Kenneth McGurn'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.
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Kenneth McGurn has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Florida Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Abortion is an extremely difficult choice that should be made by a woman and her doctor based on her faith, family , health and circumstances. Government should respect the constitutional right to an abortion as enunciated by the Supreme Court. | |||
| 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? | ||
| There is waste in most businesses and government. Mere reductions are not smart. We need to make strategic decisions about where and how to reduce or reallocate in specific areas that will not impact the overall readiness. We can increase tax revenue by closing special interest loopholes so that carried interest is taxed as ordinary income; corporate inversions are stopped; capital gains are adjusted based on longer holding periods; and many others. We must look closely at the implementation of the Buffet Rule. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizen's United. | |||
| 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? | ||
| While I believe capital punishment should be abolished, if it remains a policy it should be extremely limited to such crimes as mass murder or terrorism. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Supporting investment in infrastructure and innovation is a cost effective and desirable jobs program that would help lead the country out of economic downturns and maintain or spur growth. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| The Supreme Court in the District of Columbia v. Heller did not recognize an unlimited right to own guns. The decision written by Justice Scalia explicitly recognized that certain limitations were constitutional such as restrictions for felons or the mentally ill, prohibitions forbidding guns in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, and commercial sale conditions. It is up to Congress to have the courage to enact additional common sense gun restrictions for the protection of the public. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| No | Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| 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.
| Slightly Decrease | a) Agriculture | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Slightly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| Careful review within categories is required to make sure that money is spent in the most effective manner on those items that have the greatest impact on our country. | |||
| We must close special interest loopholes so that carried interests are taxed as ordinary income and not capital gains and corporate inversions are stopped along with many other changes. We must look closely at the Buffet Rule and how it can be implemented to make our tax system fair. We should consider adjusting capital gains rates based on increased holding periods. | |||
| Restoring funding to VA to keep our commitments to our veterans. Creating solar manufacturing, assembling and construction jobs throughout the District so it will become the solar capital of the South. Acting in a bipartisan manner to solve problems and find solutions that all sides can live with. |
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