J. Casteen's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
J. Casteen has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
Issue Positions
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2016.
- "A scared young girl, who feels that she has no alternative, should not have to fear for her life when doing that which she thinks is best." (votesmart.org)
- In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Increase income taxes (middle-income families) "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- Income taxes (low-income families) "Increase" (votesmart.org)
- Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? "No." (votesmart.org)
- "I am in favor of domestic production rather than leaving the U.S. at the mercy of uncertain geopolitical forces." (votesmart.org)
- "Development of new domestic resources, as well as expansion of existing resources and technologies, is imperative to lessening the level of dependence." (votesmart.org)
- Do you support the federal regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? "No" (votesmart.org)
- "Any restrictions should be narrowly tailored to address imminent and identifiable threats to the safety of others." (votesmart.org)
- Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- "Even politicians, who voted in favor of the ACA, did not fully understand its applications and effects." (votesmart.org)
- "However, for persons who knowingly flouted the laws of this country, there should be no direct path to citizenship." (votesmart.org)
- Do you. support same-sex marriage? "Yes" (votesmart.org)
- Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? Yes" (votesmart.org)
- Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts?"Yes" (votesmart.org)
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
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| I defer to the words of my grandmother, whose simple wisdom often transcended the most complex issues. I only heard her speak on this subject once. On that occasion, she told of an acquaintance, who as a young girl had traveled away from home to obtain the services of an unlicensed �abortionist.� There were complications during the procedure, and the girl nearly died. To paraphrase my grandmother�s comments, �A scared young girl, who feels that she has no alternative, should not have to fear for her life when doing that which she thinks is best.� | |||
| 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? | ||
| Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | |||
| Such contributions should be disclosed. "Anonymous" speech encourages lies and makes it nearly impossible to defend against an errant message. The "Citizens United" decision by the U.S. Supreme Court represented a protection of First Amendment - Free Speech. If one wishes to "speak," it is reasonable to expect that the identity of the speaker should be known in order weigh veracity, credibility, and conflicts of interest. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Dr. Milton Friedman is credited with saying, "One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.� If a program or policy works, then it should be fostered and duplicated. However, we must be objective in evaluating the true results not the desired effects. It is most important that the expectation not be that government is capable of or responsible for fixing all of the woes of citizens. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| The continued dependence of the United States on foreign sources for fuels is a threat to long-term economic growth, and such dependence constantly embroils America in the centuries-old political and tribal conflicts in the Middle East. Development of new domestic resources, as well as expansion of existing resources and technologies, is imperative to lessening the level of dependence. To the extent that such resources can be developed and utilized safely and effectively, I am in favor of domestic production rather than leaving the U.S. at the mercy of uncertain geopolitical forces. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| I believe that the Second Amendment represents a political right and not a recreational privilege. Any restrictions should be narrowly tailored to address imminent and identifiable threats to the safety of others. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Even politicians, who voted in favor of the ACA, did not fully understand its applications and effects. The ACA is destined for failure, and it would likely be followed by an equally ineffective single-payor system. If the failures of the V.A. and the funding woes of Medicare have taught us anything, it should be that the federal government is not up the task of socialized medicine. Incremental steps could have been taken: High risk pools for those with pre-existing conditions, portability of policies, interstate marketing of insurance, and regulations regarding qualification for and cancellation of insurance. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Immigration policy should provide a fair and efficient means for temporary entry, permanent residence, and/or citizenship for individuals, who are willing and able to positively contribute to America. Both Democrats and Republicans are stymied by the word �Amnesty,� but party leaders cannot agree upon what the word means. There are those who came to America as children with their parents and who know no home other than the United States. It would be inappropriate not to acknowledge America as their home. However, for persons who knowingly flouted the laws of this country, there should be no direct path to citizenship. | |||
| 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? | ||
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.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Slightly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| k) Other or expanded categories | |||
| ? FIRST - Jobs and the economy. ?Unemployment? has returned to near ?normal? levels. However, that measure does not reflect decreased labor participation and the fact that millions are working part-time jobs because they cannot find full-time employment. ? SECOND - Deficit Spending and the National Debt. Federal budget deficits are projected through at least 2035. The National Debt is quickly approaching $20 TRILLION. Money spent on interest cannot go to things that government should be doing. ? Related to both of the first two ? TAX REFORM ? This includes a wholesale review of all current deductions and credits. |
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