Before I say anything else: FALLOUT 3 KICKS MASSIVE ASS!!!!!

So a big "fuck you" to all the naysayers and mudslingers who ran their mouths about how low their expectations were. Stick THAT up your flaccid assholes!

And now, on to the completely Fallout-unrelated topic... the PCT! This could be the next big meme! XD

In the spirit of the upcoming election, I thought I'd do a little research into all the candidates (including the ones you never hear about). During my search, I ran across a fun little item called the Political Courage Test. This document is filled out by presidential candidates to more clearly delineate where he/she stands on certain key issues. Their responses can be viewed at the Vote Smart website. But best of all... the test itself is available for download.

So I figured, what better way to get in a voting mood than to fill out the test myself? As I plan on being a candidate on the 2012 ballot, it makes sense to get an early start. And it looks like a lot of fun. :)

So, without further ado, I give you the Political Courage Test, ala GoBob.

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"The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item." -Project Vote Smart

Abortion Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.
a) Abortions should always be illegal.
b) Abortions should always be legal.
X c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester.
X d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
X e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
f) Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal.
g) Medicare, Medicaid, or federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures.
X h) Other or expanded principles:
Education, health insurance, and birth control should all be provided to make abortions less necessary.

Budgetary, Spending, and Tax Issues
Indicate what federal funding levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once.
1) Budget Priorities
Slightly Increase a) Agriculture
Greatly Increase b) Arts
Greatly Decrease c) Defense
Greatly Increase d) Education
Greatly Increase e) Environment
Eliminate f) FEMA
Slightly Decrease g) Homeland security
Slightly Decrease h) International aid
Slightly Increase i) Law enforcement
Slightly Increase j) Medical research
Greatly Increase k) National parks
Greatly Increase l) Public health services
Greatly Increase m) Scientific research
Slightly Increase n) Space exploration programs
Maintain Status o) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Slightly Decrease p) United Nations
Slightly Decrease q) Welfare
Greatly Increase r) Other or expanded categories
Nationalize medical care and pharmaceuticals, restrict government activity in the economy to less intrusive regulation through taxes.

2) Defense Spending
Greatly Decrease a) Armed forces personnel training
Greatly Decrease b) Intelligence operations
Greatly Decrease c) Military hardware
Slightly Decrease d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Greatly Decrease e) National missile defense
Slightly Increase f) Pay for active duty personnel
Maintain Status g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
Slightly Decrease h) Research and development of new weapons
Greatly Increase i) Troop and equipment readiness
Slightly Increase j) Other or expanded categories
We should continue to invest in quality equipment and training for all troops, but withdraw them from abroad as much as possible. Their services would be put to much better use serving and protecting on American soil.

3) Taxes
Indicate what federal tax levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per tax, you can use a number more than once.
Family Income Taxes
Eliminate a) Less than $12,000
Eliminate b) $12,001-$40,000
Eliminate c) $40,001-$100,000
Eliminate d) $100,001-$180,000
Eliminate e) $180,001-$350,000
Eliminate f) $350,001 and above
Greatly Increase g) Other or expanded categories
With careful planning and application, the Flat Tax could prove an invaluable replacement for the income tax. It holds the potential to address numerous issues that are directly associated with the current taxation procedures by eliminating the source instead of patching the symptoms.

Other Taxes
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Greatly Decrease b) Capital gains taxes
Slightly Increase c) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Increase d) Corporate taxes
Slightly Decrease e) Gasoline Taxes
Slightly Decrease f) Inheritance taxes
g) Other or expanded categories

Deductions/Credits
Greatly Increase a) Charitable contribution deduction
b) Child tax credit
c) Earned income tax credit
d) Medical expense deduction
e) Mortgage deduction
f) Student loan credit
Greatly Increase g) Other or expanded categories
Technically, all of the above credits and deductions will also be eliminated by repealing income tax. However, there should be benefits associated with these items that are entirely separated from taxes, which would be addressed in the Flat Tax proposal.

Yes 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
Yes 5) Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
Yes 6) Other or expanded principles
Taxes are a very effective tool in regulating aspects of the economy. This is something the previous administrations have tried to ignore or manipulate for their own purposes. Certain products and services, such as food or building materials, should be taxed as moderately as possible to avoid interfering with the natural flow of supply and demand. Luxury or detrimental items, such as sports cars or cigarettes, should be subject to higher taxes in order to offset reduced rates on necessities.

Campaign Finance and Government Reform Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.
X a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
b) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
X c) Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election.
d) Support instant run-off voting (IRV).
X e) Support designating Election Day as a national holiday.
f) Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations.
X g) Support limiting the President’s use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill.
X h) Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege.
X i) Other or expanded principles
Elections should not only be determined by the public, but also funded by the public. A candidate’s campaign would only be as strong as its support, which would serve to reduce the exorbitant spending that has exemplified previous elections, as well as provide proportional representation to every eligible candidate. Our government should do everything within its power to increase public awareness of alternatives to the anachronistic and ineffective bipartisan system.

Crime Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.
X a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
X e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
X f) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
X g) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
X h) Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
X i) Other or expanded principles
The judicial system has been watered down by a society gone mad with litigation. In order for the system to shed the stigma of providing “justice for the rich” and promoting the erosion of personal accountability, a severe crackdown on frivolous lawsuits should be instigated and strongly enforced.

Education Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
X a) Support the federal government funding universal pre-kindergarten programs.
b) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
c) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
X e) Increase funding for the Pell Grant program.
X f) Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans.
X g) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
X h) Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders.
X i) Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders.
j) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for k-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
X k) Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for k-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
X l) Other or expanded principles
A great deal of damage has been done to the quality and efficacy of the American educational system. The effects of the “No Child Left Behind” travesty will take years to remedy. The academic bar must be raised drastically and as expediently as possible in order for the proceeding generations of American youth to regain the advantage in this increasingly global society.

Employment Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.
X a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today’s job market.
b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X c) Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
X d) Increase the federal minimum wage.
X e) Support the right of workers to unionize.
f) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
g) Other or expanded principles

Environment and Energy Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
X a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
X b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
c) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
X d) Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
X e) Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
f) Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted.
X g) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels.
X h) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
i) Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source.
j) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws.
X k) Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming.
l) Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming.
X m) Other or expanded principles
Alternative energy sources are the future. Period. All of those who choose to resist the inevitable change prove themselves socially, economically, and environmentally unaware. They will suffer for their shortsightedness in the onslaught of severe federal regulations, dismal consumer perception, plummeting demand, increased hostility from desperate competitors, and eventual financial implosion.

Gun Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.
a) Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
X b) Require a license to carry a concealed gun.
X c) Require a license to possess a gun.
d) Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement or other government officials.
X e) Require gun owners to store guns in a safe or lockbox, or to have them disabled with a trigger lock.
f) Allow individuals to carry guns on college campuses.
On (g) and (h), indicate what levels you support for the following categories.
Slightly Increase g) Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
Slightly Increase h) Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
Greatly Increase i) Other or expanded principles
It is the right of American citizens to bear arms. Infringement upon citizens’ rights is not an acceptable method of regulation. The adoption of sane, safe gun policies that emphasize careful regulation and heightened individual responsibility, as well as an increase in publicly available safety instruction, can go far in reducing gun-related crime.

Health Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.
X a) Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income.
X b) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
c) Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States.
X d) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
e) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
X f) Support expanding child healthcare programs.
X g) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
h) Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government.
i) Other or expanded principles

Immigration Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.
a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
X b) Establish English as the official national language.
X c) Support a temporary worker program.
X d) Support harsher financial punishments for employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
f) Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship.
X g) Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
X h) Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
X i) Other or expanded principles
The adoption of the Flat Tax proposal would aid significantly in addressing illegal immigration by requiring all individuals, citizen or otherwise, to pay taxes based on consumption rather than mandatory income deduction. Still, the procedures for acquiring visas and/or citizenship are in place for a purpose, and should not be circumvented by any immigrant wishing permanent residence in this country. In addition, English is the primary language spoken here, as well as gradually becoming the universal language of the global economy. As such, it should be mandatory for potential citizens to attain at least a functional understanding of the English language.

International Aid, International Policy, and Trade Issues
International Aid
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international aid.
X a) Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
b) Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
X c) Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
d) Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
e) Other or expanded principles

International Policy
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international policy.
No a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
No b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
Yes c) Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
No d) Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces?
No e) Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq?
Yes f) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
g) Discuss your proposals for Iraq.
Complete recall of all troops in Iraq, excluding any troops the existing Iraqi government requests to stay and assist.
Yes h) Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to suspend its nuclear program?
No i) Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan?
No j) Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan?
No k) Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes?
Yes l) Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan?
Yes m) Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan?
No n) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan?
No o) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
No p) Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia?
Yes q) Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses?
Yes r) Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo?
Yes s) Other or expanded principles
America has received tremendous hostility and disapproval from numerous foreign countries for decades, due to our attempts to act like a “global policeman”. Many of these countries have insulted or blatantly condemned us while simultaneously accepting our aid or benefiting from trade agreements with us. This is unacceptable. Any countries who have attacked us, associated with or harbored terrorists who have attacked us, ignored sanctions or diplomacy from us, defaulted on trade agreements with us, or have collaboratively expressed anti-American sentiments should not be allowed to benefit from American policies, trade, or assistance.

International Trade
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.
Yes a) Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China?
Yes b) Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela?
No c) Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements?
No d) Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade?
e) Other or expanded principles

National Security Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.
No a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
No b) Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks?
Yes c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
No d) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
No e) Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security?
No f) Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system?
No g) Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas?
No h) Should the United States expand its missile defense shield?
i) Other or expanded principles

Social Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.
Yes a) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
Yes b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
No c) Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
Yes d) Should sexual orientation be included in federal anti-discrimination laws?
Yes e) Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines?
Undecided f) Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos?
No g) Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions?
No h) Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?
Undecided i) Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?
No j) Should the federal government regulate internet gambling?
Yes k) Other or expanded principles
The Internet is and should remain neutral ground for individuals of every nation. Attempting any sort of in-depth regulation is fruitless, and will fail simply due to the nature of the medium.

Social Security Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.
a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves.
b) Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax.
c) Decrease benefits paid to retirees.
d) Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index.
e) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
X f) Other or expanded principles
Social Security is no longer a viable institution. The Flat Tax proposal would essentially negate the influx of funds to Social Security, at which point the program should be closed, and the remaining funds allotted to pay back the citizens who paid into it.

Welfare and Poverty Issues
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.
X a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
b) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
X c) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
d) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
e) Other or expanded principles

Presidential Priorities
Please explain in a total of 200 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.

The first priority would be to eliminate the No Child Left Behind act, and construct a replacement strategy that ensures the future of American academia. Secondly, the revision and inception of a Flat Tax, which should assist in funding all other projects that required it. Third would be the transition to alternative energy sources, and the additional regulation of relics from the non-renewable era.