Michael Molgano's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Michael Molgano has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2014 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests.
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.
Connecticut 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? | ||
| I support the case for abortion to save a woman's life under the condition the loss of the child is indirectly caused, not a direct abortion. | |||
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 Connecticut's budget.
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement/corrections | |||
| f) Transportation/infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| 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 Connecticut's "rainy day" fund | ||
| b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | |||
| c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | |||
| d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | |||
| e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
| f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| Eliminating fraud, enacting tort reform, and permitting health insurance to be sold across state lines are just a few ways to control healthcare costs. We must invest in Transportation if Connecticut is to compete in the 21st century; however, federal dollars must be a major contributor. Eliminating fraud would have a cost-savings effect on Welfare. The state's education dollars must increase to reduce the unfair burden on local property taxes. | |||
| I am not for increasing taxes; however, I do support increasing the state's share in education and lessening the burden unfairly put on property taxes. I am also for lowering the gas tax, which puts Connecticut high on the list. I support lowering taxes to create more jobs and return consumer confidence. Education dollars could be maximized by eliminating unfunded mandates. | |||
| The questions on increasing tuitions, adjusting collective bargaining and reducing state salaries and/or pensions are not across the board yes/no answers. Corrections could come from practical measures such as consolidating agencies and eliminating bad policies like longevity pay. Eliminating fraud would reduce Medicaid costs. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| 1) Individual | |||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| 3) Corporate | |||
| 4) Political Party | |||
| 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? | ||
| d) Do you support greater public disclosure of donors for all organizations that seek to influence elections? | |||
| e) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| I would support eliminating state election campaign financing. I also want to state I have no allegiance to any political PAC, corporate entity, or lobby. The only influential voices I listen to are the people I serve. | |||
| No | 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? | |||
| 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? | ||
| The prosecution of a minor as an adult for a violent crime must be considered case by case; a steadfast rule would do more harm than good. Similarly, facing criminal charges for sending sexually-explicit photos over a cell phone may best be handled with counseling versus incarceration. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| I support unemployment benefits with assistance helping displayed workers quickly land new opportunities. I support spending on infrastructure projects focused on real-world issues, such as bridge and road repairs, not wasteful endeavors like the New Britain/Hartford bus-way. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| Yes | 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 Connecticut high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I would support a merit pay system that freezes salaries, not one that would diminish them. Present salaries are based on past performance and teachers should not feel threatened by regressive compensation. I also support teacher performance evaluation based on all aspects of student achievement. | |||
| 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 state funding for improvements to Connecticut's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| I only support enacting environmental regulations based on proven scientific consensus, not hysterical hyperbole. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| No | b) Should Connecticut continue to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I do not condone any form of discrimination; however, I also do not support laws like PA 11-55, which permit gender identity to transcend people's security and public protections of privacy in certain environs, such as restrooms or locker-rooms. | |||
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