where do you stand on these social issues?

[David S]

gay marriage? support, but would prefer all civil marriage be civil unions
abortion?  support keeping it legal, detest it personally
legalized gambling? support
prostitution?  legalize, regulate to keep it in brothels and off the streets
prayer in school? support students being allowed to do it if they want
school uniforms? semi-oppose, but leave it to the locals to determine that
drug legalization? support, regulate
gun control? oppose
affirmative action? oppose
speed limits? support - roads are public property, and therefore subject to some democracy
death penalty? support, though the system needs reform
mandatory minimum sentencing? oppose

Ditto ( John D you saved me alot of typing)

[Bono]

gun control?  I support some weapon control.  There are certain weapons which should not be available to the public and others which should be.

And of course, you get to decide which ones.

[Bono]

gun control? support some forms.  I take a common sense approach.  Most handguns are fine with me but I see no reason that some guy needs an AK 47.  I don;t care how much fun it is to shot it.

Automatic weaponsm and I mean automatic, no teh crap they try to pass as dangerous "semi-auto" weapons, can be useful when targeting an intruder in your house and he's moving, or to fire at someone driving a car.

[minionofmidas]

gay marriage? support
abortion?  support keeping it legal
legalized gambling? support; needs regulation
prostitution? support
prayer in school?  oppose. Oppose organized prayer in school, that is.
school uniforms? Oppose.
drug legalization? Support legalization of hemp and mushrooms, under regulation similar to that of alcohol and tobacco
gun control? Impossible to answer unless the question is more specific.
affirmative action? support, depending on how it's done
speed limits? wtf? Support
death penalty? oppose
mandatory minimum sentencing? oppose

[Hitchabrut]

gay marriage? oppose
abortion?  oppose in almost all cases
legalized gambling? support, don't condone
prostitution?  oppose
prayer in school support
school uniforms? support
drug legalization? oppose
gun control? states rights issue
affirmative action? oppose
speed limits? support
death penalty? support
mandatory minimum sentencing? oppose 
 

[Hitchabrut]

i meant support mandatory minimum sentencing

[Brandon H]

gay marriage? oppose - support traditional marriage
abortion? oppose - support protecting women and children from this dangerous and barbaric procedure
legalized gambling? support
prostitution? oppose, but it is up to each state
prayer in school? support
school uniforms? up to each school board
drug legalization? oppose, but it is up to each state
gun control? oppose - support right to own a gun, but require registration
affirmative action? oppose - support equal opportunity
speed limits? - local issue
death penalty? - support in some instances, but it is used too often
mandatory minimum sentencing? - state issue

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

gay marriage? support
abortion?  support
legalized gambling? support
prostitution?  legalize
prayer in school?  for organized, oppose
school uniforms? oppose
drug legalization? support for pot. other drugs need to be looked at on a conditional basis, but a simple change in our drug laws and ending of the war on drugs is probably a better course of action.
gun control? support
affirmative action? oppose some types, support others
speed limits? support
death penalty? oppose
mandatory minimum sentencing? oppose

[A18]

Gay Marriage: I oppose all perverted marriage spin-offs
Abortion: Murder should generally be illegal
Legalized gambling: Fully support, of course
Prostitution: Fully legalize
Prayer in school: Oppose organized prayer
School uniforms: Don't particularly care
Drug legalization: Support full legalization of everything
Gun control: Machine guns should be sold on WallMart.com
Affirmative action: A great evil that will one day be eradicated
Speed limits: Abolish
Death penalty: Replace with hard labor, but if that's not going to happen, then I support it for rape and murder
Mandatory minimum sentencing: Support

[Wakie]

gun control?  I support some weapon control.  There are certain weapons which should not be available to the public and others which should be.

And of course, you get to decide which ones.

Call me crazy, but I don't think a private citizen should own a suitcase nuke.

[DanielX]

Gay Marriage: Support
Abortion: strongly oppose
Gambling: support
Prostitution: support
School Prayer: Oppose in public schools
School Uniforms: Oppose in public schools
Drug Legalization: nominally support
Gun control: oppose
Affirmative Action: oppose
Speed Limits: support on local roads, oppose on rural interstates
Death Penalty: support in some cases
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing: support in some cases

[Democratic Hawk]

Gay Marriage: Oppose Christian same-sex marriages but support civil unions
Abortion: Oppose but accept there are circumstances in which it is a matter of necessity
Gambling: Support
Prostitution: Support
School Prayer: Support
School Uniforms: Oppose
Drug Legalization: Support for medicinal purposes and perhaps the decriminalising of 'soft' drugs
Gun control: Oppose
Affirmative Action: Oppose
Speed Limits: Support
Death Penalty: Personally oppose but  believe it is for the states to decide
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing: Support pending on the severity of the offence, with harsher sentencing for wanton acts of violence

Dave

[angus]

gay marriage? support
abortion?  support keeping it legal
legalized gambling? support
prostitution?  i cant say i support its legalization.  but cops wasting time and money trying to nab the hookers and johns is ridiculous.
prayer in school?  oppose
school uniforms? support
drug legalization? oppose
gun control? support
affirmative action? support
speed limits? oppose
death penalty? oppose
mandatory minimum sentencing? oppose

I guess you and I have quite a bit of disagreement when only these issues are considered.  For example, the US constitution explicitly forbids prohibiting the free exercise of religion.  If that means a person in a public school needs to find time during the schoolday to bow toward Mecca, I cannot in good conscience oppose it.  Also, I think marijuana, at least, and several others, as well, should be decriminalized, taxed, and used as sorely needed sources of revenue.  Also, it would free up bed space in prisons and free cops to get on with the business of enforcing important law.  Also, I think affirmative action is not only in bad taste, but violates the principle of racial equality.  I also think gun control should be a private, not public, matter.  If you cannot afford or do not want to own a gun, you don't buy one.  I have no guns in my home.  I have total gun control in my home.   If the government ever starts to outlaw guns you can bet I'll waste no time in stocking up.  Speed limits?  tough one.  I break them all the time, but when I'm busted I plead nolo contendere and politely pay the fine.  The process by which we thus purchase the privelege to drive as fast as we want seems to work reasonably well.  I'm not sure I'd want it any other way.  I think your confusion on this issue stems from the fact that you perceive driving as a right.  It is not.  It is a privelege.  You may purchase the privelege for a small fee (the driver's license).  You may purchase the privelege to drive as fast as you want for a slightly larger fee (the fines for speeding.)  As for school uniforms, I don't read into the government's role as a force that should tell my kid how to dress.  If my kid wants to dress like Michael Jackson or Madonna, and I don't mind, then frankly it's not a matter for the government to decide.  (insert Franklin quote here) 

Clearly you are much more authoritarian than am I.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's interesting that we're both on the Left Wing of the Republican party, but that on the Up/Down parameters of public policies, your Big Brother has a much larger cock than my Big Brother.  If your rectum ever gets sore from being reemed by such a well-endowed Big Brother, feel free to join us down here on the Bottom of that scale.  The electorate can use all the anti-authoritarianism it can get.

[ian]

gay marriage? strongly support
abortion?  oppose
legalized gambling? oppose
prostitution?  oppose
prayer in school?  strongly oppose
school uniforms? oppose
drug legalization? oppose
gun control? support
affirmative action? support
speed limits? support
death penalty? oppose
mandatory minimum sentencing?  no opinion

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[Ebowed]

Bump.

Gay marriage: Oppose, but favor civil unions.

Abortion: Strongly Oppose.

Legalized gambling: Support.

Prostitution: Oppose.

Prayer in school: Oppose if it's organized; Support if it's individual and voluntary.

School uniforms: Oppose, but should be up to the school, obviously.

Drug legalization: Strongly Support.

Gun control: Strongly Oppose.

Affirmative action: Strongly Oppose, both race- and class-based.

Speed limits: Oppose/indifferent.

Death penalty: Strongly Oppose.

Mandatory minimum sentencing: Strongly Oppose.

[MissCatholic]

gay marriage? opposed dont want polygamy legalised.
abortion?  opposed no need to kill a life.
legalized gambling?  support your money your choice.
prostitution? - support- make it clean and pays tax. 
prayer in school?  oppsed
school uniforms? support - equality for all.
drug legalization? support -
gun control? support - people behind guns kill (REPUBLICANS)
affirmative action? support
speed limits? support - people are drunk and thats kills.
death penalty? support - child molesters cant be cured/murderers rapists can.


mandatory minimum sentencing? oppose

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[dazzleman]

speed limits? support - people are drunk and thats kills.

That's a non-sequitur if I ever saw one.  Speed limits have nothing to do with driving drunk.  If drunk drivers are a problem (and they are), speed limits are not the answer to that problem.

In reading the responses, I find it disturbing how naive many people are in opposing the death penalty and minimum sentences for criminals, especially repeat offenders.  It seems that too few people get the connection between harsh treatment for criminals and controlling crime.

My opinions don't change much over time, but since February I've swung back to more strongly favor the death penalty in appropriate cases.  I also strongly favor minimum sentences for serious crimes, particularly for repeat offenders.

[Nym90]

gay marriage? Support making it legal.
abortion? Should be legal up to 20 weeks, after that illegal except to save the mother's life.
legalized gambling? Support, with regulations.
prostitution? Support making it legal, with regulations.
prayer in school? Support prayer being legal. Oppose organized prayer led by teachers, or student-organized prayer that disrupts class time.
school uniforms? Oppose, though I don't feel strongly about them.
drug legalization? Support marijuana legalization, with regulations. For harder drugs, the sale of the drug should have a much harsher punishment than the purchase or possession of it.
gun control? Generally support, depending on the measure.
affirmative action? Oppose race-based, support socioeconomic based.
speed limits? Support raising many of them; they should be based on 85th percentile speed, the state shouldn't impose arbitrary maximums.
death penalty? Generally opposed, except in extreme circumstances (serial killers, for example).
mandatory minimum sentencing? Support some minimums, but they should be pretty low. I support allowing more freedom on the part of judges and juries to consider the particulars of the case.

[TeePee4Prez]

gay marriage? Support making it legal.
abortion? Should be legal up to 20 weeks, after that illegal except to save the mother's life.
legalized gambling? Support, with regulations.
prostitution? Support making it legal, with regulations.
prayer in school? Support prayer being legal. Oppose organized prayer led by teachers, or student-organized prayer that disrupts class time.
school uniforms? Oppose, though I don't feel strongly about them.
drug legalization? Support marijuana legalization, with regulations. For harder drugs, the sale of the drug should have a much harsher punishment than the purchase or possession of it.
gun control? Generally support, depending on the measure.
affirmative action? Oppose race-based, support socioeconomic based.
speed limits? Support raising many of them; they should be based on 85th percentile speed, the state shouldn't impose arbitrary maximums.
death penalty? Generally opposed, except in extreme circumstances (serial killers, for example).
mandatory minimum sentencing? Support some minimums, but they should be pretty low. I support allowing more freedom on the part of judges and juries to consider the particulars of the case.

Welcome back Nym!  Where were you?

[Nym90]

gay marriage? support; I agree with Dibble, civil unions for everyone would be preferable.

abortion? support legal abortion up to 5 months, otherwise illegal
except for extreme cases. increase education about abortion alternatives.

legalized gambling? support

prostitution? support legalization with strong regulation (licensing, mandatory STD tests, etc.)

prayer in school? it should be legal, but not led by school employees. no mandatory prayer

school uniforms? oppose

drug legalization? favor marijuana legalization for those age 18 and above (alcohol age lowered to 18 as well), reduce penalties for hard drug use. concentrate on drug sellers more than drug users

gun control? support generally, depends on the specifics. guns that have a legitimate hunting/sporting/self-defense purpose should be legal but regulated

affirmative action? oppose race-based, support socioeconomic based

speed limits? favor raising most of them

death penalty? mostly opposed, except in extreme cases

mandatory minimum sentencing? opposed, generally. there should be some minimums, but it should be mostly left up to jurors and judges.

Hmm, I forgot that I answered this in February. As you can see, my positions haven't really changed.

[Nym90]

gay marriage? Support making it legal.
abortion? Should be legal up to 20 weeks, after that illegal except to save the mother's life.
legalized gambling? Support, with regulations.
prostitution? Support making it legal, with regulations.
prayer in school? Support prayer being legal. Oppose organized prayer led by teachers, or student-organized prayer that disrupts class time.
school uniforms? Oppose, though I don't feel strongly about them.
drug legalization? Support marijuana legalization, with regulations. For harder drugs, the sale of the drug should have a much harsher punishment than the purchase or possession of it.
gun control? Generally support, depending on the measure.
affirmative action? Oppose race-based, support socioeconomic based.
speed limits? Support raising many of them; they should be based on 85th percentile speed, the state shouldn't impose arbitrary maximums.
death penalty? Generally opposed, except in extreme circumstances (serial killers, for example).
mandatory minimum sentencing? Support some minimums, but they should be pretty low. I support allowing more freedom on the part of judges and juries to consider the particulars of the case.

Welcome back Nym! Where were you?

I have a full time job now (Economic Development Director for Manistee County, MI) and I had no internet access in my home for quite some time. I now have the internet at home, so I'll be on a little more (not as much as before, as my job is still pretty demanding, but in and out). I'm staying out of fantasy politics, though.

[Josh/Devilman88]

Gay marriage: Strongly Oppose.

Abortion: Strongly Oppose.

Legalized gambling: Strongly Oppose.

Prostitution: Strongly Oppose.

Prayer in school: Stronly Support

School uniforms: Oppose.

Drug legalization: Strongly Oppose.

Gun control:  Support.

Affirmative action: Strongly Oppose

Speed limits: Support.

Death penalty: Strongly Support.

Mandatory minimum sentencing: support.

[PBrunsel]

gay marriage: Oppose in it's entirety
abortion:  Oppose in it's entirety
legalized gambling: In specific areas.
prostitution?  Oppose strongly
prayer in school:  Strongly in favor of, but leave it up to the respective school districts.
school uniforms: Leave it up to the respective school
drug legalization: Oppose
gun control: Oppose
affirmative action: Oppose
speed limits: Leave these to the states
death penalty: Oppose
mandatory minimum sentencing: Support

[FerrisBueller86]

WalterMitty, I can't believe you're a Republican.  You are pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion rights, against school prayer, for gun control, for affirmative action, against the death penalty, and against mandatory minimum sentencing.  You're more liberal than the Democrats of many states.

My positions:
gay marriage?
I strongly support gay marriage.  I see this as a civil rights issue and consider the taboo against gay marriage to be just as prejudiced as the taboo against interracial marriage a generation ago.

abortion?
I am strongly for abortion rights.  There should be no restrictions (such as parental consent/notification, 24-hour waiting periods, gag orders, etc.) on abortions during the first trimester, which is when MOST abortions take place.  Any ban on the so-called "partial birth abortions" (which are much rarer than the media made people think) should have an exception to save the life of the mother.

legalized gambling?
I oppose legalized gambling.  I am disturbed by the mainstreaming of gambling that began around 1990.  The gambling lobbies have too much power, and the politicians who approved the mainstreaming of gambling wanted a cowardly way to balance budgets.  (The idea was to get more tax revenue without alienating anyone with higher tax rates or spending cuts.)  From a philosophical point of view, populists should be against legalized gambling because it opposes the ideals of both the economic left (because of the regressive nature and the negative effects on the poor) and the social right (because of the breakup of families resulting from gambling addictions and the sinful nature of gambling).  The fact that gambling has proliferated in populist states (even West Virginia, the ultimate populist state) shows the the money trumps the ideology.

prostitution? 
I strongly oppose prostitution.  I guess this is why my social score is only in the -4s and not -10.

prayer in school? 
I strongly oppose formal prayer in public schools.  However, public schools will ALWAYS have informal prayer as long as there are grades and tests.  Parents who want their children to have formal prayer in school should send them to private religious schools.  (And if you remember from the other thread, I have no objection to the existence of private schools.)

school uniforms?
This is similar to my position on school prayer.  I strongly oppose mandatory uniforms in public schools.  Parents are still free to send their children to private schools with mandatory uniforms.

drug legalization?
I'm in the middle on the issue, and this issue is probably another reason I'm not far left on the political compass.  I don't favor the full legalization that the rabidly pro-legalization people favor.  On the other hand, the War On Drugs doesn't seem to have stopped drugs.  I don't think that those guilty of marijuana possession should get prison terms just as harsh as those of child molesters, rapists, and murderers.  We also need much more drug treatment.

gun control?
I am for gun control, and I even attended the Million Mom March.  I think gun registration is a good idea.  I don't think there are very many people who want to ban all guns, contrary to what the NRA claims.  From a philosophical point of view, the ACLU should be against gun control.  This is a strange issue considering that the pro-gun-control side is considered liberal while the anti-gun-control side is considered conservative.  This has more to do with the demographics of people (Rural people tend to be more conservative, are more likely to be hunters or target shooters, and generally don't have to worry about drive-by shootings.) than philosophical purism.  You can probably find conservative proponents of gun control among Wall Streeters and liberal opponents of gun control in Vermont.

affirmative action?
I'm for it.  Mend it, don't end it.

speed limits?
I'm for speed limits, though I'm not sure what you mean by "for" or "against" speed limits. 

death penalty?
I'm in the middle of the issue.  I don't think the death penalty should be eliminated, but I think it should be applied sparingly.  I agree with some of the arguments that the death penalty opponents make.  I think the death penalty should be an option in the most heinous crimes, but I'm disturbed by the gung-ho pro-death penalty people (like George W. Bush as governor of Texas).

mandatory minimum sentencing?
I'm not sure what you mean by this. 

[Sam Spade]

gay marriage? oppose
abortion?  you know me, oppose except for rape, incest, life of the mother, but it should be a states' issue, not a national one.
legalized gambling? support
prostitution?  support
prayer in school?  support
school uniforms? oppose
drug legalization? support
gun control? oppose
affirmative action? oppose
speed limits? support, but they should be high.  that time of the 55-mph speed limit was ridiculous
death penalty? support
mandatory minimum sentencing? support