Ellace Henderson's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Ellace Henderson has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.
Kansas State Legislative Election 2024 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds (e.g. Medicaid) for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| There is far too much nuance to sum up in 500 words, but one thing I know to be true is abortions will always be an option for those who can afford to take matters into their own hands, and Texas proved that choosing to eliminate access endangers the lives of desperate women who don?t have the funds to support themselves let alone their children, regardless of the situation that brought them to the deeply difficult decision to terminate their pregnancies. Public funds do not support an acceptable quality of life for the children resulting from these pregnancies. If we can?t ensure promising futures for those children it is not our place to insist they come into a world to a mother who is unable or unwilling to provide for them. To me this is willful negligence and it perpetuates a division between the social classes. The amount of pain and suffering that goes into terminating a pregnancy is not to be taken lightly, and to dismiss a woman?s desperation, when she would go to such lengths for relief, when it affects her more than anyone, I simply cannot justify forcing a woman to breed when I am unwilling and unable to financially support the child let alone change the diapers, stay up late feeding, drive the kid to soccer practice with orange slices, dedicate my entire life to their hopes and dreams on the off chance that they would one day change the world for the better. Let?s start believing the women might change the world for the better if she isn?t forced to sacrifice her life for someone else. That being said, as a representative, it?s my job to stand with my people, so I will be the echo to those who are otherwise going to be unheard, and make sure regardless of how I feel on the topic, my neighbors are heard and advocated for. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support limiting state government spending on social programs (e.g. SNAP, TANF)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to promote economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs in your state? | ||
| I find these questions to be so black and white they actually do a poor job of representing the true spectrum of greys reflected throughout state legislature, regardless the answer is always going to be the same, I support my neighbors. I have ideas, and the ability to relay information to properly bridge the gap in communication between voters and legislators, but my personal opinion on every topic is, what does my community need to see, and what can?t they stand to see change? That?s it. There is x amount of funding, and I believe the best way to delegate these funds is in a �march madness� style bracket system, where my voters break down what deserves the least funding, the most funding, and what funding one thing over another thing will result in for them and their communities. I will listen. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for violent crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the use of private prisons? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders? | ||
| I support compassionate assisted suicide to those on death row in specific circumstances, but only pal, sehing cal esian aesiral ou personian say they to dont hated say yet you shouldn't be held to it to the same extent a full grown adult is held. Prisons should be non-profit reform facilities, or you are askina for an unjust justice system. A justice system that turns a profit isn't unbiased or fair. Nonviolent drug offenses are punished in a way that is embarrassing and inhumane and I'm ashamed that it is more often about who you are superficially, like what you look like rather than what you did. I feel they are punished so severely more often than not because it's lucrative to imprison someone who won't be expensive to reform, or be laborious to incarcerate. It?s lazy.. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)? | ||
| b) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector (e.g. for business or the environment)? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Kansas? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support government spending on affordable housing projects in Kansas? | ||
| Far too many laws regarding economic growth are written poorly with opportunities for loopholes that benefit those who lobby to ensure their nefarious activities slip through the cracks. Question B is worded in a way that draws attention away from this issue. I believe you must invest in communities that you want to grow and thrive, and limit the possibility for that land and those people to be exploited to the best of your ability. Rooks County is under threat right now because a large corporation, Smithfield, intends to slip through the loop holes of family farming to get away with destroying the land and community as a whole. If state legislators can give themselves a raise of 93%, amounting to more than $27/hr if you divided it up into 52 40-hour weeks, then they can admit minimum wage should be higher than $7.25/hr. My voters are working 2 full time jobs to still not afford their own homes, so I don't think it's unreasonable to say if we can afford to pay 125 people a combined 7.25 million dollars, we can making housing more affordable. | |||
| a) Do you support adopting federal education standards (e.g. Common Core) in Kansas? | |||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Kansas? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants in the United States who graduate from Kansas high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, regardless of immigration status? | ||
| Education should be encouraged, and an inalienable right. The pursuit of happiness is protected, but the pursuit of knowledge is the driving force of civilization. I think I like the idea of a scholastic skeleton, in which we ensure vital and often overlooked history remains taught, and science is highlighted as realistically and respectfully as possible, with the understanding that we learn more every day and it?s good to ask questions and find answers, but i?m not going to lie, i?m smart enough to know that teaching some people some stuff and other people other stuff does cause discourse when you don?t properly teach open mindedness and thoughtfulness and respect, and ignorant enough to not know if common core is capable of the individualized approach that kept me interested in learning. I certainly want to ease teachers jobs, but i?ve heard a very rewarding part is seeing that spark when a student stumbles upon a special interest and having the flexibility in your curriculum to be able to foster is into a roaring fire that ignites passionate, incredible accomplishments. Since I?m a student for life but not an acting teacher I refer to those who are, and I will of course listen to as many as I can. Since teachers are fostering students entire lives, not just their education at this point, I think it?s vital we try to ease their experiences to the best of our abilities and limit the need for them to subsidize their own classrooms. Teaching often boils down to being a passion project because classrooms are underfunded, and I want it to be possible for teachers to make a living without having to take second jobs or go private. Funding private schools is an admission of negligence in our public schools, and it violates the separation we put in place with church in state. It?s called private for a reason, while I think they should be held to a certain code of conduct, for ethical reasons, we certainly shouldn?t be funding private education when public school needs funding. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| b) Do you support state governments allowing permits for drilling on public lands? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| The first priority of any civilization, after breathing, should be clean water accessible to all. I don?t care what level you are, 5 people stranded on an island, or a 1st world country. Clean water is essential and should be prioritized above all else. Then food, shelter, clothing, sleep. It?s Maslow?s hierarchy of needs. The way our capitalistic society works has unfortunately taught many of us that winning capitalism is more important than the basics. So if it sabotages the basics, it needs reconsideration, if it?s in pursuit of the basics for all, so we can all move forward together, then it?s the way to solve the world?s problems. | |||
| Yes | a)Do you support limiting campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the use of an independent or bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the implementation of ranked choice voting in Kansas? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, closing the boyfriend loophole)? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the right to concealed carry in Kansas? | ||
| I think people have every right to their guns, and have seen them be used safely, I simply think anytime you have access to a life-altering tool, be it a car, or prescription drugs, or a gun, certain stop gaps should be put in place to ensure the safety of you and those around you. Responsible, respectful, registration. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program such as Medicare-for-All? | ||
| Yes | c) Should an individual have the right to choose to die (e.g. those with a terminal illness) through euthanasia? | ||
| d) Do you support mandating vaccinations (e.g. for school or employment)? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)? | ||
| Yes | f) Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support legalizing medical marijuana for patients who have chronic diseases, conditions, AND/OR are terminally ill? | ||
| No | h) Do you support banning gender affirming care for transgender youth in Kansas? | ||
| There?s a really wide middle ground between fully funding something and banning it. Children are the future, give all people kindness and support, and opportunities to help themselves. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support inclusion of sexual orientation in Kansas' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Kansas' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Kansas' state government in closing gender, racial, and other wage gaps? | ||
| Expanding medicaid, affordable housing, and clean drinking water for all. The funding is there within the categories, we just need to reallocate the specifics, because as it stands the distribution we are spending plenty, the investments aren�t panning out for the people. I�ve heard kansas legislators slap themselves on the wrist for not making the changes they promised to make, and take home the money. So I promise this, should I be elected, nobody will be confused about what my time was spent on, or what funding certain endeavors results in. We need clarity in legislature because people don�t understand the repercussions of these intentionally ambiguous laws. I will be prioritizing clarification and awareness of our goings on. Since it�s become my full time job to decipher legislative lingo and its effects, I want to simplify it so voters can understand how things work, and what their options are. In the same way that I believe rank voting would work, I think presenting options with nuance to the people would provide everyone with the peace of mind that their best interests are being kept in mind with every day in the capital spent voting on their behalf. |
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