Joe Ruiz's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Joe Ruiz has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Indiana Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I believe in the non-aggression principle, which I believe extends to the unborn. Therefore I am personally Pro-Life. However, realistically I know that abortions will occur in some respect regardless of the law - most likely in less safe/sanitary conditions for the mother than she would otherwise have. Constitutionally the States should ultimately have the authority to make their own laws regarding this type of legislation. | |||
| No | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| No | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| Initially I would have supported sending our troops to Afghanistan (post 9/11) for the sake of capturing the guilty parties. However, a very large portion of my life has now been spent with continued intervention in Afghanistan and it's time to get out! Somewhere along the line we lost track of our mission and began nation building, and that is unacceptable. | |||
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,
| No | 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 and spending on militarism are very different. I do not wish to cut on defense, but cutting back on militarism - all unnecessary foreign intervention, as well as the other programs listed above is necessary to balancing our budget and getting our fiscal house in order. I will never support a tax increase of any kind, and will support/propose a way to balance the budget by 2014 - something neither of my opponents have promised to do. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| To answer honestly a distinction must be made between private and public unions. Private unions are free to make donations if they see fit. Public unions are essentially funded on the taxpayer dime - and should not be able to use that money to support any candidate. The relationship between corporations and government has become blurred and distorted. By principle I do not object to their campaign contributions - but I strongly oppose how government caters to those corporations by way of law in order to maintain their support. | |||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| There have been far too many stories of wrongful execution. That is, people being executed only to be found innocent after the fact. If our prisons were not (at this point) filled with prisoners whose crimes were non violent, more deserving individuals could maintain lifetime imprisonment at far less of a cost to taxpayers. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Not only do I support temporary tax relief, but I support full tax relief. Federal spending does not promote economic growth, and we have all become a victim to excessive government spending. Our economy can be empowered simply by allowing it to work without government manipulation - and we'll all be better off for it. While they're not perfect systems, steps like The Fair Tax would have my support only because they would illustrate how the less government intrusion we have - the more prosperity. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| No matter how educational standards have changed since the Department of Education was created the quality of education has gone down. We find ourselves victim to government solutions, when market solutions would provide the best in education for each individual. I want what's best in education for my son and daughter, and I know that government cannot provide it. Therefore I oppose Federal involvement in education - and would like to see the Dept. of Education abolished. | |||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| Allowing offshore drilling with less restrictions can lower the price of gas for Real People, like those that I am trying to represent. Much of the restrictions that are currently in place are the result of the BP spill in 2010. Our government responded to BP's incident by punishing all oil companies, regardless of their safety records with these restrictions, and then used taxpayer dollars to assist with the clean up. Offshore drilling should be allowed, and the oil company should be 100% for any cleanup/damages. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| I am not interested in our government creating a boogie man out of climate change or greenhouse gas emissions. I think people probably do contribute to climate change - but in small ways. Climate change is a natural and continual cycle. I contend that less force and more options, less government manipulation and more free market competition will breed an abundance of solutions geared toward meeting the demand for a cleaner environment - with no government subsidization necessary. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| 1. I stand firmly in favor of our 2nd Amendment... Period. 2. Restricting individuals from purchasing and possessing guns is a further manipulation of the marketplace, and can have unforeseen consequences. The government should be careful while considering prohibition-like legislation (on any item). In addition, the people should be extremely skeptic of any government looking to take away their means of personal safety and self-defense. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Attempts by our government to force any individual to purchase anything is a severe abuse of power. Free markets, where market solutions such as buying/selling insurance across state lines are allowed, would drive down the costs of insurance. Renewed competition would help all of us by giving us an incentive to buy - no mandates necessary. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? | ||
| 1. While we need to ensure that government welfare benefits are not being given to non citizens I do believe that our process for citizenship needs to be greatly simplified. 2. We're all chasing the American Dream in some respect, why should it suddenly be exclusive? 3. The Constitution charged our Federal Government with protecting our borders. Why should our state/local police be responsible for picking up the ball when our Federal Government has so few legitimate responsibilities. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| I believe that true marriage equality can only come to fruition when the government removes itself completely from the marriage business. This way no on has to bend on their convictions. Religious institutions can still see it as a a religious covenant, while nonreligious groups can view it as a social contract, or a binding agreement between committed individuals. When the government determines a definition someone is bound to be discriminated against - and thus less free. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 1. If the security of the United States has not been threatened (directly) we should maintain our military operations at home without intrusive intervention overseas. It is time we think responsibly about the consequences of our foreign policy - treating our neighbors how we would want them to treat us. That being said, we should still maintain the greatest military on this earth (here at home). If a direct threat would arrive warranting a Congressional declaration of war - we should handle them swiftly. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Further, I would support allowing individuals to divert ALL of their Social Security taxes into a personal retirement account. What I mean is - I support people who want to be responsible for their own retirement savings. Further still, I would vote in favor of a immediate opt-out program for anyone willing to waive our current Social Security program to replace it with their own savings plans. | |||
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 | ||
| Eliminate | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Eliminate | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Eliminate | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | 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 | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| Certain welfare programs will be means tested. Also, I am the only candidate in my race who has a plan to balance the budget by 2014. All of these estimates are based on the figures in our budget. | |||
| Taxes should always be as low as possible. I would ultimately like to see the IRS abolished, and would support The Fair Tax or something like it in exchange. This would, at least, reestablish some level of choice for consumers and workers who constantly have money taken from them by our government - who spends it irresponsibly. Scaling back on spending in all areas is the only way to get things on track. | |||
| I don't even need 100 words to say it. My top 3 priorities if elected are 1. Implement real reductions in government spending. 2. Speak out against our continual war and overseas involvement/be an advocate for peace. 3. Push for more transparency in government. All of these things would benefit the people greatly - restoring confidence in the United States Government to act on their behalf. |
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