Pat Martin's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Pat Martin has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Oklahoma Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I do not support abortion as a means of birth control. However, I support the traditional conservative exceptions of rape, incest or endangerment of the mother's life. I also support all programs that provide alternatives to abortion. But this issue has no business being discussed at the highest levels of our government. It's too divisive and, too often, people vote with a party based on this single issue. This issue should be the responsibility of the states. Our federal representatives are trying to muddy the waters of this election with high-running emotions, rather than the issues that got us here. | |||
| No | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| The objectives we set out to achieve have been completed. The Taliban is splintered, Saddam is gone, and we even got Bin Laden. It's time to bring Homeland Security back to the Homeland. It's cheaper, and more effective. We can't just pack up and leave tomorrow, though. We need a viable timetable and exit plan. | |||
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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| The government must get its own house in order before it comes knocking on the door of the tax-payer. The defense budget can be reduced by bringing our defensive mindset closer to home. Simply put, it's cheaper to operate here. Our borders need to be better managed, as do our ports. This is where our country is most vulnerable to people or weapons. Increased taxation on any tax bracket, or cutting tax-payer benefits, must not be considered before government waste, mismanagement and overreach are addressed and resolved. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Campaign finance laws need to be simplified. We all have to play by the same rules. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| The economy is an enormously complex machine. I think there are areas in which federal spending can be a benefit to economic growth but, the vast majority of the time, it can be wasteful at best and disastrous at worse. Right now, we have to rein in government spending. It was the government that put us in most of this mess, not the tax-payer. The tax-payer should be protected until the root of the problem has been addressed. And that means a smaller and more fiscally responsible federal government. It's a matter of priority. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Climate change has been determined to be a natural occurrence, but we're certainly contributing. The Federal government, as it does with many things, has mismanaged regulation into a much larger and far-reaching monstrosity that is harmful in other ways. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| While I still believe certain restrictions are necessary, such as mental health considerations, I support the right to bear arms. Americans have the right to own guns. Laws that stand in the way of this are a violation of our rights, pure and simple. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| I support examining and reforming the ACA, but an all-out repeal without something to replace it is irresponsible. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? | ||
| This, to me, is an issue of Homeland Security, and bringing it back to the Homeland. Our objectives overseas have been accomplished, and it's time to make use of that defense money in shoring up our own defenses. This means better border and port security. It's a vulnerability, and is ultimately the only way to prevent illegal immigration. For illegal immigrants already in this country, I support the opportunity to become tax-paying citizens. Most don't register because it means being shipped back to a place they felt they had to flee. So let them become citizens and stay, responsibly. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| This is another deeply divisive issue that needs to fall under states' responsibility and not the federal government. It's another issue that people feel so strongly about they side with either the Republican or Democratic parties on this basis alone. I do NOT support federal legislation in this mater. I DO support the allowing of states to legislate this according to local and regional values. And I will NEVER support legislation that forces private religious organizations to participate outside the requirements of their faith. | |||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| No | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
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.
| Maintain Status | a) Agriculture | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | 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 | |||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| k) Other or expanded categories | |||
| One of my top priorities is actually prioritization. In an American household, we have to prioritize our finances. We don't just hack and slash and make cuts wherever we can. Our government needs to behave the same way. Government redundancy, mismanagement and overspending must be addressed before further burden is placed on the tax-payer. My next top priority is energy independence. We live in a vast nation filled with resources, and I support an 'all-of-the-above' solution. Oil, green energies, everything is vital. Dependence on foreign energy leaves us at the mercy of world politics and even susceptible to our enemies. |
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