Benjamin Beardsley'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.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Benjamin Beardsley has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2022 Political Courage Test.
Maryland Congressional Election 2022 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I am pro-choice. People with female reproductive organs have the right to choose what happens to their bodies. I believe having safe, legal abortions will decrease the total number of abortions that are performed. Any restrictions on abortion should always prioritize the life of the mother, and include exemptions for rape, incest, and pregnancy complications. There should be protection for people who are entering an abortion clinic including a perimeter and pathway that protesters can't enter. Congress must pass a law protecting the right to an abortion nationwide. | |||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| Social Security and Medicare should both be expanded. Social Security must continue to be fully funded and the age of eligibility Should be lowered, not raised. As for Medicare, I support Medicare for All. This would gradually lower the age of eligibility until everyone is covered. While this would increase the federal budget it would decrease the total amount of money spent on healthcare. The out of pocket cost of healthcare for Americans would go down, leaving more money to generate demand in the economy. Doing this would also end the for profit health insurance system in this country. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Corporate campaign contributions are used by some to buy influence in policy making. For this reason, they must be regulated, if not completely banned. Increasing public funding for elections, will decrease dependence of candidates on corporate donations. Small dollar donations give power to regular people who are able to use their wallets to support the candidates they want. Corporations are not people and thus should not be able to donate limitless amounts to super PACs supporting candidates who will support their agendas. | |||
| No | Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
| If there are allegations of misconduct by a government official, there should be an investigation into whether there is enough evidence to bring a civil lawsuit. Government officials should be held personally liable for misconduct because their positions of power come with the expectation that they will conduct themselves professionally. Civil lawsuits ensure that the people who are harmed by misconduct receive compensation for their hardship. | |||
| No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| I fully support any funding we can provide for Ukraine, However, I believe we need to decrease our defense spending. We spend nearly $800 billion on defense per year more than the next 11 nations combined, most of whom are allied with us. Instead of increasing defense spending resulting in deaths and injuries around the world, we should be increasing funding for bettering society. Instead of war we should be investing in diplomacy to promote peace. I support us spending more than other nations on defense, I just think some of our defense budget could be better spent. | |||
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| I support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth. I believe the simplest way to spend money, to grow the economy, is through gradually increasing, direct payments to Americans. The problem with lowering corporate taxes is that it decreases funding for government programs. Having a tax on profits encourages companies to invest in their employees to avoid paying more taxes. Corporations also invest money in corporate stock buybacks, which must be limited. I do support financial relief for businesses impacted by COVID-19. Businesses must be helped in order to remain open once the pandemic is over. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| I support having federal education standards for states to adopt. I think the current common core standards need changes, but I support the concept. We must ensure that students regardless of where in this country, are being taught at a level that prepares them for the world. History must be taught in a way that is accurate and not propagandized. We must teach the parts of our history where we were wrong. We must teach youths how to think, not what to think. | |||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| I support government funding for the development of renewable energy. We must do everything we can to transition away from non renewable energy sources that pollute our atmosphere. If we can't develop renewable energy quickly enough to avoid climate catastrophe I support using nuclear energy in its place until renewable energy can power everything. I support cap and trade. We must limit the amount of carbon being emitted into the atmosphere. I would also support, going a step further in supporting a carbon tax on corporations. This would ensure corporations do everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| America needs stricter gun laws to combat gun violence. I support an assault weapons ban, along with requiring continuous training and a licensing system for gun owners. This would include stricter background checks, and closing gun show loopholes. I would, however, never support taking legally purchased guns away from law abiding citizens. I fully support any voluntary gun buybacks, to get as many guns as we can off the streets. The hope in doing all of this, is to reduce unnecessary gun deaths, while still preserving the sacred right to bear arms. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| I support repealing Obamacare only if we are able to replace it with Medicare for All. If not, then I support any expansions we are able to make on the Affordable Care Act. I support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19. I also support requiring businesses to provide paid maternity leave of at least 12 weeks. Businesses that are below a predetermined number of employees should be subsidized to ensure this policy doesn't harm small businesses. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I do not support construction of a wall along the Mexican border. I believe we should have more of a humanitarian response to people who make the treacherous journey. We should ensure they are hydrated and safe from harm once they've crossed our border and determine the best way to proceed on a case by case basis. I support providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in this country. These people have families, jobs, and lives here. Deportations should be saved for violent criminals not those who are law abiding. | |||
| No | Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? | ||
| I do not support the United States using military force to prevent hostile governments from possessing weapons of mass destruction. Instead we should work with countries around the world with common goals to prevent hostile countries from possessing weapons of mass destruction. I also support using diplomacy to make deals, like we did with the Iran Nuclear Deal. I believe we should be less involved in Middle East conflicts. We have spent trillions of dollars in the Middle East with very little to show for it. We are killing far too many civilians to continue our current Middle East policy. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
| I generally support removing barriers to international trade, however, I support strategically using tariffs to protect American jobs. Whenever it makes sense to, we should impose tariffs on imports for products that we wish to be made and sold in America competitively. If it will not result in the loss of American jobs I support removing tariffs and quotas. We must access each industry and determine what if any tariffs are needed and if we can lift any existing tariffs or quotas. These decisions must be made based on what is best for Americans. | |||
| My top two priorities are Medicare for All and reducing poverty. For Medicare for All the funding comes from reallocating the funds that are currently spent paying health insurance companies to a tax which overall will cost hundreds of billions of dollars less per year than the current system. For reducing poverty one would be to make cuts to the military budget, even just a decrease in the amount we increase the budget by would do wonders. Another way to pay for it would be taxes on the wealthy, specifically on their wealth and any forms of income. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.