Bill Randall, Jr.'s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Bill Randall, Jr. 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.
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.
North Carolina Congressional Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| No | e) Should federal subsidies be prohibited from being used for abortion procedures? | ||
| It's NOT the conceived child's fault that the mother is pregnant. Also, the sovereign Creator (the Giver of life itself) is the One Who allows conception to take place. Therefore, abortion is immoral and inexcusable. If the custodial parent cannot care for a child, there is a waiting list of couples who would gladly raise them in a loving environment. | |||
1) SpendingIndicate 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.2) 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 | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | 1) Intelligence operations | ||
| Maintain Status | 2) Military hardware | ||
| Maintain Status | 3) National missile defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | 4) Salary and benefits for active duty personnel | ||
| Maintain Status | 5) Programs to improve troop retention rates | ||
| Maintain Status | 6) Research and development of new weapons | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Education | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Decrease | m) Other or expanded categories | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | 3) Do you support the elimination of the federal estate tax? | ||
| Yes | 4) Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year? | ||
| No | 5) Do you support using government funds in an effort to stimulate and improve the economy? | ||
| Bureaucratic, wasteful, redundant or outdated government agencies | |||
| I am fundamentally AGAINST increasing taxes. A more responsible approach is to limit or reduce expansive (and bureaucratic) government. | |||
| With respect to Q-4, I am actually a proponent of returning any budget surplus back to the taxpayers (vice spending the money with a "use or lose" mentality). | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support privatizing elements of Social Security? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increasing the federal minimum wage? | ||
| d) Do you support the ability of workers to unionize? | |||
| No | e) Do you support federal funding for job-training programs that retrain displaced workers? | ||
| Privatizing Social Security: We must understand that Social Security was NEVER intended to be an adequate level of income for retirees. In fact, the initial age set for recipients was ABOVE the life expectancy (age) of citizens. Other factors exacerbating this are Congressional Budgets that have "raided" the Soc. Sec. Trust Fund, and replaced it with something (as Conservative talk show host Jason Lewis has said) is tantamount to "an elaborate government Ponzi scheme (i.e: robbing future generations to pay today's recipients)." Bottom line: Keep elderly in current system; transition younger citizens to privatized system. Question d) is ambiguous. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns? | ||
| No | b) Should Congress regulate indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support removing all contribution limits on federal campaigns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should candidates for federal office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations? | ||
| No | f) Do you support limiting the President's ability to define how legislation is applied through the use of signing statements? | ||
| The culture of corruption will be eradicated ONLY when we have the courage to ELIMINATE EARMARKS in legislation that benefit private entities (in the form of exemptions, grants, and "sweet deals" at taxpayer expense). Until we do that, the return on investment (ROI) will allow the dishonest practices to continue. If you CUT OFF the incentive (i.e.: payoff via legislation), the contributions will concurrently dry up. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support programs that provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related training and job-placement assistance when released? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support programs that provide prison inmates with substance abuse treatment? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support reduced prison sentences for non-violent offenders? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support mandatory prison sentences for selling illegal drugs? | ||
| 1) The victims are too often overlooked when sentences are meted-out. 2) Prison has become "too cushy" for most inmates. a) There needs to be a fifteen-step, graduated penal system from minimum security (level 1) to hard labor (level 10). b) Violent criminals start at level five. c) nationalize the penal system, and have inmates sent to regional incarceration at level five and above. d) level four prisoners are incarcerated within the state. 3) An objective (bi-partisan, socioeconomically diverse) third party panel should be commissioned to evaluate our penal system (law enforcement through incarceration); findings/recommendations to Congress after completion. | |||
| No | a) Do you support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students? | ||
| No | b) Do you support federal funding for universal pre-K programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support federal funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support federal funding for K-12 school vouchers? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the federal government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| The Department of Education has failed miserably. Therefore, I feel that the Federal government is ill-equipped to establish education standards and testing requirements. My philosophy on vouchers is to use the following equation: a) determine the per capita contribution of the average taxpayer in each state. b) allocate half of that average in the form of vouchers, and the other half to be retained in the state education budget. | |||
| No | a) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| No | b) Do you support international emissions targets aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| No | c) Do you support allowing energy producers to trade carbon credits under a "cap and trade" system? | ||
| No | d) Do you support strengthening fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support domestic oil exploration in federally-protected areas? | ||
| No | f) Do you support federal funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the development of nuclear reactors? | ||
| As a retired military member with an extensive earth science background (Meteorology & Oceanography), I cannot support Cap & Trade or control of greenhouse gas legislation. All such schemes (to initiate "carbon credit" tracking) are based on lies, innuendo, and "junk science." I welcome any inquiring entities that would like to discuss this matter in greater detail with me. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you believe that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of individual citizens to own guns? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Do you support a ban on assault rifles? | ||
| The RIGHT for citizens to bear arms ...shall NOT be infringed. Sounds pretty clear and unambiguous to me! | |||
| No | a) Do you support a publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| No | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| Yes | c) Should the federal government expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support relaxing regulations on the importation of prescription drugs? | ||
| As a former independent insurance agent, I find the government's methodology to "demonize" private insurance companies ...patently appalling. Relax restrictions on importation of prescription drugs ONLY if such actions do not jeopardize the health and welfare of our citizens. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants? | ||
| b) Do you support decreasing the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support establishing English as the official national language? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Question d): Think about it... if you want to change that amount, our legislative process allows "We the People" to change it (up or down). Question c): The mother language is used in other countries as well. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support United States military action in Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increasing military assistance for Afghanistan? | ||
| c) Do you support increasing economic development assistance for Afghanistan? | |||
| Yes | d) Should the United States continue to strike suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States? | ||
| No | f) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support increasing sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates? | ||
| h) Do you support the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq? | |||
| i) Do you support the United States' involvement in free trade agreements? | |||
| Some of your questions require more details in order to provide a straight Yes or No. | |||
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| No | b) Do you support allowing openly-gay men and women to serve in the United States military? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | d) Should the federal government end affirmative action programs? | ||
| Question b): As a retired U.S. Navy E-9, I object to openly gay men & women serving in the U.S. military because it would gravely undermine "Good order and discipline." This is another topic that I welcome inquiring entities to query me in greater detail. Question d): As a former military Equal Opportunity professional, I welcome inquiring entities to query me in greater detail on this subject. | |||
| 1) Expanding businesses and jobs in the private sector. The public sector produces NOTHING. The private sector fuels the economy. 2) Reducing the size of government. Under the current administration, the number of six-figure income jobs have more than DOUBLED. Also, the average federal worker's salary is more than twice that of the average USA worker. Expansive government and bureaucracy is stymieing our economy, and infringing on our liberties in many ways. 3) Repealing (or, at least DE-FUNDING) the horrible (so-called) health care bill. |
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