Steve Shoemaker's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Steve Shoemaker has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Michigan 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? | ||
| 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'm 'Pro-Life' from the standpoint that ALL lives matter - NOT just the unborn. I'm not an abortion advocate, but realize that pregnancy might require termination to protect the life of a mother. Whenever possible, women who become pregnant as a result of rape or incest might be counseled to carry the pregnancy to term, and thus provide a child to childless couples wanting to be parents, but there MUST be adequate counseling services for the pregnant mother both during and following the pregnancy in that event. Family Planning and birth control education services are EXTREMELY important! | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Michigan'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 Michigan's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | 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 | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Greatly 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 | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | 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? | ||
| a) If a budget crisis and a drop in tax revenues due to a recessionary period isn't a 'rainy day', then what is? b) Far too many public tax dollars are spent on athletic programs at public universities. Any cuts shouldn't have a negative impact on curriculum and student financial aid. | |||
| b) Early childhood education programs should be more widely available. Implementation of 'parent education' about the importance of 'childhood education' via media sources, (TV, radio, social media, etc.), must be a priority. How can we expect young students to value an education if their parents fail to recognize the value? g) ANY programs directed towards reducing welfare dependency are worth evaluation. | |||
| a - g) There is a balancing act between tax revenues and expenditures that appears always in danger of tipping one way or the other - either budget shortfalls or over-taxation. A slight increase in gas and oil taxes directed SOLELY towards road repair is warranted. h) Bring back the level of Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) that existed a decade ago, and consider expanding them to improve low-income family's living standards. J) The economic recovery has benefited upper-income families to a far greater extent than low- and mid-income families. | |||
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? | ||
| e) So-called 'voter fraud' isn't truly an issue, but 'election fraud' is. (Honest election procedures require competent poll workers. Election fraud may not be intentional, but mishandling of balloting procedures can and will produce an invalid result.) e) Having a photo ID with the accompanying electronic identification method (magnetic strip identification attached to a driver's license, etc.) can significantly reduce wait times at the polling place.) | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| a) As in the 'Abortion and Reproductive Issues' at the beginning of this questionnaire, I'm 'Pro-Life' so I question the validity of the State taking someone's life for ANY reason. d) Certain circumstances may warrant prosecution as an adult, but a a 'blanket' ruling leaves no room for discretion. f) A warrant of arrest should detail whether or not an asset seizure is warranted. Leaving assets in the hands of suspected criminals would allow the suspected activity to continue. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| a) Infrastructure spending is vital to growth. b) With forethought. Zero taxes is NOT the answer to enhanced growth. c) Reduce when practical/possible. d) We'll support them through re-trained careers or unemployment benefits. I prefer re-training. f) There must be support for rehabilitation and support for dependents impacted if the recipient is denied benefits. i) A minimum wage increase should come in the form of expanded Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) for low income households and an increase in allowable tax deductions for individuals and dependents. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | 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 Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Yes | h) Should the state of Michigan continue to oversee the Detroit public school system? | ||
| a) Common Core was established by members of government at State levels well before the current Presidency. C.C. sets learning standards, but leaves the methodology of achievement to individual states. There is nothing wrong with establishing universal education standards. d) Any PUBLIC schools. Michigan's Constitution forbids tax dollars from being used to support private or religious schools. NO EXCEPTIONS! e) 'Charter' schools are by definition different from 'Public' schools, so see my response to d) above. | |||
| Yes | 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 Michigan'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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support extending the mandate that 10% of Michigan's energy comes from renewable energy sources? | ||
| a) Like many innovations that enabled us to move forward to improved lifestyles, renewable sources may require state 'stimulus' to thrive in its infancy. b) The slow phase-out of fossil fuel's production and consumption is necessary, and should be accelerated. g) Michigan has achieved the 10% goal ahead of deadline. I'd strongly support an accelerated program to develop a 'Hydrogen Economy' to transition from fossil fuels to a sustainable energy future. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I'll never get an endorsement from the NRA - nor do I want one. Their fear-mongering is detestable and serves only to raise money from their members. I've owned firearms for sporting and personal protection purposes for decades, but believe that background checks should be performed for ANY transfer of ANY firearms, and yes, possession should require licensing and registration. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| c) Support - Must ensure that the level of care provided is the same from state-to-state from the same insurer. (ie - a health insurer chartered in Massachusetts should provide the same level of services to clients in any other state. Understandably, costs may vary from state-to-state.) d) Support - However, access to universally-accessible, publicly-administered insurance option would likely diminish the requirement. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| a-c) I'm a firm believer in 'Liberty & Freedom', and yes, 'Equality' Who am I to tell someone who to love and care for?? | |||
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