Project Vote Smart: Gary Stein (various slogans)
Abortion Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
[ ] a) Abortions should always be illegal.
[ ] b) Abortions should always be legal.
[X] c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
[ ] d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
[ ] e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
[ ] f) Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period.
[ ] g) Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors.
h) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: The League of Women Voters asked a similar question, but they didn't come right out and say "abortion." My verbose answer... "I'm pro-choice and pro- religion too, even though I'm agnostic. Why mention? I heard the barest details of Mackenzie Phillips horror story..... Forgetting the few religious leaders who've fallen from grace.... I'm appreciative of religions guiding morals, and think what a Sodom and Gomorrah we'd really have on our hands without the often maligned religious community as a blessed presence. I'm equally appreciative of wise non-religious leaders who lead by example- and are pro choice like me." yada, yada...]
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Budget and Tax Issues
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.
I would
a) Education (Higher) Answer: Maintain Status
b) Education (K-12) Answer: Maintain Status
c) Emergency preparedness Answer: Greatly Decrease
d) Environment Answer: Slightly Decrease
e) Health care Answer: Greatly Increase
f) Law enforcement Answer: Slightly Decrease
g) Transportation and highway infrastructure Answer: Slightly Increase
h) Welfare Answer: Slightly Decrease
i) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: In other "venues," where "we," were invited to go "mano y mano" with the elite establishment favorites, I've said w/flourish and great fanfare- kill a few unimportant state agencies that were created in fat times when the taxpayer was snoozing. Take some of that saved money and "greatly increase" health care. Here's what's important about that idea. Conservatives might be so impressed that some government entity, might actually cease to exist, they'd possibly go along with Democrats attempts to transform health care; because even some Republican's have a heart. I'm Republican.
As for c, homeland security is a federal responsibility.]
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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.
I would
a) Alcohol taxes Answer: Maintain Status
b) Cigarette taxes Maintain Status
c) Corporate taxes Greatly Decrease
d) Gasoline taxes Greatly Increase
e) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000) Maintain Status
f) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000) Slightly Decrease
g) Property taxes Slightly Decrease
h) Sales taxes Slightly Decrease
i) Vehicle taxes Maintain Status
j) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: You asked, I answer. I'm a car and truck lover all my life, yet I'd greatly favor increasing gasoline taxes as a way to get consumers into smaller vehicles. Electric and hydrogen is coming, and they won't work in a 5000 lb. Chevy Suburban. Speaking of electric cars, we're going to need more electric power generation, and unless we want to burn even more messy coal from Pennsylvania, nuclear might, (is) worth considering.
Getting back to that tax I just favored increasing, rebate it on the back end, otherwise Trenton will look at it as free money.]
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1) Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales? Answer [Undecided]
2) Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget? Answer[No]
3) Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget? Answer [No]
4) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: I'm not often undecided, and to prove I'm only human, I'll admit I'm quite honestly unsure about a sales tax on internet sales; so I'll leave that one for Corzine and Christie to answer. All the candidates get to hit #2 and #3 out of the park. Rainy day funds and fees! No tricky bookkeeping is acceptable!]
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Campaign Finance and Government Reform Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.
a) Do you support the current limit of terms for New Jersey governors? [Yes]
b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for New Jersey state senators and assemblymembers? [Yes]
c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to gubernatorial candidates?
1) Individual [No]
2) PAC [No]
3) Corporate [No]
4) Political Parties [Yes]
d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? [Yes]
e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state-level political campaigns? [No]
f) Should New Jersey participate in the federal REAL ID program? [Yes]
g) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: I'd close the circle on the REAL ID program by immediately issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants because they AIN'T going home, and amnesty is inevitable. Then I'd seal the borders, support the elimination of the 13th amendment (I'd be the guy who could talk about that- and not be called a racist- wouldn't I?). Now please check out my interesting web site and see what I have to say about boycotting Mexico.
As far as disclosing campaign contributions? If an individual would like to donate $75,000 to my campaign, everyone has a right to know who that individual was.]
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Crime Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
[ ] a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and hiring of additional prison staff.
[ ] b) Establish the death penalty in New Jersey.
[ ] c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
[ ] d) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
[ ] e) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
[ ] f) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
[ ] g) Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws.
[ ] h) Support hate crime legislation.
i) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: I'm for hard labor, as well as expanded and expedited DNA testing to insure that wrongly incarcerated persons convicted of some horrible crime---- get back on the street as fast as reasonably possible, in addition to getting just compensation for any time spent working on prison rock piles.]
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Education Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
[X] a) Support state funding of universal pre-K programs.
[ ] b) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
[ ] 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.
[ ] g) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
[ ] 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.
[X] j) Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of New Jersey to pay in-state tuition at public universities.
k) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: Rather then go the merit pay route with teachers- and battle their union, how about merit pay for principals and superintendents? How about giving superintendents a chance to cover two districts? No? So don't take a lesson from GM! They axed divisions and cut costs...they did it kicking and screaming ( that's the private sector, good luck with public one)
Nobody in this race, except Payson perhaps, checked off letter j like me. Why call them "illegal immigrants," just make them citizens already and stop arguing about this! I've a comprehensive plan on my web site all sides could love.]
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Employment Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
[ ] a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today's 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.
[ ] 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.
[ ] f) Increase the state minimum wage.
[ ] g) Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will.
[ ] h) Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
[X] i) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
[ ] j) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
k) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: The programs I "didn't" support increased funding for above, all sound great on paper, but the history of government oversight to prevent waste/abuse at these agencies is deplorable. In addition there's no money in the budget anymore for programs that don't work, never mind increasing their budgets. As a matter of fact, a Stein Administration (I'm really starting to like the sound of that) is going to put a few state agencies out to pasture, and maybe we'll get health care in return? All kinds of good things might happen in this state then. Businesses might actually move back!]
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Environment and Energy Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
[X] a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
[X] b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc).
[ ] c) Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops.
[ ] 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 New Jersey's power generating and transmission facilities.
[ ] 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) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: I'm for fast tracking new nuclear facilities. That would take care of letter g, and give us an A+ rating with environmental groups regarding carbon credits and greenhouse gasses. Oh, it wouldn't? Yes they hate nuclear, we'll just wait for another Middle East wake up call; or for the next generation of electric cars to fly out of dealer show rooms- and we won't have enough power in the grid.
Forget anymore luxuries like letters d and f. I'd love to increase money for that, but we're broke. Funny isn't it, all the tough choices we have to make now?]
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Gun Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
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? [No]
c) Should a license be required for gun possession? [Yes]
d) Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? [No answer]
e) Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? [No answer]
f) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: I don't know the answers to d and e because I'm not familiar with the laws- and I'm not really interested in researching them either. When my poll ratings leave the single digits I'll be more inclined to check it out. Some of the invisible candidates like me are going to love this question. Lot's of loons vote this one issue; and the right to own pistols, rifles and sub machine guns is great for pandering votes. If I wanted to make sure I don't come in 13th place, I'd say every one has a right to own a Uzi.]
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Health Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.
[X] a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
[ ] b) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
[X] 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.
[X] f) Legalize physician assisted suicide in New Jersey.
[ ] g) Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
h) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: In deference to the seriousness of this question, combined with the fact that I've given sometimes snide- exactly one hundred word answers- to some of the other questions, I'm leaving this box mostly blank. I'm for Single Payer Health Care.]
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Social Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.
a) Should New Jersey continue to recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? [Yes]
b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? [Yes]
c) Should New Jersey provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples? [Yes]
d) Do you support a moment of silence in public schools? [No]
e) Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools? [No]
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? [No]
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 New Jersey continue affirmative action programs? [No]
k) Do you support state funding of stem cell research? [Yes]
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? [Yes]
n) Other or expanded principles
[Answer: I beg any voter looking in here to please go to my web site, Stein for Governor. Read what I say about 1) corrupt Mexico 2) a boycott of Mexico by us, and by illegals- who'd withhold remittances 3) amnesty, (and by extension), "everybody" getting a chance to purchase valid car insurance 4) a secure border, once everyone agrees to my compromises and stops arguing!
Maybe that's why FOX, CNN and the rest, never open my e-mails; they know endless fighting is key to their continued ratings success. Why the NY Times doesn't call is still a puzzle to me?]
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Legislative Priorities
Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
[Answer: I hope, who's ever elected, Corzine or Christie- reads the answers from us other "somebodies." The tide is turning, and there's going to be more fed up average people running as candidates jabbing in their faces next time- if they don't do more then give lip service to our demands that drastic changes are needed in the way government operates. Look how many went out and begged for 800 signatures to be on the ballot-THIS TIME.
And between now and Nov. 3 can't one NY Times reporter call and see what all the hubbub is with Mexico and me? Damn!]