Patrick McGrady's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Maryland State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Abstinence is the only way to stop STDs and pregnancy. That being said, the evidence shows that abstinence only sex ed doesn't work. I support sex ed programs, but only opt-in, and I am hesitant about it being done at the State level. It should be a local program. Parents need to be involved. | |||
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 Maryland's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Maryland's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| Yes | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| We need to make sure that we are looking at priorities. In Harford and Cecil Counties, we pay taxes to the State only to have it spent on Baltimore City and Montgomery County. Let's spend our money on our Infrastructure projects. | |||
| Maryland families cannot afford tax increases. We just cannot do it. The economic recovery is far too fragile to go down this road right now. Let's cut the fat before we consider taxes. | |||
| The cost of education needs to be controlled. Right now, Higher education budgets have swelled at the expense of taxpayers. It needs to be more transparent. We can force the SPENDING down by making the cost of education more similar to the cost of production of the education, without hurting the quality of education. This is the same across government. Spending more doesn't mean we get a better result. | |||
c) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Maryland governors? | |||
| b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Maryland state legislators? | |||
| No | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| No | 3) Corporate | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring first-time DUI offenders to install ignition interlock devices? | ||
| Yes | d) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | f) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Minors accused of violent crimes should be prosecuted as adults if it is clear that they understand the consequences. A 4-year old who shoots someone in anger is a lot different than a 16-year old gang member who robs a convenience store, and then commits a violent crime in the process. It is also very important that we maintain the sovereignty of the State of Maryland. Let's take care of our state, then worry about the federal government. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support allowing wine to be shipped directly to Maryland residents? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the legalization of table games in Maryland? | ||
| No | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | g) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | h) Do you support construction of the Purple Line light rail project? | ||
| No | i) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| The role of government is to facilitate commerce and protect the rights and freedoms of people. A Jack-of-all-trades is a master of none. Government should focus on the goal of protecting our rights. The private sector creates jobs and provides paychecks. Government jobs do not create wealth. | |||
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Maryland high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| No | 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)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Maryland's energy infrastructure? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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? | ||
| Convicted felons should not be permitted to buy handguns. Besides that, there are very few regulations that I support. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Maryland? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Maryland allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| No | 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 Maryland's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Maryland's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| More jobs, lower taxes, and stopping crime from coming up the Route 40 Corridor. In order for small businesses to be able to create new jobs, government needs to get out of the way. Burdensome regulations, high property taxes, and high fees are all stifling businesses and keeping Cecil County families out of work. Our families and businesses need relief from high taxes. I support repeal of the 2007 sales tax increase. Public safety is the most important role of government. I will work together with the Cecil Delegation to ensure that the streets are safe all over the County. |
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