Dave Leach's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Iowa State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| The conditions of Roe's "collapse" clause have already been precisely met by the federal Conner and Laci's Law 6 years ago, so that lawmakers ALREADY have legal authority to criminalize abortion again. For details see www.Saltshaker.US/SLIC. | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate 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 TaxesIndicate 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 StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Iowa's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Hotel taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| k) Other or expanded categories | |||
| No | a) Tapping into Iowa's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| I would replace programs that indisputably don't work with programs that do: for example, faith based prison programs like the one at Newton have an 8% recidivism rate after 3 years (after 3 years, only 8% of graduates are back in jail) compared with 68% who do not go through the program. Likewise faith based alcohol treatment programs like Teen Challenge have 70% still off drugs after 5 years, compared with only 20% still off after 1 year after state programs. It is stupid to cancel programs that work, help the economy, and cut crime, just because they mention Jesus. | |||
c) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| No | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Iowa governors? | ||
| No | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Iowa state legislators? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | f) Do you support a comprehensive ban on cell phone use while driving? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Local police have no more business enforcing federal laws, than U.S. Navy troops have stopping motorists for traffic tickets, or school bus drivers have prosecuting federal tax evaders. It is confusion. People who have lost their drivers' licenses need some kind of parole board like criminals have, empowered to return licenses upon evidence of greater stability. Not being able to drive for several years, with no procedure for relief regardless of circumstances, is oppressive and unreasonable. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | 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 increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support continuing funding for I-JOBS? | ||
| No | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Government cannot train people for jobs as well as employers. Although I feel for the unemployed, every additional dollar pulled out of taxpayer's pockets to add to unemployment benefits is a dollar not available to create new jobs through creating wealth. Infrastructure is one of the few legitimate functions of government. But your question implies spending beyond need, just to "make work". Ask yourself how long you could help out a relative facing foreclosure. For the same reasons, the state just doesn't have the money, or the legitimate jurisdiction, to create such an entitlement. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Iowa high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| a-b standards and exams should be decided by local school boards. c. The problem with previous merit pay systems is that it was misused for such outrages as ski trips to Colorado, and had little correlation to their advertised purpose: to reward teachers whose students excel in traditional academic subjects. Although that purpose is good, I will not support a program which is sloppy about ensuring that purpose. e State universities already help college students, with low tuition. f It would be enough to allow non-citizens to attend public universities at out-of-state tuition rates. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Iowa's energy infrastructure? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| Asking taxpayers to subsidize utilities is like requiring laptop users to send birthday presents to Bill Gates. Utilities make enough money to develop any resources they want! If a fuel source doesn't look viable enough to them to invest in, I can't see how it would be viable enough for taxpayers to invest in. I remember the huge solar collectors built south of the state capitol 25 years ago, which never did work, and were finally dismantled after a few embarrassing years of sitting there. Global warming is a hoax. Intelligent Americans should be ashamed of themselves for buying it. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| Gun registration has always preceded gun confiscation, then tyranny, in Europe. Japan would have invaded California but for their knowledge that individual Americans are armed, and not just our troops. 2nd Amendment gun ownership, of weapons not on any government list, is the one bottom line guarantee that our government cannot become more tyrannical than We The People will consent. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| No | d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Iowa? | ||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| b and c, I didn't answer because the question is unclear to me. e, I would reform malpractice suits by eliminating damages for "pain and suffering" and "punitive", and instead allow a percentage over actual damages, and simplify the lawsuit process so less attorney time is necessary. g if I saw really compelling evidence that in some cases "grass" really serves a medical purpose, I would support it. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| No | b) Should Iowa continue to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Iowa's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Iowa's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| c and d, taxpayer funding of medical research is as ridiculous as taxpayer funding of corporate lawyers. e I hate racial discrimination. 3 books of the Bible even have interracial marriage for their central theme - Song of Solomon, Ruth, and Esther - and the book of Zedekiah was written by a black man according to verse 1. But I would like to open up discussion about a friendlier approach to softening hearts. | |||
| I would challenge the legislature to exercise its legal authority to criminalize abortion (see www.Saltshaker.US/SLIC), reform child abuse law to steer bureaucrats away from parents who only love their children so they will have more interest in parents who endanger their children, (see www.Saltshaker.US, click on "child abuse"), and restore divorce law to its original purpose, and which the text of the law still states: so that it is not automatically granted if only one spouse wants it, without evidence that the "legitimate objects of matrimony", the children, the finances, etc. really would be better off with the divorce! |
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