Stephen Goldfinch, Jr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- State Senate (SC) - District 34, Republican
On The Ballot: Running, Republican for State Senate (SC) - District 34
Key
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This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
South Carolina State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after 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 the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| g: I would be answered "No" if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the mother. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate 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 Taxes:Using the key,indicate 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 Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing South Carolina's budget.4) Public Pensions:To mitigate South Carolina's public pension shortfall, do you support:
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| g) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | |||
| i) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| No | a) Tapping into South Carolina's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | d) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| No | a) Reducing benefits of current state employees? | ||
| Yes | b) Ending the Teacher and Employee Retention Incentive (TERI) program for future employees? | ||
| No | c) Reducing cost-of-living adjustments for current and future employees? | ||
| Yes | d) Requiring state employees to work longer before retiring? | ||
| Yes | e) Increasing employee contributions by current and future employees? | ||
| No | f) Preventing employees from factoring unused sick and vacation days into benefit calculations? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| I chose to maintain education, but believe more money should be directed into the classroom, via the reduction in Administration. levels of funding would remain consistent but more money is directed into the classroom. | |||
| [c) Corporate taxes] Candidate chose 5-6, Greatly Decrease - Eliminate [d) Gas/Oil taxes] Candidate chose 5-6, Greatly Decrease - Eliminate [e) Property taxes] Candidate chose 5-6, Greatly Decrease - Eliminate [g) Income taxes (low-income families)] Candidate chose 5-6, Greatly Decrease - Eliminate [h) Income taxes (mid-income families)] Candidate chose 5-6, Greatly Decrease - Eliminate [i) Income taxes (high-income families)] Candidate chose 5-6, Greatly Decrease - Eliminate These are way off or completely irrellevent if we are able to pass the fair tax, which I support. | |||
| [d) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients] Candidate underlined "benefits" I would focus on streamlining education & Reducing eligibility for medicaid benefits, encouraging those who can work to do so. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| f) 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) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| 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? | ||
| [d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?] Candidate circled "minor" and wrote "?" and "more Info" [e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?] Candidate wrote "- of themselves or someone else?" and "more Info" I can't answer D & E without more Info. How old is the minor, what are the circumstances? Is the text of themselves or is it a malicious act, sending photos of someone else? | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support efforts to increase limits on unions in South Carolina? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| [e) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?] Candidate underlined "financial incentives" and wrote "?" [f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?] Candidate underlined "job creation" and wrote "?" If in e, your financial incentives are tax incentives, then yes. In f, if the job creation you refer to is future economic development by private industry, due to the infrastructure, then yes. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from South Carolina high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| [d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?] Candidate underlined "vouchers" D - I prefer Tax rebates rather than Vouchers for School Choice. | |||
| 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 opening South Carolina's waters to offshore drilling? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to South Carolina's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| B - This is NOT the law & I have no desire to change the current law. | |||
| 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) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| E - Enforcing sanctions on frivilous suits & excessive damages is more prudent. F - we've seen this get out of control in ca, co & other places. I know it can be helpful to cancer patients, but eventually the guy with a headache can get prescribed marijuana. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in South Carolina's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in South Carolina's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 1. School/Education improvement through implementation of School Choice, less administration & beuracracy & more Charter Schools. 2. Less government, less beuracracy, less taxes - Elimination of Budget & Control board & its successors. Streamline government agencies, eliminate or substantially reduce Department of Education, implement the fair tax. 3. Create Jobs - foster the proper business friendly environment through the creation of infrastructure, dredging of the ports, lessening of regulation, lessening of taxes & improving the workforce via better education. |
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