Aidan O'Connor, Jr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- Legislator (Greene County, NY) - District 9
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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Aidan O'Connor, Jr. 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? | ||
| I believe women's rights are human rights and a woman should have the right to choose when, if, and how she'd like to start a family. I believe in a woman's right to have agency over her own body. I have been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Empire State Votes PAC because I support these basic human rights. | |||
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? | ||
| Budget stabilization must occur through targeted long-term strategy at investing in programs that will ultimately result in savings. For an example, in healthcare, we can ensure our programs are targeted to ensure that patients won't need to be transported to a hospital or reduce hospital stays which would ultimately save money. Another way to reduce tax payer dollars is through shared services town to town, county to county and state to state, which would result in larger buying power and economies of scale. It should not fall back on the employees to be penalized for the actions of politicians. | |||
| 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? | ||
| We need to close the LLC loophole. | |||
| 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? | ||
| We desperately need to fix our immigration process and recognize people as other human beings looking to be part of our incredible country. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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 ? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New York ? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| e) 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 government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| I support legislation that brings together both law-abiding gun owners and those attempting to solve the issue of gun violence so they can work together to create common sense legislation, or programs, that keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and those who are suffering from mental illness. Bringing law-abiding gun owners to the table of the discussion of these bills is something we are severely lacking in our legislature, and it will ensure our laws are both safe and fair. | |||
| 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? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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: | |||
| If elected my top three priorities in office will be: - Securing my district better access to affordable healthcare and ensuring emergency medical services are seen as an essential service so we can open up pathways for them to receive grant funding - Fighting corruption by supporting closing the LLC loophole and having self-imposed term limits for legislators, as well as refusing special interest money and backroom deals - Reducing taxes upstate by bringing more state tax dollars back to my district while forming partnerships for shared services in villages, towns and counties. |
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