William Baker's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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William Baker 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-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? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Michigan's budget.
| Yes | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| Yes | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
| No | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| -We should look to first cut the pay of state legislators prior to cutting the salaries of our public employees, but as public workers typically earn more than their private sector counterparts, their pay should also be cut or at least frozen at current levels. -Raising income taxes can have a negative effect on collected revenues, while cutting rates can spur economic growth. I would look to cut taxes, including introducing an adjustment so that money used to pay federal taxes are not taxed by the state. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| -When a minor is on trial for a violent crime, the trial should be based on the known facts and it should be up to the jury to decide first if the accused is to be sentenced as an adult or as a minor, and from there they decide on the appropriate sentence. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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 Michigan? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support increasing state funding for improving Michigan's roads and bridges? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support eliminating Michigan's mandatory no-fault auto insurance? | ||
| -Business incentives, or subsidies, are inefficient and distort market signals commonly used to determine if a business is successful. As such, resources are misapplied normally creating a larger economic mess. I would support ending all such programs at the state level, including renegotiating any current program lasting past the year 2025. -As seen from the events of California, New York, Seattle, Portland, and other localities, when the minimum wage is increased, small businesses will either cut hours, cut employees, or close down entirely. We need to take steps to increase economic opportunities, not ensure greater unemployment. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Michigan? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| No | d) Do you support decommissioning the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil from Canada to the U.S.? | ||
| -As I am not a fan of economic incentives, I feel that the state does not have the right to fund private enterprises. Energy companies would beon their own to determine how to best create electricity and would have to find their own research for new innovations. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| -I believe that each individual school district should develop their own security plans and if a district decides on allowing teachers to voluntarily participate by bringing a gun to school then I will be fine with that. Security should be the main objective, and each district must weigh the various factors as they apply to their schools, should no teacher choose to be armed, then that is not an effective procedure for that district. | |||
| No | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| No | f) Do you support using state funds to provide public health services to citizens exposed to lead contamination in the Flint Water Crisis? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support greater efforts by Michigan state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Should able-bodied "food stamps" (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients meet a work requirement to be eligible for benefits? | ||
| -I support anti-discrimination laws that are not classified by specific adjectives; meaning that discrimination is discrimination regardless of what the motivating factors are. -The current "pay gap" in the US is less than four percent, when all factors are equal. At this point, further government intervention would be ineffective and would require massive intrusions into personal privacy and the mutually agreed contracts between employers and their employees. | |||
| -I seek to cut licensing requirements on most occupations and cut regulations across the board, all to spur economic growth. -I will seek to end all excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol products, while easing restrictions on the distribution of these products. -I seek to reduce the state's personal income tax to three percent from its current four and a quarter percent rate. This will be paid for by reducing the size and scope of our government, turning multiple programs and departments over to private companies. |
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