South Carolina State Legislative Election 2002 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

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

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legally available.
- X

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- X

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

6. Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budgetary, Spending and Tax

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories.

1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase Funding

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase Funding

3. Environment
- Slightly Increase Funding

4. Health care
- Greatly Increase Funding

5. Law enforcement
- Greatly Increase Funding

6. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Maintain Funding Status

7. Welfare
- Slightly Increase Funding

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Decrease

4. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

5. Estate taxes
- Slightly Decrease

6. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Decrease

7. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

8. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Maintain Status

9. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease

10. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

11. Vehicle taxes
- Eliminate

12. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

13. Do you support increasing the cigarette tax to assist Medicaid programs?
- Undecided

14. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- No

15. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

1. Do you support the current limit of two, four-year terms for South Carolina governors?
- Yes

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for South Carolina state senators and representatives?
- Undecided

3. Do you support shortening the legislative session in South Carolina?
- No

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?

1. Individual
- No

2. PAC
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Parties
- No

5. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

6. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns that limit spending?
- No

7. Do you support voting on-line?
- Undecided

8. Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes?
- Yes

9. Do you support prohibiting media exit polling of voters until all polling locations in South Carolina are closed?
- Undecided

10. Should South Carolina recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No

11. Should South Carolina restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
- Yes

12. Should South Carolina allow bars and restaurants to free-pour liquor rather than use minibottles?
- Yes

13. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer

2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- No Answer

3. Support the use of the death penalty in South Carolina.
- X

4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

5. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X

6. Require all felons serve at least 85 percent of their sentences.
- X

7. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

8. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

9. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- No Answer

10. Lower the .10 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
- X

11. Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
- No Answer

12. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
- X

13. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- X

14. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

15. Increase state funding for additional security of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
- X

16. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Educational

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

1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- X

2. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer

3. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X

4. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- X

5. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- X

6. Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- No Answer

7. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

8. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- X

9. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X

10. Increase state funding to expand Head Start programs.
- X

11. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- X

12. Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods.
- X

13. Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
- No Answer

14. Prioritize the use of education lottery revenues for K-12 education.
- X

15. Prioritize the use of education lottery revenues for higher education.
- X

16. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Employment and Affirmative Action

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning employment.

1. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- No Answer

3. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding or relocating businesses.
- X

4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X

5. Increase state funds to provide child care for children of low-income working families.
- X

6. Include sexual orientation in South Carolina's anti-discrimination laws.
- X

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:

1. College and university admissions
- Undecided

2. Public employment
- Undecided

3. State contracting
- Undecided

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environmental and Energy

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

1. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X

2. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused or abandoned.
- X

3. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes

4. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- Undecided

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.

1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- X

2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

3. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- X

6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X

7. Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
- X

8. Require a license for gun possession.
- X

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

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

1. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms or state-funded care where necessary.
- X

2. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer

3. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer

4. Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
- X

5. Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied by their HMO.
- X

6. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

7. Legalize physician-assisted suicide in South Carolina.
- No Answer

8. Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
- X

9. Use South Carolina's portion of the national tobacco settlement only for anti-smoking and health programs.
- X

10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Welfare and Poverty

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

1. Support current time limits on welfare benefits.
- X

2. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X

3. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- X

4. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- X

5. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X

6. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

7. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

8. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- X

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

In a total of seventy-five (75) words or less, please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- Education- I will work hard to create opportunities for all to enjoy the benefits of a good, quality education.- I am adamantly opposed to the voucher system, where money is taken from public schools and given to privately funded schools.- I will work hard to create a more working partnership between families, communities, business, and schools.Health Care- I will work hard to ensure that seniors and people on fixed incomes won't have to choose between medicine and food for their family.- I will work hard to ensure that Health Care is accessible and affordable to everyone.Economic Development- I will actively recruit new industry that will create new jobs.- I will support stricter enforcement of equality and fair labor practices.- I will suppport small business owners who have a vested interest and attract more small businesses to the community.- I will support better paying jobs that will keep our younger people in the area.