Donald Reed's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Montana State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within 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? | ||
| Yes | 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 sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| No | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| In those instances where it is discovered that a fetus would become a severely or profoundly disabled individual if allowed to be born, abortion should be left as a legal option to the mother-even if such is beyond the first trimester. Comprehensive, thorough and factual education as well as a focus on the development of mature and responsible attitudes should be provided to both boys and girls as they grow into adulthood. If abortion was to become illegal, only the daughters of well-to-do parents would be able to have access to safe procedures. | |||
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 Montana's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Business equipment taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Oil and natural gas production taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | k) Other or expanded categories | ||
| Yes | a) Establishing a "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | 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 | ||
| No | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| Education- Montana continues to fall behind in its commitment to provide the quality education that our young people deserve and will require for future success. The state must support public education to a much higher degree. Efforts should be made to assure that our entire education system (preschool - post-graduate) is as effective and efficient as possible. Perhaps, reorganization of the many seperate school districts, units of the university system and different community colleges should be seriously considered. Welfare- the system should be there for the most needy and focus on enabling people to be as self-sufficient as possible. | |||
| Sales tax-a tax that would be structured to off-set the income and/or property taxes of Montanans while taxing the spending of out-of-state visitors makes sense. Food, medicine and other essentials could be exempted where other non-essential things could be taxed. Tax breaks in the past have been of the most benefit to the most wealthy-a trend that should be reversed. Responsible development of energy resources should be encouraged and taxed. We have an abundance of coal, wind, biofuels and petroleum that could be used to expand our tax base without excessive degradation to the environment. | |||
| Privatization ultimately tends to lead to greater expense to tax payers than prudent administration of certain programs and services by government agencies. The bottom line for private contractors and providers is financial profit but the bottom line for state government is (or should be) the provision of necessary services. The basic concept of appropriate government functioning is to determine what it needs to effectively and efficiently provide, then, to provide adequate funding to meet those needs. Quality education, for example, should not be compromised for lack of money but, rather, money should be found to pay for what is needed. | |||
c) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Montana governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Montana state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Campaign financing that is not completely transparent leads to corrupting influences. Thorough identification of all contributors is essential and helps to eliminate lying, deception and misrepresentation. A candidate is more apt to become beholden to special interests with our present system where candidates must ask for money from donors. It is sometimes a challenge for honest people to be successful. In regard to term limits-there must be a balance achieved between the need for fresh ideas and new blood and experienced veterans. I'm not sure the present term limits are ideal but there is a need for them. | |||
| 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) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| 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? | ||
| The treatment of minors, either in regard to crimes or sending sexually explicit photos, should be considered in light of specific circumstances and the severity of the situation. Some 17 yr olds with extensive histories of illegal behavior are capable of cold-blooded and pre-meditated murder. Others whose actions are isolated and the result of unusual conditions may not have a thorough understanding of what they are doing. The legal system should be allowed a certain degree of flexibility to insure the most appropriate course of action. | |||
| a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| When the private sector (such as nationally with Wall Street Banks recently or with the Montana Power Co. a few years ago) is allowed to proceed without adequate government regulations, corporate greed leads to dire consequnces for the population as a whole. However, when unnecessary impediments choke back the productivity of small, local businesses, there may be too much regulation. Different situations require different amounts and kinds of regulations. The medical marijuana industry provides an interesting case to consider-is there too much or too little government regulation? What are all the ramifications? | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| No | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Montana high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| a) Standards are needed but so is flexibility and attention to local circumstances. Adequate funding to reasonably meet those standards is absolutely necessary. b) I'd hate to see education focused on taking a test rather than on helping students to achieve their highest potential. c) Good teachers should be recognized for doing a good job- mediocre and poor teachers should be given the opportunity and encouragement to become good ones. d)Why can't all schools become charter schools? f) Helping immigrants become legal and accepted leads to their becoming productive and worthwhile to society as a whole. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | 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 providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Montana's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state management of wolf hunting in Montana? | ||
| No | f) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| a-d)Montana can become a leader in providing energy to the rest of our country in the future. If energy resources are developed responsibly without excessive environmental degradation and for the benefit of the people of Montana (not just out-of-state corporations) state support would be good. e)If wolf populations are managed at reasonable levels and not exterminated, state management would be good. f)Perhaps there are a few areas of Montana where loss of open space is an issue but, open space is something we have an extraordinary abundance of. Access to open spaces, however, is becoming an issue in some places. | |||
| a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | |||
| Firearms are an essential tool for many Montanans (ranchers and hunters, for example)and are a perfectly appropriate implement for recreation and sport for many if used responsibly. However, there are those people who should not have guns (young children, criminals and mental incompetents). Where do we draw the line as to who can and who shouldn't have a gun? d)Guns are made for killing and are, thus, dangerous. Those who have them need to know how to use them safely. Perhaps, successful completion of the NRA hunter safety course should be considered as a requirement for gun possession. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support continuing to allow physician-assisted suicide in Montana? | ||
| g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | |||
| To me, adequate and appropriate health care is a fundamental right for everyone- not just for those who have a great deal of money. Health insurance is merely a means of paying for health care and shouldn't be the primary focus of our efforts to help keep everyone in good health. Direct provision of health care services (such as through community health centers, for example) is a much more cost-effective means of providing them. Prevention and maintaining healthy life styles is very important. Marijuana for medicinal purposes is appropriate in a limited number of situations and, therefore, should be allowed. | |||
| a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | |||
| Yes | b) Should Montana allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| a-b)The choice of a partner for a close, loving and committed relationship is very personal and the sole perogative of the individuals involved. It is not the responsibility of government to interfere in this at all. e)Affirmative action is an attempt to force fairness based on pre-determined criterion. Wouldn't it be good if people did not have biases based on race and a person's attributes were the criterion for decisions? How do you make the world fair, accepting and respectful? I wish I knew but, until this is done, affirmative action is as good as we can get. | |||
| 1) Local government should be responsive to the citizens of a local community. Recognition of the needs of the people in Lockwood and respect for ability of Lockwood residents to make decisions regarding Lockwood is a high priority of mine. 2) We are approaching a real crisis in Montana's educational system. Old buildings, crowded classrooms, out-dated texts, inadequate materials and programs having to be abandoned for lack of financial support are becoming more and more common. 3) The provision of adequate and appropriate medical and dental services for all Montanans is lacking. |
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