Bryan Stafford's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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Bryan Stafford has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
Montana State Legislative Election 2018 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| While I personally am opposed to abortion in non-medical/traumatic cases, I firmly believe that every woman has a fundamental right to autonomy over her own body and that, in the end, only she is entitled to make decisions that effect her spiritual and physical health and well-being. Further, if our goal is to prevent abortions, the data clearly shows that there are much more effective ways to achieve this such as, access to contraception and comprehensive reproductive education, that still maintain a woman's ultimate autonomy. | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Montana's budget.
| No | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | e) Eliminating block grants to public school districts? | ||
| No | f) Decreasing funding to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services? | ||
| The list here is incomplete as there are other options available. Our tax structure in Montana is in need of some serious updating and we need to do the hard work to tackle this thorny issue in order to implement a system that is fair and that will put our state's finances back on a solid footing. It will certainly involve adjustments to the tax brackets but it is yet to be seen how those adjustments would manifest themselves. Above all, the implementation must be fair to all Montanans regardless of income. Please visit stafford4mt.org for further elaboration. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Photo ID laws are problematic because it has been proven that they tend to disenfranchise some valid voters such as seniors, the disabled and those who cannot afford the fees for such IDs. Furthermore, the actual facts and data show that, despite all of the rhetoric, illegal voting is not a major issue and there are already laws in place to deal with those who would attempt to vote fraudulently. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| Yes | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| As our prisons overflow, it is abundantly clear that we need to take a serious look at the current implementation of our criminal justice system. a) It has been proven repeatedly over the last several years that the system is fallible as numerous people convicted of capital crimes have later been exonerated. b) Currently "no" but would be open to discussion if verifiable data were to suggest legalization would be an overwhelming net positive. d) However, the officers must be properly trained and this enforcement should not be their primary focus. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| c) Do you support reducing state 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Montana? | ||
| b) "yes" if there is valid data to support the specific tax cut. c) It is entirely dependent on each specific case and the determining factor is weather or not the public is best served by the reduction. Again, the presence of factual supporting data is important. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Montana? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Montana high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Having a strong public education system is of vital importance especially as our understanding of the complexities of the world/universe improves. It is one of the major ways that we, as a society, can provide a foundation from which successive generations can exceed the accomplishments of their parents. It is a fundamental American value for all citizens to have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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 teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| Question "a" is far to broad and depends entirely upon one's definition of "gun-control" for which there currently is no consensus. I support strong enforcement of current laws regarding firearms. Tackling the difficult questions of how to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who exhibit strong indicators that they may be a danger to themselves or others should be a top priority. We should also be actively studying all of the related issues so that we can make informed decisions about the most effective policies (including mental healthcare policies) to implement going forward. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Montana's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increasing state funding for tracking and reporting opioid usage and overdoses? | ||
| c) The data is clear, allowing individuals to "roll the dice" results in vastly increased healthcare costs for the rest of us since we are forced to incur their uncovered expenses when they end up sick or injured. d) Provided the legislation contains appropriate checks and balances. f) In the context of improving mental healthcare. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Montana state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| No | d) Should individuals be required to use a bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificate? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| My top three priorities are Affordable Healthcare (including Medicaid expansion), Education and Tax reform. Between initiatives like I-185 and smart and fair implementation of our tax structure we can provide the funding necessary to achieve quality healthcare for all Montanans as well as providing adequate funding for education to ensure our children, regardless of the career path they choose, are prepared to be competitive when they enter the workforce. |
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