Wes Neuman's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Wes Neuman has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Florida Congressional Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I completely support access to safe and legal abortion, effective birth control and emergency contraception, reproductive health services, and education for all men and women; effectively and competently addressing these issues is the only way to reduce the incidence of abortion. The decision in Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court 1973 case, ruled that women have a Constitutional right to privacy. This right to privacy includes her right to choose to have an abortion, and I will never tread upon such liberty. Women have the right to make independent, informed decisions about their own bodies. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Congress must have the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances in the future, which is why a tax increase (or decrease) cannot be ruled out. Ceteris paribus, the following proposals should be considered: cease taxing Social Security income, eliminate the marriage penalty, allow small business exemptions on the first $100,000 of corporate income, expand medical expense deductions, regulate tax preparers, and implement a 1% sales tax. Additionally, a carbon tax could be implemented and phased in to entirely replace the income tax. Regarding defense spending, we can decrease expenditures on many obsolete (and often-time unwanted by even the Pentagon) outlays. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes, but to ensure that the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions is effective, the following policies should also be implemented: enact term limits; mandate independent redistricting commissions to prevent gerrymandering; strengthen the "DISCLOSE" Act to enhance financial disclosures; prohibit conflicts of interest and place greater restrictions of family members (particularly registered lobbyists); end corporate personhood; create a National Voting Holiday; and limit campaign activities while in office (for example, don�t let current sitting governors, Senators, or Vice Presidents run for President, or U.S. Representatives for Senate; they should resign first). | |||
| Yes | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| The criminal justice system should be a publicly, not privately, run system; accordingly, it should be designed to rehabilitate and prepare convicted criminals for returning to society. Nevertheless, some individuals, who have committed one (or multiple) heinous crimes and have been convicted beyond reasonable doubt (combination of CCTV footage, DNA tests, multiple and reliable eyewitnesses, corroborating evidence, confession, etc.) will not and/or cannot be rehabilitated. Under such very narrow circumstances, capital punishment should remain an option for the state because it serves as a deterrent to the most serious of crimes. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Indeed, in terms of macroeconomic policy, I tend to side more with John Maynard Keynes (the famed British economist) and Paul Krugman (the Nobel Prize-winning American economist). | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| No | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| There are more effective ways to invest in securing U.S. energy independence than the Keystone XL pipeline; investing in Keystone XL is, at best, penny-wise but pound-foolish. The environmental risks and opportunity costs (of not investing in better and more sustainable sources of energy) do not justify any potential (very marginal) drop in gasoline prices the pipeline may bring. Since global demand, not exclusively U.S. demand, drives the price we pay at the pump, the pipeline will have only a marginal and short-term effect on price. We are better served investing in alternative sources of energy, such as solar. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Let us pretend, for a fleeting moment, the science were not certain; in this imaginary scenario, "carbon dioxide," "hydrofluorocarbons," "sulfur hexafluoride," and other toxins are not air pollutants and do not trap heat. Even in this ridiculous fantasy, policymakers should still ensure our country acts in the best interest of future generations. Unfortunately, the science is absolutely certain: climate change is very real, and it is a clear and existential threat to Florida and coastal cities worldwide. Continuing to do nothing, and in the face of overwhelming evidence, is preposterously irresponsible, and severely jeopardizes both national and global security. | |||
| Yes | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| We can do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, and do more to protect the rights of responsible, law-abiding people, by enacting reasonable policies, which include, but are not limited to: more thorough background checks for gun sales; prohibiting gun possession by convicted stalkers; strengthening the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; banning the sale of high capacity ammunition magazines; increasing penalties for gun traffickers; and more. These policies neither infringe on our individual liberty nor the Second Amendment. We must, as Lincoln once said, use cold, dispassionate reason, not emotions, to pass laws. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides coverage for pre-existing conditions; ends price-discrimination towards women; enacts rules to ensure healthcare dollars are more efficiently spent; implements mechanisms to prohibit insurance companies from placing a lifetime cap on how much they will pay to patients; ensures that insurance will cover preventive services (like mammograms and vaccinations), which will lower healthcare costs; rules that make prescription drugs cheaper; places limits on care; and provides tools to fight fraud and cut red tape. For these and many other reasons, I would most certainly not repeal the ACA. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| There are billions (of dollars) of reasons to reform: immigration reform will save $897 billion over 20 years, and $329 billion in new economic activity would occur to the American economy when DREAMers are given citizenship. We can strengthen our families and economy by providing a pathway to citizenship, utilizing E-Verify, and securing our borders. Fixing the broken U.S. immigration system will grow our economy and give undocumented youth (and their families!) the chance to earn their citizenship. The cost of inaction is too high, and will only cause undue harm to U.S. economic growth. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Absolutely, yes. Those who oppose this measure are, without question, on the wrong side of history, on the wrong side of society, and on the wrong side of the debate. I support same-sex marriage, just as I support the rights and liberties of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) individuals. Among the legislation I will support includes, but is not limited to: the Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act (MSETA), the Repeal HIV Discrimination Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and many other bills to fight for equality and justice for all. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Tax preparers should be regulated to prevent fraud; likewise, investments for Social Security, if diverted to a non-government managed fund, should also be regulated. | |||
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 Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) International aid | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Increase | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Increase | l) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| Government should prioritize investing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; it should seek to spend on areas that will maximize the multiplier effect; and it should not seek to crowd out private business activity. | |||
| The underpinnings of tax policy should be to minimize (or eliminate) negative externalities and to exploit (or promote) positive externalities. We must maintain positive levels of investment in infrastructure and education to continue supporting a vibrant capitalist, entrepreneurial economy. We cannot continue to spend at levels that we cannot sustain; the net result is to immorally burden future generations with debts on which they had no vote (this logic holds true for taking action on climate change). | |||
| (1) Passing national same-sex marriage. Expected to raise state revenues, and boost consumer spending (and therefore tax revenues). (2) Raising levels of funding to NASA, the National Laboratories, public universities and high-tech fields (such as sustainable/solar energy, aviation and aerospace, optics and photonics, nanotechnology, medical technologies, agritechnology, digital media, financial services, information technology, etc). Lowering subsidies to non-renewable energy will be the initial source of funding. Phasing in a 1%/penny sales tax is also a follow-on option. (3) Legalizing, reforming, and regulating marijuana. Expected to lower expenditures while producing high levels of revenue. |
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