Raj Raghavan's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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.
Raj Raghavan has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Presidential Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| However, abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, provided it occurs as early as possible during pregnancy. Non-consensual incest is rape. If the mother's life is in danger, doctors should attempt to save both lives if at all possible, otherwise favoring the mother's. Abortion should be allowed in the case of early detection of birth defects which would significantly impede the child's quality of life, at the parents' discretion. | |||
BudgetIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,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.
| 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? | ||
| Yes | do you support reducing Medicare spending? | ||
| Yes | Is balancing the budget an administrative priority? | ||
| Greatly Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Maintain Status | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Greatly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Eliminate | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| There is no need for the U.S. to spend more than the rest of the world combined on defense. Even 3.5% of GDP is more than adequate. Health care costs - not just Medicare - are the primary cause of the deficit. That is why strengthening health care reform to control costs is vital. Taxes are at their lowest share of the economy in over 60 years. We can raise them some for those who can afford it. | |||
| Additional revenues and the elimination of wasteful tax breaks are part of any solution to balancing the budget. Increased excise taxes on fuel are necessary for infrastructure improvements. Corporate taxes can be reduced, while eliminating numerous tax breaks to simplify business taxes. Capital gains tax rates mainly benefit the wealthy who earn more of their income from investments rather than wages. Payroll taxes are necessary to preserve Medicare and Social Security. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| With the exceptions on abortion noted above, I support the views of the Catholic Church on abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment. | |||
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | 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 2010 temporary extension of unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief? | ||
| Tax incentives to businesses distort the market, especially since Congress grants these based on political lobbying as opposed to sound economic principles. Spending on airports, bridges, highways, and rail (infrastructure) are necessary for the proper maintenance of interstate commerce and to keep our economy growing. Without this, the economy will suffer. The Bush tax cuts were a bad idea to begin with, and should have been allowed to expire. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Improving America's educational standards is vital to maintaining our standard of living in a competitive global economy. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| Yes, human activity contributes to climate change. But carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. Plants need CO2 for photosynthesis. We cannot reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. We can only adapt to changes in climate. The world is facing an energy crisis as emerging economies continue to develop. All sources of energy must be part of a balanced mix. | |||
| Yes | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| No | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Although we cannot stay in Afghanistan forever, the U.S. needs to consolidate its gains to make sure they are preserved, before withdrawing. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| One only need to look at the Arab Spring to realize that governments which restrict access to firearms abuse their military and police powers when dealing with their own citizens. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Health care reform needs to be strengthened further to control costs. This is the only real way to bring the federal deficit under control. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I support a guest visa program for agricultural workers, since it is primarily illegal immigrants who harvest our nation's produce in extreme weather conditions that discourage American workers from performing those same jobs. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Education funding needs to be better spent, with more of the same money going to merit-based teacher salaries to encourage the best and brightest to enter the profession. This is vital for America's global competitiveness. Infrastructure spending needs to be increased by raising the gasoline tax to compensate for improvements in vehicle mileage. Without good infrastructure, the nation's economy suffers. Beyond that, health care costs need to brought under control, along with reduced defense spending, to bring the federal budget into balance. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.