Jim Klauder's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Jim Klauder has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Florida Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I'm inclined to always want to protect life but, at the same time, want to scale back government involvement in what should be personal decisions. This is an issue best addressed between a doctor and his/her patient. | |||
| No | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| The war in Afghanistan is a monumental waste of money. Not only are we funding corruption in that country, we will have little to show for the trillion dollars we have spent there. When we leave, we will leave behind a muslim-based, tribal society and they will work it out on their own. That is the same result that would have taken place if we had left 5 years ago. In the meantime, we spend 10 billion dollars a month -- not to mention the horrible toll in human lives. | |||
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? | ||
| The greatest threat to our nation's security is the 16 trillion (and growing) dollar national debt. The out of control spending must be reigned in -- the cuts will be painful but they will need to be in all areas of federal spending. We have no choice in this matter. We will, eventually, run out of borrowing room. Better to solve the problem now than to let it keep on getting worse. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| But only to the extent that there should be complete transparency as to who is giving the money and who it is going to. | |||
| Yes | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Criminals who repeatedly commit heinous crimes and show no remorse should be put down. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| As a general approach, real economic growth and meaningful job creation only comes from the private sector. Government needs to get out of the way and then growth could take hold and flourish. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| The no child left behind act has only served to centralize control of education in Washington DC. Since its passage in 2001, the Dept of Ed budget has doubled, the regulations imposed on local schools has doubled, the paperwork required by teachers has doubled. The only thing that has not doubled is the education of students. I would eliminate the Dept of Ed. and give half the savings in direct grants to states, based on student population. | |||
| No | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| We need strong regulations in place to protect the workplace and the environment. However, the regulations should be clear and common sense. Processing of applications should be clear-cut and quick. | |||
| No | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Having to pick a yes or no to the first question is not quite fair. Humans probably have some impact but, by far, mother nature has a far greater impact. Humans have no control over solar flares, huge wild fires, etc. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, there should be clear-cut standards for allowable emissions. No one, not even the greediest capitalist wants to breath foul air. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| I do support background checks at the point of sale. But, that's about all. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| No is not a good answer but it is better than yes. I do not think this is a federal issue. It is a matter that should be addressed at the state level. Since I am happily married (to a beautiful woman) and have 4 children I do not think same-sex marriage is the way to go. People who feel differently should have the right to think differently. | |||
| No | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| No | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Targeting suspected terrorists too often ends up in an innocent (or the wrong) person being killed. When that happens we just cover it up by saying they were a suspected terrorist. The morality of that is all wrong. Just think of what Americans would be saying if some other country was doing that to us. We should use force against Iran only if we want to initiate WW3. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| At least that way individuals could keep congress from getting its hands on their money. | |||
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 | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Eliminate | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Decrease | m) Other or expanded categories | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| k) Other or expanded categories | |||
| drug enforcement | |||
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