Von Hougo'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.
Von Hougo has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
California Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Abortion is never the right choice and should be avoided at all costs. However, the government does not have the right to regulate a person's body. However, it is ultimately the voters of California who should decide how their Senator votes on any reproductive rights 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? | ||
| We need a strong military, but it must be run more efficiently. Our military needs to be powerful, agile and flexible, but it needs to be streamlined. Taxes do not need to be raised, rather we need to close the loopholes so individuals and companies pay their share instead of taking advantage legal maneuvers, leaving the middle class bearing the fiscal burden. We can lower taxes if technicalities used to hide money through legal manipulations such as Corporate Inversion are removed. We need to make our economy business friendly to stimulate the economy and create a prosperity for all. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I am running a no-donation campaign around creating a website to allow registered California voters to see each bill coming before the U.S. Senate. It will have the pro/cons, cost and benefits; allowing voters to cast their virtual ballot. Instantly, they will see where it is polling statewide and I will vote according to the majority of Californians...every time. Truly transparent and accountable representation. The things our Founding Fathers feared most was undue influence of the financial institutions, career politicians and political parties that were too strong. That is where we are today and we need change! | |||
| Yes | Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| Yes | Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Ultimately, these are issues that need to be decided by the voters of California. Incarceration is a serious issue, as we spend vast sums housing prisoners for their entire lives. Laws need to be enforced as to rehabilitate those who are dealing with addiction and non-violent crimes and can be productive members of society while punishing those who violate the laws of our society. These complicated issues require complicated solutions, which are not possible while our two political parties only focus on blame. This is not a Republican or Democrat problem, but an American problem that requires putting America first. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| The economy is the greatest factor determining the quality of our lives. We need to streamline regulation to protect the public, not inhibit the growth of prosperity. There are too many regulatory agencies that do not do their job. I am in favor of cutting taxes as long as it is equitable. Far too often the tax cuts are written by lobbyist to favor of the wealthy, industries or business at the expense of the middle class. I favor incentives for emerging industries that will help America be on the cutting edge of the global economy. | |||
| No | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| Coal has no place in our national energy policy. Fracking threatens our most valuable commodity, our water supply with virtually no oversight. Water agencies don't even know what chemicals are being used in fracking, ensuring water testing is inadequate. We need to support alternative fuels, not just to protect our environment, but rather because it is good business. Embracing renewable energy, California can be a global leader in the next wave of the energy revolution. This creates jobs, putting California on the forefront of this technology boom. Additional jobs create more disposable income, further stimulating the economy. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| There is no debate that the amount of atmospheric CO2 has been increasing since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Our global population is increasing at an unsustainable rate. We are destroying our natural resources, while polluting our lakes and rivers. Californians have repeatedly shown they believe Global Warming is a serious issue. We should be responsible stewards of our natural resources, and look for sustainable solution. Rather than arguing Climate Change, it is simply good business sense to embrace renewable resources and be on the economic forefront of the renewable energy economy and creating jobs. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I am pro 2nd Amendment, but anti-NRA. We need to enforce gun laws already on the books rather than creating new laws. Violent criminals who use guns while committing crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The Gun Show loopholes need to be closed. Law enforcement agencies and health care entities need more effective sharing of information to ensure we identify those with mental health issues who should not have access to guns. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| The Affordable Care Act is an example of Political Parties creating problems rather than solutions. Our health care system needed fixing with the tsunami of Baby Boomers aging. The ACA was pushed through with partisan politics; a flawed fix to a overwhelmed system. Rather than trying to make the system better serve the people, the response has been to repeal it with over 65 Congressional votes with no alternative solution. At this point, repealing it will create a void that will be catastrophic for the average American. This needs bipartisan solutions and focus to create a sustainable healthcare solution. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| This an issue that the California Voters should decided. Polls have shown that the voters of California want a pathway to citizenship, not amnesty. We are a country of immigrants and providing a path for immigrants to pay taxes, and proceed legally to become an American citizen would be the most pragmatic approach to a very complicated and critical issue. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| It is clear that the voters of California are in favor of same-sex marriage. Who am I or the government to tell someone else who they can love? | |||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | |||
| We should only go after high value targets that directly threaten American interests. Does each drone strike get us closer to a peaceful resolution or further? We have dropped bombs on over 20 different Muslim countries in the past 10 years, does that bring us closer to peace with Radical Islam, or create more jihadist? The U.S. needs to stop engaging in unwinnable wars for unconvincing reasons. Our soldiers' lives should not be jeopardized for political saber rattling and agendas. We should use sanctions and enlist our allies for nation building rather than our relying on our military might. | |||
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 | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| Greatly decrease corporate welfare. Oil Companies should not receive any federal subsidies. | |||
| Tobacco companies should be required to decrease their nicotine content 10% each year. | |||
| We need to close tax loopholes and financially penalize U.S. companies who move corporate operations offshore to gain tax advantages. This allows them to use our infrastructure without paying their fair share. Social Welfare should be a safety net (not a lifestyle) and help people back to being productive members of society. Equally important is abolishing corporate welfare. Elected representatives should be barred from working for any company that they have had legislative votes regarding. This power influence is legalized bribery. Election Campaign Finance reform is critical to neutralize the undue influence of money, especially following the Citizens United ruling. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.