Vermont State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test

Abortion and Reproductive

1. Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life?
- Pro-choice

2. Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No

3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

7. Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
- Yes

8. Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, and Tax

1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Maintain Status

5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Status

6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Maintain Status

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- Vermont is facing a 100 million dollar revenue short fall. I would support use of the rainy day funds to protect vital programs from further cuts.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

3. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Increase

5. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease

6. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Maintain Status

8. Income taxes (middle-income families)
- Maintain Status

9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Slightly Increase

10. Other or expanded categories
- Vermont reduced the income tax levels for all levels two years ago. I would prefer not to raise taxes during an economic downturn, but would do so if it were the only way to protect vital state services. I would also support expanding the sales tax to cover plastic shopping bags, soda, candy, bottled water etc.

1. Tapping into Vermont's "rainy day" fund
- Yes

2. Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders
- Yes

3. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No Answer

4. Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees
- No

5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

6. Privatizing certain government services
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- The legislature does not set tuition rates. I principle I do not support privatization of state services. However, it might make sense in a few limit situations.

Campaign Finance and Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- Yes

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes

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

1. Other or expanded principles
- The way we vote is fundamental to democracy. I would support a constitutional amendment for IRV. In an issue so fundamental to our system of government, I believe that every citizen has a right to be heard.

Crime and Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No

2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes

3. Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized?
- Yes

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

5. Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
- No Answer

6. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Vermont has worked to keep minors who send pictures of themselves to "significant others" from being treated as a sex crime. However, I do think there should be some consequence for this potentially dangerous activity. Minors who take or send pictures of others without there consent should be subject to criminal charges.

Economic

1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- No Answer

2. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes

3. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

4. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

5. Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

6. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- The first question is too broad. I would not support wholesale reduction in enviromental of safety regulation. However, I might support the removal of some ineffective or unneccassry rules. It would have to be situation specific. I'm a Realtor. I would love to provide direct state aid for people facing forclosure. Realistically, the state doesn't have the money to do that. We do offer a program to help people negotiate with banks to find an appropriate payment schedule.

Education

1. Do you support national education standards?
- No Answer

2. Do you support consolidating Vermont's school districts?
- No Answer

3. Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams?
- No Answer

4. Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers?
- No Answer

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No Answer

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Vermont high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I support some form of national standards. However, if you specifically mean No Child Left Behind the answer is no. Vermont does need to consolidate it's school system. I think this can best be accomplished by local school boards working cooreratively with the state.I don't know enough about the issues surrounding exit exams to say.At a time of declining enrollments, I am concerned that chartering more schools would cripple our public school system. Charter schools should be considered only as part of an over all plan

Environment and Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
- Yes

2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- No Answer

3. Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops?
- No

4. Do you support state funding for improvements to Vermont's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

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

6. Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- To the best of my knowledge VT doesn't have any oil or gas resources to develop

Gun

1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No

2. Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No

3. Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

4. Do you support requiring a license for gun possession?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Vermonts gun owners continue to act responsibly. As long as there is no problem, I do not support any increase in gun restrictions.

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- No

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- No

4. Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance?
- No Answer

5. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No

6. Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Vermont?
- No

7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- Vermont is in the process of developing a system of universal access to health care. It may require some form of universal pay-in

Social

1. Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
- No

2. Should Vermont continue to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples?
- Yes

3. Do you support state funding for stem cell research?
- No Answer

4. Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research?
- No Answer

5. Do you support the state's use of affirmative action?
- Yes

6. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Vermont's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

7. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Vermont's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- Vermont has already voted on most of these issues. To the best of my knowledge, the state does not fund medical research. At this time we don't have the money to do so.

Legislative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- My first priority will be to enact a system of universal access to health care. If it requires additional funds, I would consider an increase to the income tax, expansion of the sales tax, a payroll tax or a combination.My second priority would be to protect vital state services from further cuts.My final priority would be to ensure the smooth running of the Senate as it faces the loss of 4 key Senators, the Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of the Senate