George Gonzalez's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Florida State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
| a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |||
| X | b) Abortions should always be legal. | ||
| c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |||
| d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. | |||
| e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. | |||
| f) Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period. | |||
| g) Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors. | |||
| h) Require a woman to have an ultrasound before receiving an abortion. | |||
| I am anti- abortion, but pro-choice. I would gladly try and disuade someone from having an abortion, but feel we have no right to interfere in a decision that ultimately belongs to a woman and her doctor and leave it to God to judge us all. We do have to find ways to reduce abortions in this country, but through other methods. | |||
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.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.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (Higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Emergency preparedness | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Vehicle taxes | ||
| Yes | 1) Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales? | ||
| Undecided | 2) Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget? | ||
| No | 3) Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget? | ||
| These are not questions to be answered in these terms and there is not enough space for full explanation. Increased spending in education to levels the used to fund at would allow for reduced property taxes at local levels. Improved education results at all levels will greatly improve the economy in Florida and attract new business, which would help create jobs and move people off welfare to save money. Changes in law enforcement and correctional system techniques could save considerable money for tax payers. | |||
| Again these answers to simple for complex issues. A slight increase in sales tax must be coupled with a reduction in property taxes. It must be done right without hurting education. The increase in corporate taxes is finding and closing tax loopholes that allow corporations to avoid taxes all together which is happening now, not new taxes. I am opposed to raising taxes for the average citizen, but I firmly believe some areas that have gotten away without paying taxes and corporations that have not paid taxes should pay their fair share. | |||
| I do not believe that person to person sales on the internet should be taxed, but if you are buying from a business it should be no different than walking into WalMart or KMart. It depends what you are going to balance with the Rainy day fund. Everybody's definition of a rainy day is different. A fee increase is usually nothing more than a tax increase in disguise unless it is a fee for something a citizen self-inflicts. It should not be used if we are already taxing citizens for that service. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?
| Yes | a) Do you support the current limit of terms for Florida governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the current limit of terms for Florida state senators and representatives? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) PAC | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Parties | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Undecided | e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state-level political campaigns? | ||
| Undecided | f) Should Florida participate in the federal REAL ID program? | ||
| The only reason I answered yes on all these questions is that they are being asked of the current system. Our present system favors incumbents and republicans because it is a well known fact they have more money. If we are ever going to be able to reform the system we have got to find a way to reduce the influence of money in it. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
| X | a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and hiring of additional prison staff. | ||
| X | b) Support the death penalty in Florida. | ||
| X | c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. | ||
| X | d) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders. | ||
| X | e) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. | ||
| X | f) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults. | ||
| g) Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws. | |||
| X | h) Support hate crime legislation. | ||
| I believe using alternativepenalties and helping non-violent criminals into society may relieve the neccessity of building more prisons. Building prisons is more expensive than other options. I would do it but prefer other choices. Death Penalty should unanimous jury, reserved for the most heinous crimes and no question of guilt. You can't bring some one back from the dead. Minor prosecution should depend on the crime. I struggle with the immigration issue because we must get it under control but I fear how we may enforce it. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
| X | a) Support state funding of universal pre-K programs. | ||
| b) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). | |||
| c) Support state education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students. | |||
| d) Support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams. | |||
| X | e) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school. | ||
| f) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school. | |||
| X | g) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries. | ||
| X | h) Support using a merit pay system for teachers. | ||
| X | i) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable. | ||
| X | j) Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of Florida to pay in-state tuition at public universities. | ||
| I do not support any Federal or State mandates that do not come with the dollars to perform them. The FCAT carries too much weight. We Baby boomers turned out ok and never had an FCAT. Teachers through end of term and year examines determined success. Merit pay for teachers must be free of principal and other bias, measurable and agreed to by teachers and their unions. If an illegal immigrant has been allowed by the system to remain here it seems unfair to penalize him as long as the taxpayer is not footing the bill for their education. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
| X | a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today's job market. | ||
| X | b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector. | ||
| X | c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses. | ||
| X | d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families. | ||
| X | e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families. | ||
| X | f) Include sexual orientation in Florida's anti-discrimination laws. | ||
| X | g) Include gender identity in Florida's anti-discrimination laws. | ||
| X | h) Increase the state minimum wage. | ||
| X | i) Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will. | ||
| X | j) Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. | ||
| X | k) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients. | ||
| X | l) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients. | ||
| I would not oppose reducing government regulations on business on matters not relating to employees. I am opposed to all forms of dis-crimination although I am not sure what is meant by the gender identity question. If we improve the economy and lower income people can earn a better wage we may not have to increase some of this spending. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
| X | a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology. | ||
| X | b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc). | ||
| c) Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops. | |||
| d) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned. | |||
| e) Support funding for improvements to Florida's power generating and transmission facilities. | |||
| X | f) Support funding for open space preservation. | ||
| X | g) Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming. | ||
| X | h) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law. | ||
| Supporting increased oil production does not mean drilling in the gulf of Mexico any closer than now legislated. Companies should be forced to pay for their own cleanup of contamination not tax payers. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
| No | a) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | b) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | c) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Undecided | d) Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Undecided | e) Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Not familiar with all existing restrictions to answer d and e. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.
| X | a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary. | ||
| b) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government. | |||
| c) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | |||
| X | d) Allow patients to sue their HMOs. | ||
| e) Require hospitals and labs to release reports on infections that are a risk to public health, while not compromising patient confidentiality. | |||
| f) Legalize physician assisted suicide in Florida. | |||
| X | g) Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. | ||
| Not sure where responsibility lies for medical care, but I do believe no one should be denied medical care for lack of money. | |||
['Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.', 'Legislative Priorities']
| Yes | a) Should Florida recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? | ||
| Undecided | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? | ||
| Yes | c) Should Florida provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support a moment of silence in public schools? | ||
| Undecided | e) Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| No | g) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support allowing teachers to be critical of the theory of evolution in the classroom? | ||
| No | i) Should teachers be required to be critical of the theory of evolution in the classroom? | ||
| Yes | j) Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions? | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions? | ||
| Yes | l) Should Florida continue affirmative action programs? | ||
| Yes | m) Do you support state funding of stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | n) Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| No | o) Do you support allowing pharmacists who conscientiously object to emergency contraception to refuse to dispense it? | ||
| There is a mis perception that we have achieved a color blind society. We have made strides but are not there yet. When we do get there I would support eliminating all afirmitive action programs. | |||
| Reduce exhorbitant property insurance rates through national and regional CAT funds, cheaper re-insurance and creating wind pool policies seperatly just like flood now. Drastically improve education results through proper state funding, which will reduce property taxes, provide higher graduation rates and lure more businesses to Florida Paid with closing tax loopholes. Get the economy back on track by spurring housing market back to normal and diversifying state economy with public private partnerships | |||
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