David Bruderly's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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David Bruderly has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Florida Congressional Election 2016 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I do not believe that politicians should play God. Secular law should be written in the broadest possible terms to empower women to control and accept responsibility for their reproductive health. Secular law should empower medical providers to advise and support women with state-of-the-art medical knowledge and procedures without arbitrary restrictions imposed by non-medical personnel or institutions. Health insurance should fully fund medical procedures and treatment deemed necessary and appropriate by each women and her medical advisors. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| The US military has been at war in the Persian Gulf since the USS Stark was hit by an Iraqi Exocet missile in 1987. Unfortunately, the US Congress has REFUSED to fund 30-yeara of military operations in that region with tax increases. Approximately $5 Trillion of our $19 Trillion federal debt is the direct result of the failure of the GOP leadership in the US House to be held accountable by voters for their dereliction of duty. Every budget should provide sufficient funds for the military to execute duties and responsibilities assigned by the Constitution and the Congress. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Citizens United should be repealed by the US Congress as part of Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform legislation. Corporations are NOT human beings and should NOT be granted the rights and privileges of individual human beings. Corporations should NOT be allowed to contribute monies, directly or indirectly, in ways that influence the outcome of elections. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Heinous crimes, like mass murder, where there is absolutely no doubt of guilt, should be punishable by death. The process should also be swift. America's prisons have become mental health wards for non-violent offenders. Federal laws must be modified to mandate that State and local governments take action to reduce incarceration for non-violent offenders and to reduce recidivism rates for all offenders. | |||
| Yes | 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 support Keynesian economic theory. Federal spending to upgrade infrastructure to 21st Century standards is absolutely necessary to maintain America's prosperity and economic power. Tax incentives should be used carefully to achieve well-defined policy objectives, like urban redevelopment and job creation in stressed communities, and accelerating economy-wide adoption of technologies and business practices needed to achieve policy goals, such as reduction of greenhouse gas pollution in accordance with the Paris Agreement on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Pollution. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| I support setting a high bar for student performance. Our young people must be equipped to compete in a global economy; this demands both technical proficiency in STEM and CREATIVITY in the arts. Our kids will be left behind if minimum performance standards are not enforced by the federal government. That said, States should be empowered to experiment with, and adopt, teaching methods that yield superior performance. Parents who object to rigorous federal standards should be required to demonstrate proficiency similar to that expected of their children. | |||
| No | Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Federal policy MUST be structured to empower American energy companies to lead the global transition to an ultra-low carbon economy powered by sources of energy that significantly reduce, if not eliminate ALL sources of air, water and greenhouse gas pollution. I support significant increases in federal funding for RDD&D of ALL approaches to reducing pollution and using natural resources with minimal waste and with the most efficient means possible. | |||
| Yes | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased roughly 40% since the beginning of the industrial revolution and massive conversion of natural timberlands and grasslands to industrial-scale agriculture, mining, manufacturing and cities. I support federal legislation that will assign a cost to those entities that produce ALL forms of pollution, especially greenhouse gas pollution. I favor a simple tax but am open to other options. The external costs of pollution MUST be incorporated into ALL trade deals and ALL trade treaties and ALL methods of financing economic development throughout the world. | |||
| Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| When I was kid, most angry people settled their differences with their fists. Today it is acceptable for people to display and, in some cases, use handguns to prevent and / or settle arguments. The 2nd Amendment allows government to regulate and control individual access to firearms and ammunition and the use of these machines. I support reasonable laws that protect fundamental rights of individuals to use guns for hunting and protection. I also favor laws that would that restrict access and use of guns by individuals who are incapable of possessing and using these weapons in a responsible manner. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| In the near-term, the ACA must be amended to empower providers to reduce costs through accountability, transparency and patient outcomes. In the longer-term I support debate that would lead to a transition to a national single payer, Medicare-for-All, system where participation is mandatory; everybody is covered and everybody pays into the system. | |||
| Yes | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| If illegal immigrants who are now resident in the country want to earn US citizenship they must play by the same rules as any other immigrant; they should not be allowed to jump to the head of the line, but they should not be required to leave. If they do not want US citizenship then Congress needs to pass legislation that brings illegal residents out of the shadows and grants them legal status that requires them to pay taxes, obtain professional and occupational licenses and certifications, get married and carry the same tax burdens and civil obligations as citizens. | |||
| Yes | Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| I support the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution that provides that "any State shall not deprive any person ... of equal protection under the law." I do not support any law, regulation or rule that makes discrimination, intolerance or bigotry legally, morally or culturally acceptable. Nor do I support adoption of secular laws founded on religious laws enacted by any religious organization. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Unfortunately reckless American military intervention in Iraq in 2003 destabilized the entire Middle East. We have an obligation to take actions needed to help local peoples create pathways to peaceful resolution of long-standing conflicts, cultural, religious and tribal. My rule with respect to nuclear proliferation is simple: Diplomacy first; then soft power, like economic sanctions; but I will never take the military option off the table. The US Congress needs to enact legislation that will allow the United States to join the International Criminal Court to enforce international laws, through the ICC, that ban crimes against humanity, genocide, etc. | |||
| No | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
| Social Security is an INSURANCE program, not an INVESTMENT program. The Congress needs to make the Trust Fund solvent by raising the income cap and including all sources of income, earned and unearned, in the calculation of the tax burden. Individual Retirement Accounts, Health Savings Accounts and other investment vehicles should be made widely available to all individuals and not limited to programs offered only by employers. | |||
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 | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Arts | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Defense | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Education | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) International aid | ||
| Greatly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Space exploration | ||
| Slightly Increase | k) United Nations | ||
| Maintain Status | l) Welfare | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Small business taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Greatly Increase | f) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Greatly Increase | j) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | k) Payroll taxes | ||
| Significantly increase RDD&D spending on renewable and cleaner energy sources and more efficient uses of energy that will be paid for by enacting a revenue-neutral carbon tax on the production, distribution and use of all sources and all forms of energy and all types of fuel. | |||
| The United States must "Lead by Example" to show the world how to transition to a 21st Century economy based on principles of Sustainable Economic Development, local production of essential food, fuel, feed and fiber, and powered by renewable and much, much cleaner sources of energy. |
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