Marc Harrold'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.
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Marc Harrold has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Virginia Congressional Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| This is a very difficult issue for me personally as I am personally opposed to abortion but believe that choice should be protected from government interference. I also believe that abortion is primarily a state issue so in running for federal office I don't believe that either answer "Pro Choice" or "Pro Life" can capture my position on abortion w/o specifically knowing the type of legislation at issue. I do not believe that any federal funding should be used to perform abortions. | |||
| 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 longer term goal would be to get away from an income-based, deduction-based tax system. In shorter-term I would work to simplify, lower and flatten the federal income tax. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I answered no because these "incentives" are part of the larger very complex system of federal taxation. The primary incentive for job creation is to cut taxes generally. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Cannot answer completely without text of specific federal regulation. I do have concern that the EPA will become a law enforcement agency with expansive duties beyond its mandate and purpose. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| I am currently an immigration attorney and immigration law is very regulatory and complex. I am answering no to this but it is a very broad question. I interpret this to ask whether I support requiring ALL illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship. My answer to that is no. | |||
| 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 | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Eliminate | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Eliminate | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| I marked "slightly decrease" for "Defense" because I do not favor drastic cuts in spending directly tied to U.S. defense. I do favor great decreases to military spending generally as the military is heavily involved in endeavors that are not directly related to this Country's defense. | |||
| These categories are broad enough that answering within categories is somewhat difficult. My long-term goal would be to stop using an income-based, deduction-based federal taxation system. In the shorter-term I believe all types of federal tax should be simplified, flattened and lowered. | |||
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