Margaret Moodie'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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Although I would prefer an abstinence only program, I understand that this may not be practical in realty. Therefore I am in favor of teenagers being given some instruction on the health risks of sexual activity, and on how to avoid pregnancy through contraception. This must be age appropriate, Elementary school children do not need to have their lives complicated by sex education. | |||
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.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Maryland's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| This is a very difficult category. Our State is facing a huge deficit, so cuts must be made. I have advocated a slight decrease in Welfare spending, however this does not mean that those in need should suffer or be ignored. Cuts should be made only on the administrative side, systems should be streamlined for instance. Our transportation and highway infrastructure must of course be maintained, but until our State has a cash surplus no new projects should be undertaken. The environment must also be protected, but again no new projects should be undertaken and administrative streamlining must be done. | |||
| I am not in favor of any tax increases. | |||
| Our State is facing huge deficits and we are handing our children and grandchildren our debt, so hard decisions can no longer be avoided and cuts must be made. I said No to tapping Maryland's rainy day fund, because I believe that this should be used only for Natural Disasters or acts of terrorism or war, or such like. The situation we find ourselves in is man made, we did this to ourselves and we must get ourselves out of it without putting our State in further jeopardy by taking away this vital safety net. | |||
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 Maryland governors? | ||
| Yes | 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 | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| e) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| The answer to 'e' is far too complicated to answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. Each case must be examined individually. Age, upbringing, education, mental status and the crime itself must all be taken into consideration before this decision is made. I have answered 'Yes' to Question 'f' however it is also more complicated. It must be established that the child realizes the severity of what they have done. The crime itself must be carefully looked to establish how explicit the photos were. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I am in favor of expanding and improving public transportation but not at this time. We have a deficit therefore it is essential to put these projects on hold until our State is more solvent. This would be like building an extension on your home when you cannot afford it - you might have an extension but you could loose your home. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Maryland's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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 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 | |||
| Last year approximately 3000 small businesses left Maryland taking their jobs with them. In order to prevent more businesses leaving and attract businesses and jobs to Maryland, we must become more competitive with our neighboring States. Tax increases are inevitable if the Democrats hold the majority in Annapolis in 2011, this would be a disaster for our State. I believe that the 2007 Tax increase should be repealed and any further tax increases prevented. It is essential that Maryland becomes fiscally responsible. We must stop the tax-and-spend cycle of Marylands government and adopt a pay-as-you-go policy. |
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