Drew Leavens' 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.
Drew Leavens has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
California Congressional Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I believe that women and women alone should control their medical decisions. I support Roe vs. Wade. Women, not their employers, should determine what medical services are afforded them under the law. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No, I believe we are taxed enough already. Everybody must pay their fair share. Corporations should not be permitted to offshore profits nor buy up a smaller international company to avoid taxes. Further, I believe the middle class should get a 5% tax cut. Middle class wages have stagnated while costs like college, food and gasoline have gone up dramatically. Such a tax cut would stimulate the economy, increase hiring and therefore replace the revenues lost by taxes on the new hires. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Corporations are not people. To permit a corporation to spend millions to "buy" elections runs against the principals this country was founded upon. Unions, on the other hand, do represent people. No employee is forced to pay into a political action fund. Therefore, those who do are simply contributing a minuscule amount of their earnings to candidates who support their values. | |||
| No | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| I used to. There are some whose crimes are so horrible that I wish them dead. But how many convicted criminals have recently been found innocent through the use of DNA testing? The criminal justice system is not perfect. I would rather pay for the cost of keeping a prisoner in jail for life than seeing even one innocent person executed. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I do. Business taxes are relatively high. We can and should provide incentives for businesses to lower their taxes by doing things that are good for the people of our country. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| States have the authority to determine their own educational standards and platforms. But to be eligible for federal grants, tougher standards need to apply. As a country, we expect and should demand excellence from our educational system. We have to re-fund education to optimum levels. | |||
| No | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| No | Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | ||
| We are drilling now more than ever, so it isn't the drilling that concerns me. It is drilling safely that concerns me. We saw after the BP disaster what a devastating effect it had on the Gulf. Lives there were forever changed. Restrictions are in place for a reason. To abandon them so a corporation can make more money puts us all at risk. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| "In God we trust, all others must bring data." The scientists have brought the data, the politicians have none. I believe that bipartisan solutions, like a carbon revenue neutral tax, have a lot of merit and will bring down greenhouse gas emissions. But most importantly, we can't keep denying science and putting our head in the sand. Respected people tell us time is running out. I'd rather act now, knowing that reducing greenhouse emissions doesn't hurt us in any way, than to not act and have to acknowledge that science was right all along. | |||
| Yes | Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| I support the 2nd amendment. But I also think we must do more to prevent gun violence. We owe it to our children, our families and our communities. Background checks do work, as we have discovered from Colorado's new law where 2% of those buying a gun were refused over a six month period. As parents, can't we rest a little easier knowing that a felon or a person suffering from mental illness couldn't buy a gun? No regulation is going to stop all gun violence. But for the sake of our children, reason and common sense must prevail. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Previous to the ACA, a person denied health insurance or without a job that provided it had a choice - go bankrupt or die. The average case of breast cancer costs $250,000, not money readily available to most people, especially those not employed. So despite all the hysteria and frantic talk of 'death panels' the ACA was good for our people and our country. Is it perfect? No. But it is a start. It can be improved upon by a Congress intent on doing so rather than endless attempts to repeal it. Single payer system is hopefully in our future. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Obviously this is a difficult issue, especially here in Southern California. The bi-partisan bill passed by the senate last year had an earned pathway to citizenship. It was expensive, paying fines and back taxes, had many requirements and took 17 years. It wasn't the best bill but it was a start. Most undocumented immigrants contribute to our economy and our society and are not a burden. Adults brought here as young children (Dream Act) should become citizens through service. Until we have comprehensive immigration reform, I believe we should put a moratorium on deportation, absent a serious crime being committed. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| We don't choose our sexual orientation. Ideally we as a country would embrace our diversity in sexuality, ethnicity and religion. If we can't achieve love and tolerance for our differences, hopefully we can achieve acceptance. I don't think the LGBT community should face discrimination in marriage, employment, school, the military or any other facet of our society. | |||
| 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? | ||
| This is not a yes or no question. Obviously we will never allow Iran to have nuclear capability. The question is, what comes first. Diplomacy has worked quite well in forcing the Iranian government to abandon its nuclear program. Sanctions had a devastating effect on their economy and given their impending collapse, forced them to the bargaining table. Military force should be used only as a last resort but it should be used before we allow a hostile government to have nuclear capability. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Social Security, is an amazingly good program which does what it sets out to do - provide a stable and secure income for older Americans. Despite the hype, the program has a substantial surplus that will take a generation to exhaust. In order for it to work, everybody has to contribute. Social Security provides dignity and choice for seniors - gone are the days where retirees were forced to live with their children. This is not an entitlement program. When you contribute to a program like this over your lifetime, it is an 'earned benefit'. | |||
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 | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Maintain Status | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Maintain Status | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| k) Other or expanded categories | |||
| War on drugs - eliminate. Farm bill - substantially decrease. | |||
| Waste in government: People get good services for their tax money, when it is well spent. $ gained! Gun Policy: We can't accept gun violence as inevitable. Protect the 2nd amendment but also protect our kids and communities from those who shouldn't have guns. $ neutral. Veterans services: 23 veterans take their own lives daily. Thousands are homeless, jobless or both. We must do more for those who sacrificed for our freedoms. I support an entrepreneurial option to the GI Bill, allowing vets to start their own business and a VA hospital right here in OC. Slight $ for retrofit! |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.