Doug Enyart's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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Doug Enyart has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Missouri Congressional Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| The most fundamental of human rights is the right to life. We are endowed with the right to life by our Creator first and foremost. "...to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men,..." Government cannot, it must not, be allowed to make decisions whether one life is preferred over another. Government must be conducted in accordance with predetermined law, and not by emotion. Law must protect human life, especially in its most fragile and dependent condition. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering taxes as a way of promoting growth in the economy? | ||
| No | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Tax incentives are a method government uses to play favoritism. One group or individual gains at the expense of fellow citizens. In essence, the government uses funds taken by force from the citizens to distribute favors and gain votes. Our own money is used against us. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| I do not favor funding of any kind from the general government to the states for education. Funding from the general government inherently comes with strings attached. This is how the general government has bribed its way into dominating and controlling the states and our citizens. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Human activity includes much more than just the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. We have also cleared forests, built cities and expansive road systems, dredged rivers, etc. To say that none of this has any impact on the environment is ludicrous. But how much and in what direction? The science is far from clear on this. The climate would change even if humans were removed from the planet. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| From personal experience I can tell you that convicted felons who are on the list can easily obtain guns anyway. The people who think we can just take all the guns away from our citizens and all will be well in the world are deluded. Criminals will have guns. They do no care about law. They do care about facing someone who also has a gun. Our right to keep and bear arms "shall not be infringed". More important than self defense though, is the right of the people to be able to defend themselves against political tyranny. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Words fail to describe how strongly I feel about repealing this terrible Act. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| No | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Marriage was ordained by God between a man and a woman. A nation cannot tear such a hole in the social fabric of society and expect no repercussions or unintended consequences. | |||
| 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 governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| When successive leaders of another nation openly and repeatedly threaten to destroy the United States, and actively pursue the production of nuclear weapons, we should take them seriously. The most important right we delegate to the government to exercise for us is self defense, defense of life. The general government has the responsibility to protect the states and all U.S. citizens from harm. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Social Security was flawed fundamentally from the beginning. Populations have booms and busts, and the Social Security program assumes steady linear growth. Within a few years there will be two people working for every one that is retired. Those numbers don't work. Add into the calculation all the other taxes those workers will have to pay, and the situation becomes worse still. Over 30 countries have realized the folly of such a system, and have privatized their retirement system in whole or in part. We are each responsible for our own retirement. It is not a proper role of government | |||
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.
| Eliminate | a) Agriculture | ||
| Eliminate | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Eliminate | d) Education | ||
| Eliminate | e) Environment | ||
| Eliminate | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Eliminate | g) International aid | ||
| Eliminate | h) Medical Research | ||
| Eliminate | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Eliminate | j) Space exploration | ||
| Eliminate | k) United Nations | ||
| Eliminate | l) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Eliminate | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Eliminate | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Eliminate | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| The general government (aka federal government) was formed and intended as just that -general. It was primarily focused on taking care of external affairs, such as war, foreign policy, and international commerce. The general government was given 20 specific powers. The 9th and 10 Amendments reaffirmed that it was intentional that the general government remain limited. Each state retains its sovereignty, having delegated only the few and defined powers to the general government upon joining the Republic. Most of the items in the list above should be handled by state government. | |||
| Both I and the Constitution Party understand that immediate elimination of the taxes above and the agencies and programs we would eliminate that those taxes support cannot be achieved quickly. But it is achievable over time with determination to use the Constitution as it was originally intended to reduce the size, cost, and intrusion of the general government. The 16th Amendment, the income tax, inherently violates the 4th Amendment, the right to be secure (privacy) in our papers and personal lives. | |||
| My top priority is to begin reducing the size, cost, and intrusion of the general government into the affairs of the states and our citizens. I have a proposal for a Bill that would require Congress to review each federal agency every ten years to determine if it is Constitutional, if it is needed, and if it properly belongs to the states or in the private sector. If elected I will vote against every Bill that violates the Constitution, and against every Bill that contains more than one issue. I would grant all veterans access to civilian medical services. |
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