You have just been elected President of the United States. ?

Question

Your first act, as Commander and Chief, is to sign a policy bill for Victims of Domestic Violence. What would that bill be and why would you choose it?

Answer 1

I would be a president who strongly believes in personal responsibility. With that being said, there are more than enough womens shelters and groups out there to help women who are in abusive situations. By and far, most wome in these situations choose to stay in them, this is not and should not be the responsibility of the government.  

I would not be in the business of making the government the baby sitter for grown men and women.

Answer 2

The one that gave male/husband victims the same rights as women whilst limiting spurious claims and naming both parties.

Answer 3

In the USA the federal government currently provides several funding sources for programs that serve survivors of domestic violence, and most programs will provide services to both men and women who are victims. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Family Violence Act are 2 pieces of federal legislation that enable money, mostly from fines levied against convicts, to fund DV programs.

That being said, the funding is consistently cut each year, making it harder for programs across the country to operate and meet local need. Local governments, private grants, and individual donors are all overwhelmed with the great need for services in our communities, which means domestic violence programs can often find themselves closing their doors.

I would enact legislation that would require more extensive training for public service workers, including law enforcement/district attorneys/emergency response personnel. If these important people do not understand domestic violence issues, it becomes much more difficult to enforce current laws (which overall are quite good).

I would also increase education efforts in general, including teens/adolescents and the faith community.

The more people are empowered to understand the root cause of domestic violence (wanting control) and ways to help victims or even prevent abuse from occuring, the faster we can end the problem in our country.

Just imagine all the money that would be available for other programs if we could stop people from abusing their partners and children!

Answer 4

That should be handled at the local level.

I would however, encourage non-government entities to set up various types of support for such victims.

I would encourage and if possible provide Tax cuts for people and companies who donate resources to such organizations, however I would have some strict accountability in place for any organizations who seek to be a tax shelter.

I want this to be easy, however I don't want this to be a way for people to manipulate the system.  

This is a very important issue and a sad state of our world...there is NO need for these victims to be victimized again as a political pawn.

Answer 5

Since the feds already ban weapons to DV perpetrators..I would like to see them also charged with a civil rights charge if there is a murder or the person has been charged and convicted 3 times prior.

Making laws on 1st time offenders can be deconstructive when it comes to rehabilitation and may promote resentment even further.

Answer 6

Encourage "family values" like marriage before having children

Answer 7

That should or would be handled at the local level thats not a federal matter.

However if it pertained to Federal employees convicted of a crime then they would be summarily fired.