VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+2 points on Social scale)	No “War on Abortion”, despite his personal opposition: Strongly Favors topic 1 No gov’t funding of abortion, but no prohibitions either: Favors topic 1 No govt imposition; encourage private alternatives: Neutral on topic 1 The federal government should have no role in the matter.: Favors topic 1
Opposes topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (+2 points on Economic scale)	Racist hiring practices hurt companies & are self-limiting: Opposes topic 2 Base federal hiring on qualifications, not race: Neutral on topic 2 Recruiting minorities for federal positions is OK: Favors topic 2 Racism is immoral; but end affirmative action: Opposes topic 2
Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+2 points on Social scale)	Consenting adults should have Civil Unions, but not federal: Strongly Favors topic 3 Supreme Court was right to allow Boy Scouts to exclude gays: Opposes topic 3 Gay marriage is up to the two individuals, not the state: Strongly Favors topic 3 Partnership benefits for gay govt employees, but not private: Favors topic 3
Favors topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (-3 points on Social scale)	Shut down welfare state, and let immigrants come: Favors topic 4 Separation of school & state: No Ten Commandments: Strongly Opposes topic 4 Religious & community-based charities should handle welfare: Strongly Favors topic 4 No School Prayer Amendment: Strongly Opposes topic 4 End welfare; return to private compassion & charity: Strongly Favors topic 4 Community-based welfare ensured oversight & honesty: Strongly Favors topic 4
Strongly Opposes topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (+5 points on Economic scale)	Get government out of health care & costs will plummet: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Doctors & insurers should regulate drugs, not FDA: Opposes topic 5 1992 Health Plan all about coercion, not compassion: Opposes topic 5 Government can improve health care by getting out of it: Strongly Opposes topic 5
Strongly Favors topic 6: Privatize Social Security (+5 points on Economic scale)	End the government Social Security system: Strongly Favors topic 6 Social Security squanders your retirement money: Strongly Favors topic 6 Take social security away from politicians entirely: Strongly Favors topic 6 Shut it down; buy annuities with asset sales.: Strongly Favors topic 6
Strongly Favors topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (+5 points on Economic scale)	Remove the federal government from education entirely: Strongly Favors topic 7 Vouchers are just another way to attach federal strings: Opposes topic 7 Better schools without vouchers by removing federal govt: Strongly Favors topic 7 Give parents “total” control over school selection: Strongly Favors topic 7 Get government out of education so parents can choose: Strongly Favors topic 7 Vouchers better than public schools; no govt is best: Strongly Favors topic 7
Strongly Favors topic 8: Society bears cost of pollution (-5 points on Social scale)	Protect environment via local trespassing laws: Strongly Favors topic 8 Sell public lands; repeal all environmental laws: Strongly Favors topic 8 Privatize grazing lands and national parks: Strongly Favors topic 8
Strongly Opposes topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (+5 points on Social scale)	Mandatory sentencing takes jail space from real criminals: Strongly Opposes topic 9 First priority: pardon non-violent offenders: Opposes topic 9 Stop prosecuting victimless crime; real crime then decreases: Opposes topic 9 Against capital punishment: Opposes topic 9 No prison for victimless crimes nor white-collar crimes: Opposes topic 9
Favors topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (+2 points on Economic scale)	Enforcing 20,000 existing gun laws is useless & dangerous: Opposes topic 10 Gun restrictions are unconstitutional: Strongly Favors topic 10 Don’t let politicians decide our need for assault rifles: Strongly Favors topic 10 Prosecute crimes, not possession of weapons: Favors topic 10
Strongly Opposes topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (+5 points on Economic scale)	Principle is zero tax; Bush’s is 1/3 of income as tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Reduce size of govt so income taxes aren’t needed: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Abolish the IRS and the income tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+5 points on Social scale)	Immigrants create demand rather than take jobs away: Strongly Favors topic 12 Let in the huddled masses: Strongly Favors topic 12 Maintain open borders; end war on immigration: Strongly Favors topic 12 Ease immigration laws; no Official English: Strongly Favors topic 12
Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+2 points on Economic scale)	Replace WTO & NAFTA with uniformly low tariffs: Neutral on topic 13 Open trade policy without NAFTA or WTO: Neutral on topic 13 Free trade guarantees peace better than military: Strongly Favors topic 13
Favors topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (+2 points on Economic scale)	UN has failed to bring world peace -- so withdraw: Favors topic 14
Strongly Opposes topic 15: Expand the military (+5 points on Social scale)	We have strong offense & weak defense-switch it: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Keep out of wars, rather than police the world: Opposes topic 15 De-fund CIA; decrease R&D for new weapons.: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Avoid arms trade; promote peace by free trade: Opposes topic 15
Strongly Opposes topic 16: Make voter registration easier (-5 points on Social scale)	Remove both campaign spending limits and donation limits: Strongly Opposes topic 16 Repeal all campaign finance laws, they favor incumbents: Strongly Opposes topic 16
Strongly Opposes topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (-5 points on Social scale)	End foreign aid to individual countries as well as agencies: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Exit UN; extend diplomatic relations to all countries: Opposes topic 17 Russia: No aid; no meddling; just free trade.: Opposes topic 17
Opposes topic 18: Prioritize green energy (+2 points on Economic scale)	Oppose Kyoto, even if achieved by market mechanisms: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Global Warming inconclusive; too much political agenda: Opposes topic 18 Protect environment via private property ownership: Opposes topic 18 Agrees with goal of cleaner environment, but not via govt: Neutral on topic 18
Strongly Opposes topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (+5 points on Social scale)	Drug War breaches 4th Amendment civil rights: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Only politicians pretend we’re winning insane War on Drugs: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Decriminalize pot; end the war on drugs: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Pardon non-violent drug offenders to free prison space: Strongly Opposes topic 19
Strongly Opposes topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (+5 points on Economic scale)	Repealing federal income tax will end state income taxes too: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Budget surplus is over-taxation, so return it all: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Decrease defense & police $; eliminate everything else: Strongly Opposes topic 20 End unemployment programs; feds out of employment biz: Opposes topic 20 Against block grants; repeal income tax instead.: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Priorities: cut budget; repeal income tax; pay off debt: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Repeal taxes and don’t replace with sales tax nor flat tax: Strongly Opposes topic 20 End welfare completely; no entitlements to others’ earnings: Opposes topic 20 Reduce budget from $1.5 trillion to $385 billion: Opposes topic 20 10% flat tax OK, if no income tax returns: Strongly Opposes topic 20 5% sales tax OK, if income tax is eliminated: Strongly Opposes topic 20