| OnTheIssues.org excerpts: (click on issues for details)
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Abortion
Martha Coakley: AdWatch: Brown denied contraception to rape victims.
Scott Brown: 2005: Conscience-based opt out of post-rape contraception.
Scott Brown: Provide info about emergency contraception to rape victims.
Scott Brown: Support legalized abortion, but not partial-birth abortion.
Martha Coakley: Helped minors get court orders without parental consent.
Martha Coakley: Partial-birth ban needs exceptions for maternal health.
Scott Brown: Supported by right-to-life groups for stem cell stance.
Scott Brown: Authored bill for 24-hour waiting period for abortion.
Kerry Healey: I’ve always been pro choice, even when Romney disagreed.
Scott Brown: Abortions should always be legally available.
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Budget & Economy
Scott Brown: AdWatch: $2 trillion spending spree puts us deeper in debt.
Scott Brown: No new regulation of the financial markets.
Scott Brown: People are angry over tax and spend mentality and $12T debt.
Martha Coakley: Economic system spiraling out of control; go after Wall St.
Stephen Pagliuca: Managing director at Bain Capital; trained as accountant.
Scott Brown: Let private enterprise try to get us out of this mess.
Scott Brown: No cap on bankers' salaries.
Deval Patrick: Focus on stimulating economic growth via local aid.
Grace Ross: Shift $3B in more taxes on very rich by flattening tax rates.
Kerry Healey: Focus on local aid and mobilizing people to call for it.
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Corporations
Stephen Pagliuca: Not right to pay bankers bonuses with 320,000 unemployed.
Christy Mihos: Property tax rollback will bring businesses back in-state.
Deval Patrick: Local capital for local biz, & state pays for infrastructure.
Grace Ross: Focus on reducing costs for small biz, not big corporations.
Kerry Healey: Make permitting process easier for businesses.
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Crime
Martha Coakley: Lobbied hard to keep Gerald Amirault in prison.
Martha Coakley: Opposes death penalty, but federal death penalty ok.
Jeff Beatty: Endorsed Jessica’s Law to punish sex offenders.
Deval Patrick: Supports criminal rehabilitation and alternative sentencing.
Deval Patrick: Focus on guns & gang violence, not immigration status.
Kerry Healey: Check immigration status when police stop motorists.
Scott Brown: Implement the death penalty in Massachusetts.
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Drugs
Scott Brown: Stop dependence on drug trade in Afghanistan.
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Education
Christy Mihos: MCAS has become a weapon against public education.
Christy Mihos: No state-based merit pay; let cities & towns decide.
Deval Patrick: Favors MCAS, but not as only measure of education reform.
Deval Patrick: Incentives & merit pay on school-wide basis only.
Grace Ross: MCAS is a big part of why kids drop out of high school.
Grace Ross: Constitutional commitment to education--35 kids is too many.
Kerry Healey: Strong supporter of the MCAS and standards.
Kerry Healey: Merit pay for best teachers & those at most-needed schools.
Scott Brown: Vouchers for public, private, or religious schools.
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Energy & Oil
Scott Brown: Cap-and-trade is a national energy tax.
Martha Coakley: Supports national cap-and-trade system, plus renewables.
Scott Brown: Opposes cap-and-trade system, but renewables OK.
Jeff Beatty: Additional drilling has to be part of the solution.
Jeff Beatty: Should have drilled ANWR 10 years ago; so drill now.
Jeff Beatty: Opposed gas tax hikes; roll-back gasoline prices.
Kerry Healey: I like wind energy, but Cape Wind is a bad idea.
Scott Brown: Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
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Environment
Christy Mihos: Cape Wind hurts fishing industry.
Deval Patrick: Engage in DC regulatory fight to protect our fishing fleet.
Grace Ross: Agriculture deserves more economic development attention.
Kerry Healey: Fight new regulations that put fishermen out of business.
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Families & Children
Martha Coakley: Mandatory prosecution of restraining order violations.
Scott Brown: Presumption of shared parenting after divorce.
Michael Capuano: Healthy Families Act: paid time off for respite care.
Jeff Beatty: Supports protecting families.
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Free Trade
Jeff Beatty: Protect jobs for American citizens.
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Government Reform
Martha Coakley: Current FEC reporting on donors & meetings is enough.
Michael Capuano: If meetings are made public, people will not visit Senators.
Alan Khazei: Include senior opportunities in Serve America Act.
Scott Brown: Let president decide on nominees.
Deval Patrick: Limit campaign donations.
Scott Brown: Campaign disclosure but no donation limits.
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Gun Control
Deval Patrick: Strengthen existing gun laws; require background checks.
Scott Brown: Concealed carry ok; but licenses & background checks ok too.
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Health Care
Martha Coakley: System is broken and needs to be fixed now.
Scott Brown: 41st vote against Obama's healthcare plan.
Alan Khazei: Close the Medicare Part D coverage gap.
Jack Robinson: Universal coverage; no Medicare cuts; no tax increase.
Jack Robinson: Increase consumer choice and control for longterm care.
Martha Coakley: Individual mandate with public insurance option.
Martha Coakley: Target enforcement against corrupt long term care facilities.
Michael Capuano: Preserve all the Medicare benefits for seniors.
Stephen Pagliuca: Close the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" coverage gap.
Stephen Pagliuca: Expand home and community-based long term care services.
Scott Brown: MA already has health bill; don't impose new federal bill.
Scott Brown: Public option is really a government option.
Kerry Healey: Save $160M by consolidating city & town insurance purchases.
Scott Brown: Ensure access to basic health care, including state funding.
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Homeland Security
Martha Coakley: Protect due process in any plan to keep America safe.
Scott Brown: Supports enhanced interrogation techniques.
Scott Brown: No constitutional rights for enemy combatants.
Alan Khazei: Would vote against Patriot Act.
Martha Coakley: Would vote against Patriot Act as currently formulated.
Stephen Pagliuca: Would vote against Patriot Act.
Jeff Beatty: Restructure forces, larger, & for liberation, not occupation.
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Immigration
Christy Mihos: Illegal immigration is illegal--they cost Massachusetts $1B.
Christy Mihos: Dems want immigrants votes; GOP wants their cheap labor.
Christy Mihos: No licenses for illegals; felony for driving without license.
Deval Patrick: In-state tuition ok for illegals; focus on employers.
Deval Patrick: Drivers licenses for illegals, for security and safety.
Grace Ross: Illegal immigrants pay taxes like the rest of us.
Grace Ross: Illegal immigration is only an issue because of jobs.
Kerry Healey: Opposes in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
Kerry Healey: Urges Attorney General to investigate hiring illegals.
Kerry Healey: Opposes issuing licenses to illegal immigrants.
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Jobs
Scott Brown: AdWatch: I agree with JFK that cutting taxes creates jobs.
Alan Khazei: Enforceable workforce protection for seniors.
Jack Robinson: Restore the full protections of the age discrimination laws.
Martha Coakley: Restore the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
Michael Capuano: Strengthen rights of seniors against age discrimination.
Stephen Pagliuca: Reverse Gross v FBL Financial: no age discrimination.
Stephen Pagliuca: 10% unemployment is totally unacceptable.
Deval Patrick: Pledge to work with AFL-CIO means being open to all voices.
Kerry Healey: Deval’s pledge to work with AFL-CIO means higher costs.
Scott Brown: No affirmative action in public employment nor contracting.
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Local Issues
Deval Patrick: Governor should take responsibility and get Big Dig reform.
Kerry Healey: Called for Big Dig reform in 2003; still investigating now.
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Principles & Values
Scott Brown: $1.3 million in 24 hours via Internet "Money Bomb" appeal.
Alan Khazei: Would take a "big citizenship" approach to Washington.
Martha Coakley: Considers herself a liberal, but look at the record.
Michael Capuano: Proud to say I'm a liberal.
Christy Mihos: On being a spoiler: How can you spoil a rotten system?
Christy Mihos: Not just passing through Massachusetts, like some governors.
Christy Mihos: I represent 50% of voters; no difference between Dems & GOP.
Deval Patrick: Running to reach out to all & create a stake in the future.
Deval Patrick: Do we stay on this path, or do we make a change?
Deval Patrick: Outsider governor balances entrenched establishment.
Grace Ross: Earns $30K/year; millionaires have no clue what we face.
Grace Ross: Running to rebuild democracy.
Kerry Healey: Republican governor balances 87% Democrat legislature.
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Social Security
Joe L. Kennedy: Ready to cut Social Security & other entitlements.
Alan Khazei: Individual retirement accounts ok; but not from Trust Fund.
Jack Robinson: No diversion of payroll tax to individual retirement account.
Martha Coakley: Safety net of Social Security is more important than ever.
Michael Capuano: Resist any attempt to privatize Social Security.
Stephen Pagliuca: Never allow diverting into individual retirement accounts.
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Tax Reform
Martha Coakley: Bush tax cuts favor wealthy Americans.
Scott Brown: Maintain Bush tax cuts after 2010.
Martha Coakley: AdWatch: Get taxes up from more employment, not tax increase.
Scott Brown: 15 percent across the board tax cut.
Martha Coakley: Extend Bush tax cuts for the lowest four tax brackets.
Martha Coakley: Some taxes are investments like for infrastructure & schools.
Scott Brown: Permanently eliminate the estate tax.
Alan Khazei: Supports a war tax to pay for Afghanistan surge.
Martha Coakley: Consider a war tax to pay for Afghanistan surge.
Stephen Pagliuca: Job Focused Tax Reform: incentives, training, & funding.
Jeff Beatty: Abolishing state income tax would act as economic stimulus.
John Kerry: Abolishing state income tax would be calamitous.
Christy Mihos: Get money out of Beacon Hill and back to cities & towns.
Christy Mihos: Roll back taxes but restore local aid.
Deval Patrick: Cut property tax; expand circuit breaker & senior exemption.
Deval Patrick: Tax rollback is shell game, shifting burden to property tax.
Grace Ross: We don’t have enough income tax.
Grace Ross: Tax rollback kills cities via property tax increase of 35%.
Grace Ross: Tax rollback gives middle class $100s, but $100,000s to rich.
Kerry Healey: Avoid property tax increases by reducing waste.
Kerry Healey: Failure to roll back taxes cost people $2 billion since 2000.
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Technology
Martha Coakley: Make federal research-and-development tax credit permanent.
Alan Khazei: Focus on mobility as key determinants of senior wellness.
Jack Robinson: Supports Complete Streets policy for all ages & abilities.
Martha Coakley: Take into account drivers' abilities, from teens to seniors.
Michael Capuano: $6B to restore MA roads, bridges, and tunnels.
Stephen Pagliuca: Require federal fundees to adopt Complete Street principles.
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War & Peace
Martha Coakley: Bring troops home from Afghanistan.
Scott Brown: Supports 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan.
Martha Coakley: Focus efforts where terrorists are, not Afghanistan.
Scott Brown: Terrorists are not gone from Afghanistan.
Michael Capuano: No funding for Afghan surge; no funding for Iraq war.
Scott Brown: Finish the job in Afghanistan: keep Taliban and al-Qaeda out.
Jeff Beatty: Kerry failed to read vital intelligence reports pre-Iraq war.
John Kerry: Based vote for Iraq war on CIA’s intelligence reports.
Jeff Beatty: Evidence for WMD in Iraq was not credible.
Jeff Beatty: Iraq invasion was a mistake, but we can’t leave now.
Jeff Beatty: Leave Iraq with success, by any path.
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Welfare & Poverty
Deval Patrick: Increase funding for employment and job training programs.
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