Terry Pearson's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Terry Pearson submitted the 2010 Political Courage Test after the official deadline and release of results to the media. The candidate's late responses are provided here as a public service.
Minnesota State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | |||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Abortion for the sake of convenience is not an option. It should not happen. When there is a judgment call between the life of the mother and the life of the baby, the physician should try to save both if possible. If it is not possible, we cannot blame the physician for the split second decision that was needed to be made. | |||
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 Minnesota's budget.
| Greatly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Other or expanded categories | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Minnesota's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| These are long term goals. None of these problems can be solved overnight. I kept education at the current level, but I would like the funding to shift to the children in the form of vouchers. Then we will be funding education for the sake of the child rather than for the sake of the state institutions. | |||
| My ideal solution would be to create a flat tax based on income or on sales that would replace all other state taxes. Government would show no preference for purchases, thereby reducing government influence on the needs and desires of the public sector. This would also eliminate favors and discrimination in the government tax code. This is a long term solution. In the short term, refusing tax increases in any area is the solution. | |||
| If we tap into the "rainy day" fund, we need to make sure that corresponding cuts are made in budgets so we can make up the difference in the next budget cycle. | |||
d) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| No | a) Do you support a state constitutional amendment mandating a retention election system for all judges? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Minnesota governors? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Minnesota state legislators? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | e) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| I would also support a requirement to show a photo ID when voting. Furthermore, I propose that all same day registration ballots are placed in an absentee ballot envelope and are not processed until the identity and eligibility of the voter can be verified. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | g) Should all funds raised from the sale of seized property be turned over to the state general fund? | ||
| While, I would encourage people not to participate in drug activities, I think that possession could be better addressed if a person uses the drug in a manner that is harmful to others. So, for example, if an individual were to drive while under the influence, they would face criminal charges for this act (which is probably what the law really wanted to prevent in the first place) instead of for just having small amounts on their person. Tie the law to the harm they do and not just the potential for harm. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support expanding gaming at race tracks? | ||
| No | c) Do you support public funding for construction of a new Vikings stadium? | ||
| No | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | g) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| I do not support a government expansion or endorsement of any gambling. However, I think this should be left up to private institutions if they wish to participate in gambling activities. As a rule, we should let the market direct economic activities. When government gets involved, problems are subsidized, expanded, and much worse when the crash comes. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternative pathways to teacher licensure? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Minnesota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| The best system would be one where the state money follows the students (vouchers or tax credits). The parents could then choose private, public, or charter for their children based on individual needs. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| 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 lifting the state moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants? | ||
| No | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for improvements to Minnesota's energy infrastructure? | ||
| No | f) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | g) Should mining companies be required to provide financial assurance to cover the estimated cost of environmental impact before starting operations? | ||
| No | h) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| Minnesota has banned nuclear and now has effectively banned new coal power plants. We need to start looking at it from a realist perspective. If we are to continue to keep energy prices affordable, we need cheap and reliable alternatives to wind and solar. Lifting the ban on nuclear would be beneficial and so would lifting the ban on coal. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| I support amending the Minnesota Constitution to include a right to bear arms expressly written in the document. I also support the passage of a Montana style law that says all guns manufactured in our state and sold to citizens of our state, only fall in the jurisdiction of the state and are not subject to the federal gun regulations under the interstate commerce clause. Finally, I support Minnesota adopting a castle doctrine law so we do not punish individuals for defending themselves and their families. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Minnesota? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I am not a doctor, so I cannot comment on the side effects or long term consequences of any prescription, but I would rather see a relaxation of federal and state laws so that patients can get prescriptions for any drug that they and their doctor feel is necessary to cure their problem. I also oppose banning prescriptions, such as Avastin, based on cost factors. Just because a drug is expensive does not mean it should be unavailable. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| b) Should Minnesota allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | |||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Marriage is a religious institution that should not be regulated by the government. The Bible clearly states that marriage is a union between God, and the man and women. It is dangerous for the state to mess with an institution that is religious in nature. I reject the premise that the government has the authority to change how religious institutions are to be defined. It would be better for the state to stay out of the issue all together rather than it change religious definitions to fit the whims of the current political winds. | |||
| Minnesota government influence has grown far beyond what is healthy for our state. We need to shrink the entire scope of government, returning decision making back to our families and to the hard working individuals that make up our state. When our state government backs off, you and I will have the freedom to make the choices that will allow us to succeed. If we do this, we can prepare Minnesota to be a flourishing, freedom embracing, job producing magnet throughout the next century. |
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