John Denney's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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John Denney has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Minnesota Congressional Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
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| Society will never completely avoid this issue. Notably, however, despite that no federal legislation directly addresses it, rates have not increased since 1973. Thanks to educational, concerned private groups, rates have plummeted. In 2011, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), reported that rates have decreased 34 percent since 1990 due to increased education. The awareness private educators like NLRC create adequately address this issue at the state level. My plan is to Bring Money Back to Minnesota (see http://www.johndenneyforcongress.com/backtomn/) and not use precious time on the House floor picking un-winnable fights for my own political gain. | |||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| My plan is to Bring Money Back to Minnesota. See http://www.johndenneyforcongress.com/backtomn/ SPENDING: America's bank account is $17 trillion in the hole. Republicans and Democrats failed to demonstrate any competence in balancing our checkbook and don't deserve the opportunity to waste another dime. Anywhere and everywhere we can responsibly help voters get their money's worth, must be considered. TAXES: I do not support tax increases. I support a simplification of the Tax Code to the point where every American can do their taxes on the back of a napkin. Implementing a flat tax will responsibly drive down the price of government. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| My plan is to Get Money Out of Congress. See http://www.johndenneyforcongress.com/money/ 79% of Republicans agree that campaign finance reform is necessary, yet their party leaders refuse to pursue it. This is no coincidence. Any candidate who takes money from outside their State should be held accountable at the polls. Their interests directly conflict with that of the people they are intended to serve. This is namely true of career politicians, such as my opponents who's interests lie with those who paid their way to Congress, not with the District. I only accept contributions from family and from individuals in Minnesota. | |||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| As a deterrent measure, the death penalty, where instituted, clearly did not stop any of the convicts who committed such heinous crimes as to necessitate the penalty. The desire to put murderers to death stems from our innate desire for justice. However, perfect justice in the hands of career politicians who manipulate the death penalty issue for their own political gain, is not possible and comes with a monetary and moral price tag America cannot afford. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering taxes as a way of promoting growth in the economy? | ||
| No | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Unlike my opponents, I represent an entire generation of Minnesotans who understand the importance of planning for the next 50 years, not merely the next 50 days. It's my generation who will foot the bills their political parties stuck us with, including a national deficit that exceeds $17T. I do not support government interference with the free market. We must reduce the size of our federal government. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| My plan is to Restore Excellence in Education. See http://www.johndenneyforcongress.com/education/ Local education is best administered by local parents and teachers. I will fight to keep Washington out of that process. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| My Plan is to Bring Money Back to Minnesota and it includes creating whole new industries anywhere in the U.S. where entrepreneurs are willing. See http://www.johndenneyforcongress.com/backtomn/ This means expediting a plan to secure energy independence and exploring the Keystone XL project. However, when any organization seeks to profit from America's natural resources, I could only support their venture after they provide adequate assurances that, in the event of failure, Minnesotans won't be stuck with their bills. I would never support sending any person or organization into a job for which they presented no plans. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Like many voters, I grew up watching the Bill Nye Show and no doubt, I believe in science and the scientific method. If my car breaks down, I would not take it to my accountant to fix it. The same notion is true with respect to understanding and fixing our environment, which is why I consult with experts in the field before speaking on the issue. In this case, the experts widely agree that greenhouse gasses contribute to climate change. I concur. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Our country's problems with gun violence are societal in nature and limiting gun rights will not remedy these problems. I fully support our Second Amendment rights. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| While I am critical of the ACA and consider it a well-intentioned mess, I do not believe in moving backwards. Instead of looking for people to point fingers at or to simply do nothing, America should always keep its eye on the ball, be forward-looking, and seek to improve existing laws whenever possible. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| I support an open door policy, not an open floodgate policy. Despite that some argue that the problem with immigration is simply that current laws aren't being enforced, it has become clear that in the face of the ever-increasing demand for U.S. citizenship, federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement are in over their heads. In the interests of our national security and economic well being, America must responsibly streamline access to green cards to allow well-intentioned immigrants the ability to remain in the Country and contribute to our economy, while pursuing the proper process for citizenship. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Minnesota spoke directly on this issue in 2012 when the Marriage Amendment referendum appeared on the ballot. A majority of Minnesotans, including myself, loudly and clearly voted no. The last message our next Congressman should send is that gays and lesbians are not welcome here. | |||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| No | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| My plan is to Secure America Now (see http://www.johndenneyforcongress.com/secure/) and I support identifying and targeting only those who pose a "clear and imminent" threat to our Nation. America must stand tall and strong in deterring nuclear proliferation while remaining cognizant of the immediate threats reckless dictators (i.e., Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-un) present and avoiding undue provocation. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Social Security has turned into a government run ponzi scheme. I support reforms that allow American citizens to control their own destinies. | |||
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.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Eliminate | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| With our national debt exceeding $17T, we must look to anywhere and everywhere we can start to get our money's worth. Across the board, there are literally millions of ways the federal government can put our expenditures to more efficient use. | |||
| My plan is to Bring Money Back to Minnesota. See http://www.johndenneyforcongress.com/backtomn/ This means that we must IMMEDIATELY begin to remediate our budget issues. Specifically, America cannot afford to give our government the opportunity to waste another dime. | |||
| CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM to ensure that America's "representatives" actually represent the voters who sent them to Congress. CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS REFORM to guarantee that our government rids itself of career politicians and prevents them from taking advantage of trusting Americans who count on them. DRUG POLICY REFORM to prevent further wasteful spending on ineffective law enforcement measures and undercut the violent criminals who currently profit from marijuana sales in the U.S. |
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