Rueben Dockery, Sr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Rueben Dockery, Sr. did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Tennessee State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | |||
| b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| 1. As a general rule of thumb, I fully support the sanctity of human life. Having said that in the case (s) of legal and or medically mediated circumstances, I concede that performing an abortion may be appropriate. | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Tennessee's budget.
| No | a) Do you support the creation of a state income tax in Tennessee? | ||
| No | b) Should state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ("TANF") funds be used to implement Medicaid work requirements? | ||
| 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? | ||
| 2. As a long time resident of Tennessee, I have concluded that there is a need for an evaluation of the effectiveness of state funds in general and for elected officials to seek to ensure that the needs of the electorate are met and respected. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| 3. Just like any other verification process (for a Job, completing Banking documents or applying for school) a photo identification for a responsible adult seems reasonable to me. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| 4. A. Under certain circumstances the penalty for capital offenses should be closely considered. B. If a minor commits a violent crime against another citizen, the facts of the case should be thoroughly examined and the parent or guardian should hold some responsibility that unruly minor's actions in the public. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | 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 of Tennessee? | ||
| 5. E. There are situations of welfare abuse and fraud and in those cases, I believe drug testing may be warranted. F. It I my understanding that a government forced wage increase may have negative consequences on the state economy as a whole. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Tennessee? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Tennessee high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| 6. A. Too often federal education legislation does not take into account the specific educational needs for Tennessee learners; therefore standards should be set by the state. B. According to Tennessee Charter School legislation it is already funded by the state in part. C. A change in federal law can best determine this issue! | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| 7. According to the Framers of the United States Constitution -the government consists of, for and by the people of , accordingly these issues should be controlled and decided by the people either federally of on the state level. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| 8. Tennessee laws related to gun rights should be firmly based in United States Constitutional authority 2nd Amendment. Should the state decide to allow teachers and or other school staff to brings weapons into schools - safety and training should be anchors of such legislation. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Tennessee'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? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support greater efforts by Tennessee state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| No | d) Should Tennessee permit localities to adopt "Sanctuary City" immigration policies? | ||
| 9. As a citizen of the great State of Tennessee, one is protected from discrimination of any kind under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution and the 1965 Civil Rights Act - I believe that covers matters of sexual orientation and gender identification. As related to setting a pay wage, the private business owner has the legal right to set pay wages and that should not be interfered with by the state government. It is my understanding that authority to set immigration policies lies with the Federal Government as a matter of national security. | |||
| 10. The top three legislative priorities for me as the holder of the 19th Tennessee Senatorial District Seat is to enact policies that will increase economic development, improve Academic achievement and improve conditions of health and wellness for residents of voting precincts that least benefit from all of the aforementioned. |
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