Clifford Hyra's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Clifford Hyra has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2017 Political Courage Test.
Virginia Gubernatorial Election 2017 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| d) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| I support the prohibition of public funds FOR abortion procedures. I do not think organizations that perform abortions should be refused payment for regular medical services | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Virginia's budget.
| Yes | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| Yes | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| No | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket | ||
| We should take a hard look at state employee pensions, which are rapidly becoming an increasingly large drag on Virginia's budget and economy. My reforms such as ending the drug war would result in layoffs of some state employees. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Virginia political candidates should not be allowed to use campaign funds for personal use. Ranked choice voting should be instituted so that voters are not penalized for voting for their most preferred candidate. There should be some referendum process available to Virginia voters.The number of signatures required for third party candidates to get on the ballot should be reduced to the national average to encourage political participation. The percentage of the vote required for third parties to achieve major party status should be reduced from 10% to the national median of 2%. | |||
| 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? | |||
| 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 support full legalization of marijuana and decriminalization of drug use. Drug addicts need help, not jail time, and the cost of the drug war to Virginia is astronomical. Minors may be prosecuted as adults depending on the totality of the circumstances (age, crime, etc.). Localities may choose if they wish to participate in federal immigration programs enabling local police to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement, however I do not encourage it. Civil asset forfeiture reform is badly needed in Virginia. Arrest quotas should be ended. The felony larceny threshold should be raised to the national average. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Virginia's income tax code is broken, with the top rate kicking in at only $17,000 of income. I propose that Virginia families should pay no state income tax on the first $60,000 of household income. The revenue for this change would come from closing tax loopholes identified and listed by Mark Warner, legalizing marijuana and ending the war on drugs, right-sizing state government real estate holdings, and natural revenue growth combined with a freeze in new state spending. Increasing the state minimum wage would be very risky for rural Virginia. Virginia has many absurd and pointless business regulations. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities in Virginia? | ||
| Common Core is fine as a voluntary benchmark only. School control should be kept at the local level. Virginia has one of the worst charter school programs in the nation- the charter school program should be reformed in the mold of other successful programs in states such as New York. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| b) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| c) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | |||
| The state should not subsidize any industry or type of energy. Federal, state, and local park systems, combined with private conservation efforts, are sufficient for open space preservation. Regulations on greenhouse gas emissions should be made at the federal level, not the state or local level. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| 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? | ||
| The 2nd Amendment right to bear arms is an important freedom, and should not be limited in the absence of strong evidence that a given gun control measure is effective in achieving a reduction in crime and violence. I support keeping firearms out of the hands of convicted criminals and the mentally ill, but evidence does not support the effectiveness of other gun control measures. Background checks for private transfers should not be required if they would result in a gun owner registration or similar system. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| No | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| At the state level we are unfortunately bound by the rules of the federal government, but we need comprehensive reform, including increased price transparency. At the state level, we should increase the role for nurse practitioners, mid-level dental practitioners, and telemedicine, repeal certificate of public need laws, and allow the sale of insurance policies across state lines, to improve access and reduce costs. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| No | d) Should individuals be required to use a bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificates? | ||
| The state should be forbidden to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. I do not believe that extending this rule to private businesses is necessary at this time, as Virginia is a tolerant and open-minded state. Existing laws and cultural norms are sufficient to govern bathroom use. | |||
| End the state income tax on the first $60,000 of household income. This will be paid for by closing known tax loopholes, legalizing and taxing marijuana, ending the war on drugs, right-sizing state real estate holdings, and natural revenue growth combined with a freeze on new state spending. Ending most occupational licensing and easing burdensome regulations would also grow the tax base. Virginia spends $3 Billion annually on criminal justice and arrests 40,000 people each year for drug crimes, 60% for marijuana and 80% for mere possession. I would pardon anyone in jail only for drug use. |
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