Thomas Wight's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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Thomas Wight has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Georgia Congressional Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| 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? | ||
| Ending income tax withholding is more important than adjusting income tax rates. Congress must act to end income tax withholding. This is the first necessary step to fixing the tax code and balancing the budget. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Congress needs to fix the definition of person. Person should not include any entity other than an individual. Fixing this definition will eliminate most, if not all, of the Constitutional challenges to limitations on campaign contributions from corporations, unions and other entities. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| The Federal Government has no legitimate role in primary or secondary education. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| We need a paradigm shift in the way we think about energy production and consumption. Energy, for homeowners, and most non-manufacturing businesses, should not be something that is produced at a remote location and shipped to the point of consumption using inefficient delivery systems. Energy should be produced and used on site. Producing energy on site would be more efficient, less expensive, more reliable; all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The technology exists, today, to remove 90% of all homes and business from the energy grid. Congress needs to pass legislation making this paradigm shift possible and economically feasible. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Congress should expand Medicare to cover all Americans from birth to death. This eliminates the need for the Affordable Care Act. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| America should return to the immigration principles that made us great. Congress should eliminate all immigration quotas and restrictions. When someone of another nationality shows up at a port of entry into this country we should ask three questions: (1) Are you willing to work? All Federal social safety net programs should be reserved for citizens, and only citizens. (2) Are you willing to pay taxes? Each immigrant should be issued a tax identification card. (3) Are you willing to learn English? If the immigrant answers "yes" these questions our response should be welcome to America. | |||
| No | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| The Federal Government should not be in the business of favoring some forms of interpersonal relationships over others. The Federal Government should not bestow tax or other benefits on some individuals and withhold benefits from others based solely on their choice of interpersonal relationships. I can find nothing in any clause of the Constitution that requires or allows the Federal Government to peak into people's bedrooms. | |||
| 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? | ||
| If Congress determines that a country poses a threat to the U.S. it has the authority to declare war on that country. I do not, however, think it wise for Congress to give the executive blanket authorization to define and prosecute enemies of the State as it did when it gave President Bush authority to prosecute the "war on terror". Congress would be equally unwise to give President Obama the blanket authority for which he asking to prosecute ISIL. Putting America's finest in harm's way is a responsibility Congress should guard jealously and use sparingly. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| The cap on Social Security Taxes should be lifted. | |||
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 | ||
| Eliminate | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Eliminate | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Maintain Status | g) International aid | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Space exploration | ||
| Maintain Status | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Increase | l) Welfare | ||
| Eliminate | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Eliminate | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| f) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| Greatly Increase | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| j) Payroll taxes | |||
| Most Homeland Security functions are law enforcement functions. Americans should not be subjected to constant invasive violations of their individual liberties without cause while traveling within the United States. I may favor expanding the budget of the Department of Justice as necessary to provide legitimate law enforcement and security functions. | |||
| The tax code needs to be reformed and simplified from beginning to end. The first three steps are: (1) End income tax withholding. (2) End marriage tax preferences and penalties. (3) Eliminate the cap on Social Security Taxes. Taking these steps will necessarily lead to adjustments in tax rates for all people of all incomes. It will also likely have an impact on income tax rates for corporations and other entities. | |||
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