Shirley Cote's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Shirley Cote has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Alaska State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | 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 do not believe abortion should be used as a method of contraception. I believe preventative methods along with education must be available and accessible for the benefit of reproductive health. I do not support banning Planned Parenthood instructors from the classroom. Parents have always had the option to remove their children from any class. This was an unfortunate move that could increase unwanted pregnancies. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Alaska'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 Alaska'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 | |||
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Property taxes | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| I will go to Juneau with an open mind on the options we have for balancing the budget and building a sustainable future for all Alaskans. The options we have are cutting spending (already cut by 44% since Governor Walker took office), creating other revenue streams (taxes - income, sales, and possibly on industries), examination of oil tax credits weighed against the use of permanent fund earnings. Capital projects have been reduced from $2 billion to $118 million. This is a drastic cut which I find necessary in cutting the projects (like the roads to nowhere), yet detrimental to jobs. | |||
| Before decreasing services, I believe an examination of the services provided must be accomplished. Efficiency in government should be an ongoing process. I am particularly interested in protecting education and public safety as the most basic needs, which go hand in hand. A well-educated community is a safer community. We should all have the opportunity to provide excellent education for our children and everyone should be and feel safe in their homes and on the streets and roads. Of course, all other areas are important and I will work hard on environmental and health care issues. | |||
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? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| Prosecuting a minor accused of a violent crime should be an option left to the courts and not mandated by law. | |||
| 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? | |||
| 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? | |||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| b), d), e) These questions are difficult to answer during this fiscal crisis. Of course, I would like to put money back into the economy but right now we have to consider instituting taxes to get to fiscal sustainability. c) and f) I want to study this more. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | 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 Alaska high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| c) I don't know much about the tenure process. I think teachers in Alaska today are not supported by mentor teachers and training as they should be. Also, the salary and benefits aren't good enough now to retain really good new teachers. There is constant turnover with the teachers who have Tier 4 benefits. | |||
| 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 Alaska'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? | ||
| f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | |||
| Yes | g) Do you support oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? | ||
| The questions above, not answered and answered, I would like to study further. | |||
| 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? | ||
| d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | |||
| a) "gun control" has come to have a negative connotation. I own guns and I respect the 2nd amendment right to own guns. I also believe we must have laws to protect the innocent from those who should not have guns - terrorists, children without supervision, mentally disabled, felons, intoxicated persons. | |||
| 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? | |||
| This is an area in which I would like to work. Alaskans are hurting due to the health care system. Something must be done to alleviate the waste, fraud and abuse while exploring and implementing solutions toward a more fair and affordable health care system. I believe the ACA needs work. It is new and with any new program there are adjustments necessary. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Alaska's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Alaska's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| The first priority for every legislator must be providing a fiscally responsible and sustainable budget. My next two priorities are education and public safety. I understand that a well educated community is a healthy and safe community. I have worked in organizations where educators and police have worked hand in hand in providing an excellent learning environment, and one that is safe. Funding at levels recommended by management studies may not necessarily require an increase in funding. |
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