John Farley's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Pennsylvania State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
| a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |||
| b) Abortions should always be legal. | |||
| c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |||
| X | d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. | ||
| X | e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. | ||
| X | f) Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period. | ||
| X | g) Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors. | ||
| I will support the overturn of Roe vs. Wade if it comes to a vote in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Abortions in the past 35 years in the United States have totaled over 48 million. These numbers are staggering. This has not done anything to add to the family structure needed in our local communitites. Some many men and women would love to be able to adopt these precious children. The only exception I would make are for rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. I oppose all other abortions. I support life. | |||
State Budget: Indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.State Taxes: Indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.
| Greatly Increase | a) Education (Higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Emergency preparedness | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Health care | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Law enforcement | ||
| Greatly Increase | g) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Eliminate | h) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | i) Other or expanded categories | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Property taxes (general) | ||
| Eliminate | h) Property taxes (seniors) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Vehicle taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) Other or expanded categories | ||
| No | 1) Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales? | ||
| Yes | 2) Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget? | ||
| No | 3) Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget? | ||
| The welfare reform act was passed in the United States in 1996. The current administration in Harrisburg has loosened these restrictions. We should uplife our citizens. People need to feel dignity and respect in their life. We need to give people a hand-up, not a hand-out. This money needs to go to increased educational spnding, law enforcement, highway infrastructure, emergency preparedness, the environment, and lower taxes for all Pennsylvania citizens, not welfare. Welfare should be eliminated! | |||
| I support lower taxes. We have way too much wasteful spending going on in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania state budget proposed in 2008 is 28 billion dollars. Yet, we still underfund our schools, we do not have enough police patrolling our streets, and higher taxes are punishing our middle-class citizens, our seniors, and the businesses of Pennsylvania. I have signed the "No New Tax Pledge". I also support the Colorado version of the "Taxpayer Bill of Rights". Lower taxes will bring economic stability to Pennsylvania. It will also grow the taxpayer base in Pennsylvania to lower the tax payer burden. | |||
| The Pennsylvania "Rainy Day Fund" was over one billion dollars as recently as 2001. This fund was raided and used by our current administration in Harrisburg. We need to cut state spending and build back up our "Rainy Day Fund". This fund can and only should be used in an absolute economic emergency. It is time to put Harrisburg on a diet and get back to sound fiscal policies. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.d) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?
| Yes | a) Do you support the current limit of terms for Pennsylvania governors? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Pennsylvania state senators and representatives? | ||
| Yes | c) Should the size of the state legislature be reduced? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) PAC | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Parties | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support imposing spending limits on state-level political campaigns? | ||
| Yes | g) Should Pennsylvania participate in the federal REAL ID program? | ||
| Ethics and campaign finance reform are two of my top priorities in my campaign. If we have term-limits for the executive branch of our government, then why would we not have term-limits at the legislative level of government. Albert Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same experiment over and over again and expecting a different result." The Pennsylvania General Assembly is too big, too expensive, and way too entrenched. Elective office is a privilage and an honor, not a "birth-right". I have already announced that I will term-limit myself to two terms only in the Pa. Senate. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
| X | a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and hiring of additional prison staff. | ||
| X | b) Support the death penalty in Pennsylvania. | ||
| X | c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. | ||
| X | d) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders. | ||
| e) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. | |||
| X | f) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults. | ||
| X | g) Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws. | ||
| X | h) Support hate crime legislation. | ||
| Governor Rendell has signed 79 death warrents in the past 5 years. Yet Pennsylvania has the third most convicts on death row. Also, my opponent supports a mandatory life-sentence for "cop killers". I support the death penalty for 1st degree murder committed against uniformed officers, police, fire fighters, emergency personnel, and parking enforcement officer. I also support and will co-sponsor the passage of HB 1189, (the Commonwealth Act), which will add over 10,000 police officers throughout Pennsylvania. Finally, we need to implement community-service sentencing for non-violent offenders. We need to free up our jails for the criminals roaming our streets. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
| X | a) Support state funding of universal pre-K programs. | ||
| X | b) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). | ||
| X | c) Support state education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students. | ||
| X | d) Support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams. | ||
| X | e) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school. | ||
| X | f) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school. | ||
| X | g) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries. | ||
| X | h) Support using a merit pay system for teachers. | ||
| X | i) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable. | ||
| j) Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of Pennsylvania to pay in-state tuition at public universities. | |||
| I also support the creation of two new state universities, (one in Pittsburgh and one in Philadelphia), that would be tuition-free for high school students who have established legal residency in Pennsylvania for at least two years. The college degree rate of adults in Philadelphia is only 18%!! This ranks 92nd out of the top 100 largest cities in America. We have a serious "brain-drain" throughout Pennsylvania. We need to get and keep our brighest resource, (the young children throughout Pennsylvania). We need to make college more affordable for our citizens from age 18-118. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
| X | a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in todays job market. | ||
| X | b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector. | ||
| X | c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses. | ||
| X | d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families. | ||
| e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families. | |||
| X | f) Include sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws. | ||
| X | g) Include gender identity in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws. | ||
| h) Increase the state minimum wage. | |||
| i) Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will. | |||
| X | j) Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. | ||
| X | k) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients. | ||
| X | l) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients. | ||
| We need to make it easier for businesses to run and prosper in Pennsylvania. We also need to get welfare rolls cut and get able-bodied welfare recipients to find a job and have the dignity and self-respect that comes from working and earning a paycheck. Pennsylvania can and must be pro-business. It also needs to make sure all of its citizens can work and can work in a safe, discrimination-free work environment. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
| X | a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology. | ||
| b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc). | |||
| X | c) Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops. | ||
| X | d) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned. | ||
| X | e) Support funding for improvements to Pennsylvania's power generating and transmission facilities. | ||
| X | f) Support funding for open space preservation. | ||
| X | g) Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming. | ||
| h) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law. | |||
| i) Finance energy independence programs with a utilities surcharge. | |||
| Pennsylvania should be leading the way to a "greener future". I support finding ways to become energy independence from "middle-east oil". We need to lead this country into the 21st century and find alternative fuels that will make our state more efficient and environmentally friendly. We also need more open space preservation to end the cycle of surburban sprawl. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
| Yes | a) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | b) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | c) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| No | d) Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| No | e) Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| We need to more and better regulations of guns. We need all guns registered. We need all guns owners to be properly licensed. Gun owners should have "safety-locks" in their homes. All guns owners must be held responsible to legally notify police if their guns are lost are stolen. I support local municipalties having the right to have their own gun laws. I support the "one-gun-a-month" bill currently in the Pennsylvania House. However, I do support the 2nd amendement, I do support the legal right to own a hand-gun, and the rights of hunters. | |||
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.
| a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary. | |||
| X | b) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government. | ||
| c) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | |||
| X | d) Allow patients to sue their HMOs. | ||
| X | e) Require hospitals and labs to release reports on infections that are a risk to public health, while not compromising patient confidentiality. | ||
| f) Legalize physician assisted suicide in Pennsylvania. | |||
| g) Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. | |||
| X | h) Support using the Mcare surplus to extend coverage to the uninsured. | ||
| i) Increase tobacco taxes to fund programs that extend coverage to the uninsured. | |||
| Health care is a basic right to citizens. It needs to be affordable, it needs to be safe, and it needs to be doctor-friendly. We need all citizens to be able to choose their own doctors. We need medicines to be affordable to everyone. I do not support caps on malpractice lawsuits but I do support legislation to regulate lawyers and the health-insurance industry. We need everyone to come to the table and work on this difficult problem. I do not have all of the answers but I do know the current system is broken and not working. | |||
['Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.', 'Legislative Priorities']
| Undecided | a) Should Pennsylvania recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? | ||
| No | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? | ||
| Yes | c) Should Pennsylvania provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support a moment of silence in public schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| Yes | h) Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions? | ||
| No | i) Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions? | ||
| No | j) Should Pennsylvania continue affirmative action programs? | ||
| No | k) Do you support state funding of stem cell research? | ||
| No | l) Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | m) Do you support allowing pharmacists who conscientiously object to emergency contraception to refuse to dispense it? | ||
| I believe we have a color-free society. We are 100 years past the Civil War and the end of slavery. We are 40 years past the Civil Rights and the Voters Rights Act. We have an African-American candidate winning over 30 primaries and caucuses this year in the Presidential elections of 2008. It is safe to say that in 2008 we have racism in our society,but not in our state government. That is why we need to do like Dr. King said, "....judge a person not by the color of their skin but the content of a person's character." | |||
| I support HB 1189, which will add over 10,000 police officers to the streets of Pennsylvania. I support and have signed the "No New Tax Pledge". I believe in no new taxes, in fact, I believe in lowering the tax burden of the average Pennsylvania taxpayer. I support term-limits at the legislative level. I will term-limit myself. I will limit myself to only two terms in the Pennsylvania State Senate. I support changing the spending formula for our public schools. I support tax-vouchers to allow parents the choice to send their children to the local school of their choice. | |||
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