Barry Hess II's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Barry Hess II did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 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.
Arizona Gubernatorial Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| The first question, as with the rest of them, should include a 'middle ground' because this is a very serious test of our humanity, as well as the constitutional limits of power government assumes it has. I revere Life itself, but at the same time, I have to be mindful that the woman's body is not to be controlled by votes. I will work toward encouraging the transplantation of unwanted fetus' to those who will appreciate the gift of parenthood, and toward educating the culture to make abortions a thing of the past by prevention and/or abstinence. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.2) State Taxes:Using the key, indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Arizona's budget.
| Eliminate | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| d) Health care | |||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Eliminate | g) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Eliminate | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Eliminate | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Arizona's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | |||
| Yes | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
| f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| The limited choices for response to each of these questions really skews the 'test's credibility, because there are significant 'other' factors to be considered. For instance, my plan for government schools (K-12) is to shift to a much lesser expensive 'distance-learning' model that cuts taxpayer costs significantly, while promoting MORE actual learning. My goal is to graduate competent young men and women who are capable of going out into the World and making their own way without ever burdening anyone else (taxpayers). Healthcare; the same thing getting government out of it will lessen actual costs by 60-80%. That makes sense! | |||
| At the root of all evil in government lay the direct taxes on personal incomes and property. I mean to completely eliminate them because it's just theft, by a majority--backed up with violence. theft is till theft; even by government, even if they come with a gun, and even if they say, "It's for the children"--which it never is. We can't allow our government to steal, and then not expect every Citizen to follow suit. I've proposed a single retail sales tax (capped at 9.9%) combined with a flat 4% corporate tax on gross receipts for State revenues. | |||
| these are really stupid choices when I propose dipping into the political retirement funds (they're the ones who led us into this deepening economic Depression), privatizing a lot of what is now very inefficiently handled by the administrative bureaucracy, re-claiming Arizona lands grabbed by the Federal government, fees for services rendered (Like my World-class raised [60' in the air], high-speed, solar-powered, 6-track mono-rail system running up the medians of I-10 and I-17 top-to-bottom of Arizona) and 5 new revenues streams, including a 5% non-citizen workers fee for access to our markets, and to pay for border security. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| While we can't control people's freedom of expression (through their contributions) we can control any corporation or any other entity that is created by the State, I do think that all such entities be banned from participating in campaigns at the risk of a 7X fine (split by all other candidates in a given race) or annulment of their charter. I'll be introducing an initiative that will put all the candidates' websites in one place (on the Internet) where they can upload videos and make press releases without regard to money at all, so all voices can be heard. | |||
| a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Again, the limitations of the options for answers (just y or n) mislead the readers. While I do support the notion that there are crimes that demand that the perpetrator should not be let go, and should not be a burden on taxpayers--I do not trust my government, or the Courts to 1) Have any such authority (to take a human life), and 2) to get the right guy. 1/3 of those on death row, and already executed have later been found to be NOT guilty. What if that was 'you'? The Fed should pay for Fed laws imposed. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| No | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| No | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| These aren't 'economic issues'--these are just special interests. I support 'real' job creation; which can never be done by government. Instead, I will use Los Angeles as an example, just last week they REPEALED 1 law that prohibited private vending--and over 1,000 new businesses sprang up in three days. That's how government can create jobs--by getting out of the way of start ups, innovators, and entrepreneurs. I look forward to the goal of eliminating 1/2 of the laws currently on the books that limit businesses by awarding monopolies to campaign contributors. I know that the free market ALWAYS settles itself. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Arizona high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| When I was young, we used to say, "My school's better than yours", and we could prove it; academically, scholastically, or athletically. With Common Core, all they can say is, "My school is...just like yours." If you want to destroy a nation--destroy first the imagination and innovation of the young. That's exactly what CC is all about. I support competition, and innovation--those things that made us #1 in the World. My focus will always be on the progress of the individual student, that's why I've proposed distance learning and competency tests--showing what a student can do--not what they've done. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Arizona's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | |||
| I believe getting the government out of the markets so they can grow is the best course of action, by eliminating financial enticements, the market will force a substantial decrease in pricing for alternative energies, making it possible for homeowners to over-produce their own energy needs and sell the over production back to the grid, so homeowners can enjoy a passive income to help thwart future Depressions and Recessions. I also support a "no pollution--beyond one's property lines" rule, which will encourage developing new filtration technologies. and open up more employment opportunities.I support private investment in some infra-structure projects. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I believe the 2nd Amendment was purposely-placed, as back up, in case the 1st Amendment didn't get the job done. Have we forgotten the whole point of insuring the right to bears arms--to defend against over-reaches of government? Have we forgotten that the absolute, uninfringe-able right to self-defense is well beyond the legitimate reach of government, and cannot be infringed--at all? Have we forgotten that the sole reason for instituting government at all was to protect the inherent, natural rights of each individual, and their property? I haven't, and I won't, especially in light of the overt militarization of police. | |||
| a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| No | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| Here again, the questions are leading and don't lend themselves to my actual answers. I don't support people being dependent on government to supply their healthcare, or insurance--that's absurd considering that if we get government completely out of people's healthcare, and insurance needs, costs of all aspects would drop by an estimated 60-80%, so people can afford health care out of their hip pockets, and make insurance something reserved for catastrophic events, or a luxury. I support a revitalization of the county hospital system for indigent emergencies staffed by new doctors who work for 5 years in exchange for loan-forgiveness. | |||
| a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | |||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Arizona's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Arizona's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support repealing SB 1070? | ||
| I think that the moment we allow government to see any of us as anything other than an (equal) individual, is the moment we all lose some of our individual rights. We need to get government completely out of the equation--like it was up until 1903 when the 1st marriage license scheme came into being to stop black people from marrying white people. No thanks, I don't want any hand in it. We need to simply allow individuals to designate who they want on their insurance, who can visit in the hospital, and who inherits their estates. | |||
| My 1st priority will be to eliminate the personal income and real estate taxes, putting those funds into the active economy, which will increase transactions and force business expansions--meaning new employment opportunities. Along with my proposed 4% (flat) tax on the gross receipts of all corporations to provide regulatory, tax and political stability, Arizona will become a magnet for new and re-locating companies, and what we need most of all are jobs to bring us out of this Depression, because there's no such thing as a 'jobless recovery'. 2nd, will be in re-thinking our education system to make it better. |
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