Arden Wells has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| I would support large tax increases on the richest 2% of the earners, moderate increases for the next richest 18%, and elimination of all income tax for persons earning less than $ 24,000. per year. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| I support legalization of marijuana and decriminalization of all drugs. I support lifting restrictions on the manufacture of certain drugs and would support federal funding of scientific experimentation with LSD and other potentially useful drugs. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| I would support legislation to require all state and local governments to adopt a single United States Standard for both teacher qualification and student education. I would support an increase in science, mathematics and computer technology requirements. I would increase funding for gifted students. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| I would support legislation to develop mass transportation nation wide with the objective of eliminating the automobile as the principal means of transportation in the United States. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| I support zeroing human population growth in the United States and using foreign aid to achieve that objective in other countries. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I believe the possession of personal weapons by the population is a means of discouraging government tyranny, and abuse of police power. I believe in the English common law principal that a citizen may resist an illegal arrest even to the point of killing the officer. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| I support national health care and I believe that it should be funded by taxes on know threats to health including tobacco, alcohol, machinery, recreational vehicles, boats, automobiles, gasoline and other products and things in proportion to the amount of injuries and diseases that they cause or to which they contribute. I would support regulating the cost of health care and changing the laws to encourage the investment in alternative treatments and scientific research into the benefits natural drugs derived from plants and minerals. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| I would except the parents of children who are U.S. citizens, persons married to U.S. citizens, and persons seeking sanctuary from countries that are presently engaged in human rights violations. | |||
| No | 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 | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Increase | l) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| l) Other or expanded categories | |||
| I believe that the United States government should greatly increase spending to restore the environment and to protect agriculture from the threat of non-native species of plants, animals, and insects. I would initiate a national program to eradicate the imported fire ant which has spread across the southern U.S. from coast to coast and which thrives despite the futile efforts of individuals who put tons of poison into the environment in an effort to combat them. | |||
| # 1 The elimination of imported fire ants and other non-native species of plant, insects and harmful animal life. #2 Greatly increase income and inheritance taxes on the richest 2% of the population, slightly increase income taxes and increase inheritance taxes on the remaining 18 % of the richest 20 % of the population, and abolish income taxes for individuals earning less than $ 24,000. per year (single or married, without regard to household size) without increasing their inheritance tax. #3 Achieve clean energy goals and clean mass transportation eliminating the automobile as much as possible as main transportation source. |
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