• Pro-Life
  • Stated that abortion should be illegal
  • Supported an Ohio law that made abortions illegal after a detectable heart beat is present
  • Does not support exceptions for rape and incest
• Supports Mexico City Policy
• Voting Record
  • Twice voted in favor of the partial-birth abortion ban

• Pro-Life
  • Believes life begins at conception
  • OB/GYN doctor who delivered over 4,000 babies
• Opposes federal funding for abortion
  • Supports the Hyde amendment
• Tenth amendment view
  • Since abortion is not a power delegated to the federal government in the constitution, it is a decision that should be made at the state level
• Constitutional voting record
  • Voted in favor of the partial-birth abortion ban and UVVA
  • Voted against other laws on constitutional basis
• Strong pro-life legislation
  • proposed the Sanctity of Human Life Act and the Protect Life Act 

• Began political career as pro-choice
  
  • Stated thatRoe vs Wade should be sustained and supported
  • Pledged not to change any Massachusetts laws regarding abortion
• Changed to Pro-Life when confronted with stem-cell research legislation
  
  • Vetoed legislation that would have made the morning after pill available for minors without a prescription
  • Believes that life begins at conception
  • Would support amendment banning abortion (after Roe vs Wade is overturned)
• Believes that Roe vs Wade was judicial activism, and that the issue should be returned to the states

• Pro-Life
  
  • Believes that life begins at conception
  • Does not support exceptions for rape or incest
  • States that children resulting from rape are innocent
  • Opposes federal funding for abortion
• Wants to see Roe vs Wade overturned and legalization returned to states and people
• Strong Pro-Life voting record
  
  • Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, Unborn Victims of Violence Act, Partial Birth Abortion Ban
• Strong Pro-Life legislation
  
  • Prime sponsor of partial-birth abortion ban
  • Co-sponsor of Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2005, Child Custody Protection Act

• Pro-Life
  
  • Claimed to be most pro-life governor in Texas history
• Pro-Life legislation
  
  • Supported a 1999 law requiring that parents of minors be made aware if their child was seeking an abortion 48 hours before the abortion
  • Supported and signed a law to require physicians to obtain signed consent from a parent or guardian before performing an abortion on a minor
  • Supported legislation that would require a woman see an ultrasound prior to receiving an abortion and to listen to a doctor's description of the fetus
• Supports defunding Planned Parenthood
  
  • signed legislation to defund Planned Parenthood of $34 million
• Opposes government funding for abortion
  • Supported legislation to prevent local tax funding for elective abortions by hospital districts

• Pro-Life
  • Believes that life begins at conception
  • Does not support exceptions for rape and incest
• Opposes federal funding for abortion
• Supports Mexico-City policy
• Strong pro-life legislation
  • Proposed the Positive Alternatives Act
  • Co-sponser of Right to Life Act, Protect Life Act, Ultrasound Informed Consent Act

• Pro-Life
  
  • Supports exemptions for rape and incest
  • Supports right to life amendment
• Pro-Life Record
  
  • Signed HB 85
    
    • Required that a minor obtain parental consent prior to getting an abortion
  • Signed HB 90
    
    • Made it illegal to perform an abortion in the second trimester and made it a second degree felony for the physicians to perform such a procedure
  • Signed HB 222
    
    • Allowed the mother time to consider medication to ensure that the fetus did not feel pain after informing them that such a thing was a possibility

• Pro-Choice
  
  • Supports the right of a woman to choose up to viability of the fetus
• Constitional view
  
  • Abortion rights were not something dealt with in the constitution and should therefore be dealt with at the state level
  • Roe vs. Wade expanded the reach of the Federal government into areas of society never envisioned in the Constitution
• Opposes late term and partial-birth abortion
  
  • Signed legislation outlawing the procedure as Governor of New Mexico
• Opposes federal funding for abortion
• Supports parental notification laws and counseling

• Pro-Life
  • Life begins at conception
  • If elected President, would sign legislation to protect the sanctity of life
  • Supports the defunding of Planned Parenthood

• Pro-Life
  
  • Supports exceptions for rape, incest, and health of mother
• Proposed legislation
  
  • co-sponsored two pieces of legislation that would have prohibited federal involvement in the performance of abortions, except that Federal funds may be used for medical procedures required to prevent the death of the mother or the preborn child

• Economic Theory
  • Government should remain as small as possible and still fulfill it's requirements
  • Government should pay for itself without borrowing money
  • This creates an environment for economic growth
• Legislative History
  • Opposed the Bush stimulus and the Obama stimulus
  • Opposed TARP, but admitted he would have voted for it
  • Called for repeal of Sarbanes-Oxley
• Economic Plan - Jobs and Prosperity Plan
  • Taxes
    • make the Bush tax cuts permanent
    • eliminate the capital gains tax
    • eliminate the death tax
    • reduce the corporate tax rate to 12.5\\\\\\\% and allow 100\\\\\\\% expensing of new equipment
    • move toward a 15\\\\\\\% flat tax
  • Monetary Policy
    • Reform the Federal Reserve to promote Transparency
    • Return to "Reagan-Era" monetary policies
  • Regulatory Reform
    • Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley
    • Repeal the Community Reinvestment Act
    • Repeal the Dodd-Frank Law
    • Break up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
    • Replace the Environmental Protection Agency with an Environmental Solutions Agency
    • Modernize the Food and Drug Administration
  • Energy
    • Remove obstacles to energy development
    • Balance the Budget
    • Repeal Obamacare
    • Reform Entitlements

• Economic Theory
  
  • Liberty - a return to the constitution
  • Limit the federal government to the roles dictated in the constitution
  • Force the congress and other bodies to assume their constitutional duties (monetary control)
  • Government should maintain a sound money policy, protect the rights of it's citizens, enforce contracts, and regulate industry as little as possible
  • Handing over control of the monetary supply to the Federal Reserve Bank, growing the size of government beyond reasonable spending levels, and inserting itself into the private market promotes mal-investment, creates inflation and the boom/bust cycles
  • Strongly opposes Keynsian economic theories of government stimulus
• Economic Solution
  
  • Limit the federal government to constitutionally mandated roles
    
    • End the DEA, the Department of Education and all other unconstitutional agencies
    • Return those powers to the states
  • Sound monetary policy
    
    • Audit and end the Federal Reserve Bank
    • Force Congress to control to the monetary supply
    • Return to a system of money backed with something of value, such as gold or precious metals
  • Reform the welfare state
    
    • End dependence of people on government for cradle to grave care
    • End Corporate welfare in the form of subsidies and tax code structure
  • End the war state
    
    • End the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and all others
    • Bring the troops home
    • Close down most overseas bases
• Legislative History
  
  • Opposed TARP, Stimulus, Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank
• 2012 Restore America Plan
  
  • Spending
    
    • Cut $1 trillion in spending during the first year
    • eliminat Departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education and HUD
    • Abolish the Transportation Security Administration
    • Abolish corporate subsidies
    • Stop foreign aid
    • End foreign wars
    • Return most other spending to 2006 levels
  • Entitlements
    • Honor our promise to our seniors and veterans, while allowing young workers to opt out
    • Block grant Medicaid and other welfare programs to States
  • Cutting Waste
    
    • 10\% reduction in the federal workforce
    • Slash Congressional pay and perks
    • Curb excessive federal travel
    • Presidential salary of $39,336, approximately equal to the median personal income of the American worker
  • Taxes
    
    • Lower the corporate tax rate to 15\%
    • Allow American companies to repatriate capital without additional taxation
    • Extend all Bush tax cuts
    • Abolish the Death Tax
    • End taxes on personal savings
  • Regulation
    
    • Repeal ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, and Sarbanes-Oxley
    • Mandate REINS-style requirements
    • Cancel all onerous regulations previously issued by Executive Order
  • Monetary Policy
    
    • Conducts a full audit of the Federal Reserve
    • Implement competing currency legislation to strengthen the dollar and stabilize inflation

• Economic Plan
  • Sign five executive orders the first day
    • End Obamacare, reduce regulation, speed up issuance of drilling permits, possible sanctions on China, and reversing unfair labor policies
  • Call for 5 pieces of legislation
    • lower the corporate income tax rate, implement free trade agreements, spark greater domestic energy production, cut non-security discretionary spending by 5 percent, return unemployment training to the states
  • Tax Policy
    
    • Individual Taxes
      
      • Maintain marginal rates at current levels
      • Further reduce taxes on savings and investment
      • eliminate the death tax
      • Long term goal - pursue a flatter, fairer, simpler structure
    • Corporate Taxes
      
      • Lower the corporate income tax rate to 25\%
      • Transition to a "territorial" tax system
  • Regulatory Policy
    
    • Repeal and replace Obamacare and Dodd-Frank
    • Review and eliminate Obama-era regulations
    • Cap new regulatory costs at zero dollars
    • Require Congress to approve all major regulations
    • Reform legal liability system
  • Trade Policy
    
    • EXPANDED MARKETS
      
      • Implement pending Free Trade Agreements
      • Conclude Trans-Pacific Partnership and pursue additional agreements
      • Create Reagan Economic Zone
    • CONFRONTING CHINA
      
      • Increase enforcement of existing law
      • Impose punitive measures if unfair trade practices continue
  • Energy Policy
    
    • SIGNIFICANT REGULATORY REFORM
      
      • Streamline and fast-track approval processes
      • Amend Clean Air Act to exclude regulation of carbon
    • INCREASED PRODUCTION
      
      • Conduct comprehensive survey of the nation’s reserves
      • Open reserves to exploration and production
    • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
      
      • Focus investment in basic research
      • Utilize DARPA-like funding mechanisms
  • Labor Policy
    
    • Appoint experienced and even-handed arbiters to the NLRB
    • Guarantee businesses the right to allocate capital as they choose
    • Protect right of workers to choose whether to unionize
    • End funding of union political campaigns through paycheck deductions
  • Human Capital Policy
    
    • RETRAINING WORKERS
      
      • Consolidate unwieldy sprawl of federal programs
      • Return authority, responsibility, and funds to states for retraining programs
      • Support private-sector participation in the process
    • THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST
      
      • Raise visa caps for highly skilled foreign workers
      • Give permanent residency to eligible advanced-degree recipients
  • Fiscal Policy
    
    • Cut federal spending and cap it at 20 percent of GDP
    • Block grant Medicaid and pursue further entitlement reform
    • Reduce the federal workforce
    • Restructure the federal government
    • Pursue a Balanced Budget Amendment

• Legislative History
  • Voted in favor of Sarbanes-Oxley, and the legislation to repeal the wall between investment companies and banks, and  vocally opposed the stimulus
• Economic Plan
  • Reduce the Size of Government
    • Return size of government to historical norm of 18\%
    • Cap future spending
    • Pass a balanced budget amendment
  • Tax Reform
    • Cut the corporate tax rate in half
    • Cut the tax rate to zero for all manufacturers
    • Permanently extend the Bush tax cuts rates for Capital Gains and Dividend Tax rates
    • Repeal the Death Tax
    • Repatriate taxable income outside the United States at a rate of 5\%
    • Reduce the tax code for all by making the system flatter, fairer, and simpler
  • Regulatory Reform
    • Repeal ObamaCare
    • Remove CO2 regulations of the EPA
    • Reign in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
    • Streamline the patent process
    • Reform the transparency of the Food and Drug Administration's approval process
    • Repeal the burdensome Sarbanes-Oxley law
    • Repeal Dodd-Frank
    • End "too big to fail"
  • Energy Reform
    • Put aside our dreams of "green jobs," and focus on the great domestic resources at our disposal
    • Utilize oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy
    • Eliminate the Obama Administration's roadblocks to oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, along the Outer Continental Shelf, and onshore - including in ANWR
    • Ensure that no new natural gas regulations are enacted 

• Economic Theory
  • Keep the burden of the state government as small as possible on the private industry
  • Low taxes and low spending
• Vocally opposed the Stimulus
  • Refused to take the portion of stimulus funds with strings attached
• Economic Policy in Texas
  • Initiated the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF), a $295 million fund established to help lure projects to the state
    • Committed $181 million from the TEF by 2004 to lure new jobs and capital investment to the Texas economy
  • Tort reform
    • allowes a trial court to dismiss a frivolous lawsuit immediately if there is no basis in law or fact for the lawsuit
    • allowes plaintiffs seeking less than $100,000 to request an expedited civil action
    • helps prevent a party from extending litigation by seeking a "home run" if they have already been offered a fair settlement
    • Governor Perry touts this reform as essential to the economic success of Texas
• 2012 Cut, Balance, and Grow Plan
• Fixing the Tax Code
  
  • Optional 20\% Flat tax with some deductions for mortgage and donations remaining
  • No tax on social security benefits, no sales or VAT tax
  • Eliminate the death tax
  • Eliminate Corporate Loopholes and Special-Interest Tax Breaks
  • Reduce Corporate Income Tax Rate to 20\% to Enhance American Competitiveness
  • Enhance American Competitiveness by Transitioning to a Territorial Tax System
  • One time repatriation rate of 5.9\% on money already overseas
• Fix the Federal Regulatory System
  
  • Moratorium on Regulation
  • Full Audit of Every Regulation Passed Since 2008
• Social Security Reform
  
  • No change for those already in the system or near the system
  • Allow younger workers to keep part of their payments in private account
  • Gradually increase the retirement age
  • Means test throguh a "blended index"
    
    • Some workers can still retire at 62 if they work in labor intensive industry
  • Allow state workers to opt out of social security
• Reform Medicare and Medicaid
  
  • Return Conrol to the states
• Repeal Regulations
  
  • Obamacare
  • Sarbanes-Oxley
  • Dodd-Frank
• Balance the Budget
  
  • Reduce Non-Defense Discretionary Spending by $100 Billion in the First Year
  • Require Presidential Signature on Every Federal Budget
  • No More Earmarks
  • Require Emergency Spending to be Spent Only on Emergencies
  • End Baseline Budgeting and Require Common-Sense Scoring Rules
  • PAYGO for new federal programs
  • Freeze Federal Civilian Hiring and Salaries Until the Budget is Balanced
  • No More Bailouts

• Economic Theory
  
  • Government should regulate business to ensure lawful commerce
  • Ultimately, government can only hinder business when it reaches into market place
  • Opposed TARP, Stimulus
• Supports reforming mark to market rules in Sarbanes-Oxley
• Supports No Cost Stimulus Act
  
  • Large promotion of exploration and development of natural resources
• Unofficial Economic Plan
  
  • Cut federal spending 25 percent
  • Repeal Obamacare and numerous other regulations
  • End bailouts, return leftover TARP program funds
  • End involvement in semi-private businesses like Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae
  • Make all the Bush tax cuts permanent
  • Cut the corporate tax rate of 34 percent to "single digits" to spur growth and job creation
  • Kill capital gains taxes.
  • Zero out the death tax.
  • Cap personal income taxes at 20 percent
  • Change income tax rates from 15\\\\% to 10\\\\% and from 10\\\\% to 5\\\\%
  • Propose a "flatter tax" and a tax code no longer than 50-pages "double spaced, with a font size no smaller than 9-point. My guess is that even some of my Democratic colleagues would be able to read that bill."
  • Moratorium on repatriated funds

• Economic Plan - Time to Compete
  
  • Simplify the tax code
    • Eliminate all tax credits and tax deductions
    • Create 3 brackets of 8\%, 14\%, and 23\%
    • Eliminate the AMT
    • Eliminate the tax on capital gains and dividends
    • Lower corporate rates from 35\% to 25\%
    • Hold a tax holiday to allow companies to bring money earned overseas into the US
  • Regulatory Reform
    • Repeal Dodd-Frank
    • Repeal Obamacare
    • Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley
    • Dramatically reign in EPA
    • Streamline FDA testing
    • Patent Reform
    • Privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  • Energy Independence
    • Expedite the process for reviewing and approving safe, environmentally sound energy projects
    • Promote development of oil and gas in the US and Gulf of Mexico, including shale and sand oil
    • Eliminate subsidies that support foreign oil
  • Free Trade
    • Promote new free trade agreements
    • Approve deals with South Korea, Columbia, Panama
    • Support teh Doha Development Round of WTO negotiations
    • Support the TPP

• Economic Theory
  • free markets and limited government are the foundation of prosperity
  • economic policy should foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and individual choice, not direct economic activity to satisfy political interests in Washington
• Economic Plan
  • Slash expenditures
    • Scale back entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which threaten to bankrupt the nation’s future
    • Eliminate the costly and ineffective military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan; target defense spending to actions that truly protect the United States
    • Stop spending on the fiscal stimulus
    • Reduce subsidies for agriculture, transportation, energy, housing, and all other special interests
  • Cut Taxes
    • Eliminate punitive taxation of savings and investment
    • Simplify the tax code; stop using it to reward special interests and control behavior
    • Adopt a flat tax on income or consumption
  • Shrink federal involvement in the economy
    • Reject auto and banking bailouts, state bailouts, corporate welfare, cap-and-trade, card check, and the mountain of regulation that protects special interest rather than benefiting consumers or the economy.
    • Restrict Federal Reserve policy to maintaining price stability, not bailing out financial firms or propping up the housing sector.
    • Eliminate government support of Fannie and Freddie.
    • Reduce or eliminate federal involvement in education; let states expand successful reforms such as vouchers and charter schools.
    • Legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana; emphasize harm reduction for other drugs.
    • Expand free trade and legal immigration.
       

• Economic theory
  • Government is a burden on economy that should be as small as possible
  • Opposes government involvement in the economy through stimulus and bailouts
  • Government spending is the equivalent of taking water from the deep end of a pool and putting it in the shallow end
• Economic Plan - 9-9-9 Plan - Vision for Economic Growth
  •  Phase One
    • Reduce individual and business income tax to 25\%
    • Eliminate taxes on repatriated profits and capital gains
    • Business flat tax of 9\%
    • Flat income tax of 9\%
    • Establish a sales tax of 9\%
  • Phase Two
    • End the income tax
    • Establish the fair tax national sales tax
• Supports repealing Dodd-Frank Economic bill

• Economic Theory
  • The burden of the federal government on businesses should be as small as possible
  • Reducing this burden will help stimulate the economy
  • The tax code is too complex, written by lobbyists, for lobbyists
• Economic steps
  • no income tax on any income less than $100,000
  • overall simplification of the tax code
    
    • current tax code was written by lobbyists for lobbyists
    • special interests plays to large a role in the tax code
  • take regulations off small business
  • energy independence
    • tarrif on middle-eastern oil
  • tighten the belt on federal government

• Overall Health Care View
  • Outspoken critic of the arrogance of centralized government planning in health care
  • Government can't be trusted with a credit card, can't even give away money effectively, and government would rather pay crooks than manage efficiently
• Medicare / Medicaid
  • Crack down on crooks who are stealing from the system
  • Supports block grants to the states
  • Supports changing the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement models to take into account the quality of the care delivered
  • Supports giving health plans, employers, Medicare, and Medicaid more latitude to design benefits to encourage, incentivize, and reward healthy behaviors
  • Opposed the Paul Ryan plan as social engineering
• Mandates
  • Supported a mandate up to the start of the 2012 campaign
  • Proposed a plan that included a mandate or a bond coupled with subsidies to the poor
    • This plan mirrors Obamacare or MassCare
  • Opposed the mandate later in the campaign
• Opposes the public option
• 2012 Health care plan
  • Make health insurance more affordable and portable by giving Americans the choice of a generous tax credit or the ability to deduct the value of their health insurance up to a certain amount and by allowing Americans to purchase insurance across state lines, increasing price competition in the industry.
  • Create more choices in Medicare by giving seniors the option to choose, on a voluntary basis, a more personal system in the private sector with greater options for better care. This would create price competition to lower costs.
  • Reform Medicaid by giving states more freedom and flexibility to customize their programs to suit their needs with a block-grant program similar to the successful welfare reform of 1996.
  • Reward quality care by changing the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement models to take into account the quality of the care delivered and incentivizing beneficiaries to seek out facilities that deliver the best care at the lowest costs.
  • Reward health and wellness by giving health plans, employers, Medicare, and Medicaid more latitude to design benefits to encourage, incentivize, and reward healthy behaviors.
  • Stop health care fraud by moving from a paper-based system to an electric one. Health care fraud accounts for as much as much as 10 percent of all health care spending, according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association. That's more than $200 billion a year. Compare this to the 0.1\% fraud rate in the credit card industry thanks to its high-tech information analysis systems.
  • Stop junk lawsuits that drive up the cost of medicine with medical malpractice reform.
  • Speed medical breakthroughs to patients by reforming the Food and Drug Administration.
  • Inform patients and consumers of price and quality so they can make informed choices about how to spend their money on care. Patients have the right to know this information, but finding it is virtually impossible.
  • Invest in research for health solutions that are urgent national priorities. More brain science research, for example, could lead to Alzheimer's Disease cures and treatments that could save the federal government over $20 trillion over the next forty years.

• Overall Health Care View (medical doctor)
  • Health Care is not a right, people are not entitled to it and government is not required to provide it
  • Government is too involved with health care
    • Caused HMO problems with mandates
    • Established faulty tax practices by allowing corporations to deduct health care costs and not individuals
  • Americans have a flawed view of health insurance
    • Insurance is for catastrophic events, not checkups and regular
  • Third-party payer system is flawed
  • Government has created too much bureaucracy surrounding health care
  • Tort reform is needed
• Medicare / Medicaid
  • Opposed Paul Ryan Plan
    • Stated that it did not go far enough to reject the welfare state
• Opposed SCHIP Reauthorization and expansion
• Opposed Obamacare
  • co-sponsored legislation to repeal legislation
  • Stated that the assumptions reled on highly dubious budget predictions, faulty market assumptions, and outright fantasy
• Supports reimportation of drugs
• 2012 Health care plan
  • Allow purchase of health insurance across state lines.
  • Provide tax credits and deductions for all medical expenses.
  • Exempt those with terminal illnesses from the employee portion of payroll taxes while they are suffering from such illnesses or are incurring significant medical costs associated with their conditions.
  • Give a payroll deduction to any worker who is the primary caregiver for a spouse, parent, or child with a terminal illness.
  • Ensure that those harmed during medical treatment receive fair compensation while reducing the burden of costly malpractice litigation on the health care system by providing a tax credit for “negative outcomes” insurance purchased before medical treatment.
  • Guarantee that what is taken from taxpayers to pay for Medicare and Medicaid is not raided for other purposes.
  • Make all Americans eligible for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and remove government-imposed barriers to obtaining HSAs.
  • Stop the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from interfering with Americans’ knowledge of and access to dietary supplements and alternative treatments.
  • Prevent federal bureaucrats from tracking every citizen’s medical history from cradle to grave by prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds for a national database of personal health information.

• Overall health care views
  • Supports a mandate at the state level
  • Supports government funds to people to purchase insurance
    • States that this method is cheaper for the government 
• MassCare - RomneyCare
  • Mandate that required everyone to purchase health care or pay a fine
  • Provided funds to those who the state deemed could not afford insurance
  • Created an exchange of insurance providers
  • No insurance company could decline a customer for pre-existing conditions
  • Created a web system that ranked hospital services
• Medicare and Medicaid
  • Supports block granting the program to the states
• Obamacare
  • Opposed plan and supports it's repeal
• 2012 Health Care Plan
  • Block grant funds to states for Medicaid and Medicare
  • Alter the tax code to allow individuals and small companies deduct the cost of health insurance
  • Allow people to purchase insurance across state lines, allow small companies to pool together, and require insurance companies to accept all customers
  • Tort Reform
  • Make health care more like a consumer market
    • eliminate the minimum deductible requirement

• Medicare Part D - Prescription Drug Benefits
  • Voted for and supported the program
  • Ran television commercials noting that support in 2006 election
  • Has stated that it was not funded properly as it simply spends whatever seniors need
  • Has stated that his vote for that program was a mistake, but that he voted in favor of the reform because of other portions of the program, and that no other option was on the table
  • Has claimed in a debate that the overall reform program had come in 40\\\% under budget
• Medicare
  • Supports the Paul Ryan Plan to transition Medicare to a voucher system
  • Stated that this proposed plan is identical to Medicare Advantage
• Obamacare
  • Opposes the plan
  • Supports it's repeal
• Voted against an amendment to allow for the reimportation of drugs from Canada
• 2012 Presidential Plan
  • Repeal ObamaCare
  • Strengthen patient-driven health coverage options such as Health Savings Accounts coupled with high deductible insurance plans (and repeal ObamaCare policies that gut such options)
  • Reduce costs through competition, increased transparency, electronic records, and health care literacy – empowering patients and their doctors with information and options
  • Allow patients to purchase health insurance across state lines to gain access to the best insurance coverage to fit their individual needs – patients shouldn’t be required to pay for (and subsidize for others) coverage for services they don’t want or need
  • Allow those who purchase their own health care coverage to do so with pre-tax dollars, including a refundable tax-credit for the purchase of health coverage (so that employees are not tied to jobs solely for health coverage, but have portability of affordable coverage)
  • Enact meaningful medical liability reform – to increase access, and reduce added costs and inefficiencies from defensive medicine for federal programs and incentivize state liability reforms
  • Block-grant Medicaid so that states aren’t burdened by unfunded, crippling, one-size-fits-all federal mandates, so that states can implement solutions to address their unique health care needs

• Overall health care view
  • Previously supported broad reform such as international health care plans and HillaryCare
  • Supported state programs backed up by federal funding such as SCHIP, Own Your Future
  • Supported subsidies for eligible Texans to offset uncompensated care costs
  • Asserts that he supports state based measures and removal of the federal government from health care
• Gubernatorial Record
  • Supported SCHIP expansion as Texas Governor
    • In 2010 1 in 3 children in Texas are covered through SCHIP
  • Tort Reform in Texas
    • $250,000 limit on non-economic personal damages, a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages against a single institution and a $500,000 cap on all health-care institutions combined
  • Supported the Own Your Future Program
    • encouraged those over 45 to be more active in planning for their long term health care plans
• Supports Government subsidies to purchase insurance
  • proposed a plan to do that as Governor
• Obamacare
  • Opposed and supports the repeal
• Medicare / Medicare
  • Supports the Paul Ryan plan
  • Established the Texas Health Opportunity Pool Trust Fund to provide premium subsidies to eligible Texans and help offset uncompensated care costs
• 2012 Health Care Plan
  • Work with Congress to repeal “Obamacare”
  • Stabilize the country’s economy for employers
  • Lower skyrocketing health care costs “through the proven, market-based strategies of transparency, choice and competition”
  • Implement Texas-style health care reform

• Overall Health Care View
  • Has opposed government intervention into the marketplace
  • Has also promoted government control through means testing and subsidies
• Medicare / Medicaid
  • Generally supportive of Paul Ryan plan, but concerned with some specifics
  • Supports means testing for Medicare / Medicaid
  • Supports government payments to people to purchase insurance
• SCHIP
  • Opposed SCHIP expansion as a step towards socialized medicine
• Obamacare
  • Vocal opponent of Obamacare and supports it's repeal
• Opposes the Public option
• Proposals for Health Care
  • Make medical expenses, including health care premiums, 100\% tax-deductible for all individuals, instead of just insurance purchased through employers
  • Expaned Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
  • Allow the purchase of insurance across state lines
  • Enact tort reform
  • Create Association Health Plans (AHPs), which would allow small businesses to band together through trade associations to purchase health insurance for their employees at a lower cost

• Overall Health Care View
  • Believes that health care is a right
  • Vocally supports government control, but legislative history suggests free market approach
• Vocally supported an individual mandate to purchase insurance
• Subsidized Insurance
  • Supports government payments to people to purchase health insurance
• Medicare / Medicaid
  • Supports the Paul Ryan Plan
  • Supports block grants to the states
  • States that current debt situation is more important than expansion of entitlement programs
• Gubernatorial History
  • Enacted Health care reform as governor that was free market based
  • formed a committe to study problems and implement solution
  • Created exchange that was orders of magnitude cheaper to install than Massachussetts plan
  • no mandate in plan

• Overall Health Care View
  • Supports a free market approach to health care
  • Opposes government control orf intrusion into the health care market
• Medicare Part D
  • It is an unfunded mandate
  •  Supports the repeal of the program
• Medicare / Medicaid
  • Supports the Paul Ryan Plan as a start
  • Reduced the size of the Medicare / Medicare system by 43\\%
  • Block grant the full system to the states
• Obamacare
  • Opposed Obamacare and would act to repeal the law
• Proposed Solutions
  • Market based approachand a health care insurance system that is privately owned and managed
  • Tort reform to control the costs of frivolous lawsuits.

• Overall Health Care View
  
  • Government should be involved in health care only on a welfare basis
  • Entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are not structured properly and unrealistic
  • Government entitlement programs in health care are usually creeps toward socialism
• Opposed "HillaryCare" in early 1990's
• Medicare and Medicaid
  
  • the systems were designed on static models of population and costs which are no longer true
  • change the system to consumer driven health care with more competition in the health care delivery systems, and a change from a system of defined benefits to a system of defined contributions
  • Supports the Paul Ryan Plan
• SCHIP
  
  • supports assisting children with welfare benefits for health care
  • opposed SCHIP expansion as a move towards socialized medicine as "poor" is defined as earning up to $83,000 a year
• Obamacare
  
  • Opposed Obamacare and supports it's repeal
  • Five tactics used to push socialized medicine onto the country
    
    • a government mandate, making government health insurance an option, taxing private health benefits, telling people they can receive free health care, and pushing the "it's now or never" mentality
• 2012 Health Care Reform (unofficial)
  
  • Change the tax code
    • Allow people the same tax deductibility for health insurance as employers
    • Establish a tax structure that does not punish insurance purchasing, such as the Fair Tax
  • Reduce costly government mandates and regulations
  • Allow the purchase of insurance across state lines
  • Expand Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
  • Support Retail Health Clinics
  • Implement Tort Reform
  • Provide Vouchers for the Working Poor and Chronically Ill

• Overall Health Care View
  • Current health care system as a corruption of the true market due to government involvement in the health care system
  • This involvement is driven by lobbyists from health care and pharmaceutical companies who move the laws to benefit them financially
• Medicare and Medicaid
  • Supports the Paul Ryan plan is a good starting place to reduce the costs of Medicare and Medicaid
• Obamacare
  • Opposed Obamacare and supports it's repeal
  • Referred to it as a government takeover of health care
• 2012 Health Care Plan (unofficial)
  • Tort Reform
  • Insurance Reform
  • Purchasing insurance across state lines

• As Speaker of the House, orchestrated balanced budget in the 1990's
  • Proposed the "Contract with America"
• Supports a balanced budget amendment
• Government is the fourth bubble in recent economy behind tech, housing, and stock market
  • Eventually, government will swamp economy
• Signed the cut, cap, and balanced pledge

• Overall Debt Theory
  • Government should be limited to it's role authorized by the constitution
  • All programs outside of this authority should be eliminated
    • These functions, such as education, worker safety, should be returned to the states
  • Has been warning about debt problem since 1980
• Supports balanced budget amendment
• Voting Record
  • Voted against every debt increase while in office
  • Voted to return to 2008 spending levels
• Presidential Pledges
  • Veto any unbalanced budget Congress sends to his desk.
  • Refuse to further raise the debt ceiling so politicians can no longer spend recklessly.

• Overall Debt Theory
  • Government does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem
  • Baby boomers run the risk of being labeled the "worst generation" after granting themselves large entitlements and then passing the cost of those entitlements onto the next generation
• Strong proponent for the need to address entitlement spending to control spending
• 2012 Debt plan
  • Ccap spending at 20\% of GDP
  • Cut non-security discretionary spending by 5 percent
  • Reduce government work force by 10\%
  • Support a balanced budget amendment

• Supports a balanced budget amendment
  • Stated that it is neither extreme nor draconian
  • Would merely return the spending level to it's nominal 18\\\% of GDP
• Supports the cut, cap, and balance plan
• 2011 Debt Crisis
  • Opposed plan to let President Obama raise it himself
  • Stated that it was not leading to simply state that the ceiling cannot be raised
• Voting record
  • Voted on 6 debt ceiling raises
  • 5 times he voted to raise the debt ceiling, once against raising the ceiling
• 2012 Presidential Plan
  
  • Commit to cut $5 trillion of federal spending within 5 years
  • Implement Strong America Now reform through Lean Six Sigma management process as a key engine for cutting government waste and improving efficiency.
  • Immediately reduce federal (non-defense discretionary spending) to 2008 levels through across the board spending cuts.
  • Freeze defense spending levels for 5 years and reject automatic cuts.
  • Freeze spending levels for social programs for 5 years such as Medicaid, Housing, Education, Job Training, and
  • Food Stamps, time limit restrictions, and block grant to the States like in Welfare Reform.
  • Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution capping government spending at 18\% of GDP so that
  • Congress and the President will need to balance the budget like Governors are required to do.

• Vocal advocate for balanced budgets and reduced size of government
  • Credits these facets of the Texas government as key to economic growth
• Gubernatorial Record
  • Texas constitution requires an essentially balanced budget
  • Pushed for a series of changes to Texas budgeting laws relating to the funding of transportation projects
    • Allowed the issuance of bonds for construction projects against the full faith and credit of the state
    • Previously, construction projects were saved for and then carried out
    • Local debt now sits at 2nd in nation at $8,874 per person as a result of bonds for construction
• Supported cap, cut, and balance act during the 2011 debt crisis
• 2012 Deficit Reduction Plan
  • Balance the Budget by 2020
  • Reduce Non-Defense Discretionary Spending by $100 Billion in the First Year
  • Require Presidential Signature on Every Federal Budget
  • Institute Automatic Government Shutdown Protection
  • No More Earmarks
  • Require Emergency Spending to be Spent Only on Emergencies
  • End Baseline Budgeting and Require Common-Sense Scoring Rules
  • PAYGO for New Federal Programs
  • Freeze Federal Civilian Hiring and Salaries Until the Budget is Balanced
  • No More Bailouts

• Debt and deficit is the result of a spending problem, not a revenue problem
• Overspending is caused by
  • Growth of federal government
  • Improper management of fiscal responsibility by Congress and President
  • Unchecked growth of entitlement programs
• Supports a balanced budget amendment
• Sponsored the Truth in Accounting Act
  • This would require government to disclose financial obligations relating to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
• Voting Record
  • Voted against every debt increase while in office
  • Co-sponsored balanced budget initiatives

• Supports a balanced budget amendment
• Would have voted to raise the debt ceiling in 2011 provided that it was accompanied with a similar amount of spending cuts
• Supported the compromise to create the committe of 12
  • Largely because it forced a vote on a balance budget amendment

• Since the federal government is borrowing 43 cents of every dollar it spends, it must reduce it's size by 43\\\%
• 2012 Plan
  • Balance the budget
    
    • End excessive spending, bloated stimulus programs, unnecessary farm subsidies, and earmarks.
    • Reassess the role of the federal government and identify responsibilities that can be met more efficiently by the private sector.
    • Recognize that you can't have limited government at home, but big government abroad.
  • Entitlement Reform
    
    • Identify and implement common-sense cost savings to place Medicare on a path toward long-term solvency.
    • Block grant Medicare and Medicaid funds to the states, allowing them to innovate, find efficiencies and provide better service at lower cost.
    • Repeal ObamaCare, as well as the failed Medicare prescription drug benefit.
    • Fix Social Security by changing the escalator from being based on wage growth to inflation. It's time for Social Security to reflect today's realities without breaking trust with retirees.
  • Audit the Federal Reserve

• Stated that every federal agency, every government program and every single expenditure must be reviewed and revised with a keen eye and a red pen
• Leaders should be willing to shrink budgets by target percentages, and those charged with implementing those changes must be held accountable.

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

• Supports open borders, benefits for illegal aliens, and de facto amnesty.
  
  • Opposes deporting illegal aliens
• Supported and voted for the 1986 Mazzoli-Simpson act to grant amnesty to all illegal aliens
• Supports DREAM Act if passed as an amendment
• Family roots and ties to the community trump immigration laws
• 2012 Immigration Plan
  • Anyone with established roots will remain in the US
  • Local boards will determine US immigration law through selective enforcement of who stays and who leaves
  • Every person gets a "red card" that allows them to stay and work in the US legally as long as they desire
    • They can come and go from the US at will
  • VISA, Mastercard, or another private company will handle all card verification and issuance

• Opposes amnesty - Supports enforcement of valid US immigration laws
  
  • Stated that illegal immigrants are not cheap labor once factors of social services are included
  • Opposes birth-right citizenship
• Proposed plan to deal with immigration in 2005
  • Enforcement of US immigration laws
  • Eliminating the magnets of welfare and citizenship
  • Ending birth-right citizenship
• Opposes employer verification as it places employers in role of law-enforcement
• 2012 Presidential Campain plan
  • Oppose REAl ID
  • Enforce border security
  • Oppose amnesty
  • Abolishing the welfare state
  • End birthright citizenship
  • Protect lawful immigrants

• Supports amnesty for illegal aliens by default
  • Opposes efforts to grant citizenship to illegal aliens
  • Opposes efforts to enforce immigration laws
  • Refused to answer when asked if he would require illegal aliens to return to their home state
• Opposed the Massachusetts DREAM Act
  • Vetoed a state version of the legislation
• Opposed Z-Visa portion of Senator McCain's 2008 proposal
  • Claimed that it was amnesty as it granted citizenship to illegal aliens
  • Stated that there was a lot of room for negotiation on illegal aliens

• Supports enforment of US immigration laws
  • opposes amnesty
  • Has wavered on that somewhat stating that the US may have to "deal with" those already here
• Opposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform packages
• Opposes giving benefits to illegal aliens
  • Has been vocal in opposing social security benefits for illegal aliens
• Strongly supports making english the national language

• Supports amnesty for illegal aliens
  • Stated that there are jobs in the US that Americans will not do
• Signed Texas DREAM Act to grant in-state tuition levels to illegal aliens
  • Stated that punishing children just because they were here illegally was not was the US was all about
  • Noted Texas needed Mexico's children for the future and stated "Si se puede", a popular amnesty call
• Supported a guest worker program to allow people to come and go from the US and work here indefinitely
• Opposed Arizona immigration law
  • Stated that turning law enforcement officers into immigration officers removed them from their task of protecting the people
  • Perry had previously touted the success of multiple cross bureau programs relating to immigration and other areas, including operation Wrangler
  • Stated that focus of law enforcement should be on crime, discounting immigration violation as a crime
• Sanctuary Cities
  • Spoke often of the need to secure sanctuary ciites
  • Texas State DPS policies mirror sanctuary city policies
  • Broached the idea of bi-national health insurance

• Moderate support for the validity of US immigration laws
  
  • States that it was a mistake to give blanket amnesty in 1986 and should not be repeated again
  • US laws already in existence should be enforced
  • Also stated that those illegally should be dealt with depending on their situation
• Opposed Comprehensive reform under President Bush
• Noted that illegal aliens would not be prevented from receiving health care in Obamacare
• Supported Arizona's efforts to stop illegal immigration
• Anti-Illegal legislation
  
  • Co-sponsored the English Language Unity Act of 2009
  • Co-sponsored the SAVE act of 2007

• Supports amnesty for illegal aliens
  
  • Supports the alternative pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens
  • States that removing illegal aliens is not feasible
• Supports the DREAM Act
• Opposes efforts to remove benefits for illegal aliens
  • Fought against efforts made by state legislators to end in-state tuition for illegal aliens
• Opposes a border fence
  • Has acknowledged that one may be necessary before Americans will accept amnesty

• Supports open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens
  • border should be dealt with on a free market basis to make it as easy as possible to come to the US and start working
• Immigration Plan
  1. Establish real and cost-effective border security by continuing to encourage legal immigration, and support current border deterrents and security measures
  2. Create a temporary guest worker program that makes sense
  3. Impose meaningful enforcement of immigration laws.
  4. Enact a reality-based process for current illegal workers to earn legal status.
     1. Allow a two-year grace period during which illegal immigrants already in the U.S. can come forward, pay any taxes owed, provide proof of consistent employment, pass a criminal background check, and apply for guest worker status.
  5. Reduce border crime.
     1. Address the root cause of most border crime by legalizing marijuana, thereby removing 70\\\% of the current cross-border illegal drug trade and replacing cartel and prohibition-related violence with legal, regulated and nonviolent commerce.
  6. Achieve a better working relationship with Mexico.

• Has a strong history of stating support for the validity of US immigration laws
  • States that the US already has a path to citizenship and people wishing to come here should use it
• Wrote a series of op-eds in 2006-2007
  • Noted that illegal aliens were not seeking civil rights equality, but the dismissal of laws they violated
  • Opposed the entitlement mentality of illegal aliens seeking health care and being given it for free by government
  • Noted that slaves sought to be freed and treated equally while illegal aliens seek a different set of rules
  • Stated that the US needed to do 4 things: secure the borders convincingly, expand the temporary worker program for skilled legal immigrants, establish a reliable legal immigrant identification program, and then propose a reasonable program for the 12 million (and counting) illegal persons who broke our laws to get here, but not amnesty
• Opposes comprehensive immigration reform
  • Calls it a "do nothing" policy
• Stated that a Cain administration would:
  • secure the border
  • enforce the laws
  • promote the existing path to citizenship

• US immigration laws are valid and should be enforced
  • Illegal aliens cannot be allowed to take American jobs
  • Businesses cannot be allowed to substitute illegal aliens for US labor
• This is a nation of laws and the border should be secured
• Supports a strong work VISA program

• Supports reforming social security to private accounts
• Cited both the McCotter plan and the Ryan-Sununu plan as sound models
• The Gingrich plan for social security
  • The Chilean model
  • Allow people to transition to a private account system or remain in social security
  • The government would ensure a minimum income from retirements
  • Workers would contribute 6.2\% payroll tax to private accounts
    • Private accounts would be left to surviving family
  • Eventually, a 2.3\% employer tax could take over for social security survivior's and disability
  • A 2.9\% tax would cover what Medicare now covers
  • Paying for those already on the system would be handled through additional taxation

• Social Security is not constitutional nor solvent
  • Original purpose of the program was a social insurance program, with individuals paying a monthly “premium” in exchange for retirement benefits later
  • It was a forced savings program
  • Social Security is a lottery with winners determined by age
  • The main problem with social security is that it's surpluses are not saved, but spent on other items
• The Social Security Trust Fund is a myth
  • no "account" exists holding the money you have put into the system
• Younger generation should be given the opportunity to opt out of the program
• Opposes Totalization agreements
  • Proposed the Social Security for Americans Only Act to prevent benefits for illegal aliens

• Cites the need to reform Social Security to drive down costs
• Supports a number of measures
  • allowing a portion of people to hold their own money in private accounts
  • increasing the retirement age
  • indexing the rate of inflation for the initial social security benefit being the CPI index rather than the wage index for people of higher incomes
  • means testing
  • progressive indexing
• Opposes increasing taxes to make Social Security solvent

• Long time vocal advocate for reforming social security
  • Has noted that structure of system is flawed with demographics no longer feasible
• Opposed use of Social Security funds on other items
  • Supported "lock box" for social security surplus
• Supported partial-privatization
  • Noted this was similar to federal employee plan
  • Stated this could make up social security deficit
• Co-sponsored the Social Security Guarantee Act of 2005
  • Prohibited any changes to the social security system for anyone born before 1950
  • Guaranteed cost of living adjustments for senior
• Supports changing COLA from wage inflation to cost inflation
• All options should on the table when addressing social security
• 2012 Presidential Plan
  
  • adjust the CPI
  • adjust dependent benefits and disability income benefits
  • move back the retirement age for younger workers
  • means testing benefits
  • dedicate Social Security payroll taxes to Social Security

• Social Security is a ponzi scheme
  • His children were aware that the program would not be there for them
  • Stated that it was a monstrous lie to the next generation that social security would be there for them
• Would consider letting the states decide their own social security implementation
• 2012 Presidential Plan
  
  • No change for those at or near retirement
  • Prevent politicians from raiding the Social Security Trust Fund
    • Allow young workers to place a portion of their SS funds into private account
  • Raise retirement age for chosen workers
    • Gradual phased-in raise for the Social Security retirement age
    • Leave the early-retirement age at 62
    • Exceptions for those in labor-intensive jobs, such as mining
  • Means Testing
    • A blended index where low wage earners and those near retirement receive the same benefits
    • High wage earners receive lower benefits
  • Allow state employees to opt out of Social Security

• Current social security system is not sustainable and not realistic
• Proposed the Truth in Accounting Act
  • Would require the President to consider the long-term shortfalls from unfunded mandates when he proposes his budget
• Supports means testing for Social Security and Medicare
• Supports allowing anyone under 55 to opt out of the system with no change to anyone above that age

• Current path of social security not sustainable
• Stated that young people should be able to opt out
• Supports means testing for Social Security and Medicare
  • Has called for shared sacrifice
• Would consider raising money from wealthiest Americans

• Reforming social security is a necessity
• Supports partial-privatization of social security
  • People should be allowed to self-direct a portion or all of the money they pay into the system
  • Even today, he would opt to self-direct 100\\% of his funds in the system
• COLA
  • Supports changing the method of calculating COLA from being based on wage growth to being based on inflation
  • This will more properly reflect the realities of a dollar with a declining purchasing power
• Supports means testing

• Strong advocate of addressing the insufficiencies in social security
  • Represents a threat to the national debt
• Reform Plan
  • Not change for anyone over 55
  • Allow young people to opt out of social security program
  • Supports Chilean model
    • Personal accounts for those that choose it
    • Money not directed into stock market, but managed by individual

• Plan for Social Security
  • Proposed increasing the retirement age for social security by one month each year for 24 years

• Believes in man-made Global Warming
  • Stated that evidence was sufficient that global warming existed and that action needed to be taken immediately
  • Introduced a "Contract with the Earth"
  • Made PSA with House Speaker Pelosi noting the dangers of global warming
• Supports expanded drilling
  • Proposed a series of prizes to be awarded to individuals or companies that develop new energy efficient automobiles and other items
  • Supports the removal of bureaucratic and legal obstacles to responsible oil and natural gas development
  • Federal government should create a federal royalty revenue sharing to give coastal states an incentive to allow offshore development
• Supports tax incentives to retrofit coal energy facilities for new carbon sequestering technologies
• Supports the goal of obtaining 25\% of US energy from renewable sources by 2025
• Has supported and opposed cap-and-trade
  • Supports programs that incentivize carbon reduction
• Opposes EPA regulation of carbon
• 2012 Energy Plan
  • Remove bureaucratic and legal obstacles to responsible oil and natural gas development in the United States, offshore and on land.
  • End the ban on oil shale development in the American West, where we have three times the amount of oil as Saudi Arabia.
  • Give coastal states federal royalty revenue sharing to give them an incentive to allow offshore development.
  • Reduce frivolous lawsuits that hold up energy production by enacting loser pays laws to force the losers in an environmental lawsuit to pay all legal costs for the other side.
  • Finance cleaner energy research and projects with new oil and gas royalties.
  • Replace the Environmental Protection Agency, which has become a job-killing regulatory engine of higher energy prices, with an Environmental Solutions Agency that would use incentives and work cooperatively with local government and industry to achieve better environmental outcomes while considering the impact of federal environmental policies on job creation and the cost of energy.

• Energy Policy
  • Supports removal of government from the energy sector
  • States that if government regulation and subsidies were removed from industry, energy would be cheaper
• Global Warming
  • Does not believe in man-made global warming
  • Calls is a hoax, notes change from "global warming" to "climate change"
  • Had previously supported subsides for fuel efficient vehicle purchases
• Opposes cap-and-trade
  • Opposes EPA regulation of carbon
• Property Rights
  • Asserts that pollution and environmental regulation should be dealt with using property rights
  • No person has the right to pollute another person's water, land, or air
• Supports an all-of-the-above approach
  • Does not believe that government should subsidize or coerce the energy market, but that all options should compete fairly
  • In a true open market, the best energy source would prevail

• Global Warming
  • Believes in man-made global warming
  • Is not sure to what extent man is contributing
• Supports cap-and-trade
  • Would not support the system if it applied only to the US
  • Also noted that he would not sign on to agreements on environmental if they did not apply to all relevant nations
• Supports all-of-the-above energy policy
  • Supports drilling in ANWR
  • Supports drilling in outer continental shelf
• Supports "No Regrets" policies of using government resources to pursue clean energy
• Presidential Proposals
  • Reduce and reform regulation
    • streamline and fast-track the permitting process for safe companies and procedures
    • overhaul outdated legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act
    • Reform nuclear regulation to make building nuclear power plants feasible
  • Increase production of energy
    • sanction an inventory of energy resources
    • explore for resources anywhere it can be safely done including ANWR and offshore
    • extract shale gas
  • Expand research and development.
    • focus government funding on research and development of new energy technologies and on initial demonstration projects that establish the feasibility of discoveries
    • fund projects through a DARPA model of long-term guaranteed funding

• Does not believe in man-made global warming
  • Referred to the idea as patently absurd
• Opposes cap-and-trade legislation
  • Stated that such a law would destroy a state like Pennsylvania
• Supports all manners of energy production
  • Supports drilling in ANWR and the outer continental shelf

• Global Warming
  • Was Senator Al Gore's Texas Campaign chairman in 1988
  • Senator Gore was already known as environmentalist
  • Stated that there is no evidence of man-made global warming
• Gubernatorial Record
  • Signed an executive order for rapid construction of power plants
  • Texas has the Texas Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)
    • The RPS requires companies that sell electricity to retail customers to support renewable energy generation
    • state establishes that a set amount of electricity be generated through renewable resources - the standard
    • the standard requires that each provider obtain new renewable energy capacity based on the their market share of energy sales times the renewable capacity goal
    • a company that sales X\\% of Texas's electricity must get X\\% from renewable resources
  • Perry set the standard to triple by 2015 and almost double again by 2025
  • Texas is largest supplier of wind energy in US
    • Starter public/private initiative where electricity companies pledged $10 billion in wind energy infrastructure in exchange for assistance in building transmission lines from windy plains in west Texas to cities
• Opposes cap-and-trade
• Opposes EPA regulation of greenhouse gases
• Opposes Ethanol Mandate

• Global Warming
  • Does not believe in man-made global warming
  • Refered to it as a hoax
  • Called for more investigations
• Opposes cap-and-trade
  • It is an energy tax that will not only cripple the US manufacturing sector
• Opposes the actions of the EPA to regulate carbon
• Energy policy
  • Supports an all-of-the-above approach
  • Supports drilling in ANWR
  • Supports drilling in the outer continental shelf

• Believes in man-made global warming
• Supports cap-and-trade and other carbon limitation programs
  • Signed the Western Climate Initiative
  • Has stated that it is not practical to have a cap-and-trade system in the US while not in the rest of the world

• Believes in man-made global warming
  
  • However, the effects of man-made global warming are grossly overstated
• Supports free market energy supply
• Opposes ethanol subsidies

• Does not believe in man-made global warming
• Opposes cap-and-trade
  • Called it a tax scheme
• Supports an all-of-the-above approach to energy
• Supports drilling in ANWR
• Supports drilling in the outer-continental shelf

• The Federal government actively discourages our energy independence by limiting when and where we can secure domestic sources of energy
• Supports the elimination of the Department of Energy
• Supports an all-of-the-above approach to energy, including oil, clean coal, natural gas, nuclear, solar, hydroelectric, wind and geothermal sources of energy
• Opposes ethanol and other energy subsidies.

• Stated that obtaining the lowest possible tax burden on the population as in the best interests of  the economy
• Has advocated for a flatter overall tax system
• Supports the Bush tax cuts and making them permanent
• 2008 Tax Plan
  • A single rate of tax (for example, 17\%) on all individual and corporate taxpayers;
  • Elimination of all taxes on savings, dividends, and capital gains;
  • Elimination of the death tax and Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT);
  • A standard deduction, which would be above the established poverty level so that an optional flat tax would not unfairly target the poor
• 2012 Tax Plan
  • Stop the 2013 tax increase to promote stability in the economy. 
  • Make the United States the most desirable location for new business investment through a bold series of tax cuts and regulatory reforms, including:
    • Eliminating the capital gains tax to make American entrepreneurs more competitive against those in other countries;
    • Dramatically reducing the corporate income tax (the highes in the world) to 12.5\%;
    • Allowing for 100\% expensing of new equipment to spur innovation and American manufacturing;
    • Ending the death tax permanently.

• Strong proponent for tax reform and repeal
  • Taxes were equivalent to stealing from the citizens and are a symptom of a runaway government
  • Opposes the view that all revenue is owned by the government and that it allows citizens to keep certain amounts
  • Any tax reform that does not lower or eliminate a tax is a shell game that pits taxpayers against each other in a lobbying scramble to make sure the other guy pays
• Supports ability to deduct state sales tax, just as state income tax is deducted
• Strongly supports eliminating the death tax
  • It discourages savings and investment, undermines job creation and wage growth, stifles investment, and contradicts a central premise of American life, namely, building wealth and “getting ahead”
• Strongly supports eliminating the AMT
  • The source of the tax - that large portions of the population were escaping paying taxes - is false and that the government should be able to dictate how much of a citizen's earnings they can keep based upon the income the government believes is appropriate
• Fair Tax
  • Supports the Fair Tax in theory
  • However installing a sales tax without repealing the 16th amendment (the income tax) would only lead to a scenario where both the sales tax and the income tax are enforced
• 2012 Tax Plan
  • Restrict the federal government to it's constitutional role
  • Once this is done, the income tax, IRS, capital gains tax, and estate tax can all be elimintated

• Consistent supporter of lowering taxes
• Strong supporter of the Bush tax cuts
• Consistently supported is allowing families making below a certain amount to save their money for retirement without being taxed on it
• Fair Tax
  • Consumption tax did have a lot going for it in a number of areas
  • Does not support the system due to
    • the high rate needed to bring in the approprate amount of revenue
    • the application of the tax on items like new houses and not on already built houses
• 2008 Tax Plan
  • Permanently Reduce The Lowest Income Tax Bracket to 7.5\\%
  • Permanently Eliminate Payroll Taxes On Employees Over The Age Of 65
  • Make Middle-Class Savings Tax Free
  • Make the Bush Tax Cuts permanent
  • End the Death Tax
  • Patch or permanently end the AMT
  • Make The Research And Development Tax Credit Permanent
  • Oppose Any Increase In Social Security Taxes
  • Reduce The Corporate Tax Rate To 20\% Over Two Years
• 2012 Tax Plan
  • Individual Taxes
    • Maintain marginal rates at current levels
    • Further reduce taxes on savings and investment
    • eliminate the death tax
    • Long term goal - pursue a flatter, fairer, simpler structure
  • Corporate Taxes
    
    • Lower the corporate income tax rate to 25\\%
    • Transition to a "territorial" tax system

• Strong supporter of the Bush tax cuts while in office
  • voted for and co-sponsored the legislation
  • supported their extension and is in favor of making them permanent
• 2012 Tax Reform Plan
  • Cut and simplify personal income taxes by cutting the number of tax rates to just two - 10\% and 28\% and return to Reagan era pro-growth tax rate;
  • Simplify the tax code and reduce middle income taxes by eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT);
  • Simplify the tax code, encourage savings and investment, and reduces taxes by eliminating the Death Tax;
  • Lower the Capital Gains and Dividend tax rates to 12\% to spur economic growth and investment;
  • Reduce taxes for families by tripling the personal deduction for each child;
  • Reduce and simplify taxes for families by eliminating marriage tax penalties throughout the federal tax code;
  • Retain deductions for charitable giving, home mortgage interest, healthcare, retirement savings, and children;
  • Eliminate the cap on deductions for losses incurred in the sale of a principal residence;
  • Cut the corporate income tax rate in half to make our businesses competitive around the world, from 35\% to 17.5\%;
  • Eliminate the corporate income tax for manufacturers to spur middle income job creation in the United States and benefit from the job multiplier effect in manufacturing;
  • Increase the Research & Development Tax Credit from 14\% to 20\% and make it permanent to spur on innovation in America;
  • Eliminate the tax on repatriated taxable corporate income invested for manufacturers equipment investment, 5.25\% corporate tax rate on other repatriated income invested in the USA, and 100\% expensing for new business equipment;

• Strong vocal proponent of lowering taxes
  
  • States that low tax rate is one of the primary reason for strong Texas economy
• As a state legislator, Rick Perry voted for the largest tax increase in Texas history in 1987
  
  • Raised the sales tax from from 5 1/4 cents per dollar to 6 cents per dollar
  • Iincreased corporate franchise taxes
  • Llevied a new $110 annual "occupation tax" on 12 professional groups
• Gubernatorial Record
  
  • Opposed the creation of a state income tax
  • Reformed the franchise tax system (HB 3)
    
    • broadened the classes of business entities subject to the Texas franchise tax
    • replaced the manner of calculating the tax base
    • changed the rate applied to the tax base
  • School Tax Reform (HB 1)
    
    • school districts can raise the tax rate only 4 cents one time
    • beyond that, voter approval is required
    • even with voter approval, a 6 cent raise was the maximum
  • Preventing Appraisal Creep
    
    • lower the residential appraisal cap on city and county taxes from 10\% to 5\%
    • double the local property tax homestead exemption to $6,000
    • allowing local governments the option of conducting an election to enact a half-cent countywide sales tax constitutionally dedicated to property tax reduction
• Signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge
  
  • ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income taxrates for individuals and/or businesses; and
  • TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.
• 2012 Tax Plan
  • Allow Individuals to Choose Between Existing Tax Code or New Flat Tax System
    • 20\%
    • Preserve Deductions for Mortgage Interest, Charity, and State/Local Taxes
  • Eliminate Tax on Social Security Benefits
  • No Federal Sales Tax or Value-Added Tax
  • Eliminate Tax on Qualified Dividends and Long-Term Capital Gains
  • Eliminate the Death Tax
  • Eliminate Corporate Loopholes and Special-Interest Tax Breaks
  • Reduce Corporate Income Tax Rate to 20\% to Enhance American Competitiveness
  • Enhance American Competitiveness by Transitioning to a Territorial Tax System
  • Allow Locked-Up Overseas Capital to be Brought Back to the U.S. at a Reduced Tax Rate

• Supports lower taxes for all areas
  • Supports ending the death tax
  • Supports ending the AMT
  • Supports extending the Bush tax cuts
  • Supports ending the tax on capital gains
  • Co-sponsored legislation to accomplish all these items
• 2012 Tax Plan (unofficial)
  • Cut the corporate tax rate of 34 percent to "single digits" to spur growth and job creation
  • Kill capital gains taxes
  • Zero out the death tax
  • Cap personal income taxes at 20 percent
  • Propose a "flatter tax" and a tax code no longer than 50-pages "double spaced, with a font size no smaller than 9-point. My guess is that even some of my Democratic colleagues would be able to read that bill."

• Tax Reform Plan
  • Simplify the tax code
    
    • Eliminate all tax credits and tax deductions
    • Create 3 brackets of 8\%, 14\%, and 23\%
  • Eliminate the AMT
  • Eliminate the tax on capital gains and dividends
  • Lower corporate rates from 35\% to 25\%

• 2012 Tax Plan
  • Eliminate punitive taxation of savings and investment
  • Simplify the tax code; stop using it to reward special interests and control behavior
  • Adopt a flat tax on income or consumption
  • End the corporate tax rate
• Supports the Fair Tax

• Overall Tax Theory
  • IRS is a burden on the US economy
  •  
• Economic Plan - 9-9-9 Plan - Vision for Economic Growth
  •  Phase One
    • Eliminate taxes on repatriated profits and capital gains
    • Business flat tax of 9\\\%
    • Flat income tax of 9\\\%
    • Establish a sales tax of 9\\\%
  • Phase Two
    • End the income tax
    • Establish the fair tax national sales tax

• Current tax code is unfair, unreadable and unworkable
  • This complexity makes the tax code favor large businesses that have the resources to navigate them
• Reform the tax code to make it flatter, fairer, and broader base
  • Eliminate loopholes and simplify the tax brackets
  • No tax on the first $100,000 of income for anyone
  • Two brackets of 5\% and 25\% for income above $100,000
  • A consumption tax of 10\% combined with the lowered income taxes

• Supports traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman
  • Opposes adoption by gay couples
  • Supported California's Proposition 8
• Supports the Defense of Marriage Act
• Supports an amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman if DOMA ruled unconstitutional

• Marriage is defined as between one man and one woman
  • It is not a function of government to discuss the definition of something that has a clearly defined definition
• Constitutional View
  • States did not create the idea of marriage, but rather issue licenses for health reasons
  • Most people view their marriage day as being joined in the eyes of their creator and not in the eyes of the state
  • Marriage is not a function of government and should have not involvement
• Supports the Marriage Protection Act

• Supported gay marriage at the start of his political career
  • Wrote a letter to a gay rights group known as the Log Cabin Club claiming that he supported full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens
  • 2002 campaign circulated a flier in a gay pride weekend asserting his support for equal rights for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation
• Gay Marriage was enacted when Governor Romney was in office
  • Supported the establishment of civil unions to satisfy a court decision that a legal alternative be available for marriage
  • Would not issue an order forbidding the establishment of gay marriage
  • Abided by court ruling as law
• Strong supporter of traditional marriage since 2005
  • Opposes civil unions
  • Every child deserves a mother and a father
• Supports a constitutional amendment to define gay marriage
  • A hodgepodge of state marriage rules is not feasible

• Marriage is between one man and one woman
  • Every society in history has upheld the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman
  • Burden fell upon gay couples to establish why the definition of marriage should be changed
  • Opposes the adoption of children to same-sex couples
• Supports the Defense of Marriage Act
• Tenth amendment view
  • Does not believe that States should be allowed to redefine marraige to their choosing and create 50 different versions of marriage
• Supports a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman
• Voting Record
  • Voted in favor of DOMA and a constitutional amendment
• Legislative history
  • Co-Sponsored constitutional amendment

• Marriage is defined as between one man and one woman
  • Supports state-wide legislation to define marriage
  • Signed a Texas constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman
• Tenth amendment view
  • Believes that marriage is a state's rights issue and should not be addressed on that national level
  • Supported New York's right to define marriage in that state

• Defines marriage as between one man and one woman
• Tenth amendment view of marriage
  • Each state has the right to determine their own laws as established in the tenth amendment
  • If elected President, she would not act to overturn any state law legalizing gay marriage
  • Each state should hold a vote and let the people decide the issue and not simply enact the legislation
• Supports DOMA
• Supports a constitutional amendment to define marriage

• Supports the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman
  • Supported an amendment to the Utah constitution which defined marriage as one man and one woman
  • You open a pandora's box when you try to redefine marriage
• Supports civil unions which are legally equivalent to marriage in reciprical beneficiary rights and many other regards

• Does not believe that government should be involved in marriage, but that it should simply hand out civil unions
  • This view places all couples on level ground with respect to the government
  • Removing the government from the institute of marriage represents the freedom and liberty that the Republicans should be espousing
  • Government should get out of the marriage business and into the civil union business and leave marriage to the churches
• Critical of the Family Leader Marriage Pledge
  • Called it the opposite of the freedoms of liberty that Republicans are supposed to espouse

• Marriage is defined as between one man and one woman
• Supports a constitutional amendment to define marriage

• Marriage is defined as between one man and one woman
• Believes that the issue of marriage is one that should be decided at the state level
  • If the states voted to legalize gay marriage or civil unions, he would oppose the effort but honor the results
• Supports the Defense of Marriage Act

• Very strong supporter of NAFTA
  • Was instrumental in passing the legislation
  • The idea that Mexico will hijack our industrial base is a myth
  • Any impact on US jobs would be small and if whatever effects were felt would be beneficial
  • US could see large financial benefits from NAFTA in 10-15 years (from 1993)
  • A prosperous, stable and democratic Mexico would simply be a better neighbor than a poor, unstable and undemocratic Mexico as higher economic growth would ultimately reduce illegal immigration into the United States
  • Today, the US is not in competition with Mexico for jobs, but with China.

• Theoretically supports free trade
  
  • Moral
    
    • People have the right to spend their money on imports if they desire to do so
  • Economic
    
    • Fewer barriers allows markets to stablize on best product
  • Peace
    
    • Countries that trade with each other seldom go to war with each other
• Opposes trade deals such as NAFTA, CAFTA
  • This is managed trade
  •  Managed trade and subsidized trade do not qualify as free trade
• The Constitution is very clear: Article I, section 8, gives the Congress the responsibility of dealing with international trade. It does not delegate it to the President, it does not delegate it to a judge, it does not delegate it to an international management organization like the World Trade Organization
• Legislative record
  • Voted against CAFTA and all other Free Trade Agreements while in office
  • Sponsored legislation to end NAFTA

• Supports free trade principles
  
  • Nations that enact protectionist tariffs and policies eventually crumble
  • Access to foreign markets is crucial to growing the US economy
• Supports free trade programs such as NAFTA and CAFTA
  • President Obama had failed to close old free trade agreements and failed to pursue new free trade agreements
  • Pledged to finish agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, and to pursue new agreements with countries such as India and Brazil.
• Proposed the creation of a new organization which would be similar to the World Trade Organization
  
  • This new organization would hold members to a higher standard on items such as intellectual property

• Generally supportive of free trade principles and policies
  • Free trade agreements have both economic and national security benefits
• Supported GATT
  • GATT agreements will add tens of billions of dollars annually to our gross domestic product and create hundreds of thousands of additional jobs across the country
  • The accords mean lower tariffs on agriculture and manufactured products, expanded protections for the intellectual property of U.S. firms, and a new set of rules to govern disputes more effectively
• Supported CAFTA
  • Urged President to sign agreements that were comprehensive in scope in order to ensure that the entire United States economy can benefit from new market opportunities provided by such agreements
• Opposed NAFTA
  • Did not believe that Mexico would be a particularly trustworthy trading partner
• Opposed the Doha round of trade agreements

• Supports free trade programs such as NAFTA.
  • Proposed the development of the NAFTA superhighway through the state of Texas
  • In 2001, stated that the US was just beginning to see the fruits of NAFTA
• Three facets needed for a successful future are education, job creation, and free trade

• Generally supportive of free trade agreements
  • Stated that they help spur economic growth; improve efficiency and innovation; create better, higher-paying jobs for hard-working Americans; and increase the availability of lower-priced products here in the United States
• Supports completion of agreements with Panama, South Korea and Colombia

• Strong supporter of free trade policies and agreements
  • Free trade is the cornerstone of a good economy and good international relationships
  • Served as the Deputy US Trade Representative from 2001-2004
  • Witnessed first-hand that economic freedoms reinforce political freedoms
  • US should aggressively pursue free trade agreements
  • US won't remain the most productive economy in the world if we embrace the mistaken belief that we can prosper by selling and buying only among ourselves, while other countries seize the extraordinary opportunities for economic growth that the global economy offers
  • Trade is the currency of peace in that countries that trade together rarely go to war
• Supported NAFTA
  • Stated that it had been a success beyond anyone's expectations and brought lower prices to American families
• Called for a new round of WTO trade agreements

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

• Generally supportive of free trade policies and agreements
  •   Believes protectionist economic policies are harmful
  • Free trade is not a zero sum game,  everyone can benefit from it
  • US should have trade deals with it's friends and make trade agreements that are done appropriately
• Agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA have not worked to the benfit of the US
  • Uncle Sam needed to stop being Uncle Sucker when it comes to free trade agreements

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

• Itt is fundamentally misleading to try to isolate Afghanistan without understanding the role of sanctuaries in Northwest Pakistan
• The war in Afghanistan would likely not end well as the US continually underestimates the number of troops required to complete the job there.

• Supported action in Afghanistan against the Taliban
• Voted in in favor of resolution authorizing the use of force
  • A letter of reprisal would be more constitutional since war can only be declared against a country and not an entity such as the Taliban
  • Cautioned against entering a vague and undefined "war"
  • The "authorization of force" was the only option available and doind nothing was unthinkable
• Supporting ending military presence in Afghanistan in mid 2002
  • The Taliban had been defeated
  • There was no need to stay in Afghanistan and rebuild it out of some sense of obligation
• Has maintained a position of ending the war since 2002
  • Drawing the US into a prolonged war was a plan put forth by Osama Bin Laden and the war threatens to do exactly what he stated was it's objective - to contribute to the bankruptcy of the US
  • The US now found itself mired in a war where victory could not be defined by the American people and withdraw cannot be accepted by the politicians
• Pledged to end the war and bring home the troops as part of the 2008 campaign
• Opposed the surge of troops into Afghanistan under President Obama
• Stated that war in Afghanistan is unconstitutional as no declaration of war is present and Taliban have been defeated

• Supported the surge of troops into Afghanistan by President Obama
  • Was critical of the timeline attached to those troops
• Would advocate for removing troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible after 2012
  • Only if the advisors on the ground agree

• Supported military action in Afghanistan
  • Voted in favor of resolution authorizing the use of force
  • It was not a time merely to bring people to justice. It was a time to wage war and win a war against those who committed 9/11, against those who harbor those who committed 9/11, and against those who support and encourage those who committed 9/11
• Supported the surge strategy in Afghanistan
  • Noted that it was a counter-insurgency strategy that worked in Iraq
  • Opposed the timelines with those troops to withdraw
• Stated that if elected President, he would cancel the withdraw

• Not expressed a plan for Afghanistan

• Opposed President Obama's surge in 2009
  • The President's reasons are incoherent and it appeared we were sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to train people on jobs programs and not to win wars
• Opposed the drawdown of surge troops by urging the President to stay the course
  • The President rarely spoke of victory or winning the war.

• The US has completed its objectives in Afghanistan
• Would withdraw the bulk of the troops from Afghanistan
  • Leave 10,000 to 15,000 troops
• US presence in Afghanistan is not consistent with how the US ought to be responding
• One in every six dollars from defense is being spent in Afghanistan and the the nation does not strategically warrant such spending

• Supported the initial invasion of Afghanitan,
  • The objectives there were accomplished six months after the invasion
• Supports the immediate removal of troops from Afghanistan
• The United States should not be borrowing money to build roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure in foreign countries, especially when such help is currently needed at home. Non-military foreign aid around the world is something we can not currently afford

• Supportive of the goals of the war in Afghanistan and US involvement
• Refrained from offering a strategy in Afghanistan
  • Offering a strategy prior to having all information available to the President is not realistic

• Supported the invasion of Afghanistan
• Stopped short of saying that it was time to come home from Afghanistan, but did say it was time to ask the question

• Opposed the bailout in it's initial form that failed
• Stated that had he been in office at the time, he would have reluctantly voted for the TARP legislation
• Favored suspending mark to market rules

• Opposed TARP
  
  • It is immoral--Dumping bad debt on the innocent taxpayers is an act of theft and is wrong.
  • It is unconstitutional--There is no constitutional authority to use government power to serve special interests.
  • It is bad economic policy--By refusing to address the monetary system while continuing to place the burdens of the bailout on the dollar, we can be certain that in time, we will be faced with another, more severe crisis when the market figures out that there is no magic government bailout or regulation that can make a fraudulent monetary system work.
• The need to "do something" was overstated as the market correction would eventually adjust to economic realities
• No entity could be too big to fail or should be given special treatment because it represented an economic incentive to act.
• Opposed the second installment of TARP
• Voting Record
  • Voted against TARP both times

• Supported the Emergency Economic Relief Act that created TARP
  • While everyone did not agree on TARP, it was necessary to prevent a cascade of bank collapses
  • Had TARP not been pushed through, a free fall may have occurred that would have caused not just the collapse of a few banks on wall street, but banks all across the country, killing not only a few jobs but jobs all across the country

• Opposed the TARP program
  • The program was not in the best long term interests of the country

• Supported the TARP Program
  • Co-wrote a letter to leaders of Congress urging them to act within a day of initial TARP failure in Congress
  • Later claimed the letter supported action but not TARP specifically

• Early and vocal opponent of TARP
  • Opposes "too big to fail" mindset
  • Congress was being told that the consequences of inaction or even of deliberative action would be severe; but that the consequences of hasty action were just as dire
  • TARP is rushed, unworkable, and short-sighted
• Supported suspending mark to market rules and other items over direct cash injection
• Opposed releasing second installment of TARP
• Voting Record
  • Voted against TARP legislation both times

• Supported the Troubled Asset Relief Program
  • It was necessary for Congress to step in and do something

• Stated that he would have opposed the TARP program
  • The involvement of Henry Paulson in the bailouts of certain companies amounts to an inside job

• Supported government action as crisis unfolded
  
  • US government was the only entity with shoes big enough to fill the void left by the economic collapses
• Initially supported TARP plan
  
  • Plan was far from nationalization and would be a win-win for taxpayers
  • Plan would not lead to a takeover of the banking industry
• Eventually opposed TARP
  • The plan had not been carried out as the legislation stated
  • Preferred stock was called for in the legislation but this restriction was not being adhered to by Congress

• TARP program was a failure
  • The program propped up banks that behaved inappropriately with their clients and their money

• Initially supported a no-fly zone
  • Stated that he would institute a no-fly zone over Libya
  • Then communicate that Ghaddaffi was no longer in power to convince the Libyan military to switch sides
• Critical of President Obama's actions
  • The most generous comment that he would give to President Obama's actions was ineptitude
  • The standard of humanitarian intervention could apply to Sudan, to North Korea, to Zimbabwe, to Syria this week, to Yemen, and to Bahrain
• Later stated that he would not have invaded Libya
  • He would not have intervened and there were a lot of other ways to affect Qaddafi

• Opposed military intervention into Lybia
  • A no-fly zone was not an action to be taken lightly and was an act of war
  • The cost of enforcing the no-fly zone would contribute to the bankruptcy of the US
  • Libyan action would not further US foreign policy as we could not know the goals of those opposing Ghaddafi
  • The President's actions with respect to Libya represented the last nail in the Constitutional Republic of the United States as clearly stated law was being violated and war declared without the consent of Congress
• Introduced a resolution stating that Congressional approval was required for military action in Libya
  • It was black letter law and the intent of the founders was indisputably clear: Congress alone, not the Executive Branch, has the authority and the obligation to declare war if hostilities are to be initiated against a foreign state that has not attacked the United States
  • Libya had not attacked the US and that the actions in Libya amounted to a coup d'etat in a foreign country
• Joined in a lawsuit against the President to force him to cease actions in Libya without Congressional approval
• Voted in favor of resolutions to remove troops

• Supported military action in Libya in 2011
• Was critical of of President Obama's hesitance for action in Libya
  • Libyan incident was typical of President Obama's lacking overall foreign policy
    • Committed to our success in Afghanistan unless it means commitment beyond 2011
    • Stands with Israel but condemns its settlement policy more than Hamas’ rocket attacks
    • Calls for the removal of Muammar Gaddafi, but then conditions our action on the directions we get from the Arab League and the United Nations

• Supported military intervention into Libya
  • opposed the timing and method of President Obama
• President Obama's hesitance and indecisiveness led to a missed opportunity to be a force for good in Libya
• The US should have come in at the tipping point and helped the rebels defeat Ghaddafi

• Remained largely silent on actions in Libya
• Stated that Ghaddaffi's death was good news for the people of Libya and that the U.S. must also take an active role in ensuring the security of any remaining stockpiles of Qaddafi’s weapons.

• Has opposed the use of military force in Libya
  • Libya did not represent a threat to US interests and therefore military intervention was not necessary
  • There was no clear goal
  • Would not authorize the arming of the rebels in Libya as their motivations and identity were still in question
• Criticized President Obama's desire to both continue military efforts through handing control of US forces to another leader, and at the same time wash his hands of the war
• Notes the "Obama Doctrine" of foreign policy
  • Using the military for humanitarian missions in any country whose people desire assistance
  • This will lead to consistent invasion of country after country with no end
• Voted in favor of resolutions against deploying troops to Libya, and to remove the troops from Libya.
• Voted against a resolution to grant authority to President Obama in Libya
• Voted against a resolution to restrict funding from being used for the mission in Libya

• Does not support military action in Libya
  • Would not have initiated such action if he were President
  • Libya was not core to our national security interests

• Opposes operations in Libya from A-Z
• Has noted that there was no congressional authority for such action
  • There is nothing constitutional about felling a dictator we don't like
• Noted that there are several other countries in that region that qualify for the same kind of military intervention

• Oppose US intervention into Libya
  • inappropriate and wrong
• Critical of President Obama's actions in Libya
  • President Obama had pursued conflicting and confusing policies in Libya

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

Enter Bullet Point Summary

• Does not support sanctions against Iran
  • Sanctions only harm the poorest people in a nation and are an act of war and a prelude to full blown war
  • Vigorous economic interaction with numerous countries has brought down regimes similar to the one in Iran
  • In 2009, Congressman Paul argued against further possible sanctions noting that economically isolating the country may create a unifying effect within Iran
• Does not believe that a nuclear Iran is a threat to the US or Israel
  
  • Iran is not a signatory of nuclear nonproliferation treaty and has abided by the IAEA rules
• Iran is not a threat to Israel or the US as it's military is small and it's military technology is not comparable to the US

• Hard line stance on the relationship with Iran
  • Supports strong economic sanctions
  • Diplomatic isolation of Iran
  • Ensuring that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons
• Stated that Iran was involved in attacks against US soldiers in Iraq
• Five part plan for dealing with Iran
  • economic sanctions
  • diplomatic isolation
  • communicating to the Iranian people about the dangers of a nuclear Iran
  • engaging the moderate Muslim states in the neighborhood
  • putting together a much broader comprehensive strategy to defeat radical jihad in the world of Islam
• Opposed the idea that Iran could be reasoned with and engaged verbally
  • a charm offensive will not talk the Iranians out of their pursuit of nuclear weapons
  • agreements, unenforceable and unverifiable, will have no greater impact here than they did in North Korea
• Iranian leadership is the greatest immediate threat to the world since the fall of the Soviet Union, and before that, Nazi Germany
• The military option must remain on the table -- and that threat needs to be crediblle

• Believes that Iran is a threat to the US and takes a hard line approach towards the country
• Supported the Iran Freedom and Support Act
  • The act codifies sanctions, controls, and regulations currently in place against Iran by Executive order into statute, and would dedicate funds to promote democracy in Iran
• Iran was promoting terrorism activities and Islamic fascism ideology that undergirds that terrorist activity in the Middle East
• Iran has been implicated in the 1996 attack on U.S. military personnel at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia
• Iran was contributing to terrorist activities in Iraq
• Iran had a dismal record on human rights, women's rights, and worker's rights
• Iran was within it's rights to pursue nuclear energy, it was only using this as a disguise to pursue nuclear weapons
• Iran is a country that has been at war with the US since 1979, and that Iran is a country that has killed more American men and women in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan than the Iraqis and the Afghanistans
• Iran is and existential threat to the state of Israel
• Supports the assassination of Iranian scientists that may be involved in nuclear engineering there

• In 2007, asked the Employees Retirement System (ERS) and Teachers Retirement System (TRS) to divest all investments from companies doing business with Iran
• In response to Iran's support for those seeking to harm our men and women in uniform.
• US cannot turn a blind eye to the agenda of a terrorist state like Iran and their ongoing investment in acts of terror
• Iran is an epicenter for terrorist activity, provides a safe haven, training and equipment to al-Qaeda, and Iran's leaders provide aid and arms to terrorist insurgents fighting American troops in Iraq

• Takes a hard line stance against Iran.
• Claimed in an interview that Iran had a plan to divide Iraq into three sections with one section reserved for terrorist training activities.
• Referred to Iranian President Achmadenijad as a madman
• Opposes Iran obtaining nuclear weapons
  
  • US must take whatever means necessary to ensure that Iran does not obtain US weapons
• Supported popular uprising in Iran in November of 2010
• Responded to a foiled attempt by Iranian operatives to assassinate a Saudi ambassador by stating that Iran attempted the act because President Obama showed weakness

• Would consider the use of force against Iran
  • Iif they continue to develop weapons of mass destruction
  • If they develop a nuclear weapon

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

• Has stated that the US should attempt diplomatic efforts to end Iran's nuclear program
• Cain Doctrine
  • The US lets Iran and other countries know that attacking Israel would be seen as an attack on the US
  • The US attacks Iran if they move forward with an attack
• To address Iran's nuclear energy pursuits, promote energy independence to remove Iran's financial revenue

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

• Supports auditing the Federal Reserve
  • Began calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve in June of 2011
• The economy will remain in a bad state until the Federal Reserve is controlled and Dodd-Frank is repealed
• The Federal Reserve's dual mandate of controlling unemployment and inflation should be replaced with a single mandate of stable prices
• The Fed is partially to blame for the housing crisis due to artificially low interest rates
• Does not support ending the Fed
  • Having some kind of central bank is an important part of how you deal with monetary policy in the modern world
• Having Chairman Bernanke deal with hundreds of billions of dollars, some estimates as much as $16 trillion in secret is profoundly against a free society
• Ben Bernanke had been the most inflationary, dangerous, and power-centered chairman of the Fed in the history of the Fed
• Fed decision documents from '08 -- '07, '08 and '09 should be public
• Fed policies have deepened the depression, lengthened the problems, and increased the cost of gasoline

• Led a decades long effort to audit and end the Federal Reserve
  • Constitution grants only Congress the right to coin money
  • Congress cannot cede that right to private institution
• Founding Fathers warned against fiat based currency and the allowance of a central bank to control and issue that money
  • The Fed printing money and manipulating interest rates allows government to grow well beyond it's means
  • The additional cost of government is passed on to people through inflation
• The Fed's manipulation of interest rates causes cycles of booms and busts
• Lead sponsor of legislation to audit the Federal Reserve

• Supported Ben Bernanke reappointment in January of 2010
  • The most skilled and capable person to get the country through the economic mess
• Stated he would not reappoint Bernanke if elected President
  • He opposed quantitative easing steps
• Agreed with need for greater transparency at the Federal Reserve in a reserve
• Did not agree with ending the Federal Reserve and he did not trust Congress with managing the responsibilities of the Fed

• Supports the Federal Reserve Bank
• Supports auditing the Federal Reserve
• States that the Federal Reserve should be returned to a single mandate of controlling inflation

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

• Supports auditing the Federal Reserve
  
  • Co-sponsored legislation
  • The people need to know the extent of the Federal Reserve's actions in the economy
• Spoke out against $8 trillion in lending and guarantee programs enacted in 2008 by the Fed and the FDIC
  • Understand the need for emergency response tools, but was concerned that the Fed's discount window provision is so broad and unaccountable that it has the potential to really harm the taxpayers over the long run
• Sent a letter to Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke asking for transparency in the 11 lending facilities implemented under the Fed’s existing discount window authorities
• Stated that no only should the Fed be audited, it's powers should be shrunk, and it should be put on a leash

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.

• The Federal Reserve Bank should be more transparent
• It needs to be reviewed and managed effectively
• The Federal Reserve Bank is responsible for the housing bubble, but also helped mitigate that bust
• The American people deserve to know the extent to which the Fed has purchased private assets at home and abroad
• Does not feeel that the Federal Reserve Bank should be abolished
• Is hesitant about regulating the bank as that would put politicians such as Barney Frank in charge of greater economic power

• Worked within the Federal Reserve Bank
  • Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1995 to 1996
  • Deputy Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1994
• Does not agree with the Federal Reserve Bank's actions in recent years regarding the purchasing of debt and injection of money into the economy
• Stated that there is no need for an audit as mechanisms already in place allow the Federal Reserve to audit itself
  • Those demanding an audit or calling for ending the Fed as unknowledgable of the company.
• Ending the Federal Reserve is not prudent
  • There would be nothing in it's place
  • Congress is not sufficient to handle Fed's responsibilities given their behavior with Social Security and Medicare
• Proposes fixing the Fed instead
  • Remove one of the mandates of controlling inflation and controlling unemployment
  • These two can be contradictory
• In September of 2011 at the TEA Party debate, supported auditing the Fed

No data available yet for this candidate on this position.