Matthew Franchetti's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Pennsylvania State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | 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 sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| All sex education should be comprehensive, but emphasis must be on abstinence as the only truly safe approach. Strategies to maintain abstinent behavior should be discussed. Contraception should also be discussed, including information on failure rates and side effects that is sorely lacking today. The emotional toll of pre-marital sexual behavior should also be a topic of discussion. | |||
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 Pennsylvania's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| j) Other or expanded categories | |||
| No | a) Tapping into Pennsylvania's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| I support spending as needed on highway infrastructure, but I am opposed to bailing out transportation agencies such as SEPTA that are unable to balance their own budgets. This excuses mismanagement. | |||
| Prison terms should not be determined by the budget. State universities should learn to tighten their own budgets where necessary before asking Harrisburg to increase their funding every year. Penn State is a remarkable example of wasteful spending, yet somehow Harrisburg is always blamed for being too stingy. Tapping the rainy day is not a positive option. If we use emergency money every time Harrisburg is overspending, then we will be broke for the foreseeable future. It would serve to enable foolish spending habits. | |||
d) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Pennsylvania governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Pennsylvania state legislators? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing the size of the General Assembly? | ||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | e) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| g) 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? | ||
| No | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| 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? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the taxation of cigars and smokeless tobacco? | ||
| The best way for any state to encourage business in their borders is to get out of the way: lower taxes and cut unnecessary regulation and bureaucracy. Doing so in permanent fashion would provide a sense of security and incentive for entrepreneurs looking to start or move business to our state. No projects should be started by the state purely to create jobs. This is how debts get created and perpetuated. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| No | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Pennsylvania high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| As I consider education a state issue, I support abolishing the federal Department of Education. Therefore, I see little place for national standards. States would likely enforce very similar standards anyway. Merit-based pay is a good idea, but I believe it would be impossible to find a fair-handed way of judging a teacher's merits. It puts power in the hands of disgruntled students, parents or coworkers. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Pennsylvania's energy infrastructure? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| I support traditional energy, but as with most things, government would do a greater service by getting out of the way. They have regulated the coal industry nearly out of existence, which has hurt our state's economy. If government would be less intrusive, those who stand to make a profit will do so without government assistance. Businesses need less interference, not more assistance. Likewise, if biofuel crops are not incentive on their own, I see no sense in making them so for ideological reasons in Harrisburg. If it pays to raise them, then farmers will raise them. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| The only restriction I do support is that violent criminals should not own guns. However, I see little reason why violent criminals should be free for this to be an issue. I am not in favor of gun limits or registration databases. Gun ownership is a basic right, as is made clear in the both the constitutions of Pennsylvania and the United States. | |||
| 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) 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 Pennsylvania? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | b) Should Pennsylvania allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I only note that I am in favor of adult stem cell research, not embryonic. However, I am not in favor of government funding for either in the current budget circumstances. | |||
| My priorities are cutting state spending, cutting taxes and regulations that chase people and businesses out of Philadelphia, and supporting law enforcement initiatives in the city. Every issue that affects my district in the city can be traced back to crime and taxes, compounded by illegal immigrants and section 8 housing. People need to feel safe and like they're getting a fair shake. It is my goal to make that happen. |
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