Vern Clough's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Vern Clough has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
New Hampshire Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Personally I lean towards pro-life, believing that unless there is a medical reason, or rape has occurred that abortion should be a last resort. That is however a personal belief, and I do not feel that the Government has the right to tell someone what they can do with their own body. | |||
| Yes | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| No | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| I support our troops. I feel that as with any military operation that providing a timeline for the other side is wrong. While our military leaders should have a plan, they should not publicly state an end date. | |||
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,
| No | do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| No | do you support reducing Medicaid spending? | ||
| No | do you support reducing Medicare spending? | ||
| Yes | Is balancing the budget a legislative priority? | ||
| Strong defense is important, we also need a fair tax, such as a flat tax so that everyone pays the same portion of their income. We need to balance the budget, and can look to other programs for savings without reducing Medicaid and Medicare. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Corporations and Unions are not individuals, and need to be regulated in regards to their ability to contribute to a campaign. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the temporary extension of unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief? | ||
| Federal spending should not be just to promote economic growth, neither should infrastructure spending be for the purpose of job creation. Infrastructure spending should be for when it is needed to improve the infrastructure. For every dollar the Government spends it needs to collect the taxes to cover it. The money is not free. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| However the States should be able to implement their own education reforms. The States and local governments have a better understanding of what their students need that does the Federal Government. | |||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| Reducing restrictions, yes, reducing safety, no. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Yes | Do you support allowing illegal immigrants, who were brought to the United States as minors, to pursue citizenship without returning to their country of origin? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? | ||
| We expect that our children will do what they are told to do by their parents. To punish a child for the crimes of their parents is wrong. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If two people want to join their lives together, through a binding commitment, they should be allowed to do so, having the same rights, responsibilities and protections as others. | |||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| I do support allowing individuals to divert a higher portion of their income into other personal retirement accounts, but the funds slated for Social Security should go to Social Security. | |||
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.
| Maintain Status | a) Agriculture | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Defense | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Education | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Maintain Status | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| I believe that we need to move to a flat tax so that everyone pays the same percentage of their income. Corporations should also have a flat tax. | |||
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