Michele Irwin's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Michele Irwin has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Wyoming 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| The options for above are yes/no but in reality there is middle ground. We need to have conversations about these complex issues, and seek other ways to achieve win-win solutions, like expanded education, birth control options, and wellness programs. | |||
1) 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.2) 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.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Sales taxes | ||
| No | e) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| Another area where options are limitied. We need to take a hard look at our overall budget and recognize we are in an economic down turn. Any ways that can be made to make cuts should be encouraged. Sometimes findig new ways of doing things is actually more cost effective. Now is not the time to really be making cuts to education, health care, or welfare programs. But investing in programs that benefit the health & well being of Wyomingites can also benefit from fresh perspectives. We really need to be talking to more than Department Heads. | |||
| I support the legalization and taxation of hemp and medical marijuana. I support increasing the tax on alcohol. There are other ways to generate revenue besides taxes, and that is to stimulate and diversify the economy. | |||
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? | ||
| I support increasing citizen engagement, and improving communication and transparency. I also support term limits. | |||
| 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) 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| We need to be drastically reducing the number of people we have in prison. The war on drugs has gone too far. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| I don't support drug testing anyone. Studies have also shown it is not cost effective. I would not be opposed to helping people prevent losing their homes, but to just hand over money across the board, when financial mismanagement may be part of the original problem, is not wise use of public funds. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| Yes | 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 Wyoming high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I do support setting a national standard we'd like to achieve, but not how the system changes in order to prove proficiency. The tenure process is one that needs more review. What other options are available for insentives? The charter school issue is not so simple. I support charter schools, but state funding ought to be minimal (though not necessarily non existent). | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | 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 Wyoming's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| The Clean Power Plan does not take into consideration Wyoming's clean coal, and puts an over emphasis on wind power projects, including in key sage grouse habitat. The targets have been raised to an unrealistic level. But overall I support efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses, and would encourage diversified uses for coal besides burning it for energy. Fracking is still pretty new. I would prefer to reduce regulations and replace them with some that make sense based on the best science we have. We want to make sure we protect water resources. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I attend a lot of gun shows. Most of the sales are done by the book. Having a concealed weapons permit makes the process easier, as I've already been okayed by the system. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Our health care system is a mess and we need to keep working to improve it. We require people to carry liability insurance for automobiles, if they drive. But they can always choose to not drive. Are we really taking freedom of choice away from people? I would prefer an incentive - even if it is simply informing folks why insurance is a good idea. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Wyoming's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Wyoming's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| We are the Equality State. | |||
| My priorities are to bring a different perspective to the process, especially as we face budget cuts and an economic down turn. I think we should set some standards for how to use the rainy day funds - my priorities would be to invest in infrastructure and people to help stimulate the economy. But we need to have a plan for those funds before we start taking them. Another focus will be on seeking ways Government can be more accessible to the public. We need increased citizen involvement to help generate the creative ideas we need to move forward. |
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