David Atwood's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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David Atwood has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2017 Political Courage Test.
New Jersey State Legislative Election 2017 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| In regards to part b, I believe all life is sacred. The mother should not be held accountable for raising the child if she doesn't want too and the state and local government should provide full support for such cases. How can we be pro-life yet not support the very principle. We cannot kill the child for the actions of another. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New Jersey's budget.
| Yes | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| No | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket | ||
| Part b, I we should cut costs not necessarily destroy households. Public service sector jobs should be just that. People willing to sacrifice income to do a public service. Our state will run out of funding to support everyone, or our children will suffer undue economic hardships. | |||
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) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| Part C, I believe the people of the state of NJ should vote on legalization of marijuana and it should be a ballot question. Part D, only for certain violent crimes, such as rape, murder for example. | |||
| No | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support legalized state-sponsored sports betting in New Jersey? | ||
| No | h) Do you support a tax on short-term housing rentals in New Jersey? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New Jersey high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities in New Jersey? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Part A, the state has to first show that it can adequately spend funds in a way that is productive to the citizens of NJ before we allow mass development funding. | |||
| 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 citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Part B and D, while I don't believe citizens should have to apply for a firearm, I believe part of the purchase process should follow a background check using law enforcement databases. It would be foolish to issue guns as if they were a pack of tissues. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| No | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Part A, Civil unions should cover many of the benefits received through marriage, but marriage in my personal opinion is between male and female. | |||
| Reduction of wasteful tax spending. We are constantly having taxes raised on us in New Jersey and it is destroying the middle class. Before we look to resolve social issues we need to solve our financial crisis. Concealed Carry, I believe this is something that can and should be passed. I also believe it will provide economic growth for our state. Repealing conditions of the highlands Act. While the legislation was passed with good intentions, it cripples communities in the Highland. The regulations are over-bearing and need to be reduced. |
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