by the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime. This would create additional incentive for gun owners to be responsible in using and storing weapons and sellers to vet their customers carefully. It would also stoke the market for firearm insurance and thereby ensure compensation would be available for victims in more cases. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| No | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through North Carolina's health care programs? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| Medicinal marijuana products should be legalized immediately. It is unconscionable that we ask young citizens to risk their health and lives in sundry military adventures overseas and then when they return in need of physical or psychological aid, treat them with opioids which are not only addictive but screw up their body chemistry. CBD products in many cases would do as good or better job at alleviating symptoms with much less risk of bad long-term side effects. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in North Carolina's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in North Carolina's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support greater efforts by North Carolina state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces? | ||
| Anti-discrimination law should apply to the public sector, but not to the private sector. The government should not be regulating who can use which bathroom in my restaurant or what decorations I am allowed to (or must) put on cakes in my bakery. We are adults and can figure this stuff out for ourselves. | |||
| 1�Electoral reform: create an independent, non-partisan body to draw the lines and require they use geographical and existing political boundaries as their sole criteria. 2�Education: more choice for parents, students, and teachers�allow public schools more flexibility and implement back-pack budgeting for parents and students. 3�Health care: eliminate restrictions that drive up costs and stifle competition such as the requirement that dental hygienists be associated with a dentist to clean teach. 4�Economy: keep taxes low and government spending low and eliminate unnecessary licensing regulations that make it harder for people to start businesses. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.