Summary of political beliefs
ian:
Just because I am interested in knowing y'all a bit better, I think a topic should be made descibing you all and your personal views on politics. I like the way Sen. WMS has linked his personal views to his signature, and I found his comments very interesting. So, that's what I'm planning on doing with this post; you should, too.
ian:
I am a total social libertarian, with the exception that I am pro-life, oppose hate crime legislation, pro-censorship, anti-drug, anti-prostitution, and I don't support any extreme issues, albeit the separation of church and state, where most would consider me to be very extreme (ie taking "under God" out of the pledge of allegiance, "in God we trust" out of money", and the 10 Commandments off of governmentally-run buildings.)
Economically, however, I am much more complicated. I am an economic moderate/liberal. On the liberal side, I oppose the modern privization attempts by Republicans, mostly oppose welfare reform (because I feel that it is my job as a human being to help a person live, even if he will not help him/herself), support labor unions, support agricultural subsidies, am pro-environment, strongly in support of affirmative action, oppose tort reform, and oppose school vouchers. However, my Conservative economic views are these: I oppose progressive taxation, support a flatter, more fair tax system, I am a deficit hawk, support tax cuts for all, especially the wealthy, and would have supported Bush's tax cuts had the deficit not been so astronomical; I oppose special interest groups getting funding from the government (NASA, I'm talkin' to you!), oppose the pessimistic comments made by the majority of the Democratic party criminalizing the rich, support school choice in a non-voucher system, support the rights of businesses over ethics, oppose big spending in general, oppose efforts to encourage immigration or lessen the amount of years it takes to immigrate, and support protectionism in trade with other countries. And I have no official opinion on free/fair trade, embargos on China and Cuba, and health care, among several other economic issues I cannot remember at the moment.
And, foreign policy-wise, I'm a dove. (Although I don't support UN approval to go to war). Expanding on this, I don't believe that one can go to war with a non-existing country, such as "Terrorism," but military intervention into terrorist networks is advisable. Oppose Iraq. As far as Israel and Palestine go, I support offering military aid to Israel if other nations declare war on them for being the only official Jewish nation. I also believe that Israel treats Palestine unfairly, and Palestinians have just as much a right to live in that country as the Jewish people; it is, after all, both of our holy lands, and I would suggest a separation of church and state to ease tensions in Israel.
So those are my positions on the issues. Let's hear some of you.
Cashcow:
I share the logic and viewpoints of a moderate, but I almost have the mind of a liberal. Economically and socially libertarian but not too far from center either way. Do you want us to type up our feelings on lots of subjects? Why don't you pick out a few?
TeePee4Prez:
Socially: Complete civil libertarian a la Russ Feingold. Separation of church and state, pro-choice (except 3rd trimester in which case life, rape and health only), strongly opposed to new FCC regulations, favor gay marriage, opposed to the death penalty. However, being a Philadelphian that knows a lot of cops, Mumia is not a political prisoner and deserves life in prison throw away the key.
Economics: Generally moderate-left. Pro-union, favor a progressive tax structure, opposed to maximum capital gains taxes, opposed to privatization of SS, opposed to tort reform. Trade is a iffy issue for me however. Based on what I learned in economics, I realize it's beneficial. In reality, it has proven anything but in some cases, but in some it has worked out very well such as trade with Canada, Sweden, France, Britain, Germany, Japan, and Singapore, etc. Basically I don't mind helping out a poor country, but at the same time they should try to plut in place labor and environmental stances. Universal health care is another iffy issue as well. Our current system with drug prices is HORRIBLE policy and Canada has a better policy here. I believe in compettition, but at the same time the health industry lobbyists are raking in excessive profits. I would be in favor of a hybrid system where a portion of one's paycheck is taken out, such as SSI for a choice between basic health plans with an option for extra insurance (prescription drug/vision,dental, etc.) out of one's own pocket which of course would be discretionary. I could go on for hours about this, but this is basic. I lean conservative on issues such as welfare reform, Section 8 housing, and affirmative action. I liked a lot of Clinton's ideas on welfare reform. There are people who don't work for a living and smoke crack on my tax dollars and also get Section 8 vouchers to live in a decent neighborhood next to paying customers. Not saying it should be eliminated, but overhauled. Affirmative action is a tough issue as well because there is some "country club nepotism" among wealthy white males who could be underqualified, BUT I dislike AA because it ignores poor, working class white males who didn't exactly come off the Mayflower (my case an Irish coffin ship). There is also the fact that white males are held to a ridiculously higher standard when applying for some jobs. Example, the Philadelphia Police/Fire. Blacks get 20 POINTS EXTRA on their evaluation just for being black. Now in that case, the Irish-Italian males have a monopoly on those jobs and can show some nepotism there, but what's fair is fair. Should be based on scores and aptitude, not nepotism or race.
nini2287:
Socially, I'm conservative on some issues and liberal on others. I believe abortion should only be legal to save the mother's life. However, I do support stem cell research so long as it's done responsibly. I generally support the Patriot Act (although we need to look at specific abuses). I favor funding of religous charities, so long as it's not shoving Jesus down the throats of those using the services. I also believe gun control is a state issue (or even a local issue in some states with extensive hunting and crime filled cities, Michigan or Pennsylvania for example). I also believe in moderate controls on network television and in libraries. On the other side, I strongly support gay marraige, I am vehemently against the death penalty and strongly oppose school prayer/displaying of religious icons in public places (Ten Commandments on courthouses).
Economically, I'm more liberal. I believe in a progressive tax system, and would like to see it become slightly more progressive. I don't believe we should raise corporate taxes per se, but better enforce tax evading businesses and put limits on deductions. I oppose affirmative action in the workplace, but slightly support it for college admissions. I favor a law increasing minimum wage at a constant rate every year. I think our health care system should be similar to France's in which everyone is given either public or private coverage. I also am in support of tort reform. I favor increasing the cap on payroll taxes for social security but we should continue to look at ways to improve the system. I'm very liberal when it comes to the environment and ANWR drilling. I also believe we should increase military funding and veteran's benefits. I am opposed to school vouchers as they take money away from public schools that need it to the most. I also oppose NCLB I believe we should keep legal immigration as is an toughen border controls for illegal immigrants because of drug and terrorist concerns.
From a foreign policy standpoint, I strongly disagree with the War in Iraq. I think we should have waited until the weapons inspectors had finished their job and until we could garner more international support (although in case of emergency, I believe in war without UN support). However, I do support staying in Iraq as long as necesary to ensure a smooth transition. I feel this war has hindered America's efforts in rebuilding Afghanistan and taken the focus of more immenent threats such as North Korea and Iran, as well as humanitarian crises in Rwanda and Sudan. Although I am Jewish, I don't like either Israel or Palestine and I believe that peace in the region should be a main focus of our foreign policy.
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