The 1997 Congressional National Political Awareness Test
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NOTE: Brad Sherman, the Democratic Incumbent in California's 24th Congressional District refused to answer the NPAT questionnaire.
Following are the responses of William Westmiller, candidate for the Republican nomination in the 24th Congressional District election in 1998. (Note: Answer options not selected by the candidate have been deleted for brevity.)
Click on the following issues to jump to responses:
Abortion
Environment
Moral and Ethical Decline
Affirmative Action
Federalism
Poverty and Homelessness
Balanced Budget Amendment
Foreign Policy
Taxes
Budgetary Issues
Gun Issues
Term Limits
Campaign Finance Reform
Health Care
Terrorism
Crime
Illegal Drugs
Trade
Defense Spending
Immigration
Unemployment
Education
Line Item Veto
Welfare
1997 Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Abortion:
Abortions should always be legally available.
Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification
requirements as decided by each state government.
Affirmative Action
The federal government should prosecute cases of discrimination in the public sector.
The federal government should not provide any affirmative action programs.
Other: Individuals should be able to prosecute cases of discrimination in the
private sector in a fashion similar to any other defamation of character action.
Balanced Budget Amendment:
Do you support amending the US Constitution to require an annual balanced federal budget? Yes
Budgetary Issues: 1) Indicate what changes you support (if any) concerning levels of federal funding for the following categories: (Select: Greatly/Slightly Increase; Maintain; Greatly/Slight Decrease; Elminate) a) AIDS Programs Greatly Decrease b) Arts funding Eliminate c) Education (K-12) Greatly Decrease d) Environmental Programs Greatly Decrease e) Housing Projects Eliminate f) Job Training Programs Slightly Decrease g) Law Enforcement Slightly Decrease h) Medicaid Slightly Decrease i) Medicare Slightly Decrease j) NASA Slightly Decrease k) Student Loan Programs Eliminate l) Welfare (AFDC) Eliminate m) Other: Military Development Slightly Decrease n) Other: United Nations Greatly Decrease
2) Do you support the use of block grants given to states, rather than federal spending, in the following areas? (Yes, No, Undecided) a) Agriculture Yes b) Education Yes c) Farm subsidies Yes d) Food stamps Yes e) Law Enforcement Yes f) Medicaid Yes g) Medicare Yes h) School lunches Yes i) Welfare Yes j) Other: Unless the federal programs are terminated altogether.
Campaign Finance Reform:
Pass legislation that would encourage full and timely disclosure of
campaign finance information.
Remove all legislative limits on campaign financing.
Other: Oppose any restrictions on political freedom of speech.
Crime:
Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full
sentences with no chance of parole.
Limit the number of appeals allowed to inmates on death row.
Fund programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related
skills and job-placement assistance when released.
Prosecute youths accused of murder as adults.
Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
Deport all permanent resident aliens convicted of a felony.
Other: Reform the exclusionary rule to allow all facts to be presented in court.
Defense Spending:
Indicate what changes you support (if any) regarding funding
for the following categories.
(Select: Greatly/Slightly Increase; Maintain; Greatly/Slight Decrease; Elminate)
CIA appropriations Slightly Decrease Defense plant conversion Slightly Decrease Military hardware Slightly Decrease Military space shuttle missions Slightly Decrease Pay for active duty personnel Maintain Development of new weapons Slightly Decrease Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) Slightly Decrease Armed Forces personnel training Maintain
Education
1) Do you support amending the United States Constitution to allow voluntary prayer
and/or moment of silence in public schools? No
2) Do you support funding the National Service Program (Ameri-Corps) in which
young people receive money from the federal government for college in
return for performing community service? No
3) Indicate which principles you support concerning education:
Provide parents with vouchers to send their children to any participating school:
public, private or religious.
Implement charter schools where teachers and professionals receive
authorization and funding to establish new schools.
Eliminate the Department of Education, thereby giving state and local
government greater control over educational issues.
Other: Allow Educational Savings Accounts deposits to be free from tax.
Other: Support California Initiative to eliminate bi-lingual education mandates.
Environment:
Indicate which principles or programs you support regarding America's
environment and natural resources:
Transfer public lands, such as federal forests and range lands, to the
jurisdiction of state and local governments.
Require the federal government to reimburse citizens when environmental
regulations limit use of privately owned lands.
Change the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to limit the number of habitats
eligible to be designated as endangered.
Other: Issue taxpayer shares to all parkland, sell all excess government property.
Federalism: Indicate which level of government should have primary responsibility for the following services: (Select Federal; State; Local or None) a) Border security Federal b) Civil rights enforcement Federal c) Education Local d) Environmental cleanup State e) Job training State f) Law enforcement Local g) Low-income housing Local h) Medicaid State i) Medicare State j) Welfare (AFDC) State
Foreign Policy
(Select: Yes/No/Undecided)
1) Should the US have diplomatic relations with the government of Cuba? No
2) Should the US have diplomatic relations with the government of Vietnam? No
3) Should the US recognize and extend full diplomatic relations to Taiwan? Yes
4) Should the US continue funding for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty? Un
5) Should the US continue funding for Radio Marti and TV Marti? Un
6) Should the US continue funding for Radio Free Asia? Un
7) Do you support the deployment of US troops to the former Yugoslavia? No
8) Indicate your position concerning economic aid to Russia and the former
Soviet republics:
Economic aid to Russia and the former republics should be
decreased and/or eliminated.
9) Indicate which principles you support regarding US economic aid to foreign countries:
Foreign aid should be given to countries only when it is in the security
interests of the United States.
Foreign aid should be eliminated from any nation with documented
human rights abuses.
10) Indicate which principles you support regarding the United States - United Nations relationship:
The US should participate in UN peacekeeping missions only when
vital US interests are directly threatened.
The US should use military force only when the US border or territories
are attacked or American citizens are in danger.
Other: Reform UN to eliminate all activities except cooperative defense.
Gun Issues:
Indicate which principles you support concerning gun issues:
Repeal all bans and measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from
owning legally-obtained firearms.
Allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms that are legally
owned and registered.
Health Care:
Indicate which principles you support regarding America's health care system:
Allow middle and low income families to deduct yearly health care costs from their taxable income.
Establish limits on the amount of damages awarded in medical
malpractice lawsuits.
Encourage tax-free medical savings accounts, which would be taxed
if used for any purpose other than medical costs.
The federal government has no responsibility in providing health care.
Illegal Drugs:
Indicate which principles you support concerning illegal drugs:
Require drug testing for federal employees in sensitive positions
(Air Traffic Control, National Park Police, Secret Service, etc.).
Decriminalize the possession and private use of marijuana.
Other: Medical and Adult use only
Immigration:
Indicate which principles you support regarding issues relating to immigration:
Establish English as the official and recognized language of the United States.
Restrict the eligibility of legal immigrants for certain social programs
(i.e. AFDC, HUD housing, food stamps, etc.).
Children of illegal immigrants, born in the United States, should not
automatically receive US citizenship.
Other: Enforce 'sponsor' liability for all immigrants.
Line Item Veto:
Should the President be allowed to veto certain items of legislation
while signing spending or tax bills into law? Yes
Moral and Ethical Decline:
The American people have consistently mentioned the decline of morals and ethics in America as a major problem facing the country. Explain what you will do as a member of Congress to address this concern:
One of the primary causes is the proposition that government is responsible for everything and will eliminate risk and consequences from every aspect of life. With this statist ideology in place, many people have shrugged off morals and ethics as no longer relevant.
Poverty and Homelessness:
Indicate which principles you support regarding the poor and homeless:
Increase the income tax deduction on individual contributions made to
charities that help the poor and homeless.
Implement enterprise zones in communities with high unemployment.
Taxes 1) Indicate the changes you support (if any) concerning the tax levels for the following categories (Select: Greatly/Slightly Increase; Maintain; Greatly/Slight Decrease; Elminate) a) Retiree income over $40,000 Greatly Decrease b) Family income less than $25,000 Greatly Decrease c) Family income $25-75,000 Greatly Decrease d) Family income $75-150,000 Greatly Decrease e) Family income over $150,000 Greatly Decrease Other Tax Issues f) Alcohol taxes Eliminate g) Capital gains taxes Greatly Decrease h) Charitable deductions Slightly Increase i) Cigarette taxes Eliminate j) Corporate income taxes Eliminate k) Earned income tax credit Eliminate l) Estate taxes Eliminate m) Medical expense deductions Greatly Increase n) Mortgage deductions Maintain
2) Do you support replacing the US income tax structure with a flat income tax? Yes
3) Do you support replacing the US income tax structure with a broad-based
consumption tax? Undecided
Term Limits
Do you support amending the Constitution to limit the number of terms
which members of Congress can serve? No
Terrorism:
Indicate which principles you support concerning terrorism:
Grant broader authority to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service to
deny entrance visas to terrorist suspects.
Restrict the investigative authority of the FBI and other governmental agencies.
Trade
1) Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? No
2) Do you support broadening NAFTA to include other countries? No
3) Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)? Yes
4) Do you support the World Trade Organization (WTO)? Und
5) Do you support lifting the trade embargo imposed against Cuba? Und
6) Do you support imposing tariffs on products imported from nations that maintain
restrictive trade barriers on American products? Yes
7) Should a nation's human rights record affect its "most favored nation" trading
status with the United States? Yes
Unemployment:
Indicate which principles you support regarding unemployment:
Eliminate government regulations of the private sector in order to
encourage investment and economic expansion.
Establish enterprise zones in areas with large numbers of unemployed people.
Eliminate any governmental programs designed to reduce unemployment.
Other: Voluntary pro-forma employment contracts (informed consent).
Welfare:
Indicate which principles you support regarding the US welfare system:
Strengthen child support collection procedures and increase penalties
for parents who do not pay child support.
Impose a two-year limit on welfare benefits for recipients who are able to work.
Legislative Priorities:
Please answer the following questions.
1) Explain your two main legislative priorities if elected to Congress.
Cutting government programs and spending.
2) Should your priorities require additional government funding, please explain
how you intend to obtain the additional funding.
User fees and sale of government assets.
Candidate Name: William Westmiller State and District: California 24th CD Party: Republican
Date: June 1, 1997
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