James Baker's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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James Baker has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where he stands on the issues he may face if elected.
Missouri Congressional Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| I believe this to be the most important issue of our day. 53 million American citizens are not here because of Roe v Wade. I will submit an amendment to the Constitution giving civil rights to unborn babies. It is the most important issue for me. | |||
| No | Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | ||
| Yes | Do you support a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan? | ||
| At first I did, but now I believe we should get out ASAP. The regime we are supporting is corrupt, And I don't thonk that Afghanistan will change. It has been a Tribal Society for centuries. It is a mistake to try to impose Western Cultural principles on such a society. I hate it that our young men and women are fighting and giving their lives there. If Congress would fight the war to win, then I would support it. | |||
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing the federal budget.In order to balance the budget,
| Yes | do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
| No | do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | do you support reducing Medicaid spending? | ||
| Yes | do you support reducing Medicare spending? | ||
| Yes | Is balancing the budget a legislative priority? | ||
| We can't sustain the debt the US is creating. Medicaid & Medicare are pregnant with fraud. I would reduce both programs by the amount of fraud that is in them. It's a big job, but I believe billions of dollars are being skimmed by Insurance companies as well as Doctors and patients. I would reduce defense spending according to the military heads. We support programs and weapon sustems based on jobs in a particular district, not wether the weapon system is needed or wanted by the military. | |||
| No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the temporary extension of unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the 2010 temporary extension of tax relief? | ||
| I believe federal spending is a two-edged sword. Most of the federal money comes from taxes. People with jobs pay taxes. It is not the purpose of the federal government to create jobs. That belongs in the private sector. In simplified terms, the private sector is the job creator. The federal government should stay within the enumerated powers of the Constitution. (Article I Sect.8) | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | ||
| No | Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| I believe in Global Warming. I don't believe that it is man-made. If human activity is contributing, it is probably not a significant factor. | |||
| Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | Should individuals be required to purchase health insurance, as mandated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| Yes | Do you support allowing illegal immigrants, who were brought to the United States as minors, to pursue citizenship without returning to their country of origin? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local police? | ||
| By saying yes to all three of these questions only agrees with existing federal and state law. The very word "illegal" implies the breaking of a law. | |||
| 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 Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
| Yes | Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | ||
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 | ||
| Eliminate | b) Arts | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Defense | ||
| Eliminate | d) Education | ||
| Eliminate | e) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Homeland Security | ||
| Maintain Status | g) International aid | ||
| Slightly Increase | h) Medical Research | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Scientific Research | ||
| Slightly Decrease | j) Space exploration | ||
| Eliminate | k) United Nations | ||
| Slightly Decrease | l) Welfare | ||
| m) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Greatly Decrease | a) Capital gains taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Excise taxes (alcohol) | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Excise taxes (cigarettes) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Excise taxes (transportation fuel) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Greatly Decrease | h) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Eliminate | i) Inheritance taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Payroll taxes | ||
| Cut spending, increase incentives to business(job-creators), stop killing potential tax-payers (abortion), trim the federal government to constitutional parameters, and I believe the economy will improve. | |||
| 1. Overturn Roe v Wade with an amendment to protect the unborn. The murder of innocents affects the conscience of the nation. Since 1973 the nation continues to slide into an abyss of moral ambiguity. 2. Begin to pull the federal government out of any business not enumerated by Art.I Sect.8 of the Constitution. 3. Work on an energy policy to get the US independent of foreign energy producers. (They hate us.) 4. Re-affirm our commitment to the only democracy in the middle east: Israel |
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