David Simon's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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David Simon has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
New Mexico State Legislative Election 2016 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? | ||
| Women's reproductive health decisions should be between her and her doctor(s). | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New Mexico'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 New Mexico's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| The budget should be balanced through both targeted savings and new revenue. Use of some remaining budget reserves and special funds may be necessary, but I do not support tapping into the Land Grand Permanent Fund to balance the budget. Vacancy savings in state government (leaving vacant positions unfilled) is necessary now, but state employee furloughs should be a last resort; most state employees haven't had a raise in years. Medicaid savings can come via improving program efficiency and fully matching federal funds, not cutting benefits. | |||
| New Mexico needs to grow an innovation economy--high tech, digital, renewable energy, healthcare, tourism & outdoor recreation; support start-ups and keep them in-state; support small & medium-sized business; improve workforce training. NM must invest in education at all levels, pre-K to higher ed. Public safety reform should focus on violent felons and repeat offenders, back first responders, decriminalize cannabis and increase alcohol, drug, mental health treatment. NM should reform infrastructure spending to target more $ on game-changing, job-creation projects. Strong conservation efforts must protect water, land, wildlife, culture (our "natural capital), fight public land takeovers, and get kids outdoors. | |||
| Oil & gas remains crucial but NM must transition, growing more private-sector, economic base jobs that provide tax revenue. NM should lead in renewable energy and water technology. NM should briefly delay corporate income tax reduction, ensure special interests pay their fair share, lower some tax rates but expand the base, make Medicaid more efficient, ask health care providers to help match federal funds, and regulate & tax cannabis. | |||
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? | ||
| I could support a voter ID initiative that passed court test and that also dramatically expanded voter registration programs and voter engagement. | |||
| 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? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| No | 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 New Mexico? | ||
| Question (d) can depend on the circumstances of the crime. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | k) Do you support the enactment of right-to-work legislation? | ||
| (a) Government spending is important as part of economic growth. NM needs to grow private sector economic activity most of all, however. (b) and (c): I can support both a "Yes" or "No" answer depending on the type of taxes and the type of regulations. (h) refinance programs, proper bank/mortgage regulation can help homeowners. (i) any increase in the minimum wage should be gradual, predictable for business, and tied to CPI. (k) Unions support the middle class. "Right to cut wages" laws are not the top economic development priority for NM. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| 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 New Mexico high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Question (c) is not linked to a specific tenure process. NM has a three-tier licensure system. There are good, great, and not so good teachers. On Question (g), I support comprehensive immigration reform at the national level that can resolve the status of many young people who are in the country without legal documentation. (e) School choice is important and can help foster education innovation. Charter schools need to meet standards and be rigorously assessed. | |||
| 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 New Mexico'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? | ||
| (a) New Mexico should be a national leader in renewable energy. (c) New powerlines are essential to wheel renewable energy to regional markets. (d) Our state's water, public lands and open spaces, along with our western culture and Native American heritage, are irreplaceable resources that should be protected for present and future generations; they are also key elements of a sustainable economy. (f) Hydraulic fracturing has been used for many years; it poses some risks, but a lot of existing state regulation already exists. Communities may also enact local regulations, but good collaboration with industry can make that uneccesary. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I support the right to bear arms, I am a gun owner and I have a concealed carry permit. I have held a position in which I supervised 100 law enforcement officers and I back law enforcement and the difficult jobs they have. I also support common sense gun law reforms, such as "No Fly, No Buy," closing the gun show background check loophole, and certain sales via the internet. | |||
| 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 ("Obamacare")? | ||
| 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? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Mexico's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Mexico's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
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