Dale Lehner's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Dale Lehner has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Wisconsin Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Unknown Position | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
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| I oppose federal legislation about abortion and I don't consider the commerce clause an excuse to regulate its practice. No woman should be forced to have an abortion by federal law nor should she be told she cannot have one. On the other hand, medical companies permitted by state law to engage in abortion should be state regulated to standards enacted by each state. | |||
| Yes | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| I support operations currently underway and I support a timetable for withdrawal. What is missing from the conversation is a set of requirements for withdrawal. Some of those requirements should include 1. the removal of challenges to government stability, 2. the efficacy by which specific Afghani state operations function, and 3. the ability of citizens to go about their daily lives in a safe and secure manner. As long as citizens of Afghanistan are not safe to go about their daily business, America should not leave. It's all about people when it comes to democracy. | |||
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Every garden must be tended to remove weeds. Untended gardens choke the producers and permit weeds to proliferate. The garden of democracy should be tended by good gardeners. I support federal regulation and oversight of campaign contributions, direct and indirect, for federal offices. | |||
| Yes | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| We should recognize there are habitual predators among us and we should remove them permanently. It is cruel and it is unjust to victims, survivors, and society if we keep habitual predators alive. Absent a history of habitual predation upon others, capital punishment should not be invoked. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief? | ||
| I do not support federal spending to promote economic growth but I support it to prevent economic collapse. I don't support anything "for the purpose of creating jobs". I do support infrastructure spending to improve, facilitate, or retain the needs of commerce, i.e., roads, air and sea ports, internet access for the public at large, etc. The federal and state governments should not assure, ensure or insure more than temporary unemployment benefits. However, federal and state governments should ensure that people are employable. I support job training, education, and relocation assistance for unemployed persons. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| I don't support federal monies for state educational programs and I don't support federal tinkering with a state's educational system. I do support state and federal monies for students to obtain an advanced education in industries that are national imperatives. A national imperative may include the US defense industry, national internet highways, national energy procurement programs, national healthcare, and national space programs. | |||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| I favor drilling for oil wherever it may be (with the necessary oversight), I also favor capitalizing on wind, ocean current, and solar technologies to produce energy for coastal cities. The only way to rid ourselves of fossil fuels is to use them up. The quicker, the better, and then move on. When there is no more money to be made in fossil fuels, use and commerce will end. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Of course human activity has an impact on climate. No, I do not support federal regulation of greenhouse gases. I support incentives (positive and negative) for changing irresponsible behaviors to responsible ones for the long term. | |||
| Yes | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| This question is too simplistic. The Constitution is clear on infringement of arms. I support the right of reasonable citizens to own weapons to ensure they have the means to protect their lives, the lives of their families, their liberties, and their properties against invaders, foreign and domestic, armed or unarmed, and I support the right of a citizen to be an unknown threat to the unlawful, the lawless, and other predators among us. Having said all of that, I support restrictions on weapons for personal purchase that were not conceived for the purposes enumerated. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I support a national health program with multiple options and approaches for citizens. I do not support a mandate to own health insurance and I do not support a "failure-to-purchase" penalty. I support increasing competition among care providers to drive costs down. I support litigation controls that prevent extended delays in malpractice justice. State and federal litigation award guidelines for juries make sense to me. When juries exceed litigation award guidelines, I support an automatic second level review by independent panels of citizens and care providers. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? | |||
| Something is wrong with America when immigrants do not wish to become citizens. I support federal incentives and policies to encourage US citizenship. I support a 36-month moratorium (not amnesty) towards deporting illegals. The moratorium would apply to those who resided for 10 years or more in the US, register as illegals, and then attain citizenship within 36 months. I support the deportation of adult illegals who do not obtain citizenship. The third question is nonsensical as written but I support states that mimic federal law with state laws and then enforce them with state authorities. | |||
| No | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? | |||
| I don't like the choice of words here. I support killing killers wherever they may be. I do not support killing people because of an association with terrorism. I support a variety of military and police responses to those who wish to inflict harm on the general population of any country. I support preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons by all means short of a missile, aircraft or ship attack, or by military invasion. I would grant wide latitude in saboteur and covert missions to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons if I had the authority. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| I support choice. Both federal and state governments may provide private and government vehicles for retirement accounts. I envision some restrictions on which risk vehicles are acceptable for retirement accounts. I support a mandatory 50% contribution of Social Security taxes to government retirement programs. Individuals may then elect to contribute up to 50% of Social Security taxes to 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.
| a) Agriculture | |||
| b) Arts | |||
| c) Defense | |||
| d) Education | |||
| e) Environment | |||
| f) Homeland Security | |||
| g) International aid | |||
| h) Medical Research | |||
| i) Scientific Research | |||
| j) Space exploration | |||
| k) United Nations | |||
| l) Welfare | |||
| Maintain Status | m) Other or expanded categories | ||
| a) Capital gains taxes | |||
| b) Corporate taxes | |||
| c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | |||
| d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | |||
| e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | |||
| f) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| i) Inheritance taxes | |||
| j) Payroll taxes | |||
| Maintain Status | k) Other or expanded categories | ||
| I support a national strategic plan that may or may not change current funding levels. Without a national strategic plan, it is foolish to speculate what should or should not be changed. The congressional piecemeal approach we have today is a failure. Congress lurches like a drunken sailor from one party's ideology priority to the other according to the election's outcome. This must change. | |||
| I support a simple tax code in three areas: Income taxes, Transaction (i.e., sales) taxes, Usage (i.e., highway) taxes. The important part of a simple tax code is that it is linear and there are no deductions. Every individual pays, every business pays, and every user pays. | |||
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