York Kleinhandler's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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New York Congressional Election 2010 Political Courage Test
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 | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | 1) Intelligence operations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | 2) Military hardware | ||
| Slightly Increase | 3) National missile defense | ||
| Maintain Status | 4) Salary and benefits for active duty personnel | ||
| Maintain Status | 5) Programs to improve troop retention rates | ||
| Slightly Increase | 6) Research and development of new weapons | ||
| Maintain Status | 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 | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | 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? | ||
| I believe that the federal government must learn to be more efficient with our tax dollars in all these categories and by becoming more efficient I expect all branches and agencies to learn how to do more with less. If hardworking Americans must live on a budget it is only fair that their government be expected to do the same. | |||
| Economic theory has proven that when taxes are lower economic growth is greater and government revenue is also greater. Specifically, when capital gains taxes have been decreased it has led to greater investment and reinvestment in business and when income taxes are decreased across the board Americans keep more of what they earn, spend more of what they earn, and in turn create a more robust economy. | |||
| I do not support using government funds in an effort to stimulate the economy through the granting of bailouts which have not been successful in reviving the economy and have created much higher debt that is being passed on to future generations. I feel that the best avenue to stimulate our economy is to give money back to taxpayers in the form of tax relief instead of entitlements and corporate welfare. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the ability of workers to unionize? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support federal funding for job-training programs that retrain displaced workers? | ||
| We need to review all government regulations to ensure that they are an efficient and effective use of government resources and do not unnecessarily burden the private sector. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Congress regulate indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support limiting the President's ability to define how legislation is applied through the use of signing statements? | ||
| I do not support giving the President a line item veto as the line item veto is unconstitutional as it gives a member of the Executive Branch powers of the Legislative Branch. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support reduced prison sentences for non-violent offenders? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support mandatory prison sentences for selling illegal drugs? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the federal government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| It is necessary for students throughout the country to all have a baseline knowledge of academic subjects so they can succeed in the global economy. However, the "teaching to the test" mentality has caused the American education system to falter and lose ground against students worldwide. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support federal funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the development of nuclear reactors? | ||
| I support measures to protect our environment, however, those measures must be fair to all parties. I will never support environmental regulations that are one sided against the United States nor measures that will only serve to harm the American economy. Environmental regulations must be uniformly applied to all international signatories. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support a ban on assault rifles? | ||
| I respect an individual's constitutional right to own a firearm. However, I do not feel that common sense regulations infringe upon this right. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support relaxing regulations on the importation of prescription drugs? | ||
| I do not support government run health care or the government takeover of the health care industry. As a result, I answered no to question A, however, this not does not include Medicaid and Medicare, programs that I am a supporter of. I am a strong advocate for tort reform, however, I do not want this reform to limit an injured party's ability to be compensated for their injury. I only want reform that lowers the unnecessary legal and litigation costs that accompany malpractice lawsuits. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants? | ||
| No | b) Do you support decreasing the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support United States military action in Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increasing military assistance for Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq? | ||
| Yes | i) Do you support the United States' involvement in free trade agreements? | ||
| I believe the United States should support any people that want to establish a free and peaceful homeland and this includes the creation of a Palestinian State as long as the peace and security of Israel is not compromised. I have been a long supporter of Israel and I feel it is necessary for both parties to agree to all terms prior to a new state being founded. I support US involvement in free trade agreement because it provides a fair market place for American products internationally as well as provides Americans with low cost foreign goods. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I believe that marriage is a religious issue and the government should not have a role in marriage but only in civil unions. Redefining the governments definition of marriage as a civil union will allow the benefits of that union to be extended to all couples without engaging in a divisive social debate. As a long time member of the armed forces the existing policy (Don't ask, Don't tell) works. I believe that affirmative action had its place in our society but we are now in the 21st century and I feel everyone can stand on their own merits. | |||
| Economy, Security, Health care. I will restore a free market economy by controlling spending; strengthening our security at home and aboard through enforcement of existing laws and smart foreign policy that does not apologize for the American way of life; and I will make it a priority to save health care from the hand of big government by overturning Obamacare, re-establishing choice and increasing affordability. |
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