Matthew Cerra'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.
Matthew Cerra has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Arizona State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | c) Do you support banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | e) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| f) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| g) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | i) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| No | j) Should employers be able to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage as a component of health care benefits? | ||
| As it pertains to the issue of minors and abortion - this is a difficult threshold to make blanket policies in favor of. There are cases of incest and abusive homes where the families my force their children into abusive situations - and we need flexibility to address the lives of our children. But I also get concerns with a blanket policy that leave concerned parents out of the loop entirely. However we look at it, eventually our children become more in control of their fate than parents and we need to decide policy carefully. | |||
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.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories: | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| f) Sales taxes | |||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | j) Do you support extending the one-cent sales tax surcharge? | ||
| Any tax policy should pass the muster of the "Wealth of Nations" written by Adam Smith that lay out the best practices of a capitalist economy. Flat taxes and sales taxes should be avoided while progressive taxation is encouraged since the wealthy receive a great benefit from the economy than the poor or working class. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | |||
| No | f) Should Arizona assert sovereignty over federal lands within its borders? | ||
| I believe that we are already registered as citizens enough that we should be able to have universal registration in place. How many duplicates of information do we need to have on file? | |||
| 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) 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? | |||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| My position on capital punishment is open to input for other methods of disciplinary action. While as an individual the death penalty can seem just - fear of death has never kept people from committing serious acts of violence and the community must somehow be better than criminals it disciplines. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| When it comes to the jobs market and the economy I am a structuralist - do what is most efficient and has the best long term result - not what is popular or politically expedient. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | |||
| d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | |||
| e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Arizona high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| I believe that we should be striving to teach our children as much as we possibly can to create the next greatest generation. However we need to teach them properly - and give them a reason to dream big and take that knowledge as their own. It does nothing to teach our children everything but to never ignite a passion in them to apply that knowledge. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| 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 Arizona's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | |||
| I believe that we should develop renewable energy as a matter of national security, and promotion of a better environment for future generations. If the world is not a better place than when you came into it when you leave it - you have more to do. | |||
| a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
| b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | |||
| d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | |||
| I think the proper answer to gun rights belongs somewhere between the two extremes pushed by the NRA and those they fight with. A majority of gun owners are reasonable people - but fear mongering extremists and general idiotic behavior make this conversation impossible to have in many circles. I think each side needs to calm down and we need to talk about this with a willingness to recognize that different places have different needs when it comes to gun ownership. | |||
| Yes | 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? | |||
| d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding Medicaid in Arizona in compliance with the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | |||
| I believe in making the most effective and efficient attempt at maintaining the health of the nation, as a matter of national security. An unhealthy population is less productive and less capable of defending itself in times of national need. As it stands, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - so I support any initiative to promote healthier living and to stop illness before it becomes chronic. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Arizona's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Arizona's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I believe that any consenting adult should be able to form a union with the person they love, and received equitable protection under the law. I don't care what it is called, or what religious or non-religious ceremony is done. If you want to call it a marriage feel free - if not feel free. At the end of the day, a happy and healthy relationship between two people will do more to promote the common good and safe, healthy and secure families than any dictate under law will do. | |||
| I believe I will work towards any law or program that will insure the long-term survival of my state and my country for the betterment of the citizens I represent. This will include a focus on infrastructure investment, education and any other policy to enhance the well being of the citizens of my state, and enable them to have more opportunities than they did before. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.