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Pennsylvania Inside Out

Tune in to WPSU-TV weekdays during "Pennsylvania Inside Out" at 5:30 p.m. from March 31 through April 22 for candidate and issue coverage.

As the polls in Pennsylvaniai close Tuesday night join WPSU Radio for special Pennsylvania Primary coverage from WPSU News and NPR. We'll keep you up-to-date on election returns, and you'll hear conversations with Pennsylvania superdelegates Ruth Rudy (Clinton) and Senator Bob Casey (Obama). Joining us for analysis will be Penn State political science professor Michael Berkman and journalist Russ Eschleman, who also teaches at Penn State

Take the quiz

Disclaimer: This is a nonscientific quiz. It is designed to serve as a starting point in learning more about the candidates. Please choose the answer that you most strongly support. The available answers are not intended to encompass comprehensive policy solutions or the full range of possible options. The answers include only the responses chosen or provided by the candidates. Quiz FAQ.

1. Illegal Immigrants

1. What do you think is the single most important action for dealing with illegal immigrants already in the United States?

A. Find them and send them to their country of origin.
B. Expand guestworker programs so people can legally work here.
C. Offer them a path to citizenship once they have paid a fine and any back taxes.
D. Prevent them from working, by enforcing existing laws prohibiting businesses from hiring illegal immigrants.
E. Offer a six-month window in which illegal immigrants who identify themselves and leave the country will be given priority status if they legally re-enter the country.
F. Account for illegal immigrants by requiring them to identify themselves, register and start paying taxes.
G. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

2. Universal Health Care

Do you favor or oppose adoption of universal health care in America? If so, who should bear the majority of the cost?

A. Individuals.
B. Employers.
C. I oppose universal health care.
D. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

3. Pennsylvania Brain Drain

According to a 2003 report by the Brookings Institution, Pennsylvania ranked number #1 in the United States for absolute loss of young workers from 1990 to 2000. Which of the following ideas do you think holds the most potential to help stem the outgoing tide of promising youth?

A. Offer individual financial incentives such as student loan repayment to encourage youth to stay.
B. Increase incentives to attract businesses to the state, such as the Keystone Innovation Zones that were set up in the state four years ago.
C. Let the free market solve this problem.
D. I do not expect my representative in Washington to address this issue. It is a state issue.
E. Reduce the taxes and regulations applied to individuals and corporations.
F. Invest in alternative energy, education and health care to create well-paying jobs.
G. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

4. Campaign Finance Reform

Campaign finance reform attempts to limit the influence of money on American political campaigns. In 2002, Congress passed legislation requiring candidates to disclose sources of campaign contributions and how the money is spent, and regulated the use of "soft money" contributions. Which of the following approaches do you think would most effectively advance campaign finance reform?

A. I favor widening of the matching funds method of fund-raising currently used in the presidential primaries.
B. I favor the "clean money" approach, giving each candidate a set amount of public money--the system currently in use in Maine and Arizona.
C. Campaign contributions should not be regulated.
D. Require disclosure from 527 issue groups that run attack ads without revealing their donor lists.
E. Place a cap on the amount of money that can be contributed by individuals, special interest groups and candidates.
F. Union and corporate money should be banned, but contributions from individuals should be unlimited and publicly reported online within 24 hours.
G. None of the other approaches is adequate. The system needs to start over from scratch.
H. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

5. Iraq

How long should U.S. troops remain in Iraq?

A. There should be a timetable for the removal of U.S. troops.
B. I favor immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.
C. I believe we should stay in Iraq for as long as we are making progress toward the goals of the Iraqi government taking over, and the Iraqi army providing adequate security.
D. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

6. Climate Change

What would be the best way for the federal government to respond to global climate change?

A. We do not know if global climate change is happening. We cannot act until we study it further.
B. Global climate change is happening, but because we do not fully understand what's fueling it, it would be imprudent to act.
C. Even if some scientists claim the debate on climate change is not settled, Congress should reduce emissions with alternative energy sources, hybrid motor vehicles, clean coal and nuclear energy.
D. Congress should reduce emissions by supporting alternative energy and by using economic incentives and tax breaks to support a voluntary carbon reduction effort.
E. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

7. Energy Independence

Should the federal government have a role in promoting energy independence for the United States? If so, which of the following approaches do you most strongly support?

A. Congress should provide incentives to support sustainable energy businesses and research, as well as the personal adoption of energy-saving products and practices.
B. Focus on extracting existing fossil fuels from American territories.
C. Congress should support alternative energy research, such as clean-coal and ethanol projects, and also promote nuclear power and conservation.
D. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

8. No Child Left Behind

Since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law took effect in 2002, it has had a sweeping impact on U.S. public school classrooms. It affects what students are taught, the tests they take, teacher training, and the way money is spent on education. Is NCLB an effective way to improve academic achievement?

A. I agree with the law’s goals, but not with its "one-size-fits-all" approach to education that overemphasizes testing and doesn't provide enough money to schools to achieve success. The law should be modified.
B. NCLB is failing to close the achievement gap, won't make its 2014 goals, and has not significantly improved reading and math achievement. The law should be scrapped.
C. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very

9. Transportation Funding

Given the pending insolvency of the Federal Highway Trust Fund in 2009 and the opposition to Act 44 funding mechanisms for roadways and transit, Pennsylvania will need to allocate funds to address its transportation, transit, and infrastructure problems. Which one of the following revenue sources holds the most promise for funding Pennsylvania's transportation needs?

A. Lease roads to private entities and abolish the Turnpike Commission.
B. Encourage private funding of state infrastructure projects, in exchange for expedited construction.
C. The current funding is appropriate.
D. The state should save money by not using highway safety funds to pay for busing. Once that change is enacted, the state can get a clearer sense of its transportation funding needs.
E. Re-allocating the money in the State Motor License Fund currently earmarked for the state police to fund road and bridge repairs. The state police funding would come from the state’s General Fund instead.
F. Privatize the failing mass transit systems in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
G. Congress should adopt a capital budget for vital infrastructure projects, including road and bridge repair, school construction, and sewer and water projects that will protect rivers and bays.
H. Credit the Highway Trust Fund for emergency expenditures paid out of the fund since 1998.
I. I do not agree with any of the candidates' responses.

Is this issue important to you?

Not at all Somewhat Very