Deanna Rasmussen-Lacotta's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Deanna Rasmussen-Lacotta has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Arizona 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? | ||
| I believe a woman has the right to choose what happens in her body. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Arizona'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 Arizona'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 | ||
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | 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 | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| Use the surplus that is there. Also cut tax breaks for larger corporations. In 2012 74% of corporations paid the minimum state tax of $50. Lawyers & lobbyists are influencing the legislature to cut taxes on corporations and large businesses. The theory is to bring business to the state. But trickle down economics is not working for the vast majority of the population. These businesses use the state services of fire, police and roads. They need to pay thier fair share. | |||
| Full day kindergarten; Joint Technical Education Districts?are career and technical education (CTE) programs attached to district and charter schools. These programs provide students with occupational skills and a pathway to postsecondary education. Arizona needs a workforce capable of filling skilled positions, and CTE programs like JTEDs are a critical part of that effort. Increasing funding for in-home preventative services and preventing DCS from transferring that funding out of in-home services | |||
| Cigarettes and alcohol will eventually kill people. So Increasing sales taxes could deter people from using them. Corporate income tax collections are declining due to tax cuts. Corporate income tax pays only 5% of revenue. Median family income has dropped 5% from 46,000 to 44,000 since 2008. | |||
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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| "Dark money" is influencing the election of candidates. AZ Senate law 1516 has opened the door on 501 C3 nonprofit organizations to spend unlimited funds and not disclose who has donated the money. Money does cause influence. TV ads costs thousands of dollars. Legislators spend so much of their time looking for donations when they could be focusing on solving problems. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| I want to see comprehensive immigration reform. Those who come from other countries are home owners and upwardly mobile. Graduate level educational programs are full of the most brightest immigrants. They learn their specialty and if we do not respect them they will return to their home countries. Our prisons need to focus on rehabilitating inmates to become productive members of society. Marijuana is much safer than alcohol and should be removed from the Class 1 Drug list. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I would invest in economic development, education, and infrastructure projects to boost our economy lagging under the weight of irresponsible special interest and corporate tax cuts. The angel investment tax credit helps boost new small businesses. Investing in infrastructure helps create jobs and makes life better for all. Joint Technical Education Districts?are career and technical education (CTE) programs attached to district and charter schools. These programs provide students with occupational skills and a pathway to postsecondary education. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| 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 Arizona high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is being created to replace Common Core standards and is getting input from many organizations, parents and educators. I support most educational programs except vouchers. The original intention was that vouchers would be used for children with special needs. But it has evolved to where parents can send their children to private schools and the public pays for that. This is bleeding the funds for public schools. 82% of children attend public schools and 50% of students are of Hispanic origin. I want to protect public schools for all children. | |||
| 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 Arizona'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? | ||
| Fracking can cause the release of methane gas which increases global warming. I would support transitioning the Navajo coal plant into a "clean coal Plant" which would decrease the production of green house gases and create jobs for the current workers. I support roof top solar because we can produce so much electricity this way. It only makes sense for a state with this much sun to do so. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| No | e) Should concealed-carry permit holders be allowed to carry their guns into public buildings? | ||
| There are regulations that exists for not allowing guns in public buildings. We do not need more Gabby Giffords to be shot. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I have a history of chronic pain since 1999. I have had to have both hips replaced because of this injury. I live with chronic pain that has interfered with sleep. I was taking opioid medications prescribed by medical doctors for a long time. I finally tried medical marijuana two years ago by getting the license for it. I have had such relief with no lingering side effects. I eat 3-4 pop corn pieces that are laced with the marijuana. It helps me sleep with no pain. Opioids slowly close down the alveolar cells in the lungs and people suffocate. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Arizona's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Arizona's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Arizona? | ||
| I believe in the right to love who you want. People are different from one another. We need to respect their choices. Life presents us with so many lessons and we learn from all of them. I trust in people's ability to evolve and become the best that they can be. Laws are written to protect citizens rights. There should be no discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation. | |||
| My highest priority is to put more funding into education from kindergarten to the university setting. Teachers need to be paid more. I would cut tax credits for families who make $100,000 income. I would lower the state medical marijuana license fee from $150 to $25 for those 55 and older. It is too difficult for seniors to afford this expense. The state should regulate water use state wide especially in La Paz county where ground water from the aquafer is being used to grow alfalfa for a Saudi Arabian Company. Local residents have wells that are going dry. |
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