Tony Sposato's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Tony Sposato has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
Pennsylvania State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| In some cases I can understand the pain and desperation circumstances can create. But, to end a life under frivolous circumstances is murder to me. It's pretty easy to avoid pregnancy today, there are many options. We need to be accountable for what we do. Fathers need to be held accountable also for financial support of their child. And included in the discussion of abortion with the mother under normal circumstances, that is; morally not legally. I do not believe government should pay for any medically unnecessary abortion unless there are mitigating circumstances. All life is precious. | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Pennsylvania's budget.
| a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | |||
| b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | |||
| c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | |||
| d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | |||
| The pension system needs to be addresed. There are enough people retiring each year. A moritorium on new hires. We can make new hires accept a 401kn like in the private sector and the new hire salaries should be inline with the private sectors. A forensic account should audit every department. We need to know what every employee does. See what we can automate. Plenty of ways to save money. Use a real blind bidding process. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support allowing early voting in Pennsylvania? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support reducing the size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| Yes | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | e) Should school safety meetings be made available to the public? | ||
| The truth is I'm on the fence about marijuana. If for instance it will reduce the opioid use it's worth a look. Regulated like liquor there may be some merit. Everything is worth a look. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Pennsylvania? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support increasing state funding for road repairs? | ||
| a) Very careful and targeted spending for economic growth. d) expand unemployment to who and why? I think we can make our unemployment system work better but, "No" | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Pennsylvania? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Pennsylvania high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing virtual charter school alternatives to all K-12 students? | ||
| a) Our standards should be higher and not dictated by the Federal Government. b) Charter school funding needs to be less because there are mandates on public schools that are not mandated for charter schools. For instance bussing. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| We can replace old systems with renewable energy systems as we faze them out. But no to supporting a private company. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| a) I would have to see it then maybe. Generally I am leery of gun legislation. We need to enforce the laws we have | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Pennsylvania's health care programs? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| b) It would depend on the type of expansion. I would need to see the legislation e) No, if it is a recognized faith & there are compelling reasons. But, they could not attend schools or be part of any state funded program. Religion is a personal thing and it should not be infringed on at the same time we need to protect our citizens. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Pennsylvania state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| If there is a pay gap for equal jobs and productivity pay should be equal | |||
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