Russell Patterson'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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| 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? | ||
| Abortion should be a decision not taken lightly. I would rather abortions not occur, but I don't think they should be illegal. The decision to have an abortion should be only between a woman, her God and conscience and her doctor. In some cases where a minor might want an abortion, notification of a parent or guardian may cause grave harm to the minor and notification should not be made. | |||
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.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| No | 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 | ||
| With our stressed budget we must exercise caution in how we spend our taxpayers' money. | |||
| We should review sales tax exemptions to consider how these exemptions help create jobs. If they don't create jobs, then we should give serious consideration to removing the exemption. We should work to collect internet sales taxes. We should re-consider the intangibles tax. | |||
| We should consider consolidation of state vehicle fleets (management and maintenance). When we sell natural resources belonging to tax payers, we must sell them at fair market value. Legislators should lead by example by being as fiscally conservative as possible in running their legislative offices. | |||
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 | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Eight years term limits for state legislators may be too short as it gives more power to lobbyists and legislative staff. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| f. The cameras should be operated by the government. Private organizations should not get compensation based on the number of traffic violations. g. The Federal Government should do a better job of enforcing immigration. While we have a number of undocumented individuals in the state, these people should not be in fear of local law enforcement. Crimes committed against undocumented individuals are committed by people who would also commit crimes against citizens and legal immigrants. Enforcement of federal immigration laws by local and state police would be an unfunded mandate and could adversely affect public safety. | |||
| 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? | ||
| g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | |||
| b. Regulations should be periodically reviewed to determine their effectiveness for public safety and confidence. d. Under the current economic conditions, I am in favor of this. g. I need more information. There may be some cases where homeowners need assistance, while others do not, or do not deserve assistance. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Florida high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| a. Education is traditionally a local government responsibility. We have seen in Florida the weakening of our public education system because of interference (or direction) from Tallahassee. As many demand less regulation of small business, we must reduce the non-teaching duties of our teachers and let our teachers teach the curriculum. b. Exit exams could be part of the student's evaluation, but not the only evaluation. c. It depends on the nature of the event. d. These should be considered on a case by case basis. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| 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? | ||
| b. Traditional energy sources development have had years of government and societal subsidies. c. I tend to "yes" but incentives should be on a case by case basis to include how Florida's environment will be affected. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| a. Law abiding citizens should have no restriction on the purchase and possession of guns. However, if a gun is used illegally or in a crime, the individual should be severely punished. b. This would be very cumbersome. | |||
| 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? | |||
| No | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Florida? | ||
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| a. My experience with publicly administered health care through the United States Air Force and now through Tricare has been excellent. I would favor that type of insurance option. d. The type of insurance should be taken into account. e. Monetary limits may make it difficult for an individual to receive justice. g. Regulation of how marijuana could be distributed must be considered. I am not comfortable with the system in place in other states that seem to encourage the consumption of marijuana under the guise of medicine. If legalized, it should be distributed through pharmacies. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | 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 | |||
| Education: Return control of schools to the local school boards, to allow each school board to evaluate the effectiveness of their teachers and the abilities of their students. The FCAT should become only a portion of student and teacher evaluation. Work to reduce the paperwork load that teachers have on non-curriculum issues. Economy and Environment: Using either private or public borrowing resources, allow individuals to update their houses with energy efficient windows, air conditioners, and green energy generators. Allow owners to put the cost on their property tax and pay the cost with interest back over 10 to 20 years. |
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