Matt Waters' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Matt Waters did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2023 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Virginia Congressional Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
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| Pro-life, as it falls under primary duty of government, and aligns with the flagship Libertarian idea we call the non-aggression principle. The role of government is to protect life, liberty and property (Declaration of Independence/Constitution, 14th Amendment). | |||
| No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| I would advocate privatizing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid--as all three are going broke in 2035, 2029, and 2028 respectively. I would advocate eliminating all government agencies and departments that are un-Constitutional. I would advocate reducing the military budget (which is bigger than China, Russia, UK, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia combined). I would push for elimination of the 16th Amendment, which gives Congress the power to tax income (Libertarians believe income tax is theft). | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| No. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| I support eliminating the personal federal income tax and abolishing the 16th amendment. I support the FairTax. I support limiting taxes by any means necessary. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| This is un-Constitutional. The Dept. of Education, and in face, education is not mentioned in the Constitution. Parents, local communities, states, and teachers should make these decisions. | |||
| No | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| The private sector is responsive to the concerns of citizens and customers. The US government is not at all concerned the the needs and desires of citizens, or corporations. When the US government controls regulations, there is zero recourse for the customer or citizen or corporation. The US government cannot be sued. The role of the US government is to protect the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Period. Leave this to the States, consumers, citizens and corporations. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| The right to defend oneself is in the US Constitution. I am a conceal and carry individual here in Virginia, and lifetime member of the NRA. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Government should get out of the healthcare business. I would advocate private Health Savings Accounts, and changing IRS tax law to allow small businesses and entrepreneurs to purchase healthcare with pre-tax dollars (like corporations). There are a ton of good ideas to make healthcare costs drop: ultimately consumers need to be in the drivers seat. | |||
| No | Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border? | ||
| No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| This is sort of a trick question. There are the children of immigrants who are here illegally, but who were born in the USA. For that subset, I would possibly require citizenship test or simply grant citizenship (many who have gone to public schools for last 10+ years and have taken classes in US History, etc). For the parents who came here illegally, I wouldn't deport, but would advocate a path to citizenship. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| The Libertarian principle on crime is basically no victim, no crime. Criminal cases involving theft, fraud, homicide, etc., should be prosecuted. Otherwise, individuals are free to live as they like as long as the "don't beat people up and take their stuff." | |||
| No | Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| No | Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support? | ||
| Article I Se. 8 of Constitution says there should be no appropriation of money to raise and support armies for a longer than two years. However, this is followed by, "provide and maintain a Navy." The case can be made that there should be no "standing army," and if there is, it certainly should not be standing in over 150 countries. George Washington in his farewell address said, "Don't mistake my independence for isolationism." Pres. Eisenhower warned in his farewell address against a "military industrial complex." We need to heed the warnings of both military leaders, and respect the Constitution. | |||
| 1. Cutting government spending. No dept or agency shall be spared. We have a $21T debt that is growing at $1MM per minute. This is the greatest threat we have ever faced as a country. 2. Cut taxes; while counter intuitive given my maximum given our national debt, however cutting funds force politicians to make hard choices. 3. Bring troops home. Sign peace treaty with Nor.Korea, pull troops out; pull troops out of Europe, Middle East Asia and Africa. Move to 600 ship Navy giving US flexibility to move as necessary into action only when Congress declares War. |
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