Daniel Giroux's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Daniel Giroux has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Kansas Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I am a pro-life candidate who recognizes exceptions in cases of rape, incest and life of a mother. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| I believe in a progressive tax and feel that the wealthiest few should pay more. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I would also support legislation that mitigates the Citizens United decision. In my opinion, the Court must reverse this decision. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| I believe sentencing guidelines need to be modified especially as it relates to non-violent offenses. Sentencing courts should be provided more flexibility and discretion on a case by case basis. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| If a tax incentive is well-written, targeted, and properly overseen, I believe it can help create jobs. Therefore, I support providing smart tax incentives to businesses for the sole purpose of job creation. | |||
| No | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
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| I do, on the condition that educational reforms be carefully drafted. Drafting reforms must put students first and involve consulting parents, teachers, and experts. I think certain decisions should be made closer to home. While milestones are important, I believe that local and state agencies are better equipped to know what reforms their districts need. | |||
| Yes | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| While recognizing the economic importance of natural gas to South Central Kansas, we must also recognize that fracking has been linked to earthquakes and potential water pollution. I support balanced regulations that both protect Kansans and allow for business growth. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| In my opinion, this is mostly a local and state issue. Instead of new restrictions, I support fixing loopholes in the background check sysem to make current laws work. Furthermore, concealed carry laws must include training and certification. Finally, we must do a better job of enforcing current laws, taking illegal guns off the street and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers and terrorists. We can respect the Second Amendment and keep America safe. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| I do not support repealing the ACA, but I do support amending it to address rising health care costs and the ACA's impact on small businesses. Furthermore, I feel there needs to be a more competitive marketplace to lower costs and increase quality. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
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| Considering there are over 10 million undocumented immigrants in this country, I feel this would be an impossible and incredibly expensive task. I support comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship for those living here responsibly and secures our border. We must balance security and humanitarianism. | |||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support? | ||
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| I believe in the use of military force but this must be contingent upon several factors. Prior to the use of force, diplomacy, economic sanctions, and political sanctions must have failed. There must also be a global consensus among our allies who are supportive and play a vital role in any military action. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| I do not believe in the privatization or partial privatization of this program. There is too much to lose by turning over Social Security to Wall Street speculators. | |||
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 | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Defense | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Education | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Slightly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| I feel there is too much redundant and wasteful spending in Washington. Both parties must work to streamline government and eliminate waste. Although I would like to keep spending at the current status, I would be open to a reduction and/or increase in spending in any given category depending on situations like national emergency, war, or economic downturn. There are areas like infrastructure where we need investment that will pay off. With that said, the reduction of our national debt must be a priority. | |||
| I support closing loopholes that let corporations get away with paying less than working families. We need to simplify our tax code, make it easier to navigate, and ensure fairness. I also believe that the richest Americans should pay more in taxes. | |||
| I feel that our top national priorities are protecting social security and medicare solvency, comprehensive immigration reform with a focus on border security, creating jobs for our community, cutting waste to tackle the national debt, and defeating ISIS and other terrorist groups. We need a new era of cooperation and dialogue in Washington to solve the problems that face us. |
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