Melody Fleck
Democrat | Pennsylvania
Candidate Profile
Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Melody Fleck
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2016
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 171
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, BA, 1975
Temple University-Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, JD, 1979
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
Moshannon Group of Sierra Club, past treasurer, Ex. Committee, Oil & Gas Chair, PA Chapter of Sierra Club
Chair of the Nuclear Committee & other committees, Centre County Bar Assn., past treasurer
League of Women Voters, past member, American Assn. of University Women
past member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (3)
Sierra Club
PA Building & Construction Trades Council
Green Party
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Deep Blue PAC
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Congress should repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Neutral
Election of judges by the people for a definite term of office is the best way to select judges.
Agree
More restrictive gun control laws are needed to protect public safety.
Neutral
Government should enforce laws designed to protect the border and to prevent illegal entry into the country.
Agree
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Agree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States.
Disagree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Neutral
Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self-interest into the most productive economic system there is.
Neutral
There should be a strict constitutional spending limit for state and local governments that would tie the rate of spending to the rate of population growth plus the rate of inflation.
No Answer
Marijuana should be legalized and regulated like tobacco and alcohol.
Agree
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Agree
The founders established pure democracy in the Constitution because they believed that it is the best form of government to ensure the safety and equitable treatment of all citizens.
Agree
Free-market competition for education dollars, rather than a government monopoly, would create a better education for all students.
Disagree
Where minor children are involved, divorce laws should be reformed to include mutual consent of both parents and an increased waiting period, unless there is fault or abuse.
Neutral
The Ten Commandments should not be displayed in public school buildings.
Agree
Business owners should be required by law to bake cakes, provide flower arrangements, etc., for same-sex weddings, even when these activities would infringe on their sincerely-held religious beliefs.
Disagree
Our state should participate in the nationwide Common Core standards for high-school graduation.
Agree
Physician-assisted suicide should be legal.
Agree
The more people live by Judeo-Christian values, the less government is needed.
Neutral
Islamic law (Sharia) does not pose a threat to the United States and its Constitution.
No Answer
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with public funds.
Disagree
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.
Agree
Planned Parenthood should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments.
Disagree
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
The corrupting influence of too much power concentrated in one small group led our founders to separate and limit the power of each branch of our government and include checks and balances among them.
Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
While religion defines current morals, separation of church and state is a tenet of our Democracy. 1st Amendment guarantees religious freedom but prohibits Congress from promoting one religion. Constitution, Supreme Ct. Congress, Voters, Academia.
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v Wade is the highest law of the land. It employs a Solomonic weighing of the interests of the unborn fetus against womens' rights to privacy and to determine when they are ready to become mothers. In the first trimester, women have unfettered discretion to chose; in the second trimester, the state may regulate/prohibit procedures in the best interest of health and safety; and in the last trimester, the rights of the unborn fetus has greater weight and abortion is only permitted under exceptional circumstances, such as to save the life of the woman. While it doesn't please everyone, it does seem a fair way to please most and, of course, contraceptive planning is the best plan. Planned Parenthood provides contraceptive services to low-income women. Cutting funding will increase the demand for abortion services.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
The Golden Rule is my guiding principle. Love, brotherhood and stewardship of the nurturing earth that has been entrusted to our care are utmost in my thinking as I go forward with my campaign for public office.
Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which of these best describes you?
Somewhat Liberal
Please defend your answer to the previous question by referencing your publicly available track record.
Most recently, I campaigned for Bernie Sanders and believe his integrity and commitment to solve the social issues of America were just what we needed. Some of his ideas were included in the official Democratic platform such as a livable wage, more affordable college, and repairing our failing infrastructure. In my opinion, not enough was included when it came to responsibly addressing climate change and ending the corrupting influence of high-paid lobbyists, excessive political campaign donations & the revolving door between government regulation and industry that result in policies which are not in the best interest of the People.
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you.
not available
Additional comment from candidate:
We are all Americans, first and foremost, we represent a wide spectrum of beliefs. To have the best for our country and our world, we must find ways to temper our rigid one-issue stances and come out of our corners with an attitude of compromise, understanding and brotherhood. The grinding gridlock of last year's budget delay is a prime example of how entrenched politics did not work in the best interest of PA voters. More complete answers to the above: 1. A single payer health care system would be better but pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies have undue influence over policy. 3. We have a Second Amendmentright to bear arms. Rural gun owners are generally responsible but some high-crime areas need more safety protections. Finding ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people with mental imbalances is critical. 13. Fair market has resulted in high earnings for owners and job loss overseas which is not in the best interest of our economy.
