Card image cap

Bernie DeCastro'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.

Bernie DeCastro refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2010 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2010.

  • Silva, Christina. 2010. St. Petersburg Times: Meek's pro-choice stance stands out. 22 June 2010. "Bernie DeCastro, the Constitution Party of Florida candidate from Ocala, supports a federal law that would define life as beginning at conception, said spokesman Donald Barber." (www.politifact.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Florida Catholic Conference: 2010 Candidate Questionnaire Project. Responded "SUPPORT" to the question "Prohibiting the use of federal funds to pay for or provide insurance coverage for elective abortions?" Responded "SUPPORT" to the question "Preventing federal agencies and states that receive federal funds from discriminating against health care providers who do not perform or participate in abortions (Hyde-Weldon Amendment)?" (www.flacathconf.org)
  • 2009. FL 912Candidates.org: Another Florida 9/12 Candidate! 30 June 2009. "Bernie DeCastro, who is running for U.S Senate here in the Great state of Florida, has signed our contract....His stance on the issues are similar to those of the 9/12 followers, he is for sovereignty, limited government, term limits for Congress, closing our dependence for foreign oil, the Fair Tax, a strong immigration policy, he is Pro-life, and preserving our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms." (912candidates.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Bernie DeCastro or Marco Rubio For U.S. Senate. "MANHATTAN DECLARATION - Is Marco Rubio willing to sign the Manhattan Declaration? DeCastro has already signed the Manhattan Declaration. A Summary of the Manhattan Declaration: "We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are (1) the sanctity of human life...." 8 July 2010. (www.electbernie.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Sanctity of Life. "WE BELIEVE in the sanctity of all human life. Because man is made in the image of God all human life is representative in some way of our Creator. If we are to survive as a nation and a people we must overturn Rowe v Wade and repent for the destruction of the millions of children and families already destroyed by this evil legislation since 1973. We can no longer call this genocide by the term pro-choice but must recognize its true nature as anti-human. We stand firmly with the PERSONHOOD Policies of pro-life and pro-human for America and agree with the Four Laws of Personhood: Law 1: A person is a living physical/spiritual being created in the image of God, male and female, from fertilization (sexual or asexual) until natural death. Law 2: A person's right to life is inalienable regardless of age, race, sex, genetic pre-disposition, condition of dependency or biological development." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro signed American Family Business Institute: Death Tax Repeal Pledge. (www.nodeathtax.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Lower Taxes. "I BELIEVE in a fair and just tax system that promotes the purposes stated in Article I Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution which states "The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defense and general Welfare of the United States." Because of the oppressive nature of our current tax system we will work to repeal the 16th Amendment (Income Tax Amendment) and to adopt a Fair Tax system that will meet the genuine needs of our Federal Government and be equitable for all American individuals, families and business entities." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Balanced Budget. "I BELIEVE in a balanced budget for our nation's government. Because of unchecked and wasteful spending, unwise planning and imprudent use of legislative powers our nation is on the verge of economic catastrophe. It will take determined and well thought out action by the Legislative and Administrative branches of the Federal Government to stop the increasing deficit from growing beyond repair." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Eliminate the National Deficit. "Stop trying to put a band aid on the cancer of our economy with massive bailouts. Giving money to the people who caused the problems we are now facing is like rewarding a thief in hopes that he will stop robbing you. Let the marketplace make or break itself. If companies fail because of bad business practices so be it. How else will they learn the value of good practices?" (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Limited Government. "Because we have ignored the warnings of our Founding Fathers who spoke clearly about the dangers of big government and over-paid elected officials we now have a bloated bureaucracy that functions poorly and demands a steady diet of wasteful legislation and excessive spending to keep it afloat. As Former President Ronald Reagan said, "Government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem". We must create legislation that will affect the purposes stated above, reduce the size of the bureaucracy by slashing funding for wasteful and unwarranted programs and stop creating agencies to solve every little problem that occurs." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. 2010. St Petersburg Times: Florida's U.S. Senate Candidates. Responded: "Supports a private model like one enacted in the 1980s in Galveston County, Texas." to the question "What would you do to strengthen Social Security?" (www.tampabay.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Bernie DeCastro. Florida Catholic Conference: 2010 Candidate Questionnaire Project. Responded "OPPOSE" to the question "Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to ensure that all public and nonpublic school children receive the educational services they need?"
  • Curry, Christopher. 2010. Ocala: DeCastro files to run for House District 23. "[DeCastro] said that, while he is a strong supporter of former Gov. Jeb Bush, who appointed DeCastro to several state advisory boards, he does not approve of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. He had a common criticism of the FCAT - that it forces educators to 'teach to the test' instead of offering students a well-rounded education."
  • Bernie DeCastro. 2010. Gainsville Tea Party: Gainsville Tea Party Federal Candidate Questionnaire. Selected NO for: "Should the federal government be involved in education decisions?" (gainesvilleteaparty.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Reform of Our Education System. "We must break our public school system free of the National Education Association (NEA) stranglehold and its progressive agenda. Dismantling this union is imperative for the future of our children and our nation. We must put God and patriotism back in our public schools and give parents the right to choose how and what kind of education their children will receive." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro signed the Contract from America. "Stop costly new regulations that would increase unemployment, raise consumer prices, and weaken the nation's global competitiveness with virtually no impact on global temperatures." (www.thecontract.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. In a five year plan to eliminate the national debt. 8 July 2010. "Our national debt must be reduced and then eliminated. Right now stopping Cap and Trade legislation from passing is a critical issue in this process." (www.electbernie.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Florida Catholic Conference: 2010 Candidate Questionnaire Project. Responded "SUPPORT" to the question "Funding development of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar to reduce dependence on oil?" (www.flacathconf.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Home. 28 October 2010. "But first let me explain for all of you who don't know what Cap & Trade is. It is all tied in with the false science of Global Warming and it limits the carbon emissions that companies can put into the atmosphere and forces them to buy what is known as 'Carbon Credits.' What it simply boils down to is a way to transfer wealth from the United States to underdeveloped countries. If Congress passes National Cap & Trade legislation it will absolutely turn America into a third world economy and lead us right into socialism or Communism at worse." (www.electbernie.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Balanced Budget. "Limit the authority of the EPA and other such agencies which hinder the growth of domestic production and agriculture in favor of non-authenticated science and international programs developed by the United Nations to penalize the United States for her prosperity and ingenuity." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Cap and Trade. "I BELIEVE That Cap & Trade is nothing more than a rip-off from the far left. Finding it harder and harder to tax our incomes (since so many Americans have lost their jobs in 2009), the brilliant liberals now running the government want to tax the very air we breathe. Of course everyone knows that Americans breathe more air than others so it's only right that we should pay more for it. It's not enough that the very science behind this Global Warming farce has been discovered to be doctored; right or wrong our liberal leaders must go forward with the real agenda of leveling Americans to the living standards of third world countries." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. 2009. FL 912Candidates.org: Another Florida 9/12 Candidate! 30 June 2009. "Bernie DeCastro, who is running for U.S Senate here in the Great state of Florida, has signed our contract....His stance on the issues are similar to those of the 9/12 followers, he is for sovereignty, limited government, term limits for Congress, closing our dependence for foreign oil, the Fair Tax, a strong immigration policy, he is Pro-life, and preserving our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms." (912candidates.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. DeCastro: Next FL State Senator? "Well, we're not probably going to ever get any big, big endorsements unless we begin to get a groundswell of grassroots activity going on?we may get some like gun owners, or something like that, because we're so strong on the Second Amendment." (vodpod.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Firearms. "I BELIEVE in the right to own and possess firearms. The Second Amendment to the Constitution recognizes this right and it is the responsibility of our government to protect this freedom rather than to seek to overturn it. Our founding fathers knew that it is in keeping with the rights of every man to protect his life, family, liberty and property as well as to defend himself against intrusive outside agencies; even the government when and if it oversteps its boundaries and authority and seeks to repress its citizens." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro signed the Contract from America. "Defund, repeal and replace the recently passed government-run health care with a system that actually makes health care and insurance more affordable by enabling a competitive, open, and transparent free-market health care and health insurance system that isn't restricted by state boundaries." (www.thecontract.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. DeCastro: Next FL State Senator? "We've got the President of the United States telling us that healthcare is a right. It's not a right." (vodpod.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Health Care Without the Public Option. "WE BELIEVE in the reform of our healthcare system without a public option." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Bernie's stand on illegal immigration. 8 July 2010. "Not only that, but unlike Marco Rubio, I believe that all illegals should be immediately deported including their children even if they were born in the U.S.A. My plan is:...3. Deport all illegals. 4. Send Anchor babies home with their families. Children should remain with their families. 5. Develop a current and comprehensive immigration policy that allows for guest-workers and repeals the policy on anchor babies." (www.electbernie.com)
  • . (www.ocala.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Immigration. "I BELIEVE in a strong immigration policy without amnesty for those currently here illegally. The current lack of enforcement of existing immigration laws is a mockery of our judicial system and has nearly made made using the term "illegal immigrant' more illegal than the immigrants themselves. The federal government's refusal to enforce these laws has turned every illegal immigrant in this country into a pawn in the hands of vote seeking politicians in every level of government....Though America has long been called the "Melting Pot of the World' the historic strength of our great nation of immigrants has come from a solid immigration policy that takes a person applying for citizenship through a proven process of education, assimilation and eventually Americanization." (votesmart.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. 2010. Gainsville Tea Party: Gainsville Tea Party Federal Candidate Questionnaire. Selected NO for: "Do you support the war in Afghanistan?" (gainesvilleteaparty.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. In A Strong Military. 26 October 2010. "Today we live in a world that has the power to destroy itself in total. The United States has only remained free because we have always been a people ready to defend ourselves and others against the tyrants and dictators who seek to rule this world. To do this we must equip our soldiers with the best military training and equipment available and keep our enemies aware of the cost of military aggression against us. I advocate a non-interventionist's foreign policy. I believe America is best protected and respected by following the Monroe doctrine and Washington's advice to the Citizens of his time to stay out of entangling alliances. If history was an acceptable teacher then Congress should learn the error of it's ways. Setting up regimes and tearing down governments has nothing but a potential to destroy our way of life." (www.electbernie.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Florida Catholic Conference: 2010 Candidate Questionnaire Project. Responded "SUPPORT" to the question "Defining marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman?" (www.flacathconf.org)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Bernie DeCastro or Marco Rubio For U.S. Senate. 8 July 2010. "MANHATTAN DECLARATION - Is Marco Rubio willing to sign the Manhattan Declaration? DeCastro has already signed the Manhattan Declaration. A Summary of the Manhattan Declaration: "We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are ... (2) the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife..." (www.electbernie.com)
  • Bernie DeCastro. Issue Position: Marriage. "I BELIEVE that marriage is between one man and one woman. Founded as a nation of laws based upon the divine revelation of the Bible it is unthinkable that any reasonable person could suppose that we can turn so far from these truths as to authorize and legalize the very practices that historically caused the God of the Bible to destroy whole nations and people groups." (votesmart.org)

Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.

arrow_upward