Thomas Simmons' 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.
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Thomas Simmons has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Massachusetts Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I have a great respect for life, and have adopted 6 children. However, I do not believe that government should stand between a doctor and a patient. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Taxes do not need to be raised; rather, they need to be simplified and made more equitable. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| While I believe in freedom of speech (and therefore agree with Citizens United), I believe corporate expenditures should require a shareholder vote, since shareholders - not executives - should have the ultimate say in how their funds are spent. I also believe in more transparency. | |||
| 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 do not support jail for non-violent drug offenders, and in fact, oppose victimless crimes. | |||
| 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 propose a $1.15 tax credit on corporate income taxes for each $1.00 they provide to employees in the form of Profit Sharing. In other words, instead of companies paying taxes to Washington, I support using the tax code to channel those funds directly into the workers who produced the profit in the first place. This saves companies money AND results in increased benefits to employees. | |||
| No | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| I strongly oppose Common Core and federal standards and the testing that has accompanied them. These testing standards have hurt education, and diverted resources away from teaching and learning and towards meaningless report writing and data collection. | |||
| No | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Government should take on the role of an umpire in the market, setting rules and applying them equally. "Umpires" should not be participants, players, coaches, or team owners. As such, I oppose subsidies to all businesses and I oppose bailouts. I would remove barriers to alternative energy development, but also prohibit practices that negatively impact the environment. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Pollution of the land, air, water, ad aquifers amounts to trespass on all citizens, and, as such, should be aggressively prohibited. I would remove the upper liability limitations on oil spills, and permit individuals to litigate against polluters. I also disagree with local NIMBY statutes that block the creation of solar and wind farms, and support small-scale home production with required utility net metering. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| The Second Amendment is a Constitutional Right, and must be protected, just as all of the Individual Rights in the Constitution need to be protected. This is a fundamental right. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| I would repeal, but only with replacement legislation. Non-Profit Insurance companies need to be permitted in each state, and Canadian pharmaceuticals need to enter into competition with US producers. Patents need to be shortened. Americans should be guaranteed access to insurance, but not be forced into coverage against their will. I agree with the ACA's provisions permitting children to remain on parental policies, and with coverage for pre-existing conditions. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| I believe the path to citizenship must be streamlined and the immigration system overhauled to permit immigration by those seeking to build their lives here. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| As a gay man, I have fought much of my adult life for marriage equality, and will continue to fight for equality and equal rights for all. | |||
| No | Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support? | ||
| No | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| The US has created much of its own problems; current hostilities between the US and Iran go back the 1950s, when the US imposed the Shah on Iran in order to guarantee oil supplies. Arming the Taliban to fight Russia resulted in an armed, hostile force less than 20 years later. We must cease sticking our nose in foreign affairs, protect our borders, stop "nationbuilding," and take care of homeless and disabled veterans here at home. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Demographic changes are leading to a social security shortfall. Those who contribute towards their retirement should have the right to control their funds, including taking early withdrawals to pay off mortgages and medical or educational expenses. | |||
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 | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Arts | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Education | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Greatly Decrease | k) United Nations | ||
| Greatly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Slightly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Eliminate | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Eliminate | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Eliminate | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| l) Other or expanded categories | |||
| 1) Eliminate Common Core and the Federal Department of Education 2) Significantly reduce military spending on armaments, foreign bases, and the Import-Export Bank, and use some of the savings realized to address veteran homelessness and disabilities. 3) Re-direct the Corporate Income Tax away from the federal government, and towards profit-sharing with employees. |
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