New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election 2016 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- Yes

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?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- Yes

8. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- Yes

9. Other or expanded principles
- Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is actually a political action office in Burlington, Vermont, that gives your tax money to the campaigns of Democrats and RINO's (Republicans In Name Only) only. When my two opponents voted to give $549,000 of your tax money to PPNNE, they were voting to send your tax money right back into their own campaigns. This is no different that billions of dollars in public sector "union dues" money--paid for by taxpayers--that it then run into the campaigns of Democrats and RINO's who rob the taxpayers incessantly.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

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

2. Decreasing funding for public universities
- Yes

3. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- Yes

4. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
- Yes

5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- UNH is one of the most powerful political lobbies in Concord. They've spent $17,000 on a pastel lit table, $62,000 reworking their logo, and $23 million a year on the chancellery. We need to institute work requirements and random drug testing for welfare recipients, and we need to offer a much more realistic welfare-to-work program with OJT. Most of what the State has been spending money on could be much better handled locally or privately through local charities, churches, towns, and human services agencies. Stop prosecuting non-violent drug offenders and collect $30-40 million in tax revenue from cannabis.

1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Decrease

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Slightly Decrease

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease

8. Other or expanded categories
- I would let the Obamacare/Medicaid subsidy for hospitals sunset. This is $424 million a year in subsidies for the hospital industry that lobbied for it. It provides almost no additional medical coverage or care. In fact, the lobbyists for the medical industry were always talking about "uncompensated care," the cost of which is already passed on to the insured. Insurance premia and out of pocket expenses have doubled under Obamacare, small hospitals have had to close, and tens of thousands of doctors have been forced into retirement.

1. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Small business taxes
- Greatly Decrease

4. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Property taxes
- Greatly Decrease

6. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Eliminate

7. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Eliminate

8. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Eliminate

9. Other or expanded principles
- I absolutely oppose any sales or income tax. We need to reduce the size, scope, and power of the state government and lower these property taxes. The Claremont decision has resulted in almost every town being turned into a "donor town," forcing everyone's property taxes much higher. The same school administrators association and teachers union officials who've stood to gain from the $14,000 per year per student then support Democrats and RINO's who vote to give them even more. Eliminate $39 million in business subsidies to reduce the Business Enterprise Tax on small businesses and independent contractors by 15%.

Campaign Finance & 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

7. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

8. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- Yes

1. Other or expanded principles
- Neither corporations nor unions should be allowed to contribute to political campaigns, nor mention candidate names in advertising 180 days before the general election. I support the Anti-Corruption Act and the repeal of Citizens United. Many districts are gerrymandered to keep one party in power indefinitely, and that is why we need third parties that are competitive in those local races. There has been widespread voter fraud all over the country. Despite overwhelming evidence, video, affidavits, and other records, the Democrat-appointed Attorney General refuses to investigate most of these cases.

Crime & 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. Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
- Yes

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- Yes

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

6. Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction?
- Yes

7. Do you support additional funding for programs intended to reduce drug addiction in New Hampshire?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- Nearly every country in western Europe has been moving their limited resources away from drug enforcement to treatment, prevention, and recovery support. Portugal decriminalized drugs, while Holland effectively tolerates them in order to gain more tax revenue. Spain, Italy, and Luxembourg also decriminalized most drugs. All have seen drug use, drug addiction, crime, new HIV and Hepatitis cases drop dramatically because they have more resources for prevention and other Harm Reduction strategies. Everyone needs to be actively involved in prevention. When I grew up, we had Just Say No, and everyone was reminding us of the importance of avoiding drugs.

Economic

1. Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

2. Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

3. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes

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

5. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No

6. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- Yes

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

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

9. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- Yes

10. Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them?
- Yes

11. Other or expanded principles
- All of the income growth and job growth is occurring in the 30 lowest taxed states. The 20 highest taxed states (most having Democrat majorities) have no net job growth nor income growth. Open up insurance markets to competition. I proposed a $9 an hour minimum wage to be paid for by allowing employers to keep a larger portion of the Meals & Rooms tax. Businesses would not have seen a net increase in their costs. I would not veto any Right to Work bill, which some manufacturers need before they would bring their equipment and jobs here.

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- No

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- Yes

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- No

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- Yes

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

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

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from New Hampshire high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- I support expanding the Education Tax Credit so that any parent or homeowner can send more of their property taxes to any public, private, charter school, or trade school. We need to get the State out of schooling. Local school boards are being heavily put upon by both state and school district bureaucracies. Repeal the state statute that mandates that school boards use School Administrative Units to make most of their decisions for them. Charter schools, private schools, and trade schools do not have SAU's, and they eat up more than $500 per year per student.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- No

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

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to New Hampshire's energy infrastructure?
- No

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

5. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No

6. Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Most professional economists prefer to simply tax pollution rather than use regulations and permits. The tax revenue would help buy down the property tax rate, and there would not be as great a need for such a large state bureaucracy. I voted to increase Net Metering from 50MWh to 100MWh, allowing more homeowners, schools, and businesses to install solar. I also support exempting these solar panels from property taxes, currently a local option allowed under RSA 72:62. Fracking must be prevented until it can be proven that no toxic chemicals will be spilled at the drill site.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

3. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- I spoke on the floor of the House as a state representative on the need for Constitutional Carry, which Vermont, Maine, and almost a dozen states now have. There is no reason why law abiding gun owners should have to fear felony level prosecution for putting on a jacket while awaiting their Pistol/Revolver License. There is currently no "gun show loophole." All gun purchases must go through a seller with a FFL. Cities, states, and countries that have enacted strict gun control or that have disarmed their people have seen violent crime rates escalate, sometimes 10-20 times higher.

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- No

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes

4. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

5. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No

6. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- Yes

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

8. Other or expanded principles
- Before government got into healthcare with all of these taxes, subsidies, regulations, red tape, procedural licensing, the FDA's 10-18 year long approval process, and state insurance mandates, medical insurance was affordable, and almost every employer offered it. I voted against SB481 because it allows hospitals to overcharge patients at a time when they're least able to afford it, and for HB 128, which would've opened up the health insurance market of competition. Even opponents admitted that it would save businesses and consumers about 5% on insurance. We also ended Certificate of Need, which prevented competition in certain medical procedures.

Social

1. Do you support same-sex marriage?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- Gender identity becomes too onerous for legislators to handle. That is just being realistic about the kind of politicians we have up in Concord. I support a ban on gay conversion therapy, and have offered to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle on fixing the problems that remain in last session's bill. The laws of the state must treat everyone equally and give everyone the same benefit of the doubt: black or white, young or old, rich or poor, gay or straight, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, or agnostic.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, 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.
- i. Return money, power, and decision making back down to the local level and back to the people.ii. Reduce property taxes.iii. Offer drug treatment and recovery support instead of prison.