Pat Strong's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Pat Strong has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
New York State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New York '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? | ||
| Medicaid is one third of the state budget. Moving to a single payer health care system will help NYS contain costs at every level of government. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| No | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support replacing the cash bail system with a supervised release system for misdemeanor charges? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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 New York ? | ||
| With regard to b): As a small business owner, of course I would like to see lower state taxes. However, the track record is mixed as to whether this spurs economic growth. The state of Kansas enacted steep tax cuts, and growth ground to a halt. The wealth got large tax cuts and low income people are now paying more in taxes. This is not sustainable. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New York ? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New York high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| No | d) Should students' standardized test scores be used to evaluate teacher performance? | ||
| With regard to c): The proposal to provide free tuition to Dreamers has some merits but the bill has changed several times. I would have to see the final bill in order to determine if I can support it. Dreamers had no say in whether they came to the U.S. Our economy is strengthened by creating a trained workforce. When we get a comprehensive immigration bill through Congress, the status of these Dreamers will change. An expanded Excelsior Program available to all New Yorkers who meet the income requirements should accompany a bill for the education of Dreamers. | |||
| 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: | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through New York 's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| With regard to d): I have read some reports that concern me about people choosing to die (in jurisdictions that allow euthanasia) because they suffer from depression or other mental health issues. I believe some limits should be established to prevent people from making a terrible error in judgment that might have been avoided through treatment. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New York 's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New York 's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by New York state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Should New York permit localities to adopt "Sanctuary City" immigration policies? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 1. Securing full and equitable funding for our public schools. The state currently pays 40%; localities pay 60%. This should be reversed. School funding should be limited to public schools. Charters will require a different funding stream. 2. Passage of the New York Health Act. This will require funding through a progressive income tax. The RAND Corporation concluded this is a net positive action for NYS. 3. Passage of the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act 4. Passage of the Climate and Community Protection Act, which will require polluters to pay toward global warming solutions. |
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