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Ryan Akin's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Ryan Akin refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2012.

  • W. Ryan Akin. Project Vote Smart: 2008 Tennessee State Legislative Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: “c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.”
  • W. Ryan Akin. Project Vote Smart: 2008 Tennessee State Legislative Political Courage Test. Did Not Check SUPPORT for: "b) Abortions should always be legal."
  • W. Ryan Akin. Project Vote Smart: 2008 Tennessee State Legislative Political Courage Test. Did Not Check SUPPORT for: "a) Abortions should always be illegal."
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Ryan Akin. Let's Take Our Country Back! 10 August 2012. “All citizens of this country must be tax paying citizens. All businesses must be tax paying.” (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Ryan Akin. ABOUT RYAN AKIN FOR U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TENNESSEE DISTRICT 7. 15 August 2012. “We need to have our own source of oil and energy so that we have NO DEPENDENCY upon another country.” (www.causes.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Ryan Akin. Representation, This is what we ask for as Americans. 15 August 2012. “I am a gun owner and a hunter. I respect the right for guns that I carry and never want to see that right taken away from citizens that can carry them legally.” (www.orgsites.com)
  • Ryan Akin. Make the Right Choice in 2012. 10 August 2012. “Congress today and those of recent past have failed at their job that we voted them in to do. […] They try to find loopholes to take guns away from us so that we cannot protect our families and our property.” (votesmart.org)
  • Ryan Akin. Facebook: Wall. 26 March 2012. “All of the above should give you the ammo you need to support your opposition to Obamacare.” (www.facebook.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

a) Abortions should always be illegal.
b) Abortions should always be legal.
X c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
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) Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period.
X g) Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors.
h) Other or expanded principles

State Budget: Indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.State Taxes: Indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.

Slightly Increase a) Education (Higher)
Greatly Increase b) Education (K-12)
Greatly Increase c) Emergency preparedness
Slightly Increase d) Environment
Greatly Increase e) Health care
Greatly Increase f) Law enforcement
Greatly Increase g) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Maintain Status h) Welfare
i) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Increase c) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status d) Gasoline taxes
Slightly Decrease e) Sales taxes
Slightly Decrease f) Vehicle taxes
g) Other or expanded categories
No 1) Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales?
Undecided 2) Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget?
No 3) Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget?
4) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

Undecided a) Do you support the current limit of terms for Tennessee governors?
Yes b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Tennessee state senators and representatives?
Yes 1) Individual
Undecided 2) PAC
Yes 3) Corporate
No 4) Political Parties
Yes d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Yes e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state-level political campaigns?
Yes f) Should Tennessee participate in the federal REAL ID program?
g) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

X a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and hiring of additional prison staff.
X b) Support the death penalty in Tennessee.
X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X d) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
e) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
X f) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
X g) Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws.
X h) Support hate crime legislation.
With regards to the minors prosecuted as adults. I support this with some hesitation as well. It does depend upon the crime and the actual age of the minor at the time of the crime offense. Crimes with weapons and a crime taking another persons life need to be top on this list with the minors age taken into consideration at each cenario.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.k) What grade (A, B, C, D, F, +/-, or NR for No Requirement), do you support requiring college students on a HOPE scholarship maintain?

X a) Support state funding of universal pre-K programs.
X b) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
X c) Support state education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students.
X d) Support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams.
X e) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
f) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
X g) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
X h) Support using a merit pay system for teachers.
X i) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
j) Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of Tennessee to pay in-state tuition at public universities.
B- Freshman
B+ Sophomore
A- Junior
A- Senior
A- 5th + Year
If they get the scolorship and accept it then the student must be able to "work hard" to maintain their education. This is not something that they can just get by with a free ride. Work hard and your education will continue. Slack in class and the funding could stop. This is an incentive for the student to work hard and succeed.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

X a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today's job market.
b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector.
X c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
X d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
X e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
f) Include sexual orientation in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws.
g) Include gender identity in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws.
X h) Increase the state minimum wage.
X i) Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will.
X j) Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
X k) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
X l) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
I feel if you are able to be a productive member of society then you must do your part to earn your living. Welfare should only be a temporary assistance program for those in need due to current conditions they have stumbled upon. This should not be a life long check from the taxpayers. If you able to work, then you must do so.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

X a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
X b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc).
X c) Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops.
X d) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
e) Support funding for improvements to Tennessee's power generating and transmission facilities.
X f) Support funding for open space preservation.
X g) Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
X h) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
X i) Regulate rock harvesting and other surface mining sufficiently to protect the environmental quality of adjoining properties.
X j) Regulate rock harvesting and other surface mining sufficiently to protect the rights of property owners over mineral rights owners.
k) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

Yes a) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
Yes b) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
Undecided c) Should a license be required for gun possession?
Yes d) Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
Yes e) Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
I feel that in order to carry a concealed weapon you must have a license for it. In order to have a gun in your possesion I feel that if you are not a criminal and have purchased this gun legally (through the state background) then possesion should not be a crime. The weapon is legally yours and registered to you. You have passed the background to own it. Why are you forbidden to have it in your possession?

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

X a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
b) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
X c) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
d) Allow patients to sue their HMOs.
X e) Require hospitals and labs to release reports on infections that are a risk to public health, while not compromising patient confidentiality.
X f) Legalize physician assisted suicide in Tennessee.
g) Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
There is much more to every question here. Please remember that all have to have limitations. There must always be standards that need to be addressed.

['Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.', 'Legislative Priorities']

No a) Should Tennessee recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
No b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
No c) Should Tennessee provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples?
Yes d) Do you support a moment of silence in public schools?
Yes e) Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools?
Yes f) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
Undecided g) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
No h) Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions?
No i) Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?
Undecided j) Should Tennessee continue affirmative action programs?
Undecided k) Do you support state funding of stem cell research?
No l) Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research?
No m) Do you support allowing pharmacists who conscientiously object to emergency contraception to refuse to dispense it?
n) Other or expanded principles
Top priorities for me if elected will be safety of people of my area and state. Ways to make life better for those in my area by education and informational tools to better their life for themselves and their family. Find ways to make transportation easier in congested areas. Make construction an easier and safer commute if possible. Find ways to help those in need with healthcare issues. Make local governments more accountable for their funding.

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