James Jones' 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.
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James Jones has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Pennsylvania Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I am 100% pro-life. I believe life begins at conception and that abortion takes the life of an innocent human being. It is the duty of our government to protect this life as a right guaranteed under the Constitution. It is unconscionable that government would facilitate the taking of innocent life. I will always support legislation that would end abortion or lead us in the direction of ending abortion. There are many ways we can work toward this ultimate goal and items we can hope to accomplish in the near term. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Reckless levels of spending in Washington have been occurring for far too long. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the size of government has grown by more than 49 percent in the last decade. To put this in perspective, the federal government spends more than $11,530 per person, over $3,700 more per individual than what we were spending in 2005. The fiscal crisis we face as a nation needs to be taken seriously, and addressed with immediate action. According to CBO, the budget deficit this year will be $414 billion. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I agree with Chief Justice John Roberts, who said "the government may not any more restrict how many candidates or causes a donor may support than it may tell a newspaper how many candidates it may endorse. If the First Amendment protects flag burning, funeral protests and Nazi parades, it surely protects political speech�. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Historically, such laws required judges impose a sentence of at least a specified length if certain criteria are met but it has proven to be cost destructive. If a person convicted by a federal court of possessing half a kilogram or more of cocaine powder must be sentenced to at least five years in prison. We need to look at better strategies to allow bail reductions and discretionary sentencing practices. Private prisons helped to ensure that incarceration's goals were achieved, which were punishing the convicted and keeping them from committing more crimes for a period of time. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Creating jobs and growing the economy must be the number one priority for this Congress. For too long, regulations and taxes coming out of Washington have discouraged job growth. It is well overdue that Washington get out of the way and allow Pennsylvania businesses to do what they do best: create jobs. Additionally, we must address our nation�s growing debt crisis, which breeds economic uncertainty and discourages job growth. It is my number one priority to do everything possible to encourage job creation and economic growth in Pennsylvania, including fighting for lower taxes and against unnecessary regulations. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| A Congressman Jones believes that improving education and providing the opportunity for all citizens to access quality education needs to be a number one priority. | |||
| 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? | ||
| We need to explore domestic energy in all sectors. America must move towards energy independence in a manner that does not threaten the environment, or kill job creation. I believe we need to consider all available options including wind, solar, bio, nuclear and drilling right here at home. I am a strong proponent for the Keystone XL pipeline that would bring thousands of barrels of oil to the U.S. each day, not to mention, create thousands of American jobs. Some of those jobs would be created right here in Philadelphia, PA, and in new manufacturing, assembling, testing and distributing plants. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Continue with scientific research where CO2 turned into ethanol to be converted into fuel and power! | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| It needs serious work but not a total repeal! Bring into the discussion professionals such human resources professions to resolve the healthcare matters. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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.
| Greatly Increase | a) Agriculture | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Slightly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| l) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Economic Development | |||
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