Frank Esposito's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Maryland State Legislative Election 2018 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) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| As a Christian and chaplain, I cannot support any legislation supporting abortion. I have struggled with the question: Should abortion be legal in the case of incest or rape? I have come to the conclusion that God always has a plan and even if someone meant it for evil, God can turn it around and make it good. I trust in God with all my heart. I will do everything I can to support women who are raped and abused but I cannot take an innocent life. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Maryland's budget.
| No | 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? | ||
| As a Maryland State employee for over 35 years, I know the importance of our promised salaries, pensions and benefits. As the former President of the Maryland Troopers Association (MTA) for Harford and Cecil County and Public Relations Chairman for the state of Maryland for the MTA, I fought hard for enhanced benefits in Annapolis and was successful. I was one of the founding fathers of the State Law Enforcement Officers Labor Alliance (SLEOLA) and support labor. We need to take care of our dedicated state employee's and their families. | |||
| 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? | ||
| c) Keep redistricting out of the hands of politicians. I support independent commissions. d) We must shield ourselves from voter fraud by issuing and using ID's at the polls. Currently you can go to the poll, answer a couple of questions about someone you know and be able to vote. How is this a secure method? We must however provide ample opportunity for a person to get an ID. This may include providing transportation to a facility like the Motor Vehicle Administration or similar. Volunteer organizations, churches and others can assist in this. | |||
| 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? | ||
| a) Murder of a police officer, child, pregnant mother and her unborn child. c) 17 years of age. Murder and any felony committed with a handgun. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Maryland? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support legalized state-sponsored sports betting in Maryland? | ||
| No | h) Do you support increasing state regulatory oversight of ride-sharing drivers (e.g. Uber, Lyft)? | ||
| a) State government should spend money to improve on infrastructure to promote economic growth. b) Lowering corporate taxes and fee's always promotes economic growth. c) Lowering regulations on the private sector should be a priority. Less government interference the better. e) If you are getting entitlements from tax payers money, you should pass a drug test to receive benefits. Entitlements are not a right! Too much abuse in our Nation. f) I support an increase of the minimum wage however: This should not apply to small businesses with less than 25 employees. g) I support legalized sports betting in casinos. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Maryland? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Maryland high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| c) Anyone unlawfully present in the United States should not be eligible for anything until they become lawfully present or exempt by law. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| a) Maryland is one of the strictest states with regards to gun-control. We do not need any more laws controlling gun ownership. b) Background checks should be done. There have been too many people involved in shootings in the last decade and the threat of terrorism is prevalent in society today. c) Teachers should teach. We need certified and trained armed school resource officers in every school to protect our children and teachers. d) The Second Amendment does not state that we should have a license. It does state that we have the right to keep and bear Arms. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Maryland'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? | ||
| a) We should do everything we can to help combat substance use disorder especially opioid abuse. I will support funding for behavioral health and in-patient rehabilitation. d) I struggled with this question. As a Christian and chaplain, I can sympathize with a person with a degenerative disease like Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); there are many other diseases also. I cannot support euthanasia due to my faith in God. I am open for discussion on this subject and would support anyone who is suffering. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Maryland's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Maryland's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Maryland state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| c) Women deserve the same pay as a man if their job, tenure and responsibilities are the same. | |||
| 1) Make sure every school in Maryland including elementary schools are provided with a armed school resource officer who is trained and certified. Our children are the most precious resource we have. Casino money will pay for this by implementing sports gambling. 2) Address the Opioid problem in a holistic fashion starting with enhanced drug education and prevention in our elementary schools. Funding for behavior health is a must to rehabilitate substance use disorder patients. 3) Stand strong on our Second Amendment. Our Constitution is under attack and we must protect it at all costs. |
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