Matt Jette's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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Matt Jette has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2022 Political Courage Test.
Montana Congressional Election 2022 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I believe that if the goal is to reduce the number of abortions throughout the country, then better healthcare coverage is required, more funding for Planned Parenthood is needed, better education is essential, and more awareness and aid for adoption and foster care programs is necessary, not outlawing abortion. One may not like abortion. One may not even want it to take place. However, not everything I or another may like or want can, nor should, be made as public policy or legislated into existence. Rights are not easy to protect, but we each have an obligation to protect them. | |||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| I believe one can address the major issues in both the entitlement programs and our economy simultaneously. I have and will continue to pursue those policies that will allow for individual mobility and the space for that mobility to exist. As such, I am in favor of an older conservative idea, the Universal Basic Income, eventually fading out the more traditional programs. I also believe we cannot tax Social Security benefits, believe Medicare coverage needs to be more expansive, believe in better reimbursements for healthcare providers, and more choice for Medicare patients. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| The cash nexus has and continues to plague or election process, one of the chief foundations of our representative democracy. However, money is merely one aspect...what also troubles me is that voters no longer vote well. In their reporting of a contribution "number" each quarter, the media is determining which candidates are or are not legitimate, partly due to the reliance they themselves have on money; thus, those candidates who can raise money are covered. But it is important to remember, that money raised not only comes from larger donors but also by those more extreme and ideologically driven. | |||
| No | Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
| We are increasingly finding ourselves in a litigious society, so this question gives me some pause. However, there are instances where real misconduct takes place. As such, we do need a mechanism to safeguard ourselves from those activities. With that being said, not all actions that are argued to be wrong are in fact an issue of misconduct and we, as citizens, need to know the difference as well. | |||
| No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| Before I agree to additional defense spending, I think we need to ensure current spending is accurate and justified. Moreover, I do believe in defense spending, not merely for the protection of America, but in some ways as a driving force to the economy (i.e., contracts) but also for the purpose of creating and advancing new technologies that can and often do get dispersed eventually into the larger community. Defense is essential to the health of a nation, but defense spending can be productive, creating both growth and opportunity as well. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| These are difficult questions and require much more than a 100 word response, let alone a simple yes or no answer. Federal spending can and has been shown under certain circumstances to promote economic growth, that is simply economics 101. Lowering corporate tax rates can also be beneficial, but I think lowering certain regulations will have a longer lasting benefit. I would support relief, but that must be in the way of ensuring public health as well. Small businesses must be able to compete effectively, but a new partnership must be formed between labor and ownership. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| Being a professor and teacher over the past decade I have seen the failing in and the subsequent falling in education rankings of American education, the decay of skills, wonderment, and curiosity of students, and the increasing depletion in hiring qualified experts in fields we need to, not only compete as a country, but those necessary to uplift communities and secure brighter futures of young men and women. To compete effectively, we must bring choice back to education, excellence back into the classroom, and thinking back into the driving force behind all decisions concerning education curriculum, instructions, and discussions. | |||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| We need to focus more on incentives than regulations, for incentives will not hamper or be a barrier to innovation, at least not to the degree as regulation can and often does. Some regulation is needed of course, but new technologies are required as well. We must unleash the ingenuity residing in those working in STEM to help resolve our growing problem of sustainability and climate change. We also need to ensure those leading industries are working with us, not counter to our goals, for they will help build the necessary infrastructure to meet tomorrow's demands. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I do think we have the necessary regulations in place. Could some be altered to be more effective...of course. Could some be applied better...certainly. However, we will need a better discussion as well between the parties involved to resolve the issue of rights and obligations. We cannot simply talk past one another and look towards government or the courts to resolve that which we have failed to even discuss in a civilized and productive manner. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| No | Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| A wall will only be effective if used to funnel those crossing into designated safe areas. However, the vast majority already do just that. Moreover, if we really want to address immigration, then we will need to change the working visa requirements, allowing those who are coming to work, to work and to allow for them to cross back and forth peacefully and without problems. This will curb much of the problems. Moreover, we need to address the main issue of immigration which is overstaying one's Visa...this not only effects low-skilled workers, but more importantly high-skilled domestic workers as well. | |||
| Yes | Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? | ||
| Yes | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
| Trade is good for economies. That is simple enough. Do circumstances exist that will require nations to implement tariffs or quotas, certainly. But, we need to be careful, for those can result in "trade wars." The modern economy is not merely based on trade, however; exchange markets and finance are also key to understanding economic growth and prosperity. | |||
| First, the economy is number one. We have for too often elected those not familiar with or are ignorant to economic principles (i.e., trade-offs, scarcity, incentives, utility, trade, markets, etc...). We will need one that can work with financers, economists, and economic policy makers from day one. Second, education is paramount to a healthy America. To answer the call whether man can govern himself, rather, govern himself well, education is first among all priorities. We have seen the collapse of our education system and the resulting troubles in America. Finally, I will focus on federalism, elections, and healthcare. |
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