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Anthony Tellez's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Anthony Tellez has responded to the Political Courage Test, providing voters with clear stances on key issues.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Virginia State Legislative Election 2013 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?
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?
Yes 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?
i) Should an ultrasound be required prior to an abortion?
Generally I believe we should be trying to decrease the amount of abortions by supporting better sexual education. I am opposed to abstinence only eduction and believe that it is harmful to our society. Many teen pregnancies could have been avoided if there was information about the proper use of contraceptives. A shift in focus would make abortion increasingly uncommon and would not force women into making a difficult choice. On ultrasounds, I'm not a Doctor and won't pretend to be one, medical procedures should be left to the discretion of our OBGYNs, not politicians with an agenda.

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 Virginia's budget.

Maintain Status a) Education (higher)
Eliminate b) Education (K-12)
Slightly Increase c) Environment
Slightly Increase d) Health care
Greatly Decrease e) Law enforcement/corrections
Eliminate f) Transportation/infrastructure
Maintain Status g) Welfare
Greatly Increase h) Other or expanded categories:
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Cigarette taxes
c) Corporate taxes
d) Gas/Oil taxes
Slightly Decrease e) Property taxes
Slightly Decrease f) Sales taxes
Maintain Status g) Income taxes (low-income families)
Maintain Status h) Income taxes (mid-income families)
Maintain Status i) Income taxes (high-income families)
Slightly Decrease j) Other or expanded categories:
No a) Tapping into Virginia'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
For every $1.00 my constituents send to Richmond we only receive 20 cents back in education spending. In my district we are currently having issues with classroom size and the tax payers in my district will have to pay for classroom expansion. We also have a huge problem with traffic and road maintenance and will be expected to foot the bill for any infrastructure investments, I do not believe this is fair. As a State Delegate, I would cut the amount of money we are paying so we can make investments in our community without overtaxing our citizens.
In Virginia, our income taxes are fairly close to a flat tax, I would support a proposal that would require a flat tax across the board for our tax base. I would eliminate most if not all corporate exemptions and special treatment and put everyone under the same system so we have a fixed revenue stream. There is no reason why the tax code needs to be complicated and full of loopholes and exemptions for different people. A flat tax would force us to cut spending and waste in the budget where needed and do more with less.
All of these proposals hurt people, we need to drive down the costs of our state government, a big part of that is how much we are spending on incarceration and administrative costs. We need to consolidate many of the jobs at the state level that are redundant. There is no reason why we need to spend so much money on imprisoning people for petty drug charges in the commonwealth, we also need to look at how we are spending our money. We need to eliminate unsuccessful programs with low returns on investment.

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
Yes 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?
No d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
Yes e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
Yes f) Do you support allowing governors to serve consecutive terms?
Yes g) Do you support the automatic restoration of voting rights to non-violent felons upon completion of their terms?
On Redistricting: As an 3rd party candidate I wouldn't turn Democrats or Republicans to draw a fair district that doesn't further entrench the two party system. You have to provide photo ID when you buy a firearm, which is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. You have to provide a photo ID when you purchase alcohol or want to buy Sudafed at CVS to verify who you are. A photo ID or voter registration card is the bare minimum we should require to ensure our voting process cannot defrauded by people like Patrick Moran in last year's election.
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 decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
Yes d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
No 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?
We spend approximately $29,000.00 on each prisoner per year in the Commonwealth for drug charges. On the other hand we only spend about $8,000.00 per student, as a State Delegate I would advocate for drug law reform which stops creating a permanent underclass in our society. Under current law students who are caught with marijuana are kicked out of school and made into felons. How do we expect these individuals to contribute to society if they are never given a chance? I advocate for a sensible solution that ends the war on drugs and fosters a kinder society.
Yes a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
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?
f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
There is always inherent risk in the marketplace, as a nation we need to stop subsidizing big business and bailing them out when they make poor business decisions. We also need to stop erecting barriers to the marketplace, all of these various barriers and regulations entrench the big companies and make it impossible for small business compete without spending millions of dollars in attorneys fees. If we want more jobs to be created we need to strip away all of the corporate welfare that gives big companies an advantage. Small businesses are the largest employers in America.
a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
Yes d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
Yes e) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
Centralized education, state mandated testing, and procedures like Head Start and No Child Left Behind are the problem in Education. Our teachers and local school boards should be given the greatest autonomy because they work directly with our students and understand the needs of each student. We cannot afford to continue forcing our schools to teach to the test rather than teaching students to their abilities and natural talents. We should allow teachers to let students grow at their own pace. As a State Delegate I would seek legislation that empowers communities and our teachers.
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 Virginia's energy infrastructure?
d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
f) Should uranium mining be permitted in Virginia?
As someone who works in the environmental arena, more regulations is not the answer to our problems. Instead the focus should be on fostering a sense of corporate responsibility for companies and their employees. Requirements are important for enforcement, but requirements alone cannot create self policing policies for businesses involved in mining and other activities that impact the environment. As a State Delegate, I would work with companies across various business sectors to show them why corporate responsibility is important to their reputation and how voluntary boards and associations encourage positive environmental activities.
No 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?
I support a Constitutional Carry Amendment as the open carry requirements are unfair to women who choose to defend themselves with a firearm. Women may be discouraged from carrying a firearm because of the requirement to have a permit if they choose to carry it in their purse instead of in plain view on their person. I support reform that would allow for concealed carry without a permit anywhere open carry is current permitted.
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?
c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
No d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
Yes f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
Health reform can best be achieved by increasing competition in the marketplace and driving down the prices of medical care. Currently health coverage is tied to employment, which in many cases only gives employees a single option for a health plan. If individuals were allowed to purchase the best healthcare plans regardless of employment, this would force companies to offer better plans or go out of business as subscribers leave. Forcing everyone to buy insurance will only increase prices as the ability to withhold payment is the greatest influence consumers have over insurance companies to force lower prices.
No 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 Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
Marriage needs to be taken out of the tax code, it is an antiquated code that was designed to give two parent households an advantage. There are many single and unwed fathers and mothers who are not benefitted even though they are raising children. There is no reason why some of our citizens should be given preferential treatment in the tax code and others are discriminated against based on their sexual orientation or household situation. The government should not be in the business of legislating relationships and bestowing benefits to one class of citizens over another.
My first legislative priority is the establishment of a Constitutional Carry Amendment, this would allow citizens to defend themselves without forcing them to go through various hoops. My second legislative priority is restricting the use of drones by police, I do not see this as beneficial with the increased militarization of our police and the use of No-Knock warrants. Any use of domestic drones must be consistent with the Fourth Amendment. Lastly I would work to repeal the Virginia Marriage Amendment to get the government out of marriage and legislating people's relationships.

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