Clyde Benson'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.
Clyde Benson did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 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 2022.
- "For starters, abortion is NOT an issue that should be a government thing. Therefore, no government funding should be given to organizations to perform abortions. However, in the case of Planned Parenthood and other similar organizations, preventative care should be considered and funding should be determined based on those services. However, government CAN control who is able to perform abortions with a national registry. Therefore, there should be a program that doctors who want to perform abortions should go through and get certified (NRAD...National Registry of Abortion Doctors). This information would be available to the public to decide if they want to go to a doctor who performs abortions which would go against their personal beliefs. A person who thinks they may be pregnant can go to a certified doctor and get the proper tests done to determine if they are pregnant and if so, can get an abortion up until the heartbeat begins. This would include being able to get the so-called morning after pill, which is effective up to 72 hours. In the case of rape, yes, I do understand that it is a traumatic experience for the victim and they should not be forced to "deal with it." However, 3 days is more than enough time for someone to gather their nerves and seek medical attention. Insurance companies should have the option to decide if they want to pay for abortions on an individual basis as well. Again, it's an individual issue and in this case, insurance companies can be viewed as individuals. Now, with all that, once a heartbeat begins, by default, that is the beginning of life and abortion after that is considered murder. Any doctor found performing abortion after a heartbeat can lose their medical license. Exemptions can be made if the pregnancy presents a direct threat to the expected mother's life. Now, we need to look at other options to abortions, mainly adoption. Many families who want to extend their families are not able to have children. So, as an alternative for financial issues, we should make adoption services easier and less expensive, especially for newborns. In this case, once a family (or individual) decides to become adoptive parent(s) of a newborn, they should be able to add the expected mother to their insurance and cover all medical expenses, including back pay on care provided prior to the adoption arrangement and for post partum care. In closing, I would like to stop referring to the choice to have an abortion as Roe v. Wade, considering that Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) became a very devout Christian and said that her biggest regret in life is being the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade. Therefore, her name, even a pseudonym, should not continue to be associated with the choice she regretted." (clydebenson.com)
- "Pro-Life" (ballotpedia.org)
- "We must protect the most innocent among us...the unborn. There are more options for women than ever before other than abortion. First, we must look at the two main reasons for abortions. The first is financial hardship and not having the capability of caring for a child. My plan would aim to make abortions harder to get and adoptions easier and more affordable by allowing the expecting mother to be put on an adoptive parents' insurance to cover all medical expenses throughout the pregnancy. This in turn would serve as payment for the adoption. The coverage would extend for up to 6 months after delivery to allow for post partum depression. The other main reason is rape. Yes, I have sympathy for rape victims and do not believe they should have to live with the reminder of it for 9 months. However, there are other alternatives. For instance, the "morning after" pill is effective for up to 72 hours. While I understand that someone may not feel like going to the hospital immediately, 3 days should be enough time. A rape kit will be done but police don't have to be called if you don't want to. " (clydebenson.com)
- "I would propose legislation that would freeze property taxes at age 55, and completely eliminate them once the person reaches retirement and begins drawing social security. It would also eliminate the death tax entirely. It's hard enough to lose a loved one without being burdened by excessive and unneccesary taxes on the things they leave for you. Also, once the taxpayer reaches retirement and begins drawing social security, ALL taxes are eliminated. Currently, social security is non-taxable, but it comes with a few restrictions. If someone wants to continue working even after retirement, they are limited on how much they can earn before it begins affecting their social security pay out. Under my plan, once you retirement and begin drawing social security, ALL taxes are eliminated and you should be able to continue working if you want with 100% tax exempt status." (clydebenson.com)
- "I am a firm believer that if you CAN work, you should. Now, I know that everyone needs a little help every now and then. So I'm not saying to completely abolish welfare, but it should be more secondary income rather than primary and it should be on a rolling basis...say 6 months at a time and you must go into an office and have drug tests before receiving a physical check. Get rid of pre-loaded debit cards." (clydebenson.com)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- "We currently have an America LAST Congress. The Senate just passed ANOTHER $40B in aid to Ukraine while voting AGAINST $40B in aid for US businesses still struggling from the shutdowns." (www.facebook.com)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- "For 4 years under President Trump, we were energy independent with gas less than $2/gallon and just about everything was affordable. His first day in office, Biden signed over 50 executive orders destroying everything President Trump did, including stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline which in turn, raised gas prices to an all-time high which in turn, has caused the price of everything else to go up. We must become energy independent again." (clydebenson.com)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- "I hate what happened in Texas and what has happened too many times. One time is too many and it should never happen again. But gun restrictions are not the answer. Universal background check is not the answer. If someone truly wants to do harm, they will find a way to get what they need. What we need is school safety. And Im not talking about an SRO. Not saying they dont help, but in essence, they do nothing. If you want to make sure no one gets in, you have 2 options. 1) Large prison style fence all around the school complete with razor wire on top and access must be granted before entering. Metal detectors at the gate. 2) Total lockdown. Chains on doors. In the case of an emergency, teachers will have keys to unlock them." (www.facebook.com)
- "Pro-2A" (ballotpedia.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- "Our southern border is in peril. We MUST build the border bigger and better than ever imagined before." (clydebenson.com)
- "First and foremost, we must fix our immigration crisis. We cannot continue to allow illegal immigrants into our country by the thousands. We must build the wall bigger than ever imagined." (ballotpedia.org)
- "I want people to come here, but they must do it legally. We cannot allow mass migration to our country. We have to know who the people are that are coming here. With that being said, I do believe that we need to change our immigration policies to allow people the opportunity to gain citizenship faster and more efficiently. There is no reason someone should have to be here for 20 years or more in order to gain citizenship." (clydebenson.com)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- "We currently have an America LAST Congress. The Senate just passed ANOTHER $40B in aid to Ukraine while voting AGAINST $40B in aid for US businesses still struggling from the shutdowns." (www.facebook.com)
- "I would propose legislation that would freeze property taxes at age 55, and completely eliminate them once the person reaches retirement and begins drawing social security. It would also eliminate the death tax entirely. It's hard enough to lose a loved one without being burdened by excessive and unneccesary taxes on the things they leave for you." (clydebenson.com)
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.