Shane Hoffman did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2022.
Pro-life | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
Pro Life for the Whole Life means that your support of life extends from womb to tomb. I support legislation that promotes not just life, but that provides for the best chance of success for all people. This is healthcare for mothers and children(and others) before and after birth. This is workplace laws and policies that promote families rather than view them as obstacles to success. This is access to universities, colleges, trade schools and other necessary training. This is justice reform. This is an economy that puts the person at its heart rather than at its feet. |
Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
Yes | Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
It is a sin that cries out to Heaven that a person should work multiple jobs to the best of their ability and still not be able to afford decent food, shelter and the ability to meet their medical needs. While we work to rebuild our economy on a footing that treats people with dignity, we must maintain a more robust safety net. Our net currently acts as a snare into perpetual poverty by forcing people to choose between taking small steps to better themselves and being able to feed their families. |
Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
We need to get money out of politics, and that begins with corporations and unions. Corporations and unions are not people and should therefore not be participants in the process in that manner. |
Yes | Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
There must be protection or these men and women would be constantly fending off frivolous lawsuits. There are limits to all protections, however. Significant breaches of the public trust should be subject to civil penalty. |
No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
A robust defense is necessary, but we have a robust enough defense at this time. Our spending already far surpasses that of any other nation on the Earth. Any changes must be done with regard to their effects on impacted communities. |
Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
No | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
Yes | Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
We must provide support especially to our small and regional businesses. Big business is part of why we are in this mess, and we must find ways to revert to local and regional business models that are agile enough to respond to crisis events without creating massive shortages. |
Yes | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
There is, however, too much federal regulation. It is in the best interests of the nation to have minimum standards, but not to create a massive bureaucracy that prevents innovation and discourages both the ability of the best to excel and prevents those with additional need from obtaining the extra they need to succeed. The requirement of "Teaching to the tests" is a recipe for failure. |
Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
Regardless of where you fall in your belief of the science of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, I think that it should be obvious that these emissions are exacerbating factors at the very least. The reduction of these pollutants also increases the quality of life, especially of those in nearest proximity to these emissions. A well thought out and structured exit from the fuels that cause these emissions should be a priority. We cannot save the world by sacrificing the communities that provide coal, oil and other natural resources. |
Yes | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
Background checks and red-flag laws are important to the safety of those around us. I support responsible gun ownership and promote the means of keeping guns out of the hands of those who are propose a threat to themselves or to those around them. |
No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
Yes | Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
Big business should be required to maintain a cash reserve, similar to banks, to get themselves through times like these, and there should be a smaller buffer and an insurance market for smaller businesses deal with paid leave of many sorts. |
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? | ||
This just makes the problem worse for both countries. The system makes it too difficult for those who are poor in wealth and/or education to come to America and partake of the American Dream. I would propose a reasonable path to citizenship for those currently hear and a simpler path for those who pose no threat to the peace and safety of our nation. |
No | Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? | ||
Yes | Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? | ||
Thousands of years of complexities make a short statement difficult, but a stabilizing and supportive role in development and peace keeping can be a positive. Withdrawing at a time when internal corruption will take over or external forces will swoop in to fill the void would also be irresponsible. As we have seen for generations, military intervention in the Middle East is the worst sort of catch 22. |
No | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
Some barriers are important especially those that prevent developed nations from flooding less developed nations with cheap food and goods, destroying local businesses and economies in the process. |
I propose free breakfast and lunch for all school children as a means of increasing educational outcomes and lifelong opportunity for students which should significantly reduce what we have to spend on health, incarceration, addiction, lost productivity and more. I propose increased antitrust and anti-monopoly activity from the government as well as a return to fair pricing and other laws. The government should also encourage the development of businesses bound to the welfare of their employees, communities and society in general such as cooperatives, B-corporations, ESOPs and community land trusts. |
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