Frank Wood's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Florida 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Issue "f": A recourse for a minor, through the courts, should be available if the minor seeking the procedure would be in danger of physical harm by parents if notified. Further, in the case of incest, parental consent would be unadvisable. The law must make exception to protect the minor in these particular cases. In other instances, parental notification is reasonable and prudent. | |||
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 Florida's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Yes | a) Tapping into Florida's "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 pension benefits for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| No | g) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| It is advisable to pursue reasonable and balanced tax reform by closing special-interest tax exemption loopholes that profit a powerful few at the expense of the many. Hold each exemption up to the bright light of day, debate honestly and vote them up or down (Start with the easy ones.: bottled water, tax break for yachts costing over $300,00 and super bowl tickets). | |||
| (1) Examine tax loopholes to ensure that all are paying their fair share. It is advisable and fair to pursue reasonable and balanced tax reform by closing special-interest tax exemption loopholes that profit a few at the expense of the many. (2) Institute vigorous revenue receipt enforcement to make certain that all tax scofflaws are carrying their share of the tax burden. (3) Institute systematic review of all government operations to make certain that there is a balanced cost-benefit efficiency in each government program. Make cuts where indicated by the review. | |||
c) 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 Florida governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Florida state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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 for a first offense? | ||
| Yes | f) Should red light cameras be used to detect traffic violations? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Issue "G": While enforcement of immigration laws is reasonable and proper, it can result in encumbering local and state law enforcement professionals from their primary mission. I believe there is a better and more efficient way to deal with the issue. Treat the issue as a supply and demand equation. Require private and public sector employers to verify citizenship of potential employees through The Homeland Security Department's "e-Verify" system. If we dry up the business "demand" for cheap labor by undocumented aliens, then the "supply" will take care of itself. | |||
| No | a) Should Florida repeal its ban on public funding of religious institutions? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Issue "B": I believe that there should be periodic review of government regulation of business to make certain that there are no unreasonable and cumbersome requirements that restrict entrepreneurial enterprise. However, we must be reasonable and prudent in managing regulations. After all, government regulations are also safeguards for the public. Regulations prevent child labor, pollution and deceptive and predatory business practices. One man's regulation is another's safeguard. Let's approach the task of regulation review with a careful look at the history of the regulation, its purpose and its impact ... both positive and negative. That's plain talk and common sense. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | c) Should students be permitted to lead prayers at noncompulsory public school events? | ||
| No | d) Do you support ending the practice of tenure for Florida public school teachers? | ||
| No | e) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Florida high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Issue "E": Merit pay for teachers can take many forms. I am opposed to the system whereby one teacher is pitted against another in the same school. That destroys the collaborative nature of the teaching profession, wherein teachers share their best practices. Schools are a team effort, much like a military unit in the battlefield. We don't pay soldiers based on the number of enemy killed by the individual. Instead, let's use a system where we reward all members of a school (custodian to principal) that meet specific school-wide achievement targets (test scores, dropout rate, etc.). That builds a team. | |||
| Yes | 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)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Florida's 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | |||
| Issue "A": Existing law should be maintained that restricts purchase and possession of firearms by convicted felons or those adjudicated as mentally incompetent. These are reasonable restrictions, tested over time and serve the greater public safety. On the issue of firearms and ammunition, I defer to the opinions and judgement of law enforcement professionals. They face the danger everyday. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Florida? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| Issue "G": A qualified and licensed physician is the professional best equipped to prescribe appropriate and proper treatment for her patient. On this issue, I defer to the judgement and studies of medical professionals and their professional associations. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Florida allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | |||
| No | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Florida's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Florida's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| One: Jobs for Floridians, economic diversification and widening opportunity for individuals and entrepreneurs must be the Legislature's focused priority. Short-term, we should craft targeted tax incentives that encourage private sector job creation. For the long-term, develop infrastructure that attracts clean businesses (quality schools, etc.) Two: Reforming taxes and closing special-interest loopholes that profit a few ... Each loophole should be held to the bright light of day, debated and then voted up or down. Three: On protecting Florida's beaches, wetlands, rivers and other natural treasures, I take a protective and conservative stand. Most important is protection of our drinking water. |
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