Dennis Smith's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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Dennis Smith has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
Michigan 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? | ||
| A woman's health choices are hers alone, not the state's. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Michigan'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? | ||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| The state has a fiduciary responsibility to provide services to its citizens that rightly belong to the state such as public safety and infrastructure. The idea that tax increases are categorically bad is ill founded and unsustainable. A right balance of taxes and public services can be found that does not damage the economic viability of the state. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Other governmental agencies such as cities and townships may provide the photo ID's. It need not be state issued. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| I support the legalization of recreational marijuana as a criminal justice issue and not for any love of the substance. I believe that criminalization of marijuana unnecessarily burdens our criminal justice system. I believe it can be regulated in ways similar to alcoholic beverages. That said, the issue of federal decriminalization remains an issue to be resolved. Control of immigration is a federal function. States and municipalities should not subtend federal law in this regard. That said, certain churches and other sanctuary groups may choose to defy the law. I might choose to stand with them, accepting the consequences. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Michigan? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support increasing state funding for improving Michigan's roads and bridges? | ||
| No | h) Do you support eliminating Michigan's mandatory no-fault auto insurance? | ||
| Selective lowering of taxes to promote growth is feasible as long as anticipated state income increases as a result. The function of the state is to protect the rights and well being of its citizens. Reasonable and effective regulation is necessary in pursuit of that end. Expanded access to unemployment benefits is situational and often necessary for the overall state economy. No-Fault auto insurance is not the problem. The unlimited liability is what drives the high cost of no-fault insurance. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Michigan? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| It is likely that any illegal immigrant graduating from high school was brought to this country/state by her or his parents. The kids are not criminals. Strictly from an economic perspective, it makes sense to keep these kids enrolled in Michigan universities. These are the people who will contribute most to the state's economy in the future. | |||
| 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 decommissioning the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil from Canada to the U.S.? | ||
| Oil remains an important component of the energy mix. The current Enbridge Line 5 pipeline and others that are high potential risks to Michigan's waters need to be decommissioned. That does not rule out the possibility of constructing safer pipelines with multiple redundant safety measures under Michigan waterways, including the Starights. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| I believe that Michigan's current gun laws are exemplary. I would add the registration of long gun to the list of firearms requiring registration. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Michigan's health care programs? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support using state funds to provide public health services to citizens exposed to lead contamination in the Flint Water Crisis? | ||
| I do not support requiring individuals to purchase health insurance, but I do support the previous individual mandate that levied a tax on those opting out of purchasing health insurance. Only by keeping the younger and healthier individuals in the pool can the cost be manageable by all. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Michigan state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| No | d) Should able-bodied "food stamps" (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients meet a work requirement to be eligible for benefits? | ||
| I don't know what the state can do to close the pay gap between men and women other that enforcing anti-discrimination laws. There is no way that I can see to equitably enforce a work requirement for SNAP recipients. There are regions in the state where work is simply not available. There are family circumstances that make work outside the home dangerously burdensome for some. | |||
| My top priority is to increase the state public school foundation grant to $9000+/student and eliminate for-profit charter schools. A second priority is to expand the eligibility of the Healthy Michigan initiative, making Medicaid available to the 650,000+ working citizens who currently cannot afford health insurance. Close to these priorities, I want to help make Michigan a leader in environmental protection and proactive in the effort to slow the progress of climate change. To that end, I want to encourage through education and incentive programs the development of sustainable, green energy in this state. |
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