Anthony Giordano's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Anthony Giordano has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2015 Political Courage Test.
New Jersey State Legislative Election 2015 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | |||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | |||
| 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? | ||
| Abortion is the taking of a human life, which deserves equal protection of the laws from the moment of conception. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New Jersey's budget.2) 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.3) 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.
| a) Tapping into New Jersey's "rainy day" fund | |||
| b) Decreasing funding for public universities | |||
| c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | |||
| d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
| e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| 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 | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories: | |||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| f) Property taxes | |||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| There is no miracle cure for NJ's budget ails. Much of the problem stems from flawed Court decisions, and promises made which may not be able to be kept without making tough choices about budgetary priorities. | |||
| Property taxes are not set by the State. | |||
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? | ||
| 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: | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| b) Do you support an expansion of substance abuse treatment programs in New Jersey? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Substance abuse programs should be widely available but should be administered independent of the State. It depends on the crime committed and the mindset of the perpetrator. | |||
| No | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| No | e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| f) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| No | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| No | h) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| i) Should the state of New Jersey provide additional support for Atlantic City? | |||
| Displaced workers should be directed towards resources available from non-State agencies. In the right business climate, financial incentives should not be needed for private sector job creation. The casino industry in NJ is behind the times. There is no easy solution to AC's problems. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| 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? | ||
| e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from New Jersey high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| The tenure system needs reform. I don't believe it has an effect one way or the other on teacher effectiveness. I support parents being able to dedicate their child's portion of State funding to whatever school they'd like for them to attend. The student financial aid system is a ticking time bomb that needs reform. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| c) Do you support state funding for improvements to New Jersey's energy infrastructure? | |||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| No | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| The free market is best utilized for the development of all energy resources and infrastructure. The State should not play favorites either way. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| 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? | ||
| All law abiding citizens have a Constitutional right to own firearms and use them for protection. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| No | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| The free market will work best for health care solutions, if given that chance. Individuals should be given more choices, but should NOT be forced to have coverage. | |||
| No | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| All individuals should be treated equally by the government. | |||
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.