Kristin Beck's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Kristin Beck has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Maryland Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I believe that there is no place for government at any level to interfere with a woman's right to determine for herself any and all medical decisions, including the rights upheld by the Supreme Court numerous times in regards to Roe v. Wade. This is settled law for half a century. It will not change. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Defense spending comes in more than one place in the budget. Core spending priorities must not be cut. However, OCO and other areas will have to be adjusted over time to fit the circumstances we are presented in defense of our nation. These areas are not static and can be adjusted up or down as need be. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| This is settled law. It has been upheld by the Supreme Court and is unlikely to change without a change in the makeup of the court and an appropriate challenge. If both corporate and union contributions were eliminated, I would support the legislation. Citizens United is a balance to the unrestricted use of Union funds for political purposes and both should be cut off. | |||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Over the past ten years 6,500,000 youthful offenders have been incarcerated for non-violent minor possession of drugs charges. The conviction has put a mark on their life that cannot be erased and is therefore a permanent killer to their very survival. Most will never get a professional license or a security clearance anywhere in the US. This is a pipeline from school to prison. This practice must stop. | |||
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Businesses only pay about 20% to 25% as much as individuals in income taxes. In 2009 Businesses paid about $140B while people like you and me carried the bulk of the load by paying more than $950B in income taxes. Businesses get too many breaks that you and I don?t. The next tax break should go to you, not business. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Education funding should be in the hands of the states. Education is something that is done best at the local level. We don?t need a National School Board. In the past 30 years or more the Department of Education has failed to improve our standing on the world stage when it comes to education. They have failed. It is time to put all funding back in the hands of the states and local school boards. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| The major oil and gas companies are doing a good job of protecting the environment. But the smaller companies lack the technological understanding to conduct hydraulic fracturing properly. So every company must operate to the same set of rules and regulations. My concern is primarily with making sure that the smaller companies adhere to the existing regulations and if necessary apply further regulations to protect our water and our environment. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| This is an interesting question. President Nixon signed the Clean Air and Water Acts into law decades ago. We have existing regulations. Those regulations have virtually eliminated smog in most major cities. I certainly hope that we are NOT talking about the elimination of the Clean Air Act. And if we need new or additional laws to protect the air our children breathe, then I will support such legislation. I for one love our children enough to make sure they breath clean air instead of carcinogens. I also support reducing the level of CO2 in our atmosphere by 10% now. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Another interesting question. We have many gun laws on the books today. We have existing gun-control legislation like instant background checks before someone can buy a handgun. I support such legislation. However, I am a firm believer in the Second Amendment to the Constitution including the whole Bill of Rights. I want to punish those who use firearms to commit crimes instead of punishing mothers who simply want to protect their children. I grew up on a farm. Without guns we would not have made it. No one law fits every circumstance. Let's enforce the laws we have. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| I believe in providing affordable, quality healthcare for every US Citizen through the expanded use of HSAs, Medicare, VA Care and Medicaid. However, we must start with the repeal of the McCarran Ferguson Act of 1945 that gives the greed ridden health care insurance industry the ability to conduct price fixing. The House has voted four times to do just this including a vote in February 2010 just prior to the passage of Obamacare in March. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would not take it up in the Senate because it would have passed and Obamacare would have subsequently failed. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| I believe in a pathway to citizenship for those undocumented immigrants living in the US who have NOT committed any crime(s) of any kind other than entering the country illegally. I have a specific plan that allows undocumented immigrants to pay a $15,000 fine, 10% federal taxes on ALL earnings since entering the US and complying with new laws that would make it mandatory to disclose all employers and information such that we can stem the flow of illegal immigration. We must put those who qualify in line behind those who are applying for legal entry into the US. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| The government has no role in deciding who should marry. This is an individuals rights or states right. We must go back to our roots and take a libertarian view of our personal rights and get government out of our boardrooms, bedrooms and classrooms. We are highly over regulated. We need more freedom, not less. Having freedom is not the problem. Lets make an effort to roll back legislation that restricts our ability to control our own lives and live free of tyranny by an overbearing government that will not allow its citizens basic rights to love who they want. | |||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Iran is building a nuclear arsenal. The recent agreement with Iran may delay them for a few years, but Iran will build a nuclear arsenal. Lets be clear. If Iran gets the bomb, so will Saudi Arabia other nations in the Middle East. North Korea will have the ability to target the US with nuclear weapons soon. North Korea and Iran have openly stated that they will destroy the US. I do not believe it is in our interest to allow any nation to wipe out an American city before we take military action to prevent it. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| I believe in expanding Social Security, Retirement Insurance and Medical Insurance instead of weakening it. We need better retirement, not worse. We need for our mothers to have enough income to pay for food and medicine without having to make a choice. We are being stupid about this. We are the greatest nation on earth. We are the wealthiest nation on earth. I know we can afford a realistic retirement for everyone without having to take anything away from anyone when it comes to Social Security. We can and we will expand it with HSA's and PSA's. Read my plan. | |||
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 Increase | a) Agriculture | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Maintain Status | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| We can eliminate a lot of spending in the Federal budget that would allow the US to maintain Social Security and the Department of Defense among other agencies if Congress was not so corrupt. Lets start with $955B in cuts or at least manage this properly: $200B on duplicate programs, $30B on stupid programs (Senator Coburn's Waste Book), $70B on fictitious Medicare Payments (over 200 people were recently arrested), $64B on Allowances, $94B on OCO (Secretary of Defense Gates calls this a slush fund in his book), $219B in interest payments on the debt and $278B Undistributed Offsetting Receipts. | |||
| I believe in adding a Greed Tax on stock transaction of fifty cents per buy or sell order. I believe in the elimination of the tax code for both individual and corporate taxes and replacing them with a simplified structure as outlined in my plan on my website. Small businesses and owners should not be taxed twice or at elevated levels. Gas taxes should not go up, but the funds spent more wisely. All personal income taxes should come down. We should never tax anything twice (inheritance) and we have to save Social Security by raising the withholding tax. | |||
| No additional funding is required. We need to eliminate the corruption in Congress. That will eliminate the need for higher taxes. I have specific plans to implement my top three priorities:Balance the Budget and Pay off the Debt in less than 20 years by reducing the rate in increases in spending to under $60B per year. Destroy ISIS by overwhelming force. Reduce CO2 production by making it a national priority to build a green energy network to replace over 50% of our current production capacity in less than 30 years and through other measures described in detail within my plan. |
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