Matthew Deniston's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Matthew Deniston has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Tennessee Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I value freedom over life. Same reason for joining the military. No one has the right to control the actions of another, period. | |||
| Yes | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| Been there, done that. The threat is real in Afghanistan. Real enemy, real goals. It's lasted too long, but I believe that is due to our rules of engagement. Convenient that they recently found tons of rare mineral deposits there, and people wonder why we are still there. | |||
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,
| No | do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| No | do you support reducing Medicaid spending? | ||
| No | do you support reducing Medicare spending? | ||
| Yes | Is balancing the budget a legislative priority? | ||
| The real problems are not in taxes or spending. It is how it is spent, and the accountablility of that money. Eliminate the fraud, waste, and abuse of our government, and there will be enough money for all our needs. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Get the money out of politics | |||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| The constitution guarantees LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the temporary extension of unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief? | ||
| Government needs to get their hands out of the market. We need to take care of our own, but the obvious answers to the problems are being ignored. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| States shouldn't be required to do anything. The issue of education in this country is not as simple as raising standards. There are much deeper problems in our system that are poisoning everything else. | |||
| No | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| I remember BP, don't you? I give them one chance, mess that up and your gone. Forever. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Everyone says, "It's the cars that are causing all this pollution." Do some real research and you find out that cars account for 10% of carbon emissions. Guess where the other 90% is. POWER PLANTS! I wonder why they don't mention that one.... | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| 2nd amendment. Period. Shall not be infringed. Period. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Again, the government needs to get its hands out of the market. You don't force things on the American Public. That gets you expelled from office. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? | ||
| Here's the thing. This is purely a race and culture issue. If these people were of the same culture as the communities they enter, I guarantee it wouldn't be a problem. Where's the immigration issues from Canada? Why are we focusing only on Mexico? Again, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The problem isn't people coming into this country. We've all arrived here at some point in history. The problem is our government, and their failure to take care of its own citizens. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Freedom is beautiful, isn't it? Since this issue is contested on religious grounds, I will quote scripture. Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness | |||
| No | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| No | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| I support non-intervention. The next step in our evolution as a nation is to be able to neutralize any nuclear threat. The missile shield is a good first step, but we must advance so that nuclear weapons become obsolete. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| That's kind of the point isn't it? Retirement? Our government has broken a well-intentioned system. We need to explore new options in how to provide exceptional care of our elders. | |||
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.
| Greatly Increase | a) Agriculture | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Eliminate | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Eliminate | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Eliminate | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Eliminate | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Eliminate | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Eliminate | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| The whole principle of taxing a population seems immoral to me. I believe, in our current system, that they have been made necessary. However, I would like to explore new systems of exercising government. It's a long debate, and one I hope to have with some great individuals soon. | |||
| 1. Fraud, waste, abuse of government 2. Absolute freedom- All right given in the constitution are absolute and cannot be removed. Government officials or employess seeking to remove the rights of the people will immediately forfeit their office. (local, state, and federal). No person may seek to control the reasonable actions of another. Persons attempting to stop a person from a reasonable action is guilty of oppression. Punishment pending. 3. Eliminate oil dependence- Seriously why are we still dependent on oil? This is 2012 right? We have electric cars right? We're smarter than this right? |
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