Ed Cognoski: Candidates: It's Test Time

“This is a test. It's only a test, but Project Vote Smart's questionnaire reveals a lot about political candidates. Namely, whether they're willing to shoot straight with voters and offer basic information about policies they support.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

This is an excellent initiative. More and more, it's the voters who are endlessly surveyed, focus grouped, dissected and sliced and diced and targeted by politicians and their election campaigns. We are bombarded with poll results telling us what the voters supposedly think. It's about time that the candidates themselves respond to the surveys. Let the voters know their answers to the questions most on the minds of the voters. And not the evasive, non-answer answers that politicians typically provide during interviews and debates. No, instead, let them answer yes or no to the survey questions like the rest of use are forced to do.

And, for the sake of complete disclosure, maybe political columnists ought to take the National Political Awareness Test, too, so readers know where they stand. For the record, the editorial position of Ed Cognoski is as follows:

2006 CONGRESSIONAL NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST

Abortion Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support
(if any) regarding abortion.
___ a) Abortions should always be illegal.
___ b) Abortions should always be legal.
___ c) Abortions should be legal only within the first
trimester of pregnancy.
_X_ d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy
resulted from incest or rape.
_X_ e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the
woman is endangered.
___ f) Prohibit public funding of abortions and to
organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
___ g) Other or expanded principles: Abortions should be
legal within the first trimester of pregnancy.

Budgetary, Spending, and Tax Issues:

Using the key, indicate what federal funding levels you
support for the following general categories. Select one
number per category, you can use a number more than once.

KEY
1 = Greatly Increase
2 = Slightly Increase
3 = Maintain Status
4 = Slightly Decrease
5 = Greatly Decrease
6 = Eliminate

1) Budget Priorities
_4_ a) Agriculture _3_ i) Medical research
_3_ b) Arts _2_ j) National parks
_3_ c) Defense _3_ k) Public health services
_3_ d) Education _2_ l) Scientific research
_2_ e) Environment _5_ m) Space exploration programs
_3_ f) Homeland security _3_ n) Transportation and highway
infrastructure
_2_ g) International aid _3_ o) Welfare
_3_ h) Law enforcement _2_ p) Emergency preparedness
___ q) Other or expanded categories
__________________________

2) Defense Spending
_2_ a) Armed forces personnel training
_2_ b) Intelligence operations
_3_ c) Military hardware
_3_ d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
_6_ e) National missile defense
_2_ f) Pay for active duty personnel
_2_ g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
_3_ h) Research and development of new weapons
_2_ i) Troop and equipment readiness
___ j) Other or expanded categories ______________________

Using the key above, indicate what federal tax levels
you support for the following general categories.
Select one number per category.

3) Taxes
Income Taxes:
Family Income
_4_ a) Less than $25,000
_3_ b) $25,000-$75,000
_2_ c) $75,000-$150,000
_1_ d) Over $150,000
___ e) Other or expanded categories
____________________________
Retiree Income
_3_ f) Over $40,000
___ g) Other or expanded categories
____________________________

Other Taxes:
_2_ a) Alcohol taxes
_2_ b) Capital gains taxes
_1_ c) Cigarette taxes
_3_ d) Corporate taxes
_2_ e) Gasoline taxes
_3_ f) Inheritance taxes
___ g) Other or expanded categories
_____________________________

Deductions/Credits:
_3_ a) Charitable contributions
_3_ b) Child tax credit
_3_ c) Earned income tax credit
_3_ d) Medical expense deduction
_3_ e) Mortgage deduction
_3_ f) Student loan credit
___ g) Other or expanded categories
___ ____________________________

4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the
federal estate tax? ___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
5) Do you support making President Bush's tax cuts
permanent? ___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
6) Discuss your proposals for balancing the federal budget.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
7) Other or expanded principles ___________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Campaign Finance and Government Reform Issues:

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

_X_ a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal
candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
___ b) Increase the amount individuals are permitted to
contribute to federal campaigns.
___ c) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC)
contributions to candidates for federal office.
___ d) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions
to political parties or committees.
___ e) Remove all contribution limits on federal
campaigns and parties.
_X_ f) Require Section 527 organizations to register with
the Federal Election Commission as Political Action Committees.

g) Do you support instant run-off voting? _X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
h) Should Election Day be a national holiday? __ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
i) Do you support a constitutional amendment that would define
marriage as a union between a man and woman? __ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
j) Other or expanded principles ___________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Crime Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
___ a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
_X_ b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
_X_ c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with educational,
vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance
when released.
_X_ d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and
alcohol addiction treatment.
___ e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
_X_ f) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation,
and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
___ g) Impose stricter penalties for those convicted of corporate crimes.
___ h) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
___ i) Other or expanded principles _______________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

Drug Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs.
___ a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
_X_ b) Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
_X_ c) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
_X_ d) Allow doctors to recommend marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
_X_ e) Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
___ f) Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
___ g) Support a federal law to standardize testing and penalties for steroid use in professional sports.
___ h) Other or expanded principles________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

Education Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
___ a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students.
_X_ b) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships)
to send their children to any public school.
___ c) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships)
to send their children to any private or religious school.
_X_ d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization
and funding to establish charter schools.
_X_ e) Reward teachers with merit pay for working in low-income schools.
_X_ f) Increase funding for school capital improvements
(e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology).
_X_ g) Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
_X_ h) Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and
Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
_X_ i) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
___ j) Other or expanded principles _______________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

Employment and Affirmative Action Issues:
1) Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
_X_ a) Increase funding for national job-training programs
that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
___ b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector
in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
_X_ c) Provide tax credits or grants to businesses that offer
child care services to employees.
_X_ d) Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling,
comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
___ e) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
_X_ f) Increase the federal minimum wage.
_X_ g) Support the right of workers to strike without fear of being permanently replaced.
_X_ h) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
___ i) Other or expanded principles ________________________
_____________________________________________________

2) Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action.
___ a) The federal government should consider race and gender in government contracting decisions.
___ b) The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
_X_ c) The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
___ d) Other or expanded principles_________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Environment and Energy Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
_X_ a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
_X_ b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
_X_ c) Support Clear Skies Act to reduce power plant emissions by setting a national cap on pollutants.
___ d) Require states to compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately-owned land.
___ e) Relax logging restrictions on federal lands.
___ f) Relax standards on federal lands to allow increased recreational usage.
___ g) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
_X_ h) Strengthen emission controls and fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport
utility vehicles.
___ i) Support opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.
_X_ j) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
_X_ k) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
_X_ l) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits.
_X_ m) Support the Kyoto Protocol to limit global warming.
___ n) Other or expanded principles_________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Gun Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
_X_ a) Reauthorize the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
_X_ b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
___ c) Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
___ d) Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
_X_ e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
_X_ f) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
_X_ g) Require a license for gun possession.
___ h) Other or expanded principles:
Require training in gun use, safety, and laws for gun owners.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Health Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding health care.
___ a) Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
_X_ b) Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
_X_ c) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
___ d) Establish limits on the amount of punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
_X_ e) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
_X_ f) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
_X_ g) Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid.
_X_ h) Support stem cell research on existing lines of stem cells.
_X_ i) Allow laboratories to create new lines of stem cells for additional research.
___ j) Other or expanded principles _________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Immigration Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.
___ a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
___ b) Establish English as the official national language.
_X_ c) Support a temporary worker program that would enable
illegal immigrants to work in the United States legally.
___ d) Relax restrictions barring legal immigrants from using
government funded social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
_X_ e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
___ f) Other or expanded principles _________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

International Aid, International Policy, and Trade Issues:

International Aid: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding United States economic assistance.
_X_ a) Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
_X_ b) Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
___ c) Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
___ d) International Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
___ e) Other or expanded principles__________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

International Policy
1) Middle East
a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership
in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
_X_ Yes ___No ___ Undecided
b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
_X_ Yes ___No ___ Undecided
c) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
_X_ Yes ___No ___ Undecided
d) Should the United States send more troops to Iraq?
___ Yes _X_No ___ Undecided
e) Discuss your proposals for an exit strategy in Iraq.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
f) Other or expanded principles______________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

2) Central and East Asia.
a) Should the United States use diplomatic and economic pressure
to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
b) Should the United States use military force to dismantle
the North Korean nuclear weapons program?
___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
c) Should the United States remove the North Korean government from power?
___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
d) Should the United States increase financial support to Afghanistan?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
e) Should the United States increase military support to Afghanistan?
___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
f) Other or expanded principles______________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3) United Nations.
a) Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
b) Should the United States decrease its financial support of the United Nations?
___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
c) Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
d) Other or expanded principles _____________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

4) Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
5) Should the United States increase its financial support
to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs?"
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
6) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs
fund distribution of contraceptives?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
7) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs
fund abstinence education?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
8) Other or expanded principles _____________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

International Trade:

1) Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
2) Do you support the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
3) Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
4) Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
5) Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade
relations (most favored nation) status with the United States?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
6) Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
7) Should trade agreements include provisions to address environmental
concerns and to protect workers' rights?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
8) Other or expanded principles _____________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

National Security:

a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists
when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
b) Should the United States grant law enforcement agencies greater
discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct
random searches to prevent future terrorist attacks?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable
for terrorists who operate in their country?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
d) Should the federal government increase funding to states
and cities for homeland security?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
e) Do you support the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman,
or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners in U.S. custody?
_X_ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
f) Do you support a policy of pre-emptive military strikes against
countries deemed to be a threat to U.S. national security?
___ Yes _X_ No ___ Undecided
g) Other or expanded principles ______________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Social Security Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.
___ a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax
in private accounts which they manage themselves.
___ b) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax
in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
___ c) Invest a portion of Social Security assets collectively in
stocks and bonds instead of United States Treasury securities.
___ d) Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
___ e) Lower the annual cost-of-living increases.
_X_ f) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
___ g) Other or expanded principles___________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Technology and Communication Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding technology and communication.
___ a) Collect taxes on commercial Internet transactions.
_X_ b) Continue the moratorium on Internet taxation.
___ c) Implement government regulation of Internet content.
___ d) Support government mandates to curtail violent and
sexual content on television.
_X_ e) Support strict penalties for Internet crimes
(e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
_X_ f) Support legislation to detail how personal information
can be collected and used on the Internet.
___ g) Regulating the Internet is not a responsibility of the federal government.
___ h) Other or expanded principles. __________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Welfare and Poverty Issues: Indicate (X) which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.
___ a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours
a week in a combination of work and training programs.
_X_ b) Increase funding for child care programs.
_X_ c) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility
in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
___ d) Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based or other non-profit organizations.
___ e) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
_X_ f) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
___ g) Other or expanded principles____________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Legislative Priorities: On an attached page, disk, or via email, please
explain in a total of 75 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.

Ed Cognoski

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Candidates: It's Test Time

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