Jeffery Scott has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2020 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
I agree with the Supreme Court when it says that women should be free to choose prior to viability and that States are within their rights to restrict abortion after viability. I also believe exceptions need to be in place for cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is endangered. I support the Casey decision. Republicans charge others of supporting "infanticide" to rally sensitive voters, yet no one supports the killing of a live, healthy, breathing baby. They amplify radical right passions on this issue, poison the atmosphere to limit debate and encourage election derangement syndrome. |
No | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | ||
I support abolition of the income tax and low corporate taxes across the board. I support reductions in military spending and foreign aid to warring nations. I support limits on NATO expansion and reducing its role in regime change. Our national security state picks winners and losers in worldwide economic competition. We can and should limit oil wars as we become a net exporter of oil. I oppose executive war acts in peacetime, such as sanctions and embargoes. Our wars create chaos by destroying innocent lives, property and the environment. War should be bad for business, not good for business. |
No | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
Frustration with campaign finance is due largely to politicians exercising unlimited power. If the passage of a law can affect your business, you will attempt to influence the outcome. To give contributions to a lawmaker who will give you favorable treatment in return is bribery. When lawmakers request contributions in exchange for favorable decisions, they are extorting. Under this system, third parties cannot compete, incumbents benefit and limits on spending are easily bypassed. Economic favoritism is what drives insiders into corrupt financial practices. Our campaign system protects the 2 major parties and unleashes government from its limits under the Constitution. |
No | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
Yes | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
I oppose stimulus spending since I support fairness in business competition. I oppose rigging the game. The Federal government and national security state picks winners and losers in worldwide competition as if every industry is suffering an emergency. Stimulating the economy and protecting national security is a frequently a racket to collect corporate welfare. I would spend more money on audits to uncover hidden taxpayer liabilities that increase our debt burden and decrease our security. I support low, internationally competitive corporate taxes. Private savings in the hands of private individuals and companies stimulate our nation's economic growth. |
No | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
I supported Representative Thomas Massie's H.R. 899, a bill offered last year. The bill is one sentence long, "The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2018." I agree with Massie that, "Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children's intellectual and moral development. States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students. Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school." |
No | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
No | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
I emphatically support the development of new energy sources and markets to create abundance and prosperity for the world. The energy industry is extremely important to our survival and quality of life. Unfortunately, rivalry between national producers can be violent, creating constant international tension. Consumers understandably want to stop using oil if it encourages war. However, taxpayers are not well served when the national security state picks winners and losers. That is why I oppose public funding for renewable energy sources. The US contribution to worldwide greenhouse gas emissions is small, and I question whether the benefits outweigh the costs. |
No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
The occurrence of mass shootings raises the question of treating gun violence as a public health issue. Violent behavior should be addressed by law enforcement and the courts. The worst strategy is to prohibit and restrict guns and create further vulnerability. A social red flag system, not a legal one, is the only way to limit violent resolution of conflict. Teachers can opt for better training, schools for better security measures, parents for better monitoring of troubled children, doctors for better treatment of the mentally ill, police for tracking real threats. Our greatest challenge is teaching civility, love and peace. |
Yes | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
I support repealing ACA. Third-party payer systems that 'cover all medical needs' are flawed since they mix spending on routine, predictable events with unpredictable, emergency costs. Buyers of medical care under ACA are trapped. If they stop paying high premiums they risk medical and financial catastrophe. As consumers, they are threatened with absurd prices. Medical costs will continue to spiral out of control until customers drive down the prices of services. The medical doctor expense will fall when we end professional protectionism. Drug prices will fall when we end the patent system for drugs, a government-granted monopoly that abuses patients. |
No | Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border? | ||
No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
The wall is an obstacle to security. I would not require immigrants to return to their home country. American fear of immigration is self-destructive and costly. Under DHS/ICE, taxpayers footed the bill for a wave of deportation. The budget grew so fast that by 2012 it exceeded the budgets of all federal criminal law enforcement agencies combined. Fear of immigrants attracts tax dollars to the DHS. If you are concerned that immigrants use services, you should focus more on low quality bureaucracies like schools, healthcare, police, housing, all public services that should not routinely panic when they have new customers. |
Yes | Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
Reefer madness is over and Americans know it. We declared war, we lost, now we need to clean up the mess. The War on Drugs is a costly and constant attack on our legal institutions. These wars have strengthened the police state, contributing to mass incarceration, expanded sentences, asset forfeiture and violent raids. Prohibition has always lead to a dead-end street of civic corruption and gang violence. The daily humiliation of peaceful users is a form of social corrosion that will take decades to fix. African-Americans have suffered disproportionately, and the legal system is obligated to repair this injustice. |
No | Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon? | ||
No | Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support? | ||
It's time for the US regime change strategy to end. Possession of a nuclear weapon and the willingness to resist the US belligerence are not grounds for a military invasion. Constant belittling and bullying of other countries is not a realistic means of finding peaceful solutions to tensions. I support non-intervention in the Middle East. Voters need to pay attention to independent media to hear the truth about our military adventures in the world. Yemen is the world's largest humanitarian disaster and the US is deeply involved. I oppose war with Iran, a country that does not threaten us. |
The authorization for the use of military force must be changed. The job of our military is to protect American lives. When we use destructive force, with no clear reason, we kill innocent civilians. American interventionism abroad has not lead to peace. Military spending and arms sales must be cut. I will end disastrous drug policies because ramping up penalties has done nothing to deter abuse. We need marijuana legalization, harm reduction for opioids and an end to costly drug patents. I will sell Federal student loans to teacher state pension funds to reduce the burden on taxpayers. |
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