Amy Wilde's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Amy Wilde has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Minnesota State Legislative Election 2016 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? | ||
| 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 the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Being pro-life also means offering support to women facing difficult pregnancies so that they can choose life without falling into poverty and poor health. It means supporting education, housing and health care & less costly & cumbersome adoption for children, if needed, especially those born with disabilities. It also means access to affordable contraception and health care for mothers, before & after birth. Although I would like to end abortion, I realize that outlawing it will not end it. Those who would make abortion illegal without providing supports for women & children are not pro-life, just pro-birth. | |||
1) State Spending: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: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.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| Most "welfare" and health care goes to elderly and disabled people, and as the population ages, there will be greater demand, so even maintaining status would increase the cost. | |||
| Corporate taxes need reform, to eliminate loopholes and to make them fairer, but overall the revenue generated should remain the same if we desire to keep pace with inflation on state expenditures. Gas, oil or battery taxes (for electric cars) or tab fees could be raised slightly (perhaps a penny per gallon per year) and remain dedicated to roads & bridges, to keep pace with inflation. Sales taxes could be expanded slightly, but I don't support raising them, except for specific local capital projects. High earners received breaks during Bush administration; some of their deductions could be eliminated. | |||
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? | ||
| Showing identification is currently part of registering to vote, but newcomers and elderly and disabled people may lack current government-issued ID. Other types of ID should be acceptable, unless the U.S. government decides to issue official ID at birth that is frequently renewed, as is done in other nations. There is a big problem in the U.S. with PACs and business or occupational interests attempting and sometimes succeeding in "buying" candidates for public office. | |||
| 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 legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring all on-duty law enforcement officials to wear functioning body cameras while in the field? | ||
| These questions are too broad to be answered with "yes" or "no." For example, there may be occasions when a 17-year-old could be tried as an adult, but not a 14-year-old. Also, state and local police should not ignore immigration laws, but they should not be the primary enforcers. Too many non-violent offenders are currently in jail for minor offenses (including immigration) and that is not only expensive, it damages peoples' records so they cannot get hired for many jobs. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | i) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Yes | j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them? | ||
| These questions are too broad for simple answers. My "Yes" answers should also read, "only under certain circumstances." The "no" answer on drug testing reflects the fact that most "welfare" recipients are elderly or disabled and, since drug tests cost about $40 each to administer, that is a HUGE extra cost on the system that results in less than one percent noncompliance in states that have instituted this procedure. Any savings in benefits is dwarfed by the cost to administer. It is a popular "red herring" question and I am disappointed that you included it. | |||
| 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) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Minnesota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Producing effective teachers is a nuanced issue that should not rely on student test results because not all students have the same abilities. Merit pay and seniority are only part of what is needed to evaluate staff. Having common academic standards is desirable, but some variance for local situations may be needed. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | 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 state funding for improvements to Minnesota's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| The "yes" answers would be subject to certain conditions being met. In general, I think the fossil fuel industry needs to be weaned off state subsidies, unless it involves infrastructure needs, such as strengthening the walls of pipelines, rail safety, etc. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Difficult to answer with a simple "yes" or "no." I support some controls because too many people are carrying weapons and that makes our community less safe, so my "yes" on that is on condition that permits to carry ONLY be issued to citizens who pass background checks, aren't on a govt "watch list" or have restraining orders on them and have completed firearms training. The current gun show and Internet sales loopholes need to be closed. Licensed firearm dealers need to comply; so should auctioneers, web sites and gun sale organizers. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| On the "public option," it would depend on how it would be administered. Should probably start out as pilot projects in states that need it because there are not many insurers and premiums are too high. I would support interstate insurance compacts only where it makes sense, among states with similar insurance laws and common markets. Some states are lax regulators; companies should not be able to compete with companies that need to meet higher standards in other states. | |||
| No | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I question if same-sex unions are actually "marriage," but if others wish to make their relationships legal and call it "marriage," I would not interfere. Ministers & churches should be able to choose terms under which they conduct marriage ceremonies, as they do now when it comes to divorce. This falls under "freedom of religion" and "freedom of association." But businesses and public institutions should not be allowed to discriminate. "Bathroom laws" are a solution looking for a problem. Solicitation & abuse are already illegal, wherever they occur. Has not been a problem to date with transexuals. | |||
| Sustainable funding is needed for transportation, health care and education. For transportation, expansion of the dedicated user fees is overdue as they have not kept pace with inflation. In health care, a public option and negotiations for drugs and medical equipment should be allowed under government-subsidized programs (Medicaid, Medicare, Obamacare.) Executive and consultant salaries should be restricted for "non-profit" health insurers and, if no public option comes to pass, transparency needs to improve in claims costs versus overhead to keep a powerful institution from cornering the market. Mergers could be denied as needed. |
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