Family Action Council of Tennessee provides an excellent voter guide. See Bill Bernstein's profile.

Family Action Council of Tennessee provides an excellent, easy to use, voter guide. All of the candidates running in contested races for Tennessee House or Senate in the August 4th primary are profiled and the data is searchable by candidate's name or by district. If you don't know your district, there is a handy "Find Your District" button. If you want to compare candidates in your district, you can click on the "Candidate Comparison" button.

While FACT is primarily concerned with social issues, candidates are asked their position on various other issues such as how they stand on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and their position on requiring Tennessee's electors to to cast their vote based on who wins the national popular vote. The profile of each candidate also includes a link to the candidates website. There are also some open-ended essay questions.  Unfortunately, some candidates failed to complete the survey.

Here is the link: Check out our Voter Guides

As an example of what you will find in the FACT voters guide, here is the profile of my friend Bill Bernstein who is running in the Republican primary in District 50. 

Candidate Directory

Return to Candidate Directory

Bill Bernstein

House District50

Incumbent or New

New

Party Affiliation

Republican

City

Nashville

Candidate Email Address

billbernstein@bellsouth.net

Campaign Website URL

electbillbernstein.com

Campaign Facebook Page

facebook.com

---

SURVEY QUESTIONS

---

SURVEY QUESTION 1:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit abortion except when necessary to prevent the death of the mother?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 2:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would make sexual orientation a new protected class under Tennessee’s civil rights laws?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 3:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would make gender identity/expression a new protected class under Tennessee’s civil rights laws?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 4:
Would you support or oppose a bill to amend Tennessee’s marriage statute to expressly authorize the issuance of marriage licenses to two people of the same sex?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 5:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would establish a $15 per hour minimum wage in Tennessee?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 6:
Do you support or oppose the proposition that a person should be allowed by law to use the bathroom or locker room that corresponds to the gender they identify with?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 7:
Would you support or oppose a law creating the office of Solicitor General, a lawyer to serve as the state’s advocate in the court systems, to be appointed by the General Assembly?

Undecided

SURVEY QUESTION 8:
Do you support or oppose the U.S. Department of Justice redefining the word “sex” to also include gender identity for purposes of Title VII and Title IX?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 9:
Would you support or oppose legislation, like Insure Tennessee, that would expand Medicaid coverage in TN beyond the Medicaid eligible population?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 10:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit state courts or any local government from ordering a privately owned business to participate in activities associated with solemnization or celebration of a marriage through the provision of goods or services if participating would violate their beliefs regarding the nature of marriage?

Support

SURVEY QUESTION 11:
Do you support or oppose the legalization of marijuana for recreational use?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 12:
Would you support or oppose legislation to award all of Tennessee’s Electors in a presidential election to the Party of the candidate who wins the national popular vote?

Oppose

SURVEY QUESTION 13:
Do you support or oppose the legalization of horse racing tracks in Tennessee at which bets can be placed on races?

Undecided

SURVEY QUESTION 14:
Would you support or oppose a nominee to the TN Supreme Court if there is credible evidence that the nominee believes the state or federal constitution should be viewed or interpreted as a “living” document?

Oppose

---

ESSAY QUESTIONS

---

ESSAY QUESTION 1:
Explain your view of state government’s role in relation to economic growth and/or job creation.

Government can do one of three things when it comes to job creation:
1) It can steal jobs. It does this by imposing taxes on productive companies and individuals and giving some of it to less productive companies. That effectively takes the potential job growth the productive company could have had and gives it to the less productive company.
2) It can kill jobs through high levels of taxation and regulation. Many businesses become non-viable in the face of mandates like healthcare, min wage laws and the like and shut down or never get started.
3) It can do neither of the first two and allow companies to form and expand naturally. I support the third alternative.

ESSAY QUESTION 2:
Explain your views regarding the roles state government and parents have in elementary and secondary education.

Parents have the primary responsibility for educating their children the way they see fit. The state can merely facilitate that through state-sponsored schools. I favor devolving power and responsibility to the lowest possible level.

ESSAY QUESTION 3:
What is one of the most satisfying things you have ever done or accomplished and what made it so satisfying to you?

While I could choose many answers--a stable 26yr first marriage, building financial security for myself and family, my transition from a secular alienated Jew to a religiously observant educated one--the thing that stands out most is homeschooling my older son. I began when Viktor was in 3rd grade and we continued through 6th grade. I taught him math, English, history and Hebrew texts. He came with me to meet with lawyers, real estate agents and bankers. We developed a close relationship that obtains to this day (he is a 21yr old junior at University of Illinois in their Computer Science department). My children are the only thing I really leave behind on this Earth and I am proud I have helped produce a mature adult with excellent judgment who will contribute much to those around him.

ESSAY QUESTION 4:
What personal qualities or experiences do you think will best serve you in your role as a state legislator?

I have had a variety of experiences including international travel and living abroad that bring with them broader perspectives. I have been an avid student of economics, history, and politics for probably 30 years and have developed a strong set of values based on both knowledge and rational argument. In school I was trained to examine evidence, weigh it, develop arguments for a thesis and then answer or develop counter-arguments. I believe I bring a clarity to any discussion of issues and views that are defensible based on facts and logic.

ESSAY QUESTION 5:
What bill passed in the last General Assembly that you would have voted against and why, or what bill did not pass in the last General Assembly that you wish had passed and why?

The session was rich in bad legislation so choices are hard to make. The $30M secret "appropriation to nowhere"--Gov Haslam's request for money with no accountability at all ranks high on what's wrong with our state government. But the standout here is the bill to name the Bible as official book. While I revere the Bible and study it weekly, and appreciate the role it has played in this country's development, the bill was grandstanding to an audience, created unnecessary controversy, and ultimately served to divide Tennesseans to no effect. It was probably unconstitutional as well. I oppose "feel-good" legislation that does not achieve goals but merely serves to "make a statement."