John Balcom's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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John Balcom has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2020 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.
New Hampshire 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? | ||
| I support Roe v. Wade as a woman's constitutional right to an abortion but would encourage women to be counseled and consider offering their baby up for adoption to the thousands of couples who would love the opportunity to give the baby a loving home and a chance at life. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New Hampshire's budget.
| No | a) Do you support the creation of a state income tax in New Hampshire? | ||
| No | b) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| Yes | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| No | d) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
| I support creating jobs and a pro-business environment for starting and expanding a small business. We have clearly demonstrated in the last two terms that this formula provides adequate revenue to support education, healthcare, mental health and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Democrats have been dishonest with voters and chose for too many years to balance the State Budget on the backs of business. Consequently, we were in a downward resource spiral which put us 6th out of 6 NE states. We are now back to 3rd but must continue on the present path set by the Republican legislature and Governor. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support imposing penalties on state legislators who fail to attend legislative sessions? | ||
| My position is to follow the legal laws as determined by the NH Courts. My personal attendance record for committee and session dates exceeded 98% (during my last term 2015-2016) but some legislators have personal issues beyond their control and fail to attend sessions. I do not believe imposing fines or other penalties would be helpful. Let the voters hold each legislator accountable to them. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I support the legalization of marijuana with certain restrictions. Sales would be regulated as are alcohol and cigarettes. Driving under the influence laws should apply to marijuana. I have attended seminars on the Opioid Crisis where it was pointed out that all Opioid addicts had used Marijuana as a gateway drug. I have never smoked marijuana nor would ever be fool enough to do so; however, like cigarettes I understand the attraction. My local police chief's counsel/opinion would have a significant impact on any vote that I made on specific legislation. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of New Hampshire? | ||
| Increasing the minimum wage hurts everyone in the long term. Democrats in some states make a big deal of increasing the mw to $15, however they delay this until 2021 (CA). By that time, creating a strong economy, will propel those currently on mw to advance beyond those artificial limits. Minimum wage creates opportunities for teens, newbees to the work force to find an entry level job. It allows new business to expand and hire new people. As the economy gets stronger, the demand for labor raises wages for all to preclude the need to set a minimum wage. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New Hampshire? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New Hampshire high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I believe NH DOE should set standards above any federal requirements. We live in a strong educational region with a demand for highly skilled workers. We must meet this demand and provide further financial support for our citizens seeking higher educational degrees. As a past member of the New England board of Higher Education (NEBHE), I am well versed on what our educational standards and needs should be. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| We have a looming energy crisis in NH and must develop all sources of energy to provide our future needs. This includes renewable energy sources. We must also hold polluters responsible for any contamination of our air and water economically accountable. However, if a community has no recourse, we need to help our citizens access clean water as policy. We must also set our standards according to the latest scientific studies as Federal Standards have been unresponsive or lagging behind what is known about specific contaminants such as PFOAs. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Second Amendment rights are protected in the US Constitution. I support current law. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through New Hampshire's health care programs? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Many of our returning veterans require Medicaid coverage through federally integrated clinics and health centers. This is the only way those health care centers like Harbor Homes can get reimbursed to help the next veteran or destitute family walking through their front door. I sit on the Clinic Oversight Committee at Harbor Homes and know first hand where our Medicaid dollars go. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by New Hampshire state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| I admit that I am not fully versed about the requirements of "Gender Identity" laws. Common sense seems to dictate much in this area. I am also a huge advocate of closing any pay gap or opportunity gaps between men and women in NH. If someone identifies some inequality, report it. We have current laws in place to deal with this. | |||
| I was the Prime Sponsor and architect of the State's Dyslexia Law. This law saves districts hundreds in SPED funding as well as makes remedial action more timely. I will look for other legislation which advances educational issues with a student -centered bias. Education should set the standard in quality education. My second priority would be to continue the business and jobs growth we have seen in the last 4 years and look at ways to expand this effort. |
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