Scott Meisterlin's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Scott Meisterlin submitted the 2016 Political Courage Test after the official deadline.
California Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| No | 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? | ||
| In order to balance the budget, we need to greatly reduce waste and stop over-regulating and over-taxing business, which acts to prevent business investment and expansion. Our own government policies are what is now preventing proper economic growth and expansion. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I support tax simplification, which can include either a flat tax or a modified flat tax. I specifically support significantly reducing the capital gains tax in order to incentivize the re-investment of the vast capital resources that are available in America and yet are currently stagnant. The necessary capital for prosperity is here, but government over-regulation and over-taxation have taken the incentive out of using this capital in a manner that helps the economy. A change in government policy to incentivize investment by lowering taxes and removing unnecessary and burdensome regulations (which also would save government money) needs to occur. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| I strongly oppose Common Core. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | |||
| I believe water is a key natural resource. I would need more information regarding the interplay between fracking, water and current government regulations before determining my stance regarding the need for further government regulation. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Obamacare is one of the worst laws ever passed in America. It essentially acts as a crushing tax on the middle class to subsidize healthcare for those in lower income brackets, resulting in low and high income brackets getting quality healthcare, while the middle class now has great difficulty even affording proper healthcare. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Illegal immigrants should not even be eligible for citizenship. I support legal immigration and I support illegal immigrants being accountable according to the law. I believe immigrants should desire to become "Americans", including speaking English, before they become citizens. | |||
| No | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| To be clear, while I do not support same sex marriage, I also do not support making it illegal under federal law. I believe the Federal Government has no business in 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? | ||
| I note the words "targeting" and "suspected" are capable of various meanings that could lead to abuse. The U.S. should endeavor to use its force in a reasonable manner given the circumstances. | |||
| No | 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.
| Maintain Status | a) Agriculture | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Increase | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Slightly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| Corruption, waste and incompetence are the hallmarks of our government and are our worst enemies. The politicians we have in office now have caused America great damage. Socialism is literally knocking on the door. High achievers are punished by being required to do extra work while low achievers and slackers are rewarded. Government regulation and taxation policies take the incentive out of taking business risks. Free enterprise appears at a crossroad as politicians care more about their personal interests than the Country they serve. Fact is, we literally can no longer afford the manner in which government is run. | |||
| I favor tax simplification, which increases transparency and the perception of fairness. I would support either a flat tax or a modified flat tax with few deductions for individuals to keep rates low while maintaining fairness. Business taxes should also be simplified and rates should be very competitive on the global scale to incentivize business investment in the United States. I specifically support significantly reducing the capital gains tax in order to incentivize the re-investment of the vast capital resources that are available in America and yet are currently stagnant due to our current tax policy. | |||
| Corruption in government is, in my opinion, the most significant problem. Corruption causes politicians to favor policies that favor special interests over America's interests - whether it be spending to benefit a certain industry, union or even another country. To help eliminate corruption within Congress, greater transparency would be of value. In furtherance of this goal, I support lobbyist communications with government representatives to be required to be in writing. In short, if the information a lobbyist possesses is important enough to be communicated to a government representative, it seems important enough to be in writing subject to review. |
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