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Ralph Nader's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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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.
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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?

Presidential Election 2008 Political Courage 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.
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) Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
g) Medicare, Medicaid, or federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
Education, health insurance, and birth control should all be provided to make abortions less necessary.

Indicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once.1) Budget Priorities2) Defense Spending3) TaxesIndicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per tax, you can use a number more than once.Family Income TaxesOther TaxesDeductions/Credits

Slightly Increase a) Agriculture
Slightly Increase b) Arts
Greatly Decrease c) Defense
Greatly Increase d) Education
Greatly Increase e) Environment
f) FEMA
Slightly Decrease g) Homeland security
Slightly Increase h) International aid
Maintain Status i) Law enforcement
Slightly Increase j) Medical research
Greatly Increase k) National parks
Greatly Increase l) Public health services
Slightly Increase m) Scientific research
Slightly Decrease n) Space exploration programs
Greatly Increase o) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Slightly Increase p) United Nations
Slightly Increase q) Welfare
Greatly Decrease a) Armed forces personnel training
Greatly Decrease b) Intelligence operations
Greatly Decrease c) Military hardware
Greatly Decrease d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Eliminate e) National missile defense
Slightly Increase f) Pay for active duty personnel
Maintain Status g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
Slightly Decrease h) Research and development of new weapons
Greatly Increase i) Troop and equipment readiness
Eliminate a) Less than $12,000
Eliminate b) $12,001-$40,000
Eliminate c) $40,001-$100,000
d) $100,001-$180,000
e) $180,001-$350,000
Greatly Increase f) $350,001 and above
g) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Greatly Decrease b) Capital gains taxes
Maintain Status c) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Increase d) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status e) Gasoline Taxes
Maintain Status f) Inheritance taxes
g) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Charitable contribution deduction
Maintain Status b) Child tax credit
Maintain Status c) Earned income tax credit
Maintain Status d) Medical expense deduction
Maintain Status e) Mortgage deduction
Maintain Status f) Student loan credit
g) Other or expanded categories
No 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
Undecided 5) Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
Ensure that medical research is not controlled & restricted by corporations
We should ensure our Troops have full support, but not send them into needless wars.
Tax things we don't like (speculation, addictive industries) and stop taxing things we like (labor).

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) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
X c) Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
d) Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
X e) Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
f) Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
X g) Support limiting the President’s use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
X h) Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
Publicly finance elections, provide proportional representation

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 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) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
X g) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
h) Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
End the drug war, end private prisons

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

X a) Support the federal government funding universal pre-kindergarten programs.
b) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
c) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
X e) Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
f) Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
X g) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
X h) Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
X i) Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
j) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for k-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
X k) Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for k-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
l) Other or expanded principles

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

X a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain 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) Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
X d) Increase the federal minimum wage.
X e) Support the right of workers to unionize.
f) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
g) Other or expanded principles

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.
c) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
X d) Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
X e) Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
f) Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
X g) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
h) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
i) Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
j) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
X k) Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
l) Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
We need to invest in renewable, sustainable energies.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.On (g) and (h), indicate what levels (#1-6) you support for the following categories.

a) Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
X b) Require a license to carry a concealed gun.
X c) Require a license to possess a gun.
d) Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement or other government officials.
e) Require gun owners to store guns in a safe or lockbox, or to have them disabled with a trigger lock.
f) Allow individuals to carry guns on college campuses.
Slightly Increase g) Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
Slightly Increase h) Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
Sane, safe gun policies

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

X a) Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
X b) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
c) Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
X d) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
e) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
X f) Support expanding child healthcare programs.
X g) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
h) Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
Universal healthcare would eliminate the need for many options

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.
X c) Support a temporary worker program.
X d) Support harsher financial punishments for employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
f) Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
X g) Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
h) Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
i) Other or expanded principles

International AidIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international aid.International PolicyIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international policy.International TradeIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.

X a) Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
b) Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
c) Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
d) Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
e) Other or expanded principles
Yes 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?
No c) Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
Undecided d) Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
No e) Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
Yes f) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
g) Discuss your proposals for Iraq.
No h) Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to suspend its nuclear program?
No i) Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
No j) Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
No k) Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
Undecided l) Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
Undecided m) Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
Yes n) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
Yes o) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
Undecided p) Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
No q) Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
Yes r) Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
s) Other or expanded principles
No a) Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
No b) Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
No c) Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
No d) Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
e) Other or expanded principles

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 law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
Undecided 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?
No e) Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
No f) Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
No g) Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
No h) Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
i) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

Yes a) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
Yes b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
No c) Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
Yes d) Should sexual orientation be included in federal anti-discrimination laws?
Yes e) Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
Yes f) Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
Undecided g) Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
Yes h) Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?
Undecided i) Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
Yes j) Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
k) Other or expanded principles

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

a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
b) Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
c) Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
X d) Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
e) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
f) Other or expanded principles

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.
b) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
X c) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
d) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
e) Other or expanded principles
Please explain in a total of 200 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.

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