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Grant Rostig'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.
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.

Grant Rostig refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

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.

Texas Congressional Special Election, District 25, 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.
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.
X f) Prohibit public funding of abortions and to organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
I am opposed to government funding of abortions and would vote to end them along with other medical procedures. I am personally opposed to abortion, but I don't wish to use the force of government enforce this viewpoint on others. Since I also believe that neither Health, nor Murder is constitutionally a Federal matter, Congress should keep out of this issue.

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

Defense Spending

Slightly Increase a) Armed forces personnel training
Slightly Increase b) Intelligence operations
Maintain Status c) Military hardware
Maintain Status d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Slightly Decrease 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
Slightly Increase i) Troop and equipment readiness
j) Other or expanded categories

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
Eliminate b) $25,000-$75,000
Eliminate c) $75,000-$150,000
Eliminate d) Over $150,000
Eliminate f) Over $40,000
g) Other or expanded categories
a) Alcohol taxes
b) Capital gains taxes
c) Cigarette taxes
d) Corporate taxes
e) Gasoline taxes
Eliminate f) Inheritance taxes
Eliminate a) Charitable contributions
Eliminate b) Child tax credit
Eliminate c) Earned income tax credit
Eliminate d) Medical expense deduction
Eliminate e) Mortgage deduction
Eliminate f) Student loan credit
I support gradually lowering and flattening the income tax, or completely replacing the invasive and wasteful Personal Income Tax with a retail sasles tax, similar to the Fair Tax.
I support gradually lowering capital gains taxes for individuals, or completely replace the invasive and wasteful Capital Gains tax with a retail sales tax, similar to the Fair Tax.
I support gradually removing all deductions to simplify the income tax. I would also eventually completely replace the invasive and wasteful Personal Income Tax with a retail sales tax, similar to the Fair Tax.
Yes 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
Yes 5) Do you support making President Bush's tax cuts permanent?
Cut foreign and military aid. Privatize the post office. Gradually cut all departments with are are not constitutional, such as: Education, Agriculture, Health, Most of Commerce Department, privatize Social Security & SSI, Research, NASA, AMTRAK and so on. I would not cut Defense spending until we have fewer angry enemies.
I will cut spending, lower taxes and simplify tax payments. I support a retail federal sales tax similar to the Fair Tax, but require simultaneously repealing the 16th Amendment and the personal income tax.

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

a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
X 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.
Undecided g) Do you support instant run-off voting?
No 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?
I support allowing unlimited campaign contributions from US voters and without mandatory public disclosure. Disclosure can cause intimidation of the donor, which is why we have secret ballots. I support banning all corporate contributions giving to any campaign, or PAC, or any other political organization, or for any political purpose. Basically: "If you can vote, then you can give. Corporations can't vote, so they can't give."

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.
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.
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.
X h) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
I suport repealing most federal crime statutes. Crime is generally a state issue and they should prosecute them, as intended by the US Constitution, for example: murder.

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

a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
b) Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
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.
I support ending Federal involvement in drug enforcement. This should be a state issue.

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

a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students.
X b) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any public school.
X c) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any private or religious school.
X d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization and funding to establish charter schools.
X e) Reward teachers with merit pay for working in low-income schools.
f) Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology).
g) Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
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.
I support ending Federal involvement in education. The constitution specifically says it is a state issue! I see Federal involvement in education as an attempt to control how we think and act. The criteria for federal funding currently determine what is taught in schools, when it is taught and how it is taught.

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

a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
X b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
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.
f) Increase the federal minimum wage.
g) Support the right of workers to strike without fear of being permanently replaced.
h) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
a) The federal government should consider race and gender in government contracting decisions.
X b) The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
c) The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
d) Other or expanded principles
I support ending Federal involvement in employment issues. This should be a private sector issue.

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 Clear Skies Act to reduce power plant emissions by setting a national cap on pollutants.
X d) Require states to compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately-owned land.
e) Relax logging restrictions on federal lands.
X 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).
h) Strengthen emission controls and fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
X i) Support opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.
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.
I support ending Federal involvement in the environment. This should be a state or private sector issue.

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.
b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
X c) Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
X d) Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
X e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
f) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
g) Require a license for gun possession.
I support the right to bear arms. It's the second amendment that backs up the rest of the bill of rights. Self-defense is a human right. Any weapon our government can use against us, we should also have.

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

X a) Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
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.
X 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.
I support ending Federal involvement in health. This should be a private sector issue.

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.
d) Relax restrictions barring legal immigrants from using government funded social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
I support security on all our borders and employer sanctions as a first step. Secondly, I support a limited guest worker program if needed. I also support the timely and efficient processing of visas for visitors and lawful immigrants. I don't support amnesty, nor jumping ahead in line. We must protect our nation against terrorists and most important of all, we must uphold the rule of law.

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

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.
X d) International Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
e) Other or expanded principles

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.

Undecided a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
No 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?
Undecided 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?
f) Other or expanded principles
No a) Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?
Yes 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?"
No 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?
I support our patriotic and heroic troops in their love and support of our freedom and the constitution. I don't support the civilian war policy of the president's administration in Iraq. I didn't support the preemptive invasion. I support ordering our victorious troops to withdraw in an orderly fashion. We have given the Iraqis a gift of freedom, now Iraqis have to stand up and decide who will run their country. We are not occupiers.
I believe we need to take care of our own country. I believe we [Federal governement] need to mind our own business in other struggles. Anyone who attacks our country must know that we will crush them, but we must not attack others preemptively. War is hell and only a congressional declaration of war should authorize it. It must assure that once we have troops on the field of battle we will fight to win.
I believe nations need to talk, but the current UN is fatally flawed. I oppose any dilution of US sovereignty and the US Constitution. Replace the UN with a body where nations can discuss issues and publicize them on the Internet. Do not give it any power, spend no money, command no troops, and establish no world government taxes.
In general, Americans should be able to travel anywhere they want. We are a free people. How dare Congress tell us where to go? Regarding Cuba, while I strongly dislike their policies, I don't see violating Americans' sacred liberty to implement a policy of isolation. Read the restrictions on our US passport and see how oppressive it is. It is a disgrace for our rulers to treat us as children.

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)?
Undecided 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?
No 7) Should trade agreements include provisions to address environmental concerns and to protect workers' rights?
I support free trade with nations that are generally friendly to the USA and possibly others. I am working on more specifics, please see my website for updates.

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?
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?
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?
I do not support the Patriot Act and related legislation from the past. It is poison to the free people of a republic. I do support information sharing between the CIA, FBI and military intelligence but not consolidated 'Homeland Security.' The president must follow the law, he is not above it! Congress must do its duty, even if the justice department does not, and must carefully assure this by all constitutional means.

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

X 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.
X f) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
I oppose mandatory contributions to Social Security. It has been a fraud since it started, constantly made worse by Congress. I would gradually discontinue it, taking consideration to those that are currently in the system and desperately need it. Allowing people to opt out or privatization is a first step. Individuals are responsible for their savings. Charity is the function of families, churches and other organizations and has been so since the beginning of time.

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

a) Collect taxes on commercial Internet transactions.
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.
I oppose government monopolies in this and most areas. Since most communication companies are monopolies at this time, some regulation is required to assure free speech. For example, the Internet publisher and reader should have access to the full Internet and have the same rights as the press does.

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) 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.
X e) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
f) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
People falsely believing that welfare is their right distorts the truth that there is no free ride. Charity is a gift of love from one person to another, not extorted tax money. This was and is best handled by individuals helping their family and friends, or through churches, or other charities. Socialism and corrupt and burdensome government are some causes of poverty.
-- Humane, Efficient, but Effective Borders with no Amnesty -- Cut Spending. Cut and Simplify Taxes -- Small Honest Respectful and Constitutional Government -- Preserve gun rights. --Make campaign finance, ballot access and elections fair for smaller political parties and independents (partly a state isssue). --Require Double Paper Trail and Open Source Code for Electronic Voting Machines (a state issue).

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