Texas Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legal.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- X

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

6. Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
- No Answer

7. Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles.
- No Answer

Budgetary, Spending, and Tax

Indicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once.

Budget Priorities

1. Agriculture
- Maintain Status

2. Arts
- Slightly Decrease

3. Defense
- Greatly Increase

4. Education
- Maintain Status

5. Environment
- Maintain Status

6. FEMA
- Maintain Status

7. Homeland security
- Maintain Status

8. International aid
- Greatly Decrease

9. Law enforcement (Federal)
- Maintain Status

10. Law enforcement (State)
- Maintain Status

11. Medical research
- Maintain Status

12. National parks
- Maintain Status

13. Public health services
- Maintain Status

14. Scientific research
- Maintain Status

15. Space exploration programs
- Maintain Status

16. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Greatly Increase

17. United Nations
- Greatly Decrease

18. Welfare
- Greatly Decrease

19. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

Defense Spending

1. Armed forces personnel training
- Slightly Increase

2. Intelligence operations
- Slightly Increase

3. Military hardware
- Greatly Increase

4. Modernization of weaponry and equipment
- Greatly Increase

5. National missile defense
- Maintain Status

6. Pay for active duty personnel
- Slightly Increase

7. Programs to improve troop retention rates
- Slightly Increase

8. Research and development of new weapons
- Maintain Status

9. Troop and equipment readiness
- Greatly Increase

10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

Taxes

Indicate 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.

Family Income Taxes

1. Less than $12,000
- Maintain Status

2. $12,001-$40,000
- Maintain Status

3. $40,001-$100,000
- Maintain Status

4. $100,001-$180,000
- Maintain Status

5. $180,001-$350,000
- Maintain Status

6. $350,001 and above
- Maintain Status

7. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

Other Taxes

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Inheritance taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

Deductions/Credits

1. Charitable contribution deduction
- Maintain Status

2. Child tax credit
- Maintain Status

3. Earned income tax credit
- Maintain Status

4. Medical expense deduction
- Maintain Status

5. Mortgage deduction
- Maintain Status

6. Student loan credit
- Maintain Status

7. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

8. Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
- Yes

9. Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
- Yes

10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance and Government Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

1. Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- X

2. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer

3. Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- No Answer

4. Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
- No Answer

5. Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
- X

6. Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
- No Answer

7. Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
- No Answer

8. Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
- X

9. Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
- No Answer

10. Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
- No Answer

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

1. Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- X

2. Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer

3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X

5. Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
- No Answer

6. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- X

7. Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
- X

8. Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs.
- No Answer

2. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- X

3. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- X

4. Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
- No Answer

5. Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
- No Answer

6. Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
- No Answer

7. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X

8. Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
- X

9. Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
- X

10. Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- No Answer

11. Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
- X

12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Employment

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

1. Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today?s job market.
- X

2. Reduce government regulation of the private sector.
- X

3. Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- No Answer

4. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- No Answer

5. Support the right of workers to unionize.
- No Answer

6. Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer

7. Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer

8. Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environment and Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- No Answer

2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- No Answer

3. Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
- X

4. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- No Answer

5. Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- X

6. Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
- X

7. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
- X

8. Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
- No Answer

9. Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
- X

10. Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
- X

11. Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
- No Answer

12. Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
- X

13. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

1. Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
- X

2. Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials.
- No Answer

On (c) and (d), indicate what levels (#1-6) you support for the following categories.

1. Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- Maintain Status

2. Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- Maintain Status

3. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

1. Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
- No Answer

2. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
- X

3. Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
- No Answer

4. Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- No Answer

5. Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
- X

6. Support expanding child healthcare programs.
- No Answer

7. Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Immigration

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.

1. Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
- No Answer

2. Establish English as the official national language.
- X

3. Support a temporary worker program.
- X

4. Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
- No Answer

5. Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
- No Answer

6. Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
- X

7. Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
- No Answer

8. Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
- X

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

International Aid, International Policy, and International Trade

International Aid

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international aid.

1. Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- X

2. Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
- X

3. Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- X

4. Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
- X

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

International Policy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international policy.

1. Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
- Yes

2. Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
- No

3. Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
- Yes

4. Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
- No Answer

5. Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
- Yes

6. Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
- No Answer

7. Discuss your proposals for Iraq.
- No Answer

8. Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program?
- Yes

9. Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
- No Answer

10. Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
- Yes

11. Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
- No Answer

12. Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
- No Answer

13. Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
- No

14. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
- No Answer

15. Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
- No

16. Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
- No

17. Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
- Yes

18. Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
- Yes

19. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

International Trade

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.

1. Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
- Yes

2. Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
- Yes

3. Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
- Yes

4. Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

National Security

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.

1. Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
- Yes

2. Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
- Yes

3. Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
- Yes

4. Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
- No Answer

5. Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
- Yes

6. Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
- No

7. Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
- Yes

8. Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
- Yes

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

1. Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
- No

2. Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
- Yes

3. Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
- Yes

4. Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
- No

5. Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
- No

6. Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
- No

7. Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social Security

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.

1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
- X

2. Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
- No Answer

3. Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
- No Answer

4. Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
- No Answer

5. Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
- No Answer

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

1. Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
- X

2. Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
- X

3. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- No Answer

4. Abolish all federal welfare programs.
- X

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- No Answer