Nathan LaFrance's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Nathan LaFrance has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Arkansas Congressional Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I believe that State governments, not the federal government, should be the regulators of abortion. In addition, I believe the States should be able to restrict abortions much earlier in the pregnancy than is currently allowed: Specifically, I believe States should have the flexibility to set the latest date to obtain an abortion from 6-7 weeks (when the fetus's brain begins to function) to 23 weeks (when the fetus is capable of survival outside the womb). This range provides some scientific basis around which to set laws on what is a very emotional and morally debatable issue. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I will work to balance the budget by significantly reducing federal government spending, NOT by raising taxes. In addition, I will propose legislation to completely eliminate the current federal income tax system, replacing it with a "Fair Tax" - a national sales tax. It is NOT right that America's middle-class workers bear the majority of the tax burden. Everyone needs to pay their fair share, period. This includes those who exploit the system - no more tax shelters and loopholes for the wealthy. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I do not believe that direct regulatory restrictions on campaign contributions is the best solution to solving the corrupting influence of money in politics. Two of my major platform proposals would go a long way to reduce the amount of money being donated by unions, corporations, and other special interest groups: 1. Term limits for the U.S. Congress: would allow our representatives to do what's best for America, rather than what's best for their own perpetual re-elections. 2. Reduce the size and scope of the federal government: less money + less power = less incentive to make massive campaign contributions. | |||
| 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? | ||
| We have a federal deficit over $18 Trillion. This PROVES that politicians CANNOT control their spending of OUR tax dollars - which is why I support a BALANCED BUDGET Amendment for the federal government. In addition, I will work everyday to reduce the tax burden on the American People and our businesses - which will help to strengthen our economy immensely. Overhauling the federal tax code and dramatically reducing federal spending will allow us to reduce everyone's tax burden. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| I believe that our children's education should be controlled at the LOCAL level; by parents and the local community. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| Energy production is vital to a strong American economy. | |||
| No | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| The evidence is CLEAR: human activity is NOT contributing significantly to climate change. The economic costs of regulating CO2 and other non-toxic emissions are tremendous, and will burden the American people with much higher costs of living, for ZERO environmental benefit. | |||
| No | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| I support the REPEAL of ALL restrictions on gun ownership and gun-carrying by law-abiding Americans. This includes eliminating restrictions on gun-carrying in ALL public places. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Obama Care has and will continue to result in higher medical costs and lower quality of care for nearly all Americans. We can make health insurance and health care affordable for ALL Americans - by getting the federal government out of the healthcare business. We need to repeal Obama Care, and also phase out Medicare and Medicaid. Our healthcare system is so costly because the federal government is so directly involved in it. For those truly in need, PRIVATE charitable groups will be able to fill the gap and provide assistance to those in need. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Our immigration laws are broken. We are a country built by immigrants, and we need to fix our laws so that those seeking to come to our country can do so legally and easily. Let us embrace those who come here to work hard and build a new life, rather than forcing them into the shadows of our society. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| We have a separation of church and state requirement in the United States. Because of this, in the eyes of our government, a marriage is a civil union - a civil contract - between two consenting adults. It is illegal for our government to discriminate against any group or individual based upon their sexual orientation; therefore, the government has no right to ban same-sex marriages. | |||
| No | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| No | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| I do not believe the President or his administration should be allowed to conduct unrestricted drone strikes with no oversight of any kind. No individual gets to be judge, jury and executioner - this is a founding principle of our country. I support law enforcement working with foreign agencies and governments to bring all suspected terrorists to justice. The United States should only use military force in self-defense against an imminent threat or a direct attack on America. Our military is not the world's police force. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| In fact, I want to go even further. I will propose legislation to phase out and eventually eliminate the social security program. Current retires and those close to retirement age will see no reduction in benefits. We will honor our promises to those who depend on this retirement income. For younger workers, we will eliminate the social security taxes (on workers and their employers), letting Americans keep more of the income they earn, and save for retirement on their on terms. | |||
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 | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Eliminate | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Eliminate | g) International aid | ||
| Eliminate | h) Medical Research | ||
| Eliminate | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Slightly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Eliminate | l) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Eliminate | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Eliminate | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Eliminate | 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 | ||
| For arts, research, international aid and welfare, it should be up to the American people as individuals and families to decide what programs to support. Private charitable groups and organizations will replace the federal government, and will be much more efficient in their work. Medical and scientific research can become independent and unbiased; today, only those in political favor receive government funding. | |||
| I will work to replace our complex monstrosity of a tax system with a flat national sales tax rate on final consumer products This "Fair tax" legislation will replace our 75,000+ page tax code with a 1 PAGE law. | |||
| 1. Balance the federal budget - significantly reduce federal spending AND reduce federal taxes on everyone. Pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. 2. Enact firm term limits for all members of the United States Congress. 3. Eliminate the federal income tax system, and replace with the Fair tax - a national sales tax. 4. Strengthen Congressional oversight of the President, his administration, and federal agencies such as the NSA and CIA. |
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