Tim Allison's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
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Tim Allison refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
Issue Positions
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2010.
- Planned Parenthood. 2010. 30 September 2010. Planned Parenthood endorsed Tim Allison in the 2010 General Election. (www.plannedparenthoodaction.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Tim Allison. Issue Position: Economic Recovery. "I became interested in economics while growing up in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Due to a changing industry and job base, my family found itself in a very difficult economic climate. My father had to secure a job several hours away from home and only returned on Wednesday's and weekends. This experience led me to major in economics, studying Labor Economics, graduating with honors, and eventually going on to receive a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. I came to understand how acting proactively in an economic downturn could bring an economy back to a position of stability and prosperity. While I have not practiced law, I have found over the years that my law degree has informed my decisions in virtually all business and advocacy work I have undertaken. I know that the economy impacts the quality of life for everyone, and believe that the actions of government determine, in large part, whether these cyclical downturns will be short-lived, or catastrophic. Our district is struggling with the challenges of a recession that has swept the country leaving rising unemployment and falling real estate values in its path. National unemployment in January 2010 was 9.7%, a 2.6 percentage point increase over the previous year, while California's unemployment rate is at 12.4% and is forecasted to remain in double digits through 2010. Sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell at the fastest pace on record in December 2009, falling 16.7 percent. January 2010 sales are down 33.4% from December. While there are mixed messages regarding the economy and its recovery, these statistics indicate that we are a long way from economic health. Small businesses, retirement security, and the financial markets must be addressed, and addressed quickly, with sound policies that focus on the middle-class, as well as establishing mechanisms for long-term growth and prosperity. I support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which is intended to create or save up to 3.5 million jobs, cuts taxes for 95 percent of Americans, and invests in renewable energy and infrastructure. The act will provide Congressional District 24 with up to $187,700,724--an amount that has the potential of creating hundreds of new jobs. Obama recently announced that to date this Act has created or saved approximately 2 million jobs. I recognize, however, that this alone is not enough. I support future legislation that will respond quickly to economic crises as well as provide the effective mechanisms for long-term growth. By creating and retaining skilled American jobs, investing in working families, restoring American innovation that will drive new industries, utilizing our regional strengths encourage public-private partnerships, I am confident we will provide our economy the boost it needs. I also accept the fact that these strategies must be put in place with fiscal discipline that is enforceable. In principle, I stand behind the following measures for economic recovery and growth: * Investing in working families by supporting the expansion and extension of middle class tax cuts (e.g. child tax credit) * Investing in our small businesses by increasing access to small business capital though use of Small Business Administration micro-loans * Establish a mechanism for federally directed emergency small business lending * Expand federal procurement set asides for small businesses * Expand the Small Business Innovation Program to include innovative technologies and companies * Expand the Small Business Innovation Program to include small business participation in federal and private projects * Allow Bush tax cuts that exclusively benefit the top 1% to expire while retaining and expanding middle class tax cuts * Expand funding for workforce development * Close tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas and delay tax liability * Allow automatic enrollment in company retirement plans * Temporarily eliminate penalties for emergency retirement plan withdrawals * Incentivize private investment in innovative technologies and companies * Expand graduate education and research programs in the sciences and technology * Support public-private partnerships that capitalize on the presence of colleges and universities in our community * Enforce fiscal discipline by closing the budget gap and reigning in long-term healthcare costs * Make "pay-as-you-go" rules enforceable * Require discretionary spending caps" (votesmart.org)
- Tim Allison. Issue Position: Technology & Innovation. "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, whose stimulative effects we are seeing today, kept us from the brink of disaster. The consequences of our recession has taken its toll on one of the key mechanisms for long-term economic growth, and that is our inability to invest in research and development." (votesmart.org)
- Tim Allison. When the Economy Needs Jobs, It's No Time to Say "No." 1 September 2010. "Right now, the biggest responsibility for the government is to help create jobs," said Allison. "Unemployment is a safety net people pay into while they're working, and it's irresponsible, during this extraordinary period, to yank this safety net away." (votesmart.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Tim Allison. Issue Position: Education. "For us to be competitive in the world, and to expand and strengthen our middle class, and provide the economic stability we all deserve, people must be given the proper tools. Affordable and quality education is essential. A college education and solid vocational training are important to individual advancement; a workforce of highly trained workers and college graduates is the key to giving America its competitive edge. Over the next decade jobs that require associate degrees will grow at nearly double the national average and college degrees will become more valuable than ever. Community college graduates will grow even faster than those with bachelor's degrees. One third of job growth will be in health care and education, jobs in energy and the environment could triple, and the highest paying jobs will be in Information and Technology. We can not ignore these statistics, and if we want to build back out economy, and provide jobs for our middle class, it is our responsibility to improve our educational system. We have to be serious about Early Childhood Education programs; we must significantly reform No Child Left Behind, and math and science education must become a national priority. We have to recruit, prepare, retain and reward our teachers. It is essential that we support efforts to make college an affordable option for all Americans. We can do this through tax credits, simplifying the financial aid process, and increasing our educational grants." (votesmart.org)
- Tim Allison. Issue Position: Energy & Environmental. "Every investment we make into clean energy technology and green jobs positively impacts our economy. By creating green jobs, jobs that create, run, and support a clean energy economy, we can fight global warming and move towards energy independence. With significant investments in the "greening of our economy' it is projected that we create 4 times more jobs than spending the same funds in the oil business. I believe our nation's energy policies and infrastructure need to be modernized. This is essential if we are to reduce our fossil-fuel dependence, and halt climate change. This modernization and development of clean-energy technology can revitalize our economy. We are slowly reinventing our carbon-based economy and changing the way we heat our homes, light our workplaces, and the way we propel our vehicles. Clean technology and its infrastructure will create new business activity, and millions of new jobs." (votesmart.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Tim Allison. Issue Position: Healthcare Reform. "I believe in a healthcare system that provides compassionate and essential coverage to all; that provides the efficient delivery of services without compromising quality of care; and that minimizes interference from the insurance industry or government in decisions that should be made between the patient and their care providers. Reducing the rapidly rising cost of health care is a critical need, and it is separate from the question of how to provide healthcare coverage for all Americans. If the increase in health care costs is not constrained, it will cause serious long-term damage to our economy. Greater use of technology, such as electronic medical records, has the potential to share information more efficiently, while reducing one of the current healthcare systems problems, overhead costs. Federal funding has been allocated to upgrade health care technology. This investment will not only lower costs, but will create a longer-term solution, while creating jobs, and making healthcare more affordable." (votesmart.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
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