Masarrat Ali's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Texas State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a patient seeking an elective abortion to view the results of a sonogram? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| No | i) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? There are situations when the answer can be yes or no. Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? Answer must consider the situation | |||
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 Texas' budget.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Texas' "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| Education is the doorway to prosperity, employment, and health care. Texas has 1/3 dropout rate costing billions in lost revenue and taxes. No state can prosper without a skilled workforce. Texas has the lowest number of graduates between the ages of 25 and 34. Investment in education will pay in dividends many times over. We must control spending and raise no new taxes in this economy. We can balance the budget deficit in Texas by eliminating the duplication in agencies, services, waste reduction, with smarter buying and spending solutions. The majority of citizens of Bexar County don't support toll roads. | |||
| Texas has reformed the franchise tax into the margin tax on Jan 1, 2008. Legislators exempted small businesses of up to $1 million in income. Lawmakers are considering lowering the exemption to $600,000 in 2011. This will negatively impact 25,000 small businesses who are already reeling from a weak economy. Almost 75% of businesses in America are small businesses. I will work hard to maintain the $1 million exemption. We can't get out of the hole by raising taxes or finding new ways to tax citizens. A smaller and more efficient government is the key to balancing the budget deficit. | |||
| The financial and housing debacle has not only the U.S. reeling but the whole world. The tax payers are the ones who bailed out Wall Street and the banks. CEO's make millions even when the companies are running into losses. It is high time to put stricter rules for these institutions. They must also pay to help the economy. Texas, and the U.S., is going through the recession of the century. If this is not a "Rainy Day" then I am not sure what are we waiting for. I would favor tapping the reserves if necessary. | |||
e) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support further limiting the use of eminent domain in Texas? | ||
| Yes | b) Should voters be required to present government-issued photo identification at the polls? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Texas governors? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Texas 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? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| No | 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 a ban on smoking in public places? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support a ban on the use of trans fats in restaurants? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | b) Do you support legalizing casino-style gambling in Texas? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Texas high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | 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 Texas' energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | 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) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Texas? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Texas allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Texas' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Texas' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 1. No conversion of existing public freeways into toll roads. If Texas can stop diverting billions of transportation revenues for non-transportation uses and eliminate the waste then we will have money to maintain and pay for roads. 2. Texas is close to the bottom in terms of quality of education and access to higher education. We must invest in higher education and couple it with an immediate training and job opportunities through the participation of private companies. 3. Limit the government, control spending, and eliminate waste. We must learn to live within our means. |
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