Roger Petersen'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.
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Roger Petersen has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
California Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| A beating heart, a mind that senses pain, a fetus that can survive outside the womb is a person worthy of Fourteenth Amendment protections of due process. Unwanted pregnancies should proceed to term and adoption. Mother's that abuse their babies with drug addiction should be held accountable for child abuse. | |||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| There will always be a perceived financial "need" that exceeds the federal government's ability to pay for it. The primary role of the federal government is national defense. The Congressional challenge is to prioritize spending and to not overburden the citizen/corporate taxpayers which in turn stunts economic expansion. Only in exceptional times of national emergencies should the federal government borrow more than it spends. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I do not support the suppression of "Free Speech" by suppressing the ability to deliver a political message. I trust the electorate, not the regulators. | |||
| Yes | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| Yes | Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Not necessarily incarceration but monitored probation. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| In limited circumstances for specific purposes and perhaps in specific geographical venues. | |||
| No | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| The federal government's role in education policy should be limited only to those areas related to national security. Let's be clear, the track record of federal involvement in education has been a failure. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| No | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| I wouldn't support unregulated anything that may have long term negative effects on the health of people or the earth. | |||
| No | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| I support clean air and the elimination of CO in the atmosphere. I do not agree that higher levels of CO2 are going to destroy civilization as we know it. The earth has historically had much higher levels of CO2 and thrived. Part of the problem is simply that man cannot completely control the environment to maintain the status quo. The earth is in constant evolution and man has to adapt rather than put a huge economic burden on ordinary people in an attempt to maintain the status quo when in reality there is no status quo. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| This push for gun-control is an emotional response to unfortunate events. It is popular in some quarters because it is something that is a tangible response to an intangible cause. The real issue is mental/behavioral health. Controlling the tool and not the tool user makes some people feel like they've done something to solve the problem when in fact they haven't. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| By any objective measure it is a failure. It was never supported by public opinion polls before it was enacted and has never achieved popularity after it was enacted. Citizens lost their healthcare insurance, had to switch doctors, doctors left the profession, insurance companies abandoned markets, premiums have skyrocketed and deductibles have increased. The federal government should permit insurance companies to compete across state lines. Medicaid should be controlled at the state, not federal level. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Returning to their "home country" could be as simple as visiting their country's embassy or consulate. That is not important. What is important is that they do not jump the line of those who apply legally, pay a financial penalty that cannot be waived. Comprehensive immigration reform must include dialing back the definition of eligibility to become a permanent resident or citizen. Just being a family member of a citizen (other than spouse or child) should not be a basis for legal immigration. | |||
| Yes | Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Nuclear weaponry is not defensive, it is offensive. There is no need for North Korea nor Iran to have either ballistic missiles or nuclear warheads to arm them. They have lived in peace since the armistice and overthrow of the Shah. They should work on peace and prosperity for their citizens and diplomacy not on threatening their neighbors or promising to bomb the U.S. west coast or the destruction of Israel. We've seen that movie before. It was called WWII. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
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.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| l) Other or expanded categories | |||
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