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Scott Woods' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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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.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Scott Woods refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

What is the Political Courage Test?
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.

Wisconsin State Legislative Election 2004 National Political Awareness Test

The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

a) Abortions should always be illegal.
b) Abortions should always be legal.
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
X e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
f) Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
X g) Other or expanded principles
Legal 1st trimester & 2nd but "suggest" not 2nd trimester, only legal for health of mother in 3rd trimester - in third trimester separate 2 - child from mother - put child up for adoption. No abortion is an unfunded mandate. No unfunded mandates.

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.

Greatly Increase a) Education (Higher)
Greatly Increase b) Education (K-12)
Maintain Status c) Environment
Slightly Increase d) Health care
Slightly Decrease e) Law enforcement
Maintain Status f) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Maintain Status g) Welfare
Greatly Increase h) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Slightly Increase b) Capital gains taxes
Greatly Increase c) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Increase d) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status e) Estate taxes
Slightly Increase f) Gas taxes
Slightly Decrease g) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
Slightly Increase h) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
Slightly Decrease i) Property taxes
Maintain Status j) Sales taxes
Slightly Increase k) Vehicle taxes
Greatly Increase l) Other or expanded categories
Yes m) Should Internet sales be taxed?
No n) Do you support an increase in the sales tax if property taxes are reduced?
Undecided o) Do you support an increase in the sales tax if the additional revenue is used for education?
p) Do you support a taxpayers’ bill of rights, which would tie state and local government spending increases to growth in personal income?
X q) Other or expanded principles
Education is the solution to most of our problems - create CD/DVD univ. couses open to all Wisc. citizens thru. local libraries & Internet, for no or nominal fee.
k) inv. proportional to gas mileage & prop. to value. benefits should count as income. Part time workers should get proportional benefits. 100% income tax over $1 MILLION/yr.
taxes should be minimized although special users should pay for their use. Education expansion will lead to economic progress, perhaps long term.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?

Yes a) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Wisconsin governors?
Yes b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Wisconsin state senators and representatives?
No 1) Individual
No 2) PAC
No 3) Corporate
No 4) Political Parties
No d) Should Wisconsin prohibit campaign fund raising during consideration of the state budget bill?
Yes e) Should Wisconsin increase public financing for state elections?
Yes f) Should Wisconsin provide matching grants to candidates whose opponents exceed spending limits?
Yes g) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Yes h) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying, and ensuring accuracy of votes?
Yes i) Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Wisconsin are closed?
Yes j) Should Wisconsin require legislative approval of Indian gaming compacts negotiated by the governor?
Yes k) Should Wisconsin recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
No l) Should Wisconsin restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
c), d), e), & f): We should tax contributions to share with opponents, taking the effect of bias out of the contributions. k) & l): gov. & religion should stay separate. Gay marriage or union is a victimless crime.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
b) Implement the death penalty in Wisconsin.
X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X d) End parole for repeat violent offenders.
X e) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
X f) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
g) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
h) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
X i) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
X j) Increase funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent and to respond to terrorist attacks.
X k) Other or expanded principles
government should not legislate victimless crimes, such as seatbelts, helmets, simple drug use, or gay marriage. c) provide same services to ALL WI residents. No death penalty. Allow self defense in home w/o prosecution. Convict "bodies" of the crime, no innocent by reason of "..." - reason only affects punishment, not conviction.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

X a) Support national standards and testing of public school students.
X b) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school.
X c) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
X d) Raise the cap on the number of students who may enroll in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
X e) Increase state funds for the SAGE program, which promotes smaller class sizes.
f) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
g) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
X h) Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay.
i) Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools.
X j) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
k) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
X l) Eliminate the use of the qualified economic offer in bargaining talks between teachers and school administrators.
X m) Increase funding for Head Start programs.
X n) Provide startup grants to help school districts offer kindergarten programs to four-year olds.
X o) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
X p) Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
q) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
X r) Other or expanded principles
i) NOT led by teachers. "Endorse" deleted education of students and a love of learning should be the goal of education, not edifices & wealth for teachers. Teachers should be compensated fairly & if state funding there needs to be state oversight or agreement.

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity, or gender be taken into account in state agencies’ decisions on:

X a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today’s job market.
b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
X f) Increase the state minimum wage.
X g) Other or expanded principles
No a) Public employment
No b) State college and university admissions
No c) State contracting
b) if regulations are unnec. d), e), & f) but add that anyone willing to work will get work - thru. gov. jobs &/or the private sector, ccc type projects if nec. Req. education of welfare & public work recipients.
preference on race, ethnicity or gender should only be given if a proven bias, or proven statistical bias is shown & then only to those the bias is against.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

X a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, and oil).
X c) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
X d) Support funding for open space preservation.
X e) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
X f) Other or expanded principles
c) make the companies or individuals (including former ceo's & other corp. officers if comp. out of business) pay it back. CEO's & corp. officers need to be 'personaly' responsible for the business's misbehavior.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

a) Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
b) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
c) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
X d) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
X e) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
f) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
X g) Require a license for gun possession.
X h) Other or expanded principles
if having an automobile or fishing requires a license, so should owning a gun. Owning a gun is a victimless crime but requires responsibility. Increase penalties for harmful or irresponsible use or ownership.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

X a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
b) Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
c) Create a state income tax credit for high-deductible personal health savings accounts.
d) Limit the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X e) Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
X f) Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
g) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
X h) Legalize physician assisted suicide in Wisconsin.
X i) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
X j) Other or expanded principles
d) regulate damages (punitive) that can be awarded. Health Benefits should count as income which will help level its application. Provide fair catastrophic coverage as in S.S. - insur. for office visits simply doubles the cost. Require "at cost" office visits & treatment for children <19.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

X a) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
X b) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
X c) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
X d) Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
e) Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
f) Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor.
g) Support marriage promotion programs for welfare recipients.
h) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
X i) Other or expanded principles
a) give ANYONE a job who will work, including CCC type jobs if required. There is practically no one who can not do something useful. More education to a higher level will help solve this. Require education of anyone rcving welfare while not working. d) remove children from homes of welfare recipients who have more children while on welfare - but if gov. sponsored work (not welfare) then supply childcare.
Legislation should be based on what the people would do, if they knew all the facts and decided fairly. Thus, there should be no victimless crimes and government should support the maximum advancement of every person intellectually, socially, and in opportunity. Our (social) laws are arbitrary & are literally voluntary - to make them work, they must give benefit to everyone expected to obey them. Thus, we need to guarantee jobs & opportunity to all people.

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