Thomas Goodman's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Thomas Goodman has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
West Virginia 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? | ||
| While Roe V. Wade necessary at Federal level, it is important to allow states to pass restrictions as they see fit and in line with their community standards. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing West Virginia'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.
| Yes | a) Tapping into West Virginia's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| Yes | 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) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly 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 | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| All options must be on the table to balance West Virginia's budget. | |||
| I would prefer to see education cuts on the BOE and administrative side. | |||
| West Virginia's tax burden is ok, it is our spending that is out of line with our population trend. In addition, regulatory fees are more intrusive than taxes in my view. | |||
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? | ||
| I would like to see campaign spending limit made mandatory. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | g Do you support additional funding for programs intended to reduce drug addiction in West Virginia? | ||
| I would support moderate decriminalization of possession of amounts of marijuana under 28 grams. I think alternative sentencing for non violent offenders would save a considerable amount of money for the state. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them? | ||
| Yes | j) Would you support the enactment of statewide 'Right to Work' legislation? | ||
| Second chance initiatives would be beneficial to West Virginia - there is a disproportionate amount of working class people who have been through the rehabilitative side of the legal system. I do not support subsidy or direct stimulus in West Virginia - it has not been sustainable or productive to date. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from West Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I am a fan of charter schools, but I do not think that West Virginia has the population to sustain them at this time. I would like to see the state BOE dissolved and the cabinet level "Secretary of Arts and Education" position fulfill those duties. Let teachers teach! | |||
| 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 West Virginia'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? | ||
| I am a metal recycler and am very strong on environmental issues. Renewables are viable if burden of generation is transferred to households - large grid is not efficient enough. Would like to see power in West Virginia so cheap building industry here is a "no brainer" proposition, including but not limited to private, on-site gas generation capabilities. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I am supportive of the "constitutional carry" bill that passed in 2016 session. The increased penalties for gun crimes is an excellent caveat. If we must be punitive, punish criminals, not law abiding owners. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I would like to see a market based solution in which healthcare providers fully disclose the cost of procedures up front. I would support a medical marijuana initiative if it were removed from the controlled substance schedule. I would support a diagnostic public healthcare option | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Same sex marriage has been upheld as the law and must be respected as such - though I would prefer the government out of the business of "marriage" and to see a "domestic corporation" filed for the sharing of property that is independent of religious affiliation. Social issues should be deferred to the counties in this regard. Communities that want RFRA and communities that want ENDHA should both have that right. | |||
| My key priority is protecting funding for community health programs - they are the forefront to prevention of the drug issue. A close second is passing an actionable, inclusive framework for consolidated or "metro" governments - West Virginia must re-think how it pays for government services in the post-coal era. I would also like to see a tax credit passed for restoring old buildings to LEED standards. |
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