Brad Ellsworth refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2010 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2010.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |||
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, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures. | |||
I am pro-life. I believe life begins at conception, and we should value and protect it at every stage. I also support legislation that helps us reach the common goal of reducing the number of abortions through prevention of unintended pregnancies and by providing resources for pregnant women. |
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 category, you can use a number more than once.Family Income TaxesOther TaxesDeductions/Credits
a) Agriculture | |||
b) Arts | |||
c) Defense | |||
d) Education | |||
e) Environment | |||
f) FEMA | |||
g) Homeland security | |||
h) International aid | |||
i) Law enforcement (Federal) | |||
j) Law enforcement (State) | |||
k) Medical research | |||
l) National parks | |||
m) Public health services | |||
n) Scientific research | |||
o) Space exploration programs | |||
p) Transportation and highway infrastructure | |||
q) United Nations | |||
r) Welfare | |||
a) Armed forces personnel training | |||
b) Intelligence operations | |||
c) Military hardware | |||
d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment | |||
e) National missile defense | |||
f) Pay for active duty personnel | |||
g) Programs to improve troop retention rates | |||
h) Research and development of new weapons | |||
i) Troop and equipment readiness | |||
a) Less than $12,000 | |||
b) $12,001-$40,000 | |||
c) $40,001-$100,000 | |||
d) $100,001-$180,000 | |||
e) $180,001-$350,000 | |||
f) $350,001 and above | |||
a) Alcohol taxes | |||
b) Capital gains taxes | |||
c) Cigarette taxes | |||
d) Corporate taxes | |||
e) Gasoline taxes | |||
f) Inheritance taxes | |||
g) Other or expanded categories | |||
a) Charitable contribution deduction | |||
b) Child tax credit | |||
c) Earned income tax credit | |||
d) Medical expense deduction | |||
e) Mortgage deduction | |||
f) Student loan credit | |||
g) Other or expanded categories | |||
4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax? | |||
5) Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year? | |||
6) Other or expanded principles | |||
As a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, I am committed to restoring fiscal accountability in Washington. I believe Congress must work to balance the nation's budget, so I supported pay-as-you go rules and am working to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayers' dollars. Fiscal responsibility also means taking a hard look at the level of government spending. So in 2007, I supported amendments to reduce growth in government spending in the annual appropriations bills. | |||
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, my number one priority is ensuring our men and women in uniform have the training, tools, and equipment they need to complete their missions and protect America. Congress must ensure our military remains the strongest, most professional, most technologically-advanced force on the planet by providing adequate resources to meet this goal. | |||
Congress needs to keep the taxes Hoosiers pay as low as possible. So the first bill I introduced in Congress doubles the child tax credit and brings relief to Hoosier families. I support extending the tax cuts currently set to expire in 2010 and 2011, and voted against the Democratic budget because it didn't reflect this priority. I also support keeping the Alternative Minimum Tax from hiking taxes on millions of middle-class families. Congress must take a fresh look at loopholes in the tax code. The complexities of this massive code allow some people to take advantage of the system. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.
a) Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns. | |||
b) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office. | |||
c) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees. | |||
d) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties. | |||
e) 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. | |||
f) Support instant run-off voting (IRV). | |||
g) Support designating Election Day as a national holiday. | |||
h) Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations. | |||
i) Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill. | |||
j) Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege. | |||
Elections should be decided on the ideas and values of the candidates, not the amount of money they raise. Unfortunately, many good candidates are excluded from the democratic process because they can't afford the cost to run for office. I am supportive of efforts to ensure transparency and integrity in the election process, including outside groups' political expenditures, and require all candidates to adhere to the highest ethical standards while fundraising and campaigning. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. | |||
b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. | |||
c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. | |||
d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment. | |||
e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes. | |||
f) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. | |||
g) Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses). | |||
h) Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes. | |||
As a former law enforcement officer, I am a strong supporter of providing local law enforcement with the tools and resources they need to protect our communities. Finding solutions for problems like methamphetamines and cybercrime require a unified effort by local, state, and federal lawmakers to give law enforcement professionals the tools they need. Our laws must keep pace with technological advances to ensure we hold online offenders accountable for their crimes, and we must make sure the punishment for these offenses fits the crime. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
a) Support the federal government funding universal pre-K 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. | |||
e) Increase funding for the Pell Grant program. | |||
f) Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans. | |||
g) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college. | |||
h) Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders. | |||
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). | |||
k) Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). | |||
We must invest in our children's education - from preschool through college - and ensure each has an equal chance to succeed with adequate resources and highly-qualified teachers. Standards are important to ensuring quality educations, but Congress must use more effective measures to ensure accountability. No single test should be the judge of a student, teacher, or school. It's important for Congress to help make college more affordable. To achieve this goal, I support cutting the interest rate on student loans, expanding and strengthening the Federal Pell Grant Program, and providing other incentives to help families save for college. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in todays job market. | |||
b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector. | |||
c) Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies. | |||
d) Increase the federal minimum wage. | |||
e) Support the right of workers to unionize. | |||
f) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment. | |||
g) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws. | |||
h) Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws. | |||
I am supportive of common sense policies that help American workers achieve the American dream. I believe workers who put in an honest day's work should be able to provide for themselves and their families, so I support increases to the federal minimum wage, as well as efforts to update our labor laws to allow workers to organize in an efficient and fair process. In addition, as a member of the House Small Business Committee, I support efforts to cut the red tape that overwhelms so many of America's small businesses. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. | |||
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). | |||
d) Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. | |||
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. | |||
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. | |||
k) Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming. | |||
l) Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming. | |||
Congress must pass legislation that puts our country on a permanent path toward energy independence and reduces our reliance on foreign oil. I support common sense increases in the Corporate Automobile Fuel Efficiency Standard, as long as those standards provide flexibility to automakers to ensure they will be reached without jeopardizing American manufacturing jobs. I support increased federal investment for the development of the renewable energy industry, as well as production tax incentives to spur new renewable energy innovation in the electricity industry and efficiency standards to ensure that the products Americans use consume less electricity. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.On (c) and (d), indicate what levels (#1-6) you support for the following categories.
a) Allow individuals to carry concealed guns. | |||
b) Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials. | |||
c) Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
d) Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |||
As a former law enforcement officer and lifelong hunter, I value our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and recognize the positive impact hunters and sportsmen have on wildlife preservation and environmental conservation. I strongly support Second Amendment rights and oppose any legislation that would impose burdensome regulations on law-abiding gun-owners. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.
a) Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income. | |||
b) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts. | |||
c) Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States. | |||
d) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare. | |||
e) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage. | |||
f) Support expanding child healthcare programs. | |||
g) Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government. | |||
Congress should do more to help cover the uninsured, but aspects of the proposed universal plans concern me. A solution will require all of the stakeholders in this debate coming together behind a plan. While the new Medicare prescription drug benefit has eased the burden of rising drug prices for many seniors, we can save more money by allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prices. Despite the successes of children's health care programs, there are still too many children without access to health care. I support efforts to provide coverage to uninsured children who already qualify for these programs. |
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. | |||
d) Support harsher financial punishments for those 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. | |||
g) Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship. | |||
h) Support merit-based visas over family-based visas. | |||
I oppose granting amnesty to people who have broken the law by entering our country illegally. An effective immigration policy starts with strong border control. We must provide our border patrol agents with the tools and resources to secure our borders and help local law enforcement enforce existing laws. An abundance of jobs for illegal immigrants is one of the main causes of the immigration problem we face. I believe we need to help good intentioned employers ensure their workforces are legal, and expose and penalize bad actors who continue to hire illegal immigrants. |
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.
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. | |||
a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process? | |||
b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state? | |||
c) Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates? | |||
d) Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces? | |||
e) Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq? | |||
f) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq? | |||
h) Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program? | |||
i) Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan? | |||
j) Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan? | |||
k) Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes? | |||
l) Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan? | |||
m) Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan? | |||
n) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan? | |||
o) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo? | |||
p) Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia? | |||
q) Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses? | |||
r) Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo? | |||
a) Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China? | |||
b) Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela? | |||
c) Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements? | |||
d) Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade? | |||
At a time when countries are increasingly connected through economies, technologies, and common security interests, I believe America should invest in international programs and organizations that promote our collective interests around the world. However, we must ensure that investment does not come at the expense of adequate funding for our priorities at home. | |||
Our men and women in uniform have performed their missions with professionalism and excellence. And I couldn't be more proud of them. It's clear the conflict in Iraq will not be resolved militarily. The Iraqi government and people must take responsibility for the security and future of their country. The President and Congress must come up with a plan for America's future military and diplomatic involvement in the region. Congress should set limits on reconstructions funds, demand measured and enforced benchmarks, and require the President to submit a plan for handing responsibility for the security of Iraq to the Iraqis. | |||
I believe the key to winning in the War on Terrorism lies with ensuring that our allies on the frontline have the resources they need to fight terrorism. The U.S. and the international community should remain committed to aiding the Afghanistan and Pakistan governments in their efforts to stabilize the region. | |||
Congress must implement trade policies that are both fair and free to address the trade deficit, benefit American businesses and consumers, and limit American job loss. Unfair trade agreements and practices undermine American workers by giving preferential treatment to countries that subsidize their industries with unreasonable tax and regulatory advantages. Congress should demand that our prospective trading partners play by the same economic standards of conduct. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.
a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical? | |||
b) Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks? | |||
c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country? | |||
d) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security? | |||
e) Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security? | |||
f) Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system? | |||
g) Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas? | |||
h) Should the United States expand its missile defense shield? | |||
I strongly support providing our intelligence community, and law enforcement agencies with the tools and resources they need to protect our country. Domestic surveillance is an important tool for gathering intelligence about potential threats; however, I believe these programs should be conducted legally. We must ensure our domestic surveillance programs maintain the careful balance between protecting our country and our Constitution. I also support providing local law enforcement and first responders with the tools and resources they need to protect our airports, seaports, and communities from terrorist threats. |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.
a) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? | |||
b) Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman? | |||
c) Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines? | |||
d) Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos? | |||
e) Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions? | |||
f) Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs? | |||
g) Should the federal government regulate internet gambling? | |||
I believe the sacred institution of marriage should be defined as the union of a man and a woman, and I continue to strongly support traditional marriage in Congress. While I support our scientific and medical research communities' efforts to find cures for a wide range of diseases, I don't believe we should promote work that results in the destruction of human life. I oppose using federal dollars for research that destroys human embryos, but I'm supportive of promising alternatives like amniotic stem cells and adult stem cells that can move us toward finding cures without compromising my core values. |
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. | |||
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. | |||
For decades Social Security has guaranteed a life-long, defined source of income for Americans. I'm dedicated to protecting and strengthening that guarantee for today and tomorrow's retirees. Social Security faces financial challenges that threaten the programs' solvency and benefits for future generations. However, I don't believe privatizing the program is the answer. Not only would privatization cut gaping holes in the Social Security safety net, it is projected to increase our national debt by $5 trillion over just 20 years. Congress must pass bipartisan, common sense reforms that protect the guaranteed benefit and ensure Social Security's sustainability. |
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. | |||
c) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients. | |||
d) Abolish all federal welfare programs. | |||
I believe government can assist and encourage individuals to rise above the challenges they face and take responsibility to improve their own lives. Unfortunately, for many years, our antiquated welfare laws encouraged people to rely on the system; punishing those who tried to better their lives through work and education. I support the new Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides states with more flexibility to develop their own welfare programs, sets work requirements for recipients, and establishes time limits for achieving self-sufficiency. |
It is unacceptable for billions of taxpayer dollars to be wasted due to improper accounting and a lack of oversight. So one of my top priorities is reducing waste, fraud and abuse and ensuring your tax dollars are being spent wisely. It frustrates me to learn about government contractors who owe millions in unpaid taxes still receive millions, sometimes billions, in federal contracts. I am leading efforts to prohibit contractors who don't pay their taxes from receiving future government contracts. And I'm also working to prevent companies from using off-shore loopholes to avoid paying FICA taxes for their American employees. |
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