Pennsylvania State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legal.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

6. Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period.
- X

7. Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles
- I support a law that will eliminate as many abortions as possible. Courts will declare anti abortion laws unconstitutional if they do not give exceptions for the life of the mother and rape. 99% of abortions would be eliminated if these exceptions were in place. Without these exceptions, the courts will strike the law down and 100% of abortions will continue. I support ultrasound images of unborn babies being given to women considering abortion. I am against cloning. I support pro life judges and will only vote for a pro life presidential candidate. I support the traditional marriage protection act.

Budget and Tax

State Budget: Indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.

1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Emergency preparedness
- Maintain Status

4. Environment
- Maintain Status

5. Health care
- Maintain Status

6. Law enforcement
- Maintain Status

7. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Maintain Status

8. Welfare
- Greatly Decrease

9. Other or expanded categories
- I support the Taxpayer Protection Act that would create a Constitutional Amendment to restrict state spending increases each year to the inflation rate. I have voted against all of the tax increases and voted for all of the tax cuts. I signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge that I will not vote for any tax increases. Highway money should be used to fix roads and bridges and not to support Philadelphia mass transit. Welfare should only be for people who really need it such as mentally retarded people who need to live in group homes. Kick off able bodied people!

State Taxes: Indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Eliminate

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Decrease

4. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Decrease

5. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

6. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

7. Property taxes (general)
- Eliminate

8. Property taxes (seniors)
- Eliminate

9. Sales taxes
- Slightly Decrease

10. Vehicle taxes
- Slightly Decrease

11. Other or expanded categories
- I support cutting business taxes so that Pennsylvania can compete with other states. I voted for the plan that would eliminate the school property tax. I support reducing taxes of most types so that people can keep more of their own money. The alcohol tax should be abolished because it was established about 100 years ago to pay for the Johnstown flood, but the tax is still there. The current cigarette tax level fund the childrens health insrance program, so cutting that would take coverage away from poor kids.

12. Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales?
- No

13. Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget?
- No

14. Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget?
- No

15. Other or expanded principles
- The "rainy day fund" is an emergency fund to make sure that essential government services can be maintained in the event of a recession, emergency, or other event that slows down economic activity. I voted against tolling I80 because it is a tax increase. I signed the pledge that I will not vote to raise taxes. In the first four years of the Gov's term, inflation went up 14% but the state budget went up 28%! We need to get state spending under control, we do not need to raise taxes or raid the rainy day fund.

Campaign Finance and Government Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

1. Do you support the current limit of terms for Pennsylvania governors?
- Yes

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Pennsylvania state senators and representatives?
- Yes

3. Should the size of the state legislature be reduced?
- Yes

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

1. Individual
- Yes

2. PAC
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Parties
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

6. Do you support imposing spending limits on state-level political campaigns?
- No

7. Should Pennsylvania participate in the federal REAL ID program?
- No

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

1. Other or expanded principles
- I am one of only two Members of the PA House of Representatives that does not accept campaign money from special interest groups. The other 201 Representatives take PAC money to fund their campaigns. I introduced a bill establishing a 12 year term limit for Legislators. The federal Real ID act is too big brother for me and is a Federal power grab and an invasion of privacy for law abiding citizens. It is also an unfunded mandate that would require a tax increase or fee increase to pay for.

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer

2. Support the death penalty in Pennsylvania.
- No Answer

3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- No Answer

4. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- No Answer

5. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
- No Answer

6. Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
- No Answer

7. Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws.
- No Answer

8. Support hate crime legislation.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- College dorm rooms and meal plans should be of a better quality than prision cells and prison food. Taxpayers should not have to pay more to give prisoners better living conditions. Child sexual predators, rapists, major drug dealers, people convicted of gun crimes such as armed robbery, and people illegally entering the country to live in Pennsylvania should get a mandatory 20 years. Only people who can be rehabilited should have resources used for vocational programs. Mentally retarded people should not be executed. Minors accused of a violent crime need to be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Support state funding of universal pre-K programs.
- No Answer

2. Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer

3. Support state education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students.
- No Answer

4. Support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer

5. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- X

6. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- X

7. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- No Answer

8. Support using a merit pay system for teachers.
- X

9. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- X

10. Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of Pennsylvania to pay in-state tuition at public universities.
- No Answer

11. Other or expanded principles
- The best teachers should get paid more than the below average teachers. NCLB needs to be fixed. Pre K should be for low income families. I support school choice. I support a school district budget being set an an affordable level where the people in the district can afford to pay their taxes. Teacher salaries and benefits should be compared to the salaries and benefits of private sector employees who live in the district. Bullies should get kicked out of school. Kids should have enough text books, computers, etc. The curriculum should be updated to reflect current job opportunities.

Employment

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

1. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today?s job market.
- X

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector.
- X

3. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- No Answer

4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

5. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- No Answer

6. Include sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer

7. Include gender identity in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer

8. Increase the state minimum wage.
- No Answer

9. Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will.
- No Answer

10. Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
- X

11. Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
- X

12. Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- No Answer

13. Other or expanded principles
- A tax cut for all businesses would create more jobs than the current system of selecting specific companies for tax cuts. DCED grants to specific companies are financed by taxing their competitors. Reducing the corporate income tax rate, eliminating the capital stock and franchise tax, allowing loss carry forward provisions, etc. to the levels other states have would allow companies to grow and create jobs. Job training programs with proven results should be funded and ones that have limited results should be scrapped. When Pennsylvania has stricter laws on businesses than other states, we lose companies and we lose jobs.

Environment and Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X

2. Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc).
- X

3. Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops.
- X

4. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
- X

5. Support funding for improvements to Pennsylvania's power generating and transmission facilities.
- No Answer

6. Support funding for open space preservation.
- No Answer

7. Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
- No Answer

8. Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
- No Answer

9. Finance energy independence programs with a utilities surcharge.
- No Answer

10. Other or expanded principles
- Mars and Earth are both experiencing global warming based on scientific observations. Since there are no people, cars, or factories on Mars, it would indicate that natural fluctuations in the Sun cause temperature change. That being said, we should still reduce pollution so that we have a better quality of life. Our current electricity generation is 50% coal, 20% natural gas, and 20% nuclear, and 10% other. Wind, hydro, solar, etc. is the other 10% and costs double or triple to generate. That power is available now for those who want to buy it.

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

1. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No

2. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

3. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- No

4. Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No Answer

5. Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No Answer

6. Other or expanded principles
- I am endorsed by the NRA. I am a strong defender of our rights to own and bear arms. The Pennsylvania Constitution states that the right to own and bear arms shall not be questionned. I support the right to carry. I support the use of force. I support people convicted of crimes such as armed robbery or armed rape getting 20 years. I support leaving law abiding citizens alone. I helped to defeat House Bill 760 that would have been a $10 tax each year on each gun you own.

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

1. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
- No Answer

2. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

3. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X

4. Allow patients to sue their HMOs.
- X

5. Require hospitals and labs to release reports on infections that are a risk to public health, while not compromising patient confidentiality.
- No Answer

6. Legalize physician assisted suicide in Pennsylvania.
- No Answer

7. Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

8. Support using the Mcare surplus to extend coverage to the uninsured.
- No Answer

9. Increase tobacco taxes to fund programs that extend coverage to the uninsured.
- No Answer

10. Other or expanded principles
- I support reducing the cost of the health care system so that health insurance premiums would be more affordable. Most companies and individuals would buy health insurance policies if they could afford the premium. About 90% of the people in Pennsylvania have health insurance now. The Democrat's plan for government run health care would cause a huge tax increase and put the government in charge of your health care choices. The government would probably run the health care system like they run PHEAA. The Democrat's plan does nothing to reduce the cost of health care.

Social

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

1. Should Pennsylvania recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No

2. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- No

3. Should Pennsylvania provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples?
- No

4. Do you support a moment of silence in public schools?
- Yes

5. Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools?
- Yes

6. Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
- No

7. Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
- Yes

8. Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions?
- No

9. Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?
- No

10. Should Pennsylvania continue affirmative action programs?
- No

11. Do you support state funding of stem cell research?
- Undecided

12. Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research?
- No

13. Do you support allowing pharmacists who conscientiously object to emergency contraception to refuse to dispense it?
- Yes

14. Other or expanded principles
- I support the Marriage Protection Act. I support traditional family values. I support the freedom of religion that is granted to us in the Constitution. The separation of church and state is NOT in the US Constitution as many people think. If a school allows prayer, it does NOT violate the US Constitution. Government jobs, college admissions, government contracts, etc. should be granted to the most qualified people. Race and color do not matter to God, so they should not matter to us. I only support stem cell research if it does not involve abortion. I am against cloning.

Legislative Priorities

1. Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- I support limiting the growth of the budget so that all individuals and businesses can get tax cuts. I support eliminating property taxes. I served on the Speakers Commission for Legislative Reform and helped pass the Open Records Law and helped to change the rules the State House operates under. I support more reform. I support creating a health care system that costs less so that everyone can afford to buy health insurance. I support a pay as you go approach to government. I am against the $5 billion in new borrowing the Gov. is pushing for.