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Jerome Samuel White'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.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
What is the Political Courage Test?
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.

Congressional Election 2006 National Political Awareness Test

The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

a) Abortions should always be illegal.
X b) Abortions should always be legal.
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
f) Prohibit public funding of abortions and to organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
I oppose efforts to promote religious bigotry by political parties - both Republicans & Democratic - who have cut prenatal care & programs for children once they are born, not to mention who have supported the killing of tens of thousands of Iraqi children

Using the key, indicate what federal funding levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once.Budget Priorities

Greatly Increase a) Agriculture
Greatly Increase b) Arts
Eliminate c) Defense
Greatly Increase d) Education
Greatly Increase e) Environment
Eliminate f) Homeland security
Greatly Increase g) International aid
Eliminate h) Law enforcement
Greatly Increase i) Medical research
Greatly Increase j) National parks
Greatly Increase k) Public health services
Greatly Increase l) Scientific research
Greatly Increase m) Space exploration programs
Greatly Increase n) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Greatly Increase o) Welfare
Greatly Increase p) Emergency preparedness
q) Other or expanded categories

Defense Spending

Eliminate a) Armed forces personnel training
Eliminate b) Intelligence operations
Eliminate c) Military hardware
Eliminate d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Eliminate e) National missile defense
Eliminate f) Pay for active duty personnel
Eliminate g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
Eliminate h) Research and development of new weapons
Eliminate i) Troop and equipment readiness
Disband the defense department & the standing army. Replace with popular militas, organized under democratic control of working class.

Using the key above, indicate what federal tax levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.TaxesIncome Taxes:Family IncomeRetiree IncomeOther Taxes:Deductions/Credits:

Eliminate a) Less than $25,000
Greatly Decrease b) $25,000-$75,000
Greatly Decrease c) $75,000-$150,000
Greatly Increase d) Over $150,000
e) Other or expanded categories
Greatly Decrease f) Over $40,000
g) Other or expanded categories
Greatly Decrease a) Alcohol taxes
Greatly Increase b) Capital gains taxes
Greatly Decrease c) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Increase d) Corporate taxes
Greatly Decrease e) Gasoline taxes
Greatly Increase f) Inheritance taxes
g) Other or expanded categories
a) Charitable contributions
Greatly Increase b) Child tax credit
Greatly Increase c) Earned income tax credit
d) Medical expense deduction
e) Mortgage deduction
f) Student loan credit
g) Other or expanded categories
No 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
No 5) Do you support making President Bush's tax cuts permanent?
Reverse Reagan to Bush tax cuts. Sharply increase taxes on wealthiest one percent of population to redistribute wealth & meet needs of the people and guarantee economic security.
Reorganize economy to meet human needs not corporate profit. All privately owned corporations valued at $10 billion or more must be transformed into publicly-owned enterprises with full compensation for small shareholders & compen. for big shareholders to be publicly negotiated.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

X a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
b) Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
c) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
d) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
e) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
f) Require Section 527 organizations to register with the Federal Election Commission as Political Action Committees.
Yes g) Do you support instant run-off voting?
Yes h) Should Election Day be a national holiday?
No i) Do you support a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and woman?
Abolish all restrictions on third party ballot access & include all candidates in debates & media. Establish proportional representation to give small parties representation in gov't & end 2-party monopoly.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with educational, vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
X e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
f) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
X g) Impose stricter penalties for those convicted of corporate crimes.
h) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
I call for the abolishing of the death penalty and a massive program to provide jobs, rebuild the cities and guarantee access to high quality public & higher education so that poverty - the major source of crime - will be abolished.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs.

a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
X b) Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
X c) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
X d) Allow doctors to recommend marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
e) Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
X f) Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
g) Support a federal law to standardize testing and penalties for steroid use in professional sports.
Drug use should be treated as a social problem not a crime. Guaranteed a decent future for youth-- education, good jobs, access to culture- would provide an alternative to drug use.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students.
b) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any public school.
c) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any private or religious school.
d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization and funding to establish charter schools.
e) Reward teachers with merit pay for working in low-income schools.
X f) Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology).
g) Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
X h) Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
X i) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
Billions must be poured into public education - the efforts to privatize the public schools - i.e. vouchers, charter schools, subsidies for religious & corporate institutions stopped, Affirmative action is no solution. Access to free, high quality college education must be avaliable to all.

1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action.

X a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X c) Provide tax credits or grants to businesses that offer child care services to employees.
d) Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
e) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
X f) Increase the federal minimum wage.
X g) Support the right of workers to strike without fear of being permanently replaced.
X h) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
a) The federal government should consider race and gender in government contracting decisions.
b) The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
c) The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
A massive public works program must be launched to guarantee good-paying secure jobs & rebuild urban & rural areas.
I oppose right-wing attempts to eliminate Affirm Action. But I oppose it because it divides youth & working people pits them in fight for dwindling jobs & college positions. I propose a Socialist policy to guarantee jobs & education to all.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

X a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
X b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
X c) Support Clear Skies Act to reduce power plant emissions by setting a national cap on pollutants.
d) Require states to compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately-owned land.
e) Relax logging restrictions on federal lands.
f) Relax standards on federal lands to allow increased recreational usage.
g) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
X h) Strengthen emission controls and fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
i) Support opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.
X j) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
k) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
l) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits.
m) Support the Kyoto Protocol to limit global warming.
Current regulations are thoroughly inadequate. Environmental needs cannot be subordinated to profit interests. Public ownership of industries is required

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

a) Reauthorize the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
X b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
c) Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
d) Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
f) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
X g) Require a license for gun possession.
h) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health care.

a) Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
X b) Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
c) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
d) Establish limits on the amount of punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
e) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
f) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
g) Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid.
h) Support stem cell research on existing lines of stem cells.
X i) Allow laboratories to create new lines of stem cells for additional research.
Health care should be provided by a reorganized socialized system run for human need not profit. I oppose all efforts to restrict scientific research and encourage religious bigotry

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.

a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
b) Establish English as the official national language.
c) Support a temporary worker program that would enable illegal immigrants to work in the United States legally.
X d) Relax restrictions barring legal immigrants from using government funded social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
X e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
All workers should have the right to live in any country of their choice. I oppose efforts to scapegoat immigrants for the economic insecurity caused by capitalism.

International AidIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding United States economic assistance.

X a) Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
b) Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
c) Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
d) International Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
I support a socialist foreign policy based on fraternal relations between workers of all countries & ending military occupations & meddling on behalf of corporate America.

International Policy1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the Middle East.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Central and East Asia.3) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the United Nations.

No a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
Yes b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
Yes c) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
No d) Should the United States send more troops to Iraq?
No a) Should the United States use diplomatic and economic pressure to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program?
No b) Should the United States use military force to dismantle the North Korean nuclear weapons program?
No c) Should the United States remove the North Korean government from power?
No d) Should the United States increase financial support to Afghanistan?
No e) Should the United States increase military support to Afghanistan?
No a) Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?
No b) Should the United States decrease its financial support of the United Nations?
No c) Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions?
Yes 4) Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba?
No 5) Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs?"
Yes 6) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs fund distribution of contraceptives?
No 7) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs fund abstinence education?
Immediate withdrawal. Full compensation to Iraqi people. Prosecution for war crimes those who planned & conducted this illegal war based on lies .Compensation to the families of US soldiers killed & to wounded soldiers.
I oppose imperialism and effort of US to grab oil resources and dominate globe. I can add closing of military bases around world, abolition of CIA.
US troops out of Afghanistan. No support for US backed dictatorships in Kabul, Egypt, Pakistan, etc. Support struggle of North Korean workers against Stalinist regime, not US imperalism.
UN is dominated by great powers & has proven impotent in the face of violations of international laws by US, Israel, etc. A genuine international body of working people must replace it
End the oppression of Africa by cancelling debts to international banks & halting exploitation of its resources & labor by global corporations

International TradeIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.

No 1) Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
No 2) Do you support the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)?
No 3) Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
No 4) Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
No 5) Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation) status with the United States?
No 6) Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
Yes 7) Should trade agreements include provisions to address environmental concerns and to protect workers' rights?
Current trade policy designed to defend corporate America & pit workers against each other in race for bottom In opposition to AFL-CIO, the Socialist Equality Party stands for international unity of workers to defend all jobs

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.

No a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
No b) Should the United States grant law enforcement agencies greater discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct random searches to prevent future terrorist attacks?
No c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
No d) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
Yes e) Do you support the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners in U.S. custody?
No f) Do you support a policy of pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to U.S. national security?
Sept 11 used to carry out long standing plans to seize oil & drastically rollback constitutional rights of US. Greatest danger to US population not terrorist bands but efforts to establish authoritarian regime in US.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.

a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves.
b) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
c) Invest a portion of Social Security assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of United States Treasury securities.
d) Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
e) Lower the annual cost-of-living increases.
f) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
There is plenty of money to guarantee a comfortable retirement to workers. Begin by taxing the wealthy, ending massive executive salaries & redistributing wealth, not privatizing Social Security.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding technology and communication.

a) Collect taxes on commercial Internet transactions.
X b) Continue the moratorium on Internet taxation.
c) Implement government regulation of Internet content.
d) Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television.
e) Support strict penalties for Internet crimes (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
f) Support legislation to detail how personal information can be collected and used on the Internet.
X g) Regulating the Internet is not a responsibility of the federal government.
Internet should be free of corporate & government control & allow tax free access & dissemination of information.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
X b) Increase funding for child care programs.
c) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
d) Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based, or other non-profit organizations.
e) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
X f) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
Sharply increase public money to guarantee a good income for all as well as education, housing &. health care
The Socialist Equality Party demands: The immediate withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and an end to war threats against Iran and North Korea. The defense and expansion of democratic rights and an end to the two-party corporate monopoly. The establishment of economic democracy, a redistribution of wealth and a guarantee of decent paying jobs, health care, housing and education for all.

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