| Full Name: | C.A. Dutch 'Dutch' Ruppersberger |
|---|---|
| Current Office: | U.S. House - District 2, Democratic |
| First Elected: | 11/05/2002 |
| Last Elected: | 11/06/2012 |
| Next Election: | 2014 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Family: | Wife: Kay; 2 Children: Cory, Jill |
| Birth Date: | 01/31/1946 |
| Birth Place: | Baltimore, MD |
| Home City: | Baltimore, MD |
| Religion: | Methodist |
What is the Political Courage Test?
Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? |
 | Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? |
| Yes | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? |
| Other or expanded principles | |
I support the President's plan for withdrawal from Afghanistan. |
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Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget. | |
In order to balance the budget, | |
| Yes | do you support reducing defense spending? |
| Yes | do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? |
| No | do you support reducing Medicaid spending? |
| No | do you support reducing Medicare spending? |
| Yes | Is balancing the budget a legislative priority? |
| Other or expanded principles | |
I support eliminating any unnecessary, wasteful or duplicative spending across the federal budget (including entitlement programs). |
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| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? |
| Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? |
| Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? |
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? |
| Yes | Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? |
| Yes | Do you support the temporary extension of unemployment benefits? |
| Yes | Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief? |
| Other or expanded principles | |
In certain areas -- like transportation infrastructure -- strategic spending can promote economic growth. At this time, I support extending tax relief for the middle class. |
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| Yes | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? |
| Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? |
| Other or expanded principles | |
I support offshore energy production when environmentally responsible and acceptable to affected state and municipal communities. |
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| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? |
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? |
| Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? |
| Other or expanded principles | |
I support the right to responsibly bear arms and the position of law enforcement on gun control issues. |
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| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? |
| Yes | Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act? |
| Other or expanded principles | |
The average American family currently pays more than $1,100 a year to cover healthcare for the uninsured. The mandate is about taking responsibility for your own health needs, instead of burdening others. |
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| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? |
| Yes | Do you support allowing illegal immigrants, who were brought to the United States as minors, to pursue citizenship without returning to their country of origin? |
| Yes | Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? |
| Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? |
| Other or expanded principles |
| 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 Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? |
| Other or expanded principles | |
Military action should always be the last resort. |
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| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? |
| Other or expanded principles |
Spending | |
Indicate 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. | |
| Slightly Decrease | a) Agriculture |
| Maintain Status | b) Arts |
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense |
| Slightly Increase | d) Education |
| Maintain Status | e) Environment |
| Slightly Increase | f) Homeland Security |
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid |
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research |
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research |
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration |
| Slightly Decrease | k) United Nations |
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare |
| m) Other or expanded categories |
Taxes | |
Indicate 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 Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes |
| Maintain Status | b) Corporate taxes |
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) |
| Greatly Increase | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) |
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) |
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) |
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) |
| Slightly Increase | h) Income taxes (high-income families) |
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes |
| Maintain Status | j) Payroll taxes |
| k) Other or expanded categories | |
I support the expiration of the Bush ax cuts for households earning $250,000 or more only. |
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| Please explain in a total of 100 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. | |
Creating and preserving jobs remains my top legislative priority. We must give businesses incentives and reduce needless regulations so that they can create jobs and keep them here in America. We must also reduce the federal deficit by eliminating all waste and unnecessary programs while making targeted investments, such as in education, our nation's aging infrastructure and in growth industries like manufacturing, biosciences and space. These will ensure America's economic competitiveness on the global market. Finally, we must maintain our national security, especially against emerging threats like cyber attacks. All of this must be accomplished through bipartisan cooperation. |
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