Lynn Zaritsky's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Lynn Zaritsky has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
Utah State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | 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) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| I would also include the life and health of the mother. But I would only approve of such restrictive law if birth control were made widely and affordably available, and if age-appropriate sex education were taught in all public schools. Also, financially feasible adoption by all qualified people, no matter race, religion, gender, or gender preference, would be the well-advertised, option. Additionally, I would never advocate any form of punishment for either a doctor who performed an abortion or for a woman who had one. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Utah's budget.
| a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | |||
| b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | |||
| c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | |||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Utah, of all states, should understand that gross financial inequality, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, is inexcusable. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support using primary conventions as the sole method of selecting political party nominees? | ||
| We simply need to get "big money" out of politics. If campaign contributions to state candidates were limited, and if the Fairness Doctrine were brought back, even just in Utah, issues would take center stage, and all candidates would have the opportunity to share their ideas. Until voter fraud is actually a proven fact (it is not an issue, to date) voting should be made easier, not more difficult. If ID is ever required, the fee should be waived and proving citizenship made easy for those who cannot afford it. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| As long as alcohol is legal, marijuana should also be legal, and kept out of the black market; our jails and prisons should be reserved for people who have actually harmed others. As for minors, we now know that the human brain, and its ability to foresee consequences and control impulses, does not fully mature until the early to mid 20s. Children committing crime should never be held to the same standard as adults and should never be incarcerated with adults. And - it is cheaper to incarcerate for life than it is to execute. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | 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 Utah? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Utah? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Utah high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increasing the state gasoline tax to fund the education budget? | ||
| I support state funding for charter schools unless they are a religious institution. I support the DACA children attending public universities at in-state tuition rates. I also support other means to fund education, including reducing the (ever expanding) education administration sector, and excluding expensive "message bills" and odd things like the expensive "Utah Wolf Studies" (there are few if any wolves in Utah) from the Utah State Legislative agenda. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increasing state funding to improve air quality? | ||
| Climate change is real and the more we ignore it, the more at risk our children and their children become. Utah should be the best example of clean air, clean water, and self-sufficient, clean energy. We are one of six states with the highest potential for solar power (which we can sell) and one of three states with the highest potential for geothermal power. That we are ignoring these "other" natural resources is simply wrong, both financially (considering the income we could gain) and as good stewards of this Earth. | |||
| 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 teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| Over 80% of the population approves requiring background checks on all gun purchases; a large majority approves banning "bump stocks." We should start there. I would also require that all guns be stored locked - and gun owners who do not do this, whose guns, through that negligence, are then used by others who accidentally or deliberately kill someone, should be held legally accountable. And teachers should teach; there are better ways to provide safety in a classroom than asking a teacher to kill someone he/she hopes, under such stress, to determine is the perpetrator. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Utah's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| I also believe that Utah should sue companies such as Purdue (makers of opioids) for knowingly falsely portraying their opioids as "safe," and for recommending lowered time-between dosages (knowing those timed dosages would not relieve the pain), thereby helping create the horrible addiction rates we now see. The money from those lawsuits should also pay for treatment facilities. And I think that, like many other states and several countries with Utah's population and demographics, Utah can come up with its own affordable health care system. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Utah state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Discrimination is wrong, no matter who it is against. | |||
| 1. Earth stewardship : Utah providing clean energy to itself and to other states would also provide good-paying jobs. Utah engaging in and encouraging private "carbon farming," would heal our land and air, create fewer wildfires, give farmers better crop yields and Utah more local, variety of crops and livestock. 2. Utah's own healthcare system for all : If other states can do this, so can Utah. 3. Education : If we pay our teachers well, we will attract and keep the best. To do all this, Utah needs to remember "the common good" and make sure everyone contributes fairly. |
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