Christopher Pennington's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Christopher Pennington has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Florida State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortions be illegal after 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Ideally, unwanted pregancies should be reduced through educational programs and greater access to birth control. The reduction of abortions is a valid public policy interest because of its negative psychological effects on those involved. However, the use of PRISONS is NOT the most effective means to reduce abortions. Even if one has a religious objection to abortion, one must recognize the separation of church and state. Taxpayer also gets spent on ordinance that is dropped around the world and tax set-offs are given to those who enslave human beings overseas. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate 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 Taxes:Using the key,indicate 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 Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Florida's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| Greatly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | j) Other or expanded categories: | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Florida's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Salaries and benefits for elected public officials should be on the table also. It is pure hypocrisy to deny your constituents the coverage that you receive by virtue of your public office. As to higher education, the increased monies should be allotted to the academic fields of the future: science, mathematics, technology, engineering, and healthcare. Too much money is allocated towards athletic programs which do not advance the United States as a global power. | |||
| Tax credits to corporations who have to pay foreign government taxes for their overseas operations should be eliminated. If you move your factory overseas, you shouldn't receive any benefits from our government for the betrayal of working people in this country. Corporate taxes should be decreased for firms that keep their businesses here and employ our own citizens. | |||
| As to (b), tuition should be tied to fields that are currently in market demand to increase the global competitive of skilled American workers. Firms need engineers, nurses, scientists, etc., not graduates with liberal arts degrees. As to (f), hospitals and doctors must be scruticized over medicaid and medicare overbilling. Our governor, Rick Scott, was able to escape prison by invoking his fifth amendment rights when he was being investigated for such activities. I am sure that it pervades the industry. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | f) Do you support mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients? | ||
| No | g) Do you support mandatory drug testing for state employees? | ||
| There needs to be greater control over alien nations using PACs and Electioneering Committees to launder money into the country and influence our elections. Our elections are so flush with global capital that it is the World's elite that elect the major public elected officials. The American Citizen is being disenfranchised. | |||
| No | 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 decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support Florida's current "Stand Your Ground" law? | ||
| As to e), that question is incomplete because the minor could be sending images of another minor that could cause that minor great psychiatric harm. As to f), immigration laws need to be enforced on all levels and special care should be taken not to single out the Latino community. There are many European illegals living in the United States as well. | |||
| No | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support expanded gambling in Florida? | ||
| As to f), I have specific legislation aimed at banks to require them to make reductions in principal if they fail to follow federal HAMP refinancing regulations. As to g), I would support HEAVILY TAXED gambling in Florida - meaning that the government takes over 50% of net profits. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| No | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Florida high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I only support financial aid for in demand degrees based on a bipartisan analysis of current market conditions. Government financial aid has played a role in the inflation of the costs of college. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Florida's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| The universities and private sector should be the source for the development of alternative energy; however, the government should use funds to build the infrastructure upon development. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Yes | e) Should doctors be prohibited from asking patients about gun ownership? | ||
| Changed "Other or expanded principles" answer on 3/14/18 I strongly support the Second Amendment, however, felons and mental incompetents should not be permitted to own or possess firearms. Citizens should be permitted to own semi-automatic long rifles. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding Medicaid eligibility in Florida with federal funds as provided through the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I would support a government insurance program whereby the public could enroll but they would waive punitive damage recovery in a malpractice lawsuit. I think that preventative care should be expanded because in the long term such care is cost effective. There is an inherent conflict of interest in all insurance companies: FIDICUIARY DUTY TO SHAREHOLDERS V. CONTRACTUAL DUTY TO INSURED. The shareholders win, the people lose. | |||
| a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | |||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Florida's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Florida's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| "Marriage" should not appear anywhere in the Florida Statutes. Marriage is determined by the religious organizations. In this country we have separation of church and state by virtue of the First Amendment. The law should only recognize civil unions, whether it be between opposite sex or same sex couples. It is up to the churches to decide whether they consider such union a marriage. | |||
| ECONOMY - stabilization of the housing market to increase home owner equity as natural stimulus by aggressively enforcing the HAMP program against the banks; infrastructure development as a means to provide jobs for displaced construction workers; first rate educational system to attract high tech manufacturing; elimination of member projects through a TOPICALITY AMENDMENT; lower penalties for non-violent crimes to reduce prison populations; aggressive enforcement of internet sales taxes. EDUCATION - see above for funding; education must be prioritized and the knowledge necessary for high tech advanced manufacturing must be the focus, along with healthcare. HUMAN, CIVIL, NATURAL, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. end. |
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