David Hancock'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.
David Hancock has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Georgia Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Yes | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| No | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| We should be in Afghanistan if we are hunting down terrorist groups that have in the past or are now actively attempting to harm us. We should define a mission and withdraw when the mission is accomplished, not simply on a timetable. For any conflict, not just Afghanistan: 1. We need a clear mission or we should not be there. 2. We must secure America's borders before we secure those of other nations 3. Congress must be involved in troop deployments. | |||
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,
| Yes | do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | do you support reducing Medicaid spending? | ||
| Yes | do you support reducing Medicare spending? | ||
| Yes | Is balancing the budget a legislative priority? | ||
| Defense spending can be reduced by closing overseas bases that are no longer needed and bringing home many of our soldiers stationed in secure areas. Active combat troops and reserves, however, must have any and all equipment necessary to do the jobs the Congress sends them to do. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| These contributions should be allowed, but, like individual donations, should be open and comply with existing laws. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | Do you support the temporary extension of unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief? | ||
| Government should not be collecting taxes and then spending those taxes to create jobs or to direct the economy. This money should be left in the private sector allowing companies, large and small, more of their own money to create the jobs themselves. Permanent tax reduction is the best solution. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| I am generally against using federal money for education, which should be a local issue. | |||
| No | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| If human activity is contributing to climate change the effect is too small to measure and is far outpaced by natural warming or cooling factors. | |||
| Yes | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| While some restrictions are required, existing federal gun laws are sufficient, and, in some cases, even overly restrictive. Certainly no more restrictions should be placed on gun ownership at the federal level. Gun ownership is an essential right that must be protected. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| No | Do you support allowing illegal immigrants, who were brought to the United States as minors, to pursue citizenship without returning to their country of origin? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Proven terrorists who mean harm to the US should be targeted even if they are outside official conflict regions. American citizens who are suspected of terrorism should be brought to trial - not simply put on a 'kill list'. For Iran, if sanctions don�t work and Congress approves then limited military force may be required to ensure the safety of the US and our allies. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
SpendingIndicate what federal spending levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category; you can use a number more than once.TaxesIndicate 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.
| Greatly Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Eliminate | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Eliminate | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Greatly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Eliminate | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| Federal income taxes should be replaced with the Fair Tax or a Flat Tax. Federal payroll taxes should be gradually reduced as federal programs like Social Security and Medicare are either privatized or moved back to the states. | |||
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.