Ralph Denney's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Ralph Denney refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
California State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | |||
| b) Should abortion be legal only within 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| No | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| This is a perfect example of why I don't like yes/no questionnaires. Although I oppose government interfering in a woman's health issue, I also believe life is sacred and should not be aborted on a whim. As in most things, education is the key to ending unwanted pregnancies, and I see no reason not to allow a reasonable 'cooling off' period before an abortion. No other invasive procedure can be done 'on demand'. I do support the availability of the day after pill. I absolutely do believe a parent MUST know if their child is involved in risky behavior. | |||
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 California's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into California's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | d) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | e) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| Again, this is why I hate this type of questionnaire. I do not believe the answer to the problems facing our state is in throwing MORE money at its problems, but in spending money where it belongs - at the service level - instead of in an expanding bureaucracy which does nothing but justify its own paycheck. I want MORE money spent IN THE CLASSROOM and less on administrators. I will fight to hire MORE social workers and police/firefighters while cutting the bureaucracy that ties their hands. Government has grown rapidly while providing LESS services because of the expanding bureaucracy. | |||
| We already have the highest overall tax rates in the nation. Clearly California has a spending problem - not a revenue problem. For the first time in history, we have the third highest unemployment rate in the nation. This is because we are loosing jobs not overseas but to other states with lower taxes and friendlier business climates. We MUST get control of our state budget and state/local spending. We must encourage new job growth by encouraging economic growth. It's not rocket science... runaway spending and increasing taxes cost us jobs, a balanced budget and lower taxes create GOOD jobs. | |||
| First off... we don't have a rainy day fund in this state to 'tap'. State government has grown by an average of almost 50 employees PER DAY for the last decade, almost all of it in 'administration' which does nothing but siphon precious resources from the actual services our people need - some desperately. I do support alternative sentencing for TRUE non-violent criminals, but predatory and violent criminals must be dealt with harshly for the safety of society. We must reform the state pension system and reduce bureaucracy to free up resources for our young, our disabled, and our poor. | |||
e) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Should California hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the state constitution? | ||
| No | b) Do you support changing the requirement for state budget passage from a two-thirds vote to a majority vote? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for California governors? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support limits on the number of terms for California state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | f) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Our state constitution is currently 110 pages long and growing. Our state is rapidly becoming ungovernable. We need fundamental, basic changes to the way California works and the relationship between the government and its people. Although I do not support public (tax base) funding of campaigns, reasonable campaign limits MUST be enforced to reduce the ability of well funded special interests to control legislation and appointments. I would support mandatory limits on spending for all campaigns. We imposed the 2/3rd rule because of out-of-control state spending in the 70's. Why then should we consider dropping it now? | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I do believe in capital punishment, but not as currently applied. Too often ADA's seek the death penalty for political reasons, not because it's appropriate. Under Three Strikes, we're sending people to prison for life for stealing a small bottle of aspirin while sexual and violent predators are released in as little as three years. We must protect society by imprisoning predators, sometimes on the FIRST STRIKE, while we do more to rehabilitate those who truly can turn their lives around. Although 'sexting' is clearly wrong, we're also dealing with kids who sometimes do things impulsively. See my website. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support suspending the sale of bonds that would finance the California high-speed rail? | ||
| The high speed rail is a boondoggle we can ill-afford. We MUST find ways to encourage business to return to California. We can only do that by reducing and clarifying the multitude of conflicting and convoluted regulations which have become so complex as to be unenforceable. We must find innovative ways to encourage job growth, such as allowing certain items, (such as solar panels), manufactured IN CALIFORNIA to be sold free of sales tax. There are many such ways to bring good paying jobs back to California; we only need the political will and leadership to enact them. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from California high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| We certainly need better oversight of charter schools, however most charter schools teach our children better than public schools for half the money. Although local control is best for our schools, there is a place for both the Federal and state governments to mandate MINIMUM standards. I'm not a fan of merit pay for teachers, but we do need to find some way to encourage and reward superior effort. The most important lesson our schools must teach is CRITICAL THINKING, this cannot be done by 'teaching to the test'. None-the-less, we must have an objective means of measuring results. | |||
| Yes | 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 providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to California's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| We already have the toughest environmental laws in the world. We cannot now enact even tougher laws which will cost the state a minimum of 500,000 jobs during the worst economic crisis in 70 years. We must invest in California by developing cooperation and partnerships with commercial research and development companies and manufacturers. We can do this WITHOUT RAISING TAXES by cutting the waste and bloat of bureaucracy and simplifying regulations to be both enforceable and understandable. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| I support REASONABLE restrictions, such as not allowing private ownership of fully automatic assault weapons and grenade launchers. I also support REASONABLE training requirements, which can only be enforced with licensing regulations. This must also be extended to gun shows which too often are used by criminals and mentally unbalanced individuals to circumvent the law. I also support REASONABLE safety requirements such as simple trigger locks in households where young children are present. The key word here is REASONABLE. I see no reason for a law abiding citizen who has trained in the safe use of weapons to own one. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the establishment of a single-payer, publicly-administered health care system for California? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | e) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | g) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in California? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| Single payer or publically administered is simply newspeak for socialized medicine, which has not anywhere in the world provided healthcare on a level as we find in the United States. Simply look no further than the Veterans Administration Healthcare System and MediCare/MediCal to see why it's not a good idea. We do need to find ways to ensure healthcare is accessible to ALL Americans. We cannot have true healthcare reform without effective Tort (lawsuit) Reform and end the exemption from antitrust/anti-competition laws enjoyed by insurance companies (see my position paper on Healthcare). We must ENCOURAGE true competition between insurance companies. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should California allow same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Although I support protecting the right of all religions to define traditional marriage according to their tenets and beliefs, it is also in the best interest of society to encourage a loving and committed couple to accept responsibility for each other, to jointly work for and provide for the security and future of both. And when we extend limited benefits for doing so, we must extend those benefits to ALL such couples. Currently, that means CIVIL marriage equality. I also agree with Nancy Reagan on the issue of stem cell research. Affirmative action is no longer needed or necessary. | |||
| We must gain control of our budget. It must be balanced without smoke and mirrors or raising taxes even higher. It must also be passed in a timely fashion. I support anytime this doesn't happen, the legislature and constitutional officers forfeit their paychecks until it is. It?s the principle reason we elect legislators, and if they don't do it they don't deserve to be paid, it's that simple. And as a tax accountant, I'm a bureaucrats? worst nightmare... I can read a budget... We must also find ways to bring back good paying jobs to California. See my website, www.VoteRalpg.org |
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