Erik Aadland's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Erik Aadland has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2022 Political Courage Test.
Colorado Congressional Election 2022 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I am personally Pro-Life, yet I also respect the legislative process by which the people of Colorado can decide how this sensitive issue is managed within the state. Important and life-changing decisions should be made at the individual level, under advisement of close friends and family. Congress should take no action whatsoever regarding abortion and I will not support any effort for Congress to rule on this matter. I will oppose any federal funding of abortion, upholding the Hyde Amendment. | |||
| No | Do you support expanding federal funding to support social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| I will ensure that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are fully funded far into the future. I understand the importance of our social programs and have compassion for their beneficiaries. However, I believe the best way to put money into the hands of working families is to keep it there to begin with through lower taxes. Furthermore, it is critical to lower government spending in order to curb inflation's devaluing effect on our families' money. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations,unions, and individuals? | ||
| Political speech must be inviolable in our Constitutional Republic. Money is how we amplify our political voices. Individuals and organizations should be able to choose the public speech they wish to espouse and support the issues and candidates of their choice without undue political or market consequences. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
| Qualified immunity is essential to protecting law enforcement officers who must make swift decisions in life and death circumstances; as a combat veteran, I have had to personally make these decisions myself, so I understand their significance. I believe exposure to undue liability may increase hesitation when time is of the essence, increasing risk to both law enforcement and those whom they seek to protect. | |||
| Yes | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| America's national security strategy needs to prepare us for an uncertain world, especially checking the rise of China. We are not without adversaries, and those adversaries are building up their military capabilities out of a desire to gain power at our expense. While the American military should not be a world police force, a global presence is necessary at times to dissuade bad actors. A strong, well-funded military is able to prioritize readiness and protect our interests abroad, bolstering our economic security as well. Peace through strength is my guiding foreign policy principle. | |||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal government taking action, beyond those of the Federal Reserve, to alleviate inflation? | ||
| We must reduce inflation, which is a hidden tax on the American people. There is a proven way to do it: stop reckless spending. Massive spending bills, despite their misleading branding, push inflation higher when spending exceeds tax revenue. The resulting deficit is covered by printing more money, which, by excessively increasing the money supply, devalues each of your dollars. Common sense dictates that spending at dramatically increasing rates cannot solve our inflation problem. We must not allow our government to operate as though it can print money endlessly to cover for bad decisions. | |||
| No | Do you support the forgiveness of federal student loan debt? | ||
| President Biden's recent action to attempt to mandate student loan forgiveness is unconstitutional. The President does not, per the Constitution, have the power to unilaterally appropriate funds in this manner. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring a government-issued identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Election integrity is a non-partisan issue. In recent years we have seen concerns raised on both sides of the aisle, and we must address them. It is essential that a Republic have secure elections where each vote counts equally, and none are cast fraudulently. Voter ID is a must and not an onerous requirement (a person needs an ID for nearly everything else). | |||
| 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? | ||
| The Earth is our home, the only one we have to sustain us and future generations. Man-made impact on the environment is real and adverse. If we want to breathe clean air and drink clean water, we must steward our natural resources wisely. We should strive to reduce emissions in balance with powering our economy efficiently. Zero-emissions energy solutions must allow for competitive pricing and performance. To achieve this, we must pursue nuclear energy and other technologies along with our current set of renewable sources, while further enhancing our clean usage of natural gas. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I abhor violence as perhaps only someone who has seen it firsthand in combat can. I do not glamorize firearms. However, while gun control advocacy comes from a compassionate place in the hearts of many, we find that it does not work. We find the highest rates of gun violence in cities and states with the most stringent gun control policies (e.g. Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia). The greater cause of violent crime, including mass shootings, is the moral decay and spiritual sickness besetting our society. We must invest in education and mental health care, including psychological counseling within our school systems. | |||
| No | Do you support a government-run (single-payer) healthcare program, such as Medicare-for-All? | ||
| Yes | Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave opportunities? | ||
| Yes | Do you support lowering the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| Yes | Do you support increasing security along the southern US border? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| While we should show compassion to anyone who enters our country, even illegally, we are still obligated to control entry to our country and enforce our immigration laws. Our current policies are not compassionate: they incentivize undocumented immigrants to risk extreme danger and vicious cartels to traffic in humans and drugs. As a result, our southern border is a national security nightmare and a humanitarian crisis. This policy removes the incentive to enter or remain in the country illegally. | |||
| Yes | Do you support economic intervention as a means of resolving international conflicts? | ||
| No | Do you support the U.S. providing increased offensive military aid to Ukraine? | ||
| To be clear, Russia is an adversary to America and a threat to global peace. However, despite the people of Ukraine's obvious right to sovereignty, the fact remains that our government should avoid provoking Russia into an escalating conflict. | |||
| No | Do you support raising taxes, on any income or on any entity, to promote economic growth? | ||
| Higher taxes historically result in a stagnant economy and less total tax revenue. As Winston Churchill said, "I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
| I believe in fair and smart trade deals that benefit our nation rather than enriching others to our detriment. It is generally true that barriers to trade constrict the supply and quality of goods while raising prices. Still, it is necessary to examine the effects of trade on monetary policy and to rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity in key industries. Ultimately, I will put the United States and her citizens first when considering trade deals or barriers to trade. | |||
| As a Congressman, my top three priorities will be: (1) combating inflation through fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget while funding essential services; (2) restoring public safety to our communities by upholding the rule of law, being tough on crime, securing the southern border, and supporting law enforcement; and (3) returning our country to energy independence by removing obstructions to domestic energy production and promoting emerging technologies. Our government must take positive action in order to undo the last few years? destruction of opportunity and renew the promise of the American Dream. |
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