Deb Havens' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Deb Havens has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Michigan State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No one likes to think about abortions, especially those after the first trimester. The circumstances that make abortion a necessary option for some is a burden that can only be settled through consultation of a woman and her doctor unencumbered by the government or religious sect intervention. The fact that legislatures are dominated by men who have never suffered the physical or emotional challenges of pregnancy, especially those resulting from rape or incest, much less the demands of child care afterwards, apparently eases the passage of restrictive laws. But childcare and family support continues inadequate to raise children properly. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Michigan's budget.2) 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.3) 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.
| No | a) Tapping into Michigan's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Increase | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Eliminate | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| l) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Most critical is the need for fair and reasonable tax rates for all that will fund a healthy infrastructure, decent schools, and safe communities, all necessary and attractive to new companies, new jobs, new families as well as appropriately service our current residents. Michigan?s personal income tax rate, a flat 4.35%, is already one of the lowest in the nation and certainly should go no lower. I do not favor an increase in sales tax. | |||
| Once again, the key to a serviceable economy is support from the ablest taxpayers and corporations. Michigan's efforts to attract business have relied on cutting taxes, which serve only to starve the networks that support meeting needs of the people. | |||
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? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Lowering of taxes to promote economic growth is a lovely concept, but there are still exemptions which allow people and/or companies to pay no taxes at all, or shelter taxes outside the country. If we are to eliminate exemptions, for example the mortgage exemption, we hurt people who reside in mid-range tax brackets. In my judgement, it is better to levy the higher tax and limit exemptions on those whose income or holdings exceed the million dollar mark. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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 Michigan high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| No | h) Should the state of Michigan continue to oversee the Detroit public school system? | ||
| I do not support national standards that are test based on multiple choice answers requiring memorization. Student performance should be assessed via projects that engage students over the school year that require direct teacher evaluation via observation and interaction with the student. Tenure process does not produce effective teachers - training and apprenticeship to teachers with classroom and subject matter mastery are required. Merit pay does not enhance that process either, but teachers should definitely receive salaries that recognize their importance to society, especially those who take on students in the toughest classrooms. I support tuition free universities. | |||
| 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 Michigan'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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support extending the mandate that 10% of Michigan's energy comes from renewable energy sources? | ||
| I support efforts to protect forests, reduce government subsidies for mineral/oil extraction, the creation of green jobs that will encourage a sustainable manufacturing culture, stiffer regulations on factory farms to reduce pollution and encourage humane animal treatment, as well as the encouragement of students to study forestry, agriculture, and biotechnology programs dedicated to wise practices and climate change controls on a global scale. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| No | 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")? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Michigan's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| My priorities for Michigan begin with restoring Michigan�s once fair tax system and our reputation for excellent schools, roads, and infrastructure as well as growing the middle class via sustainable clean jobs. quality education and daycare for our children, healthy and educated workers for business and services such as police and fire protection. The Center for Public Integrity has determined that Michigan has the worst government transparency and accountability laws and practices in the country. We need to turn that around. The Flint water debacle should be lesson to support licensing and regulation requirements to ensure safe communities. |
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