Matt Dance's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Matt Dance has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Idaho State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | |||
| b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | |||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | |||
| h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. I can however say in regards to abortion- I believe that my voice as a single male with no children should have little to no weight in such a debate. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Idaho'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.
| a) Tapping into Idaho's "rainy day" fund | |||
| b) Decreasing funding for public universities | |||
| c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | |||
| d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
| e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement/corrections | |||
| f) Transportation/infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Small business taxes | |||
| e) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| f) Property taxes | |||
| g) Sales taxes | |||
| h) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | |||
| j) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. My stance however is that people come first whether it is health, education, or employment and that budgets are useless if people aren't taken care of first. | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. I support them all as they are so intertwined with each other, however, I is up to the electorate to decide their own valuation of these institutions. | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. In regards to taxation my job is to inform my constituents the consequences of tax rates and make citizens accountable for the consequences of raising or lowering specific taxes. | |||
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 | ||
| 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? | ||
| e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. I do believe that if we are to become more democratic these procedural changes need to be a priority. | |||
| a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | |||
| b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | |||
| 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? | |||
| e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. I acknowledge that justice is not fixed and depends on the legitimacy of the people my job is to inform and educate of potential injustice in legislation not decide. | |||
| 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? | |||
| d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | |||
| g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | |||
| i) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | |||
| j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. There is no right or wrong answers in economics and many paths that work my job is simply to facilitate options and let the people decide which path suites them. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | |||
| d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | |||
| 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 Idaho high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. Strong democracies need educated and informed electorates it must be supported as a high priority of a society that wants to remain free. | |||
| a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | |||
| b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | |||
| c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Idaho's energy infrastructure? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | |||
| f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. Regarding environment and energy- I believe that you need project the future and consider it as you would the present, all decisions or suggestions must heavily rely on this maxim. | |||
| a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | |||
| b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | |||
| d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. Gun debates are more emotional and cultural than logical and thus legislating their use is less effective than campaigns to improve the environment where guns are found. | |||
| a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | |||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | |||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. Health is both an individual and social issue to not take action on both fronts will undermine any attempt at helping the people flourish. | |||
| a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Idaho's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Idaho's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I am only able to vote according to my constituents actual voting and participation in a direct democratic fashion. My stance as a legislator is procedural not personal as I facilitate the will of the community in which I live. This doesn't mean I don't have an opinion, but only that I place the improvement of our governing system and the flourishing of the electorate above my own personal narrative. Strong democracies must have a culture of understanding and minimize discrimination all decisions of social issues however are subject to social ebbs and flows as decided by the public. | |||
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