Joe Broder's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Connecticut 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| I think Ct law strikes a reasonable balance on the abortion issue. It is my understanding that abortions are legal only if the fetus is not yet viable if removed from the womb. I think as medical science advances, the fetus will be able to survive at ever earlier stages of pregnancy, thereby resulting in the time frame for abortions being made shorter as science progresses. | |||
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 Connecticut's budget.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| j) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Yes | a) Legalizing Keno gaming | ||
| Yes | b) Installing toll booths on major state highways | ||
| Yes | c) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | d) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | f) Offering early retirement to state employees | ||
| No | g) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | h) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| While I have selected slightly decrease for most categories, sadly, right now, the state budget crisis may require more significant reductions in many of these areas. Hopefully, when the economy improves, programs can receive greater funding. See comments in the legislative priorities section below for specific ways to make spending cuts. | |||
| See proposals in legislative priorities section below. | |||
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 Connecticut governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Connecticut state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| No | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Move primary dates into September to improve voter turnout and shorten campaign period. This would reduce the cost of political campaigns and spare us from the time we are exposed to all the negative campaign advertising. We should consider changing to a unicameral (one house) legislature. Unlike the US senate, where each state has two members, the state senate and house of representatives are both apportioned based on equalization of populations in the districts, so there is really no need or significant benefit to having two legislative bodies. Having one body would be a significant cost saver. | |||
| 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) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Excessive appeals of criminal convictions should be limited. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support allowing Sunday sales of alcohol? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Reduce fees and regulations on small businesses. Repeal the $250 business tax. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Connecticut high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Reward teachers who are doing good work and weed out those who aren't; discourage excessive "teaching to the test"; encourage greater usage of computer interactive instruction so as to allow teachers to effectively teach greater numbers of students. | |||
| 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 Connecticut'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? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I am generally opposed to restrictions on purchase and possession of guns is reasonable, but recognize that some limited control is needed , i.e. restrictions on possession by convicted felons and possession of machine guns. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Connecticut? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | b) Should Connecticut continue to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | 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 Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| REDUCE STATE SPENDING: Top priority. Some proposals: privatize some state services: consolidate state agencies/departments; consolidate administrations of the 4 regional state universities; hiring freeze; pay freeze; salary reductions for highest paid employees; pension reform for unvested employees; sell Bradley airport; consider unicameral (one body) legislature; encourage home care for disabled persons rather than sending them to nursing homes; cut most department budgets by 10%-15% and tell commissioners/department heads, do the best you can; eliminate "earmark" type projects. JOBS: Make Connecticut more business friendly; Ease up oppressive regulations - especially on small businesses. EDUCATION: See comments under education section. |
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