George Athanasopoulos' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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George Athanasopoulos has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Colorado Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I am pro-life and will always approach the issue as an advocate for the child. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I would be very hesitant to cut defense spending but let's be honest, there is a lot of fat in the defense budget. I know, I was a Soldier. Our defense budget should be paying for the United States to fight and win our Nation's wars, not make boat payments for individuals employed by defense contractors. Last year, the United States took in more revenue than in any previous year in our history. We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| It's a free country, or at least it used to be. Why does the government feel that it can tell anyone, corporation, union, or otherwise, how they can spend their money? | |||
| 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? | ||
| Given how severely my faith in government has been tested, I don't believe the government should have the power of life and death over its citizens. Additionally, given how much the government spends on capital punishment, the entire process is an incredible waste of money. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| I am a capitalist, not a corporatist. I believe in free markets and property rights. I will take Friedman and Hayek all day, every day compared to Keynes and Marx. | |||
| No | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| Absolutely not. There is no Constitutional authority for the federal government to involve itself in our children's education. None. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| No | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| I support the American energy economy and the high paying jobs that come with it, I want the United States to be completely energy independent, and I oppose government involvement in subsidizing any part of our economy. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| The human race exists and therefore has an impact on the environment. As such, we all have a responsibility to be good stewards of the earth and to leave it to the next generation better than we found it. That being said, the climate models bandied about by progressives to justify greater government involvement in every aspect of our lives are preposterous. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I absolutely support the 2nd Amendment. It is an individual right that must not be infringed. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Without a doubt. I propose replacing it with comprehensive market reforms combined with individual health empowerment accounts. You can read all about my plan at the link below. http://www.georgeforcolorado.com/healthcare | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| If a person entered our country illegally, they broke our law. That cannot be rewarded with citizenship unless they immigrate into the United States through the correct process. If the United States were to grant citizenship to those who entered our country illegally, it would undermine our rule of law and it would be an insult to every American who immigrated the right way. | |||
| Yes | Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| There is not enough space here to elaborate on these questions other than to say these are very complicated issues. They should not be taken lightly. Please go to my website, georgeforcolorado.com, to read more. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Yes. Every American needs to understand that there is no Social Security lock box and the national debt is nearing $20 Trillion. Taxes collected by the federal government from individuals working today go to pay beneficiaries drawing on their benefits today and we're still running a deficit over $600 Billion. As baby boomers retire, the ratio of the employed to those drawing benefits will only decrease. Social Security, as it is currently structured, is unsustainable. People working today should demand to keep their own money because the federal government has shown itself incapable of managing it responsibly. | |||
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 | |||
| Eliminate | d) Education | ||
| e) Environment | |||
| f) Homeland Security | |||
| Eliminate | g) International aid | ||
| h) Medical Research | |||
| i) Scientific Research | |||
| j) Space exploration | |||
| Eliminate | k) United Nations | ||
| l) Welfare | |||
| a) Capital gains taxes | |||
| b) Corporate taxes | |||
| c) Small business taxes | |||
| d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | |||
| e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | |||
| f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | |||
| g) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | |||
| i) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| j) Inheritance taxes | |||
| k) Payroll taxes | |||
| I disagree with the premise of this question based on the fact that our government needs to be fully audited before we address spending levels. There are three exceptions. 1. The federal government has no Constitutionally appropriate role in education. 2. We should never simply give a foreign country aid. This invites corruption. Instead, we should funnel resources through Title 10 & Title 22 programs to advance the national interest while directly helping those in need. 3. The United Nations is a farce that only serves to legitimize despots and their regimes. | |||
| Again, I disagree with the premise of this question. Adjusting tax rates without real, comprehensive tax reform is simply a dog whistle for the influence industry and their rent-seeking patrons. Comprehensive tax reform must absolutely come first. | |||
| 1. Repeal the 15-year old Authorization for Use of Military Force and move to invoke and enforce the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. 2. Pass the REINS Act, make it retroactive, and ratchet the financial impact figure as low as possible. 3. Begin a comprehensive 3rd party audit of the federal government along the lines of President Reagan's Grace Commission but make the findings public and binding. |
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