MISSOURI & ILLINOIS STATE LEVEL QUESTIONNAIRE

This questionnaire was sent to Missouri candidates for the following offices: Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Attorney General, State Senators, State Representatives, and St. Louis County Executive.  NOTE: Illinois candidates for the offices of State Senate and State Representative received this same questionnaire only with the state name changed from “Missouri” to “Illinois.” 

1.  Legislative Philosophy
[a]  Issues related to morality are very subjective. Therefore, government should not legislate morality.

[b]  America is a melting pot of different beliefs and values. Laws that relate to moral issues should reflect the views of the majority of our citizens and not impose one group's morality over another's.

[c]  All laws legislate morality. Since our nation was founded upon the moral principles of the Christian belief system, those principles should be our guide to the enactment of any legislation.

2.  Health Care
[a]  A good portion of our citizens cannot afford the high costs of medicines and other health care expenses.

Missouri must help those who need health care just as it does in other areas of social service.

[b]  Missouri should provide limited financial assistance to those who cannot afford the high cost of certain medicines and medical services, but should not strive to become our citizen's health care provider.

[c]  Missouri should not be in the health care business, whether it's paying for medicines or subsidizing other medical expenses. It is not the state's responsibility to pay for its citizen's medical care.

3.  Discrimination
[a]  The rights of all citizens, regardless of their race, nationality, religion, sex, age, physical disabilities or sexual preference should be protected. Missouri should eliminate discrimination wherever it is found.

[b]  No one should be discriminated against because of their race, nationality, religion, sex, age or physical disabilities. However, special protections based upon someone's sexual preference should not be legislated.

4.  Abortion
[a]  The freedom to have an abortion is, and should remain, a woman's choice.

[b]  All forms of abortion should be allowed except partial-birth abortions.

[c]  Abortions should not be allowed except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

[d]  Abortions should not be allowed except to save the life of the mother.

[e]  Under no circumstances should abortions be allowed.

5.  Gaming
[a]  Missouri must take full advantage of gaming as a revenue source since it benefits state & local governments.

[b]  Gaming has proven beneficial to Missouri but further expansion of gaming should not be allowed.

[c]  Gambling has proven itself to be a social and economic liability for our state and should be abolished.

6.  The U.S. Constitution
[a]  The U.S. Constitution is an historical part of the founding of our country.  It is the document that gives us our rights and liberties and outlines how we should govern ourselves as a nation.  Because the Constitution is a living, breathing document, it requires continual scrutiny and revision as the needs of our society change.

[b]  I view the U.S. Constitution as one of the primary founding documents of our country.  It should never be interpreted without first considering the intent of our founding fathers when it was written.  I recognize that it can only be changed through a properly enacted amendment after careful consideration and public debate.

7.  Education
[a]  Support and control of education by federal, state and local government is absolutely necessary to ensure that none of Missouri's children are left behind when it comes to receiving a high quality education.

[b]  Education should be supported and controlled at the state and local levels with minimal federal involvement.

[c]  Education of children should be left in the hands of parents without federal or state control.

8.  Second Amendment
[a]  The control of guns to reduce or eliminate crime and protect our children is extremely important. The Second Amendment applies only to the National Guard, military and law enforcement, not the general public.

[b]  I support the use of firearms for sporting, recreational and home defense purposes, but believe all guns should be registered and ownership of assault weapons should be banned.

[c]  The Second Amendment broadly protects the rights of individual Americans to keep and bear arms.

Gun control infringes upon those rights and violates the original intent of the Second Amendment.

9.  Stem Cell Research
[a]  All embryonic stem cell research should proceed with full taxpayer funding and without interference from the President, Congress or state legislatures. The good that might come out of such research outweighs any moral or ethical considerations. We must allow the medical community the trust and support they deserve.

[b]  Stem cell research should proceed according to the highest ethical standards for human experimentation. Avenues such as adult stem cell research which requires no destruction of human life should be pursued. Taxpayer funds should not be used to produce (clone) and destroy human embryos.

10.  Private Property
[a]  Private property should, in some situations, be subject to public opinion and consensus as to its use.

[b]  Private property is fundamental to freedom and prosperity and should not be subject to external controls.

[c]  Private property cannot be allowed to stand in the way of civic progress or the good of a community.