Tony Puca's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Tony Puca has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Maryland Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Defense Spending: End DOD F-35 Joint Striker Fighter saves $37.1 billion, Replace V-2 Osprey Helicopters with MH-60 and CH 53's and save $17billion, Eliminate Obsolete DOD Inventory and save $7 billion, Currently DOD has $85 billion in budget items that are not accounted for. Add tax brackets: $450,000 -$500,00 37 %, $500,000-$2 million 43%, $2-$10 million 48%, $10 million+ 52%.US Corporations repatriated $2.4 trillion in profits overseas in 2015 which avoided $880 billion in SS Taxes. We must tax these profits as if housed in US. Companies avoided $30 billion dollars in taxes through inversions these must be taxed also. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| This is complex as it does not mention PACS but I will not allow Corporations or unions to contribute themselves. They can allow workers and members to contribute up to $5,000 per family and $1,000 per person. I would work to repeal Citizens United and all PACS. I am ultimately in favor of a combination of candidate funding of elections with matching public funds with limits set on elections according to office and size. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Capital Punishment for Mass Murderers, execution style murders, sexual/kidnap and murder of minors. I would also have a DNA requirement to assure guilt. I believe one of our biggest problems is that we have made criminals of millions of drug users with the vast majority being minorities that have destroyed generations of young black men. We should have counseling and treatment which will save money and give people creative and meaningful lives. Mandatory sentencing is terrible as it has taken away the judge's ability to decide the punishment or lack of the person accused. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I would like us to institute programs like the CCC, TVA and others that helped pull us out of the depression by creating jobs, building our manufacturing industry and building our transportation system All this is needed now and similar programs should be used. Lowering taxes is a vague term. I am in favor of offering all the financial help and incentives to help create the industry above and start new industry. I believe we can fund all of this new industry just by collecting a fair share of the 2 trillion of taxes that are sheltered now. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| Yes but they should not be strict mandates that take away from the individual teaching done by the teachers and schools. We should have minimum standards that must be met. But testing for the sake of testing has never worked. | |||
| No | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | Do you support funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increased regulations on the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| I see more negatives from the Keystone pipeline than benefits to the US. Funding for renewable energy is one of my primary goals when elected. The Western Part of my district has the capacity to be one of the hubs for the manufacture of wind turbines, solar energy, thermal and everything else. We can create industry that provides everything from manufacturing jobs to the highest level Tech jobs. Envision an industry that increases jobs, production, education and does all this while cleaning our environment and making a better America. I believe a lot more study must be done on fracking. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Every time we use an aerosol can, drive a gasoline driven car, every time we burn coal and I can continue. By 2020 Costa Rica will have a zero carbon footprint, most European and other countries of the world create 70% less climate change than we do per capita. Yes I support federal regulation and believe any company caught should be both fined an appropriate and their officers criminally charged. Unless we finally have a congress willing to do so we'll continue to have Flint's, Love Canals and others while Duke Energy and the others make billions. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I support all the bills we presently have and wish we would enforce them. I am also against the sale of automatic and military weapons to any individuals or groups other than our police and military and other recognized organizations. I would also make sure no one convicted of family or spousal violence or previous use of a gun in a crime should be allowed to have one. We must also have a national clearinghouse for people with mental illness that should prevent than from having guns from having access to them. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| I am a Licensed Life and Health Insurance and was licensed to market Obamacare. I am happy that it has insured about 20 million Americans but we have another 20 million without and much of Obamacare is very inadequate. I would work to improve it to provide better coverage at a lower rate with my ultimate goal having a single payer universal system like the rest of western world. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| I firmly believe we should have a quite and just avenue for every immigrant in this country to obtain citizenship. | |||
| Yes | Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | ||
| Yes | Should the U.S use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the United States from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| yes and yes as these are done for the safety of our country and citizens now and in the future. | |||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| No. The moment this starts the entire system becomes open to all forms of investment strategies and scams that will be perpetrated on the elderly. | |||
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 | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) International aid | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Maintain Status | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| Greatly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Slightly Increase | 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) | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| l) Other or expanded categories | |||
| All of my answers are subject to change slightly due to time, economy and circumstances. | |||
| My aim is to have a tax system that eliminates corporate and Wall Street loopholes while installing a truly progressive income tax system and use the almost $2 trillion gained to improve education, health insurance, increase social security, rebuild our broken cities, provide employment for all, have rehab instead of prison, increase the minimum wage to $15 and create housing opportunities instead of foreclosure. Second aim is to use FDR type projects to build the greatest alternative energy products in the world while combating climate change and rebuilding our infrastructure. The money will come from the same as above. |
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