Political Courage Test

The website votesmart.org requests that all candidates and current office-holders take something that they call the "political courage test." This is basically a survey that they fill out to show the public where they stand on the issues facing the country, as well as how they will pay for things (taxes, etc.). I thought that instead of reflecting on a current event, it might be a fun idea for me to fill out the political courage test in this installment of my blog. So, below are my stances on the issues. You can check out votesmart.org to see any office-holder or candidate's answers to this test. It is a great resource around election time to decide who you line up most closely with on the issues. If I left anything blank, it is because the question is too vague to give a fair answer, not because I am dodging the question.

Abortion Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion. a) Abortions should always be illegal. b) Abortions should always be legal. c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester. X d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. X e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. f) Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal. g) Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures. x h) Other or expanded principles. -I support a woman's right to choose, but think that more steps should be taken to educate people earlier on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Budgetary, Spending, and Tax Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once. 1) Budget Priorities Slightly Increase a) Agriculture Slightly Increase b) Arts Slightly Increase c) Defense Greatly Increase d) Education Greatly Increase e) Environment Greatly Increase f) FEMA Slightly Increase g) Homeland security Slightly Increase h) International aid Slightly Increase i) Law enforcement (Federal) Slightly Increase j) Law enforcement (State) Greatly Increase k) Medical research Maintain Status l) National parks Slightly Increase m) Public health services Slightly Increase n) Scientific research Slightly Decrease o) Space exploration programs Slightly Increase p) Transportation and highway infrastructure Maintain Status q) United Nations Slightly Increase r) Welfare s) Other or expanded categories 2) Defense Spending Slightly Increase a) Armed forces personnel training Slightly Increase b) Intelligence operations Slightly Increase c) Military hardware Slightly Increase d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment Maintain Status e) National missile defense Slightly Increase f) Pay for active duty personnel Slightly Increase g) Programs to improve troop retention rates Slightly Increase h) Research and development of new weapons Slightly Increase i) Troop and equipment readiness j) Other or expanded categories 3) Taxes Indicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once. Family Income Taxes decrease a) Less than $12,000 decrease b) $12,001-$40,000 decrease c) $40,001-$100,000 decrease d) $100,001-$180,000 decrease under $250,000, increase over $250,000 e) $180,001-$350,000 increase f) $350,001 and above g) Other or expanded categories Other Taxes a) Alcohol taxes b) Capital gains taxes slightly increase c) Cigarette taxes greatly increase d) Corporate taxes e) Gasoline taxes f) Inheritance taxes g) Other or expanded categories Deductions/Credits Maintain Status a) Charitable contribution deduction Maintain Status b) Child tax credit Maintain Status c) Earned income tax credit Maintain Status d) Medical expense deduction Maintain Status e) Mortgage deduction Maintain Status f) Student loan credit g) Other or expanded categories no 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax? no 5) Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year? 6) Other or expanded principles Campaign Finance and Government Reform Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform. a) Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns. x b) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office. c) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees. d) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties. e) Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election. f) Support instant run-off voting (IRV). X g) Support designating Election Day as a national holiday. h) Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations. X i) Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill. X j) Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege. k) Other or expanded principles Crime Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime. a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment. e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes. f) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. X g) Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses). X h) Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes. i) Other or expanded principles Education Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education. X a) Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs. b) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school. c) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school. X d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools. X e) Increase funding for the Pell Grant program. X f) Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans. X g) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college. X h) Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders. X i) Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders. j) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). k) Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). l) Other or expanded principles Employment Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment. X a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today’s job market. b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector. X c) Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies. X d) Increase the federal minimum wage. X e) Support the right of workers to unionize. f) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment. X g) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws. X h) Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws. i) Other or expanded principles Environment and Energy Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy. X a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. X b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act. X c) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil). X d) Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. e) Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. f) Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted. X g) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels. X h) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel. i) Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source. j) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws. X k) Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming. X l) Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming. m) Other or expanded principles Gun Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns. a) Allow individuals to carry concealed guns. b) Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials. On (c) and (d), indicate what levels (#1-6) you support for the following categories. Increase c) Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. Increase d) Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. e) Other or expanded principles Health Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health. X a) Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income. b) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts. X c) Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States. X d) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare. X e) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage. X f) Support expanding child healthcare programs. g) Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government. h) Other or expanded principles I support a government run, single-payer plan above anything else, but the alternatives above are good steps in the right direction for health care reform. Immigration Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration. a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country. b) Establish English as the official national language. c) Support a temporary worker program. X d) Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States. f) Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship. g) Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship. h) Support merit-based visas over family-based visas. i) Other or expanded principles International Aid, International Policy, and International Trade Issues (Back to top) International Aid Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international aid. X a) Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives. X b) Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States. X c) Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses. d) Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated. e) Other or expanded principles International Policy Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international policy. a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process? b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state? Yes c) Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates? d) Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces? e) Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq? Yes f) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq? g) Discuss your proposals for Iraq. Yes h) Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program? Yes i) Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan? Yes j) Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan? k) Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes? l) Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan? m) Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan? Yes n) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan? Yes o) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo? p) Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia? Yes q) Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses? r) Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo? s) Other or expanded principles International Trade Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade. a) Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China? b) Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela? No c) Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements? d) Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade? e) Other or expanded principles National Security Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security. a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical? b) Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks? Yes c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country? Yes d) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security? No e) Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security? No f) Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system? No g) Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas? h) Should the United States expand its missile defense shield? i) Other or expanded principles Social Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues. Yes a) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? b) Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman? Yes c) Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines? d) Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos? Yes e) Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions? Yes f) Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs? Yes g) Should the federal government regulate internet gambling? h) Other or expanded principles Social Security Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security. a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves. b) Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax. c) Decrease benefits paid to retirees. X d) Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index. e) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits. f) Other or expanded principles Welfare and Poverty Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty. a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs. b) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants. X c) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients. d) Abolish all federal welfare programs. e) Other or expanded principles Legislative Priorities (Back to top) 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. 1) Reform the health care system to provide affordable insurance to every American. 2) Create jobs by eliminating dangerous free trade agreements and passing an energy bill that creates "green jobs." 3) Heavily increase government regulations on banks, financial organizations, and large corporations.