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Rob Sampson's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Rob Sampson did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?
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.

Connecticut State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test

Pro-life 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?
Yes f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
Yes 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?
I am personally pro-life but also have sincere libertarian concerns about our state or federal government being involved in legislation abortion. I introduced a bill requiring parental notification prior to an abortion being performed on a minor in the Connecticut General Assembly in 2011.

1) State Spending:Using the key, 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:Using the key,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.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Connecticut's budget.

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
Maintain Status f) Transportation/infrastructure
Greatly Decrease g) Welfare
Greatly Decrease h) Other or expanded categories:
Greatly Decrease a) Alcohol taxes
Greatly Decrease b) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Decrease c) Corporate taxes
Greatly Decrease d) Gas/Oil taxes
Greatly Decrease e) Property taxes
Greatly Decrease f) Sales taxes
Greatly Decrease g) Income taxes (low-income families)
Greatly Decrease h) Income taxes (mid-income families)
Greatly Decrease i) Income taxes (high-income families)
Greatly Decrease j) Other or expanded categories:
No a) Tapping into Connecticut's "rainy day" fund
No b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities
Yes c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining
Yes d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
Yes e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
No f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
Yes, we should help people in need. We should have a system that leaves no one behind, a system that protects the less fortunate, that looks after our Veterans, our seniors and people with disabilities. We should have programs that are there to help in times of crisis. We should not however have a system that creates an entire population of people that are fully dependent on the government for their entire lives. Also, we should only be providing basic necessities. We should not be giving out food stamps to be used to buy cigarettes and alcohol.
I believe we all pay too much in taxes, regardless of what income range we fall into. We need to reduce the role and cost of government in the daily lives of our people. We need to go back to a government that plays only the limited role our ancestors intended.
I believe that we need to reduce the size and scope of government. This includes the number of state employees. It also means that state employees should be compensated similarly to private sector employees and that the state should compete for the best candidates for the best pay just like any other employer.

a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?

No 1) Individual
No 2) Political Action Committee
No 3) Corporate
No 4) Political Party
No 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?
No d) Do you support greater public disclosure of donors for all organizations that seek to influence elections?
Yes e) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
Yes f) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
I believe the first amendment to our US Constitution absolutely does apply to political speech and as such it should not be limited in any way. Regarding f) - This is an absolute requirement to ensuring clean, lawful elections. Any opposition to this is based in political posturing and manipulation, not in common sense or fact.
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 decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
Yes d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
Yes 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?
e) The question is too vague to answer properly. If it's a crime, yes prosecute.. If not, no. not sure if the question wants to define a new crime or ask my opinion on existing crime applying to minors.
Yes a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
No b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
No c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
No d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
No 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?
Less Government, more freedom and opportunity. Leave the money in the hands of the citizens who will spend it and grow our economy. Government intervention is what caused the economic problems we are currently facing. Each of these options above will only result in more inconsistency, and less economic growth.
No a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
Yes b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
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?
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 Connecticut high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
c) The question doesn't mean anything. I believe teachers are effective or they are not. Whether they have tenure has nothing to do with it. As far as education, I believe we need LOCAL CONTROL, not some big bureacracy on the fed or state level mandating behavior for individual towns and school districts. Major cities are different from rural areas & should be run differently on a different set of rules. This is why we have local & municipal governments to make local decisions. I say we let them. This will create competition between communities for the best schools.
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 state funding for improvements to Connecticut's energy infrastructure?
Yes d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
No e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
I believe our government should be restricted to what's contained in our state and US constitutions. I also believe that the private sector has shown that it can do a far better job of creating big leaps in technology, not to mention science and medicine. Let Exxon and Mobil compete over how they will provide energy in the future and what new advancements will be made. Spending taxpayer dollars on this research has proven far less fruitful.
No a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
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?
Please see the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendment II
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) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
No e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
Yes f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
There is a common thread to all of my answers. They all revolve around maximum freedoms for individuals and also free markets to determine the availability and costs of products and services. - Incidentally, this is what the founders intended and what our Constitution provides for. A government take over of healthcare will have a chilling and devastating impact on our freedoms. Bureacrats will then control what food is available, what we eat, and whether we are deserving of healthcare treatments based on our age, diet etc.
Yes a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
No b) Should Connecticut continue to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples?
No c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws?
No d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws?
I believe the government should NOT be in the business of marriage. We should have nothing but civil unions for everyone as far as the government is concerned. Marriage would then be up to individuals and their religious institutions as to what should or should not be recognized.
1. Eliminate wasteful and excessive government spending. 2. Reduce the tax burden on individuals and businesses. 3. Improve the business climate in Connecticut by eliminating unnecessary red tape and regulation.

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