Joe Wagner's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Joe Wagner 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.
Maine State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| a) Abortion should be RARE, safe and legal. The number of adoptions should exceed the number of abortions. Presently, it is just the opposite, an appalling reality. The entire American society must re-evaluate the value it places on life. b) To ban abortions altogether would return us to the time when abortions for those of modest economic means were performed in secretive unsafe settings while the well-to-do could obtain such services discreetly and safely. h) No public funding should be used for abortion procedures but public funding for such woman's health services as mammograms should continue. | |||
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 Maine's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Maine's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| Yes | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| a) overhead and administrative costs must be reviewed b) States should take collective legal action to compel the Federal government to meet its obligation to fund mandated special education c) there should be a mandate on private health insurers to provide affordable basic health coverage [putting policyholders before stockholders] d) State reimbursements to counties must increase to reflect the actual daily costs of incarceration; this would alleviate the already heavy burden on property tax e) revenue from the State sales tax on e.commerce should be earmarked for roadway maintenance; the virtual Information Superhighway should subsidize our physical highways. | |||
| f) sales tax should be imposed on online sales i) "high-income" as defined as those with a gross income exceeding $250,000; the wealthy "job-creators" have enjoyed lower tax rates since 2001 - during that time they have created jobs - in the Peoples Republic of China | |||
| a) but only as a last resort c) collective bargaining rights are derived from the First Amendment's protections of freedom of speech and assembly e) only as absolutely necessary; citizens should expect the State to be open for business Monday through Friday during business hours f) MaineCare should provide basic health care coverage; its reputation for being the "Gold Card" must be addressed | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| 1) but until the Supreme Court's decision in Buckley is overturned, no such restriction would be deemed constitutional e) the goal of such efforts is disenfranchisement not fraud prevention | |||
| No | 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 requiring that bail decisions in domestic violence cases be made by a judge? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | f) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| a) as recent DNA-based exonerations demonstrate, the government must get EVERYTHING right on such prosecutions and that is an unattainable standard b) for non-violent first time offenders, only c) with the input from a victim's advocate d) "small" as defined as a single joint e) research indicates the decision-making of teens is biologically more impulsive than rational, therefore they should not be placed in the adult criminal system f) but the parents who supplied their minors with the technology to do so should face sanctions g) it is an open invitation for racial profiling | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| a) there should be inter-agency coordination of approval and reporting requirements; regulations should focus on public health and safety b) the businesses that displaced these workers should foot the bill for re-training c) current eligibility requirements are sufficient; increased enforcement of recipient compliance is necessary d) in the form of tax credits; evidence of long-term job creation must be provided before receipt of these credits f) in the form of mediation services; big lenders should be aggressively influenced to adjust mortgages so that more families are not unnecessarily displaced | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding open enrollment policies for students in Maine? | ||
| No | e) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| No | f) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Maine high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| a) but only as guidelines, not as binding mandates e) not ANY school [including private institutions]; public voucher programs already exist for those living in communities that do not have their own high school f) charter schools should be permitted only with State approval and they should be accredited and privately financed g) but only based on need and merit for those students who attend State institutions h) only if they were brought to the U.S. as children and if they reside in Maine | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding the wind turbine programs off the coast of Maine? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Maine's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| a) state funding in the form of tax credits to provide incentives to develop alternative energy [wind, wave, solar] b) emphatically YES; Maine needs a Hoover Dam-scale project d) only in the form of tax credits e) more land should be preserved/conserved using bonds f) only common sense regulations backed by science | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| a) increased restrictions should only be established to deter the acquisition of firearms by the mentally ill b) through a Federal-State created and maintained system c) provided they have a permit to do so; hopefully we are not devolving into a Wild West mentality enacting Stand Your Ground legislation as a cover for vigilantism d) but organizations such as the NRA have a vested interest in providing training in the gun safety | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| d) provided insurers are mandated to provide basic affordable coverage g) currently we have socialized medicine in that those with coverage are paying for the uncompensated care for others; the Affordable Care Act is derived from a market approach plan based on a proposal first offered by a conservative think tank [Heritage Foundation]; the model on which ACA is based, that of Massachusetts, has proven successful; I am apprehensive about the eventual Federal withdrawal of financial support for the expansion of Medicaid; a Medicare buy-in program for those over 50 should be explored | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Maine's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Maine's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| e) the concept of equality was identified as a noble goal in the Declaration; in the Gettysburg Address equality was identified as the basic proposition over which the terrible conflict of the Civil War was fought; the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment provided a constitutional commitment to equality; "Equal Justice Under Law" is the inscription over the US Supreme Court Building - as a people, we are bound to this principle | |||
| I would address the financial burden placed on municipalities. This would include reform of the distribution of the title transfer tax and the State adhering to its legal obligation to fund 55% of education costs. Sales tax should be applied to online sales with the revenue dedicated to roadway maintenance. I would propose a State constitutional amendment to create a 151 seat, 4 year term, two term limit unicameral legislature. Encourage off-shore alternative energy projects. Maine should partner with other States to compel the Federal government to fund its special education obligation. The Social Security income limit should be repealed. |
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