Christopher Barons' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
New York State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | |||
| b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | |||
| c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| 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? | |||
| g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | |||
| h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | |||
| I'm pro-child. Every child should be wanted, loved and provided for. How we arrive at that point is a matter of conscience and personal responsibility. | |||
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 New York's budget.
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement | |||
| f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gasoline taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| f) Sales taxes | |||
| g) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | |||
| i) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| a) Tapping into New York's "rainy day" fund | |||
| b) Allowing grocery stores to purchase licenses to sell wine | |||
| c) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | |||
| d) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | |||
| e) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | |||
| f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| g) Privatizing certain government services | |||
| I am an advocate of zero-based budgeting. The seven listed budget categories are indeed important items on New York's budget priority list. I don't play political favorites. We need public education to provide pathways to individual success, environmental threats remain to our drinking water, health care costs rise while people lose their jobs daily, crime has neither increased nor gone away, we have unsafe bridges and pockmarked pavement and people with no resources to care for their families. Leadership is inspiring people to make more happen with less. New York has yet to try that approach- my approach. | |||
| I propose eliminating property tax and sales tax- replacing both with a 4% flat residential income tax and a 3.8% VAT for businesses. | |||
| End the practice of rebating Stock Transfer Fees to the banks. The banks have become a triple threat to public solvency: profits from public bonds and loans, federal bailout and retrieval of $16 billion in transfer fees. This single fee, collected yet handed to the banks, would put the state back in the black. | |||
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 New York governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for New York state legislators? | ||
| 1) Individual | |||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| 3) Corporate | |||
| 4) Political Party | |||
| 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? | ||
| Campaign funding needs to be open and reported. The public should know who or what bought their candidate(s). | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | |||
| c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | |||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
| f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| At least a third of NY's incarcerated are in jail for drug-related crimes. Non-violent offenders should be eligible for alternative sentencing options. Treating minors as adults in the criminal justice system runs afoul of the presumption that a minor is not responsible for his/her actions. The magnitude of the crime does not advance the maturity of the defendant. As long as there is human fallibility; I will not support a death penalty. | |||
| a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support legalizing mixed martial arts competitions in New York? | ||
| c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | |||
| I support state regulations that are termed, targeted and market neutral. I think life long learning is a vital philosophy, relevant to job-training and self-improvement. New York's infrastructure is in need of improvement, and there are people in need of employment. Connecting the two makes sense. | |||
| a) Do you support national education standards? | |||
| b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | |||
| c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
| f) Should the state universities of New York be permitted to set their own tuition rates? | |||
| g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from New York high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| How many standards are required to measure a school's performance. The federal govt has successfully politicized public education, unnecessarily. Education will never be as simple as filling little heads with information, screwing a cap on and sending educated kids on their merry way. We train our teachers to the tune of a Master's Degree, licensed and classroom observed, interviewed, mentored, collaborated and eventually tenured. At what point can they teach? When they are not administering tests. | |||
| a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | |||
| 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? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for improvements to New York's energy infrastructure? | |||
| e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | |||
| We need clean, safe, affordable energy sources. It is in the public's interest to research and develop such sources. | |||
| a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
| b) Do you support requiring semiautomatic pistols made or sold in New York to microstamp bullet casings? | |||
| c) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| d) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | |||
| The right to ownership and possession of firearms is Constitutionally protected. Criminals who employ weapons during commission of a crime should be punished in the extreme. | |||
| a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | |||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in New York? | |||
| g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | |||
| h) Do you support a "presumed consent" organ donation policy? | |||
| The health insurance lobby spent billions to ensure that any public option provides profit potential for themselves. Win, lose or draw; the public pays. We pay the insurance premium, we pay at the doctor's office, the emergency room and at the drug store. It's a shell game with a huge pay-off, none of which benefits John or Jane Q. Public's health. When the AMA adopts medical use of marijuana, New York law should follow suit. | |||
| a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | |||
| b) Should New York allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | |||
| c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | |||
| e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | |||
| f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New York's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New York's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| Marriage is whatever the church sanctioning it has established. Domestic partnerships is what government should be contracting between couples. Discrimination is discrimination; anyone employing it knows as much- why quibble? | |||
| #1 derail partisanship. I don't know if it is possible to embarrass a politician, but I will maintain an open door, engage in coalition building without regard for party and defer to my constituency for leadership on issues. I will strive to level the playing field for small businesses and farms. I will do my best to make taxes and regulation fair. I will make my job in state government my sole occupation. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.