Summary of political beliefs
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Frodo
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« Reply #850 on: June 29, 2013, 11:28:05 PM »
« edited: August 23, 2014, 12:22:52 PM by Frodo »

Social/Cultural Hot-Button issues

Women's Rights: I support the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, as well as the final ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.  

Gay Rights: I applaud the recent Supreme Court decision striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, and support the Respect for Marriage Act striking down DOMA in its entirety.  Also support the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  

Sex: Favor mandatory comprehensive sex education programs, including accurate and up-to-date information regarding safe sex (condoms, contraceptives, etc.), sexually transmitted diseases, and abstinence.  I also support the right to free sexual speech & expression without legal penalties or harassment, and to this end I support the right of women to go topless wherever men are allowed to; public nudity in designated areas; as well as ending censorship of nudity in the media.

Second Amendment: The Second Amendment was intended to be seen as protecting an individual right as with all the other original ten amendments that comprised the Bill of Rights when it was added to the Constitution.  When it was originally written, 'militia' connoted the entirety of the citizenry, not just a government-created body.  

Accordingly, I support concealed-carry, castle-doctrine laws, and other liberalizing measures. I strongly oppose gun-bans at any governmental level.  However, as with every other amendment, there are limits.

With greater freedom comes greater responsibility in using that freedom, and it is in that spirit that I support measures like mandatory firearms training and universal background checks before any gun or permit is issued, to ensure that the unorganized citizens' militia is well-trained and well-regulated.  

Drug War: I support ending the 'War on Drugs' by overturning the Controlled Substances Act, ending mandatory minimum sentencing, legalizing marijuana, and instead direct our attention and funding towards prevention and treatment of addicts.  

Economic issues

Education: Favor adapting the Finland education model to the United States, including a major expansion in after-school tutoring programs as well as universal pre-school education; smaller class sizes; adopting Common Core standards and expanding them beyond math and English; changing the traditional school year to a year-round schedule; and work to ensure that teachers receive the same societal status as doctors and lawyers with attendant qualifications.

Tax Code: In addition to closing tax loopholes, sun-setting the alternative minimum tax, and setting the top individual income tax rate at 40%, I favor tax reforms including cutting the corporate income tax to 25%, and introducing the Value-Added Tax (superseding all preceding sales and use taxes) with the intention of encouraging savings and investment, manufacturing exports over consumption of imports, as well as increasing revenue to pay for the social programs that the American people desire.  

Entitlement programs: I believe the Bismarck model of Germany and Switzerland is better suited to the United States than the Single-Payer system of Great Britain and Canada.  To achieve this goal, I support various measures to improve upon the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Among them, I favor federalizing[/url] Medicaid, a single national health insurance exchange, universal (and federalized) childcare, and medical liability reform.

With regard to Medicare and Social Security, I favor raising the eligibility age to seventy, raising the payroll tax as well as eliminating the cap on it, preserve as well as raise the estate tax, and indexing benefits to inflation as opposed to wages.  

I strongly oppose changing Medicare into a premium support plan, or diverting payroll taxes into private retirement accounts subject to the whims of the market.  

Labor Unions: Support the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, and repealing the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.

Free Trade: Strongly support free trade, and favor the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Trans-Atlantic Trade & Investment Partnership, and the completion of the Doha Development Round of the WTO -as well as a significant reduction of farm subsidies throughout the developed world including the United States.  

Immigration Reform: I fully support the provisions in the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.

To encourage assimilation, I support significant increases in funding for ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) programs, and streamlining the legal immigration process to make it less cumbersome and more convenient for visa applicants.

I strongly oppose calls by nativists for mass deportations and denying birthright citizenship.  

Energy Independence and the Environment: I support the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, strictly regulating the fracking practices of the natural gas industry, as well as lifting the ban on exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil, especially to Europe.  

To build a more ecologically sustainable society over the long-haul, I favor research into nuclear fusion and hydrogen fuel-cell technologies; increasing investments into alternative renewable energy sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass among others; promoting energy efficiency in government as well as in private industry, using the LEED Green Building Rating System as a model; tax credits for hybrid vehicles; increasing the fuel economy standards for newer vehicles; gradually eliminating taxpayer subsidies for the fossil fuel and ethanol industries; implementing a carbon tax (superseding existing state and federal fuel excise taxes) to further spur these changes in energy usage; as well as beginning a 'nuclear renaissance' through the building of enough new nuclear power plants, and updating those already in existence so that 50% of our energy needs would be based on nuclear power.

I also support opening Yucca Mountain as a storage site for spent nuclear waste, as well as increasing our capacity for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel so that they can be reused and to reduce the total amount of waste that would have to be sent there.

Transportation: The federal government should also create a national transportation infrastructure for the 21st century comparable in scope to President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System, with High Speed Rail as its centerpiece, beginning with increasing investments into mass transit programs in urban areas so as to concentrate population growth there.

NASA -Space Exploration: Strongly support President Bush's initiative to refocus the space agency away from the International Space Station (instead letting private companies and international space agencies fund the ISS upon its completion) and towards the exploration and colonization of the Moon and Mars.  I also support reviving the Constellation program; moving manned and unmanned rocket launch facilities HQ from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico -and distributing funding accordingly.

Foreign Policy

Support the ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.  Advocate cultivating our relations with India through such agreements like the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, with the ultimate objective of making India into an ally as special and important to the United States as the United Kingdom and Japan is today.  Support the leasing of bases throughout Southeast Asia (including Subic Naval Base in the Philippines) to counter the growing military power of China, and reshaping our military to better handle the twin challenges of counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency, including a major expansion of the Special Forces.  Also support missile defense to guard against rogue regimes threatening our allies.

Democracy-Related Issues

District of Columbia: Support having the non-federal areas of DC retroceded to Maryland as the city of Washington, thereby enabling the residents within to be represented at all levels of government.  

Election Reform: I support mandatory, universal voter registration; and full mandatory public disclosure by all (including independent super PACS like 501(c) and 527 groups) of all political donations and expenditures.  

I also support replacing the First-Past-The-Post system with mixed-member proportional representation with regard to the federal House of Representatives and state legislatures.    

In addition, I advocate eliminating the Electoral College and having the President elected by the national popular vote alone, contingent on Congress and the states ratifying the Right to Vote Amendment.  
-----------------------------------------------

In sum, I consider myself a liberal Democrat, heavily influenced by the 'Third Way' as exemplified by Bill Clinton and Tony Blair.  
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H. Ross Peron
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« Reply #851 on: June 30, 2013, 01:44:38 AM »

Frodo, yours is one of the best political platforms I've ever read Smiley Besides on Social Security, I think we agree on practically everything mentioned in your platform.
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MyRescueKittehRocks
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« Reply #852 on: June 30, 2013, 05:26:21 PM »

Frodo, Excellent view of the second amendment along with the Finland model.
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MustCrushCapitalism
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« Reply #853 on: June 30, 2013, 09:14:03 PM »
« Edited: June 30, 2013, 09:26:31 PM by Must Crush Capitalism »

Within the context of contemporary American politics, anyway.

Social Policy
Abortion: Pro-choice until point of viability.
Drugs: Decriminalize all drugs to make seeking help for addiction easier. Legalize all soft drugs. I'm supportive of the use and study of psychedelic drugs.
Censorship: Oppose all censorship.
LGBT Rights: I fall into "B" myself. Totally support.
Transgender issues: Very important issue. Discrimination against transgender people must be illegal.
SSM: Legalize.
Polygamy: Legalize.
Marriage privatization: Support. State shouldn't subsidize marriage.
Death penalty: Unconditionally oppose
Prison system: End private and for-profit prisons. Adopt rehabilitation-based incarceration system based upon that of Norway.
Prostitution: Mixed thoughts, but in favor of legalization.
Church & state: Keep religion out of politics
Religion: Everyone has a right to hold their own religious beliefs. Spreading these beliefs to one's children is indoctrination and child abuse. Do not teach religion to children.
Religion & SSM: Don't force religious groups to do SSMs.
Affirmative action: By economic status - support. Race-based affirmative action should be encouraged, but quotas and whatnot are going too far. Punish discriminatory businesses, though.  
Hate crime laws: A bit undecided. Support in some instances.
Immigration: Support open borders.
Stem cell research: Strongly, strongly support
Science: Scientific progress should be supported by the government. Increase funding for NASA.
PATRIOT Act: Oppose.
Gun Control: Support closing loopholes, oppose assault weapons ban.  
Assisted suicide: Support.
Organ donation: Opt-out is a good idea.
Federalism: Mostly oppose. I dislike the idea of "leaving an issue to the states". Some devolution is necessary in a country as large as the United States, though.
Creationism: Keep it out of schools
Sex ed: Comprehensive sex ed is pretty much just common sense.

Electoral Reform:
DC: Support DC statehood.
Voting age: Status quo.
Campaign Finance Reform: Oppose Citizens' United, support public funding.
Voting system: Mixed member proportional. Oppose the electoral college... though I'd really miss the pretty maps.
Gerrymandering: Absolutely needs fixing.
Voter ID: Oppose.  
Two party system: Oppose.
Senate: Should have its power significantly decreased or be abolished.

Economic Issues:
Welfare state: Support an extensive welfare state. This is one of my biggest issues, having grown up in a low-income family on food stamps.
Unions: Love 'em. I have a thing for the IWW.
Privatization: Oppose.
Global warming: Real and human-caused. We need to have legislation to limit carbon emissions.
Water fluoridation: One of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the past century. Fully support.
Nuclear energy: More sustainable than some would have us believe. Support, in addition to maxing out what we can get from solar power, wind power, etc.
Minimum wage: Raise it.
Taxation: Support progressive taxation.
Healthcare: Single-payer.
Trade: Fair trade.  
Education:: Increase funding. Abolish private schools.
Military: Reduce funding drastically.

Foreign Policy
War: End imperialistic foreign policy. Not completely ideologically non-interventionist.
Israel-Palestine: A solution which one secular state is formed would be ideal, but possibly unworkable. Two-state solution is probably best.
Iran: Not a massive threat. Should face international sanctions for human rights abuses, though.
Syria: Assad is preferable to Islamists.
Middle East (other)Sad Support sanctions on Saudi Arabia for the same reasons as Iran.
Cuba: Normalize relations, end embargo.
Draft: Oppose.
UN: Support US membership. Oppose the structure of the security council. Support Palestinian membership.  
Global state: One decentralized world state is ideal, but unlikely.
Nukes: Reduce.
Foreign Aid: Foreign aid to Africa should come in different forms. Focus on long-term development.
Puerto Rico: Support self-determination
Canada: Support annexation.

Overall: I'm interested to see what you would describe me as.
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Atlas Has Shrugged
ChairmanSanchez
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« Reply #854 on: July 01, 2013, 08:28:18 PM »


Overall: I'm interested to see what you would describe me as.

Scary.
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Leftbehind
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« Reply #855 on: July 01, 2013, 10:58:56 PM »



MustCrushCapitalism - you don't see yourself a socialist?
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MustCrushCapitalism
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« Reply #856 on: July 02, 2013, 12:42:02 AM »

Mwahaha
MustCrushCapitalism - you don't see yourself a socialist?
I do, actually.
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windjammer
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« Reply #857 on: July 02, 2013, 05:50:22 PM »

Economy
-We should increase for education: I believe it's a necessity because it will produce skilled employers and it's good to improve our economy in a work where it's just impossible to rivalize with China by the prize!
- As a developed country, it's a duty to grant a correct standard of living for all people, we must show solidarity! That's why I favor a national health care (Obamacare)!
-I'm pro-union, I believe workers must be protected against their employers, who want to exploit their employees to obtain a better gain (Yes, I totally agree with Marx on this point Tongue). Union workers aren't necessarily bad for the employers, because it prevents violent strikes. I favor a minimum wage too!
-However, I'm not anticapitalist: pro free trade,... But it must be regulated by the state (minimum wage,...) because capitalism can lead to a major crisis (1929,2008,...)
-I tend to favor a kind of welfare state, not a socialist state! I think the USSR is an example of the inefficience of socialism economically: a too big bureaucracy which conducts to a big corruption and a weak productivity.

Social:
-I'm catholic (I'm french after all Tongue), I have a good opinion of the church generally. In France, the catholic church has always been an example of solidarity, so I'm not against teaching religion in school (if the students want to have cathechism of course!). My signature is a picture of "Abbe Lemire" who was a priest and a great fighter for better social conditions, a fighter against poverty,... It's really what I like in catholiscism: help the poors, solidarity,...
-However, I don't agree with their social views on abortion and SSM: I'm strongly pro-choice (it's a women's right for me!) and pro-SSM.
-I strongly oppose death penalty.
-I tend to favor prostitution's legalization (I'm against procuring) but oppose drugs.
-I favor immigration, our population is becoming older, immigration is a necessity! 
-I'm against flag-burning, think collective security is more important than the right of autonomy (tend to favor measures against terrorism, with moderation),  I tend to favor limiting violence in video-games.


Foreign policy
-I'm interventionnist, I was in favor of the intervention in Libya, I think we should help syrian rebels.
-Manning and Snowden are just two traitors and are weakening their country.



So, who am I politically?
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Supersonic
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« Reply #858 on: July 02, 2013, 05:54:20 PM »


Maybe something like a Henry Jackson liberal.

Economically left, socially centre-left, fairly interventionist in foreign policy.
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Maxwell
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« Reply #859 on: July 02, 2013, 06:01:15 PM »

Social Policy

Abortion:  Pro-choice up to the point of viability. It's the womans body, but after a certain point, the baby would possibly have the ability to survive, and that's generally at about 26 weeks. That's where I think the line should be drawn.

SSM and other LGBT rights: Absolutely support. There are two ways of doing this in my view: one way is to get Government out of marriage. Getting rid of all the benefits the Government gives to married couples, and allow non-discrimination legislation to adapt. Another way is the way that is going on right now: fighting state by state to legalize gay marriage. Two people who love each other should have no barriers to be happy with one another.

Marijuana: Legalize. I do agree, that we should do this by going state by state with attempts to legalize, but I think it's time we realized that the War on Drugs is a colossal failure. Tax it heavily, regulate it like cigarettes, advertise against its use. We need to more effectively use our resources.

Drinking Age: It should be lowered to 18. We can send our men and women to war, and vote, but god forgiveth, we can't drink until we are 21. If we are legally decided to be an adult at 18, than we should be given all the benefits and what not of being an adult.

Oh, and I'm against the Death Penalty.

Physician-assisted suicide: I'm not quite sure, to be honest. I think one should be in charge of their own death, but at the same time, it also depends on the circumstance. Maybe they are in so much pain at one point and they say they want to be dead, but they are not truly meaning of it if they survive. I think in the right context and under the right scope, Physician-assisted Suicide could work, but I think there would be a lot of consent to go by. (this might be my only moralist position)

Guns: I think background checks is fine and is not gun control, so I supported Toomey-Manchin, although there were some major loopholes in the bill. However, I am not so supportive of a Assault Weapons ban, which would have little to no effect on gun violence. If we wanted to change the effect of gun violence, we need to look at our other laws and get power out of the black market (i.e. see Drug Wars)

Immigration: We need a more balanced workforce. What do I mean by that, well I mean that our workforce in the US is balanced on average skilled workers, with only small bits of American workers either highly skilled or low skilled. Compare that to an immigrant workforce, who have a lot of low skilled and high skilled workers, but not very many average workers. We need to increase immigration into this country. I believe it is time we reformed our immigration system to make it easier for people to come in, but we also need to be mindful and not treat people who came in here illegally any better than we treat people who follow the process. I do like the immigration plan in Congress, but I also want to do wonders on the work visa program.

Ultimately, though, if they are paying taxes in this country and are working, I have no problem with immigrants, illegal or not illegal, being in our country.

Affirmative Action: Against.

Economic Policy

Income Tax: We should have an income tax system. However, we should scale back rates once the economy gets back on track. However, in order to do that in a balanced fashion when it comes to revenue, we need to cut all of the special interest loopholes and ways that the corporate system gets to avoid taxation.

Deficit: The deficit needs to be lowered through cuts and increases to revenue, otherwise known as austerity. However, we also need to increase spending in smaller places: infrastructure for example, in order to push jobs back into the economy. I am against massive wasteful spending, but not all spending is the same: We have a massively bloated military budget and we have no wars we are fighting with it, and I support big cuts to it. I also support looking under every rock and cutting waste.

Social Security: I am for raising the retirement age, as Americans are living longer, and doing more with their lives. The retirement age has been the same since FDR, back when the age of death was LOWER than the retirement age he set for Social Security. It is only fair that we raise it now to compensate for increasing costs of the program. Simply put, we need to lock the lockbox. No more to Washington Republicans and Democrats robbing the trust fund as they did to fund their mistakes. In the long term, I do support a shift towards either privatization, or the Government handing back what people have put in and abolishing the program all together.

Free Trade:  Pro-Free Trade.

Education:  It should be in the hands of the states. We need to shift out of the dreadful policies of No Child Left Behind. Not all education spending is good spending, as we spend more it seems that those dollars go to waste when our scores are sh**t. We need to put more money behind primary education, giving a good foundation for later years.

Infrastructure spending: Support increasing. Our roads are in dire danger, and we need to do more to make our roads safer and better. One solution I like is making the toll roads private while keeping regular roads public. There are innovative solutions out there, and I believe that it isn't completely a lost cause.
 
Environment: We should be mindful of our effect, but we should also not over-estimate our effect. There is something of an arrogance of our existence on this earth that we are the main culprits destroying the earth. Earth has long term shifts, some of them radical (see: the Ice Age), so I am still very skeptical. Ultimately, I wouldn't put environmental interests ahead of economic interests. However, I do support preserving lands for future generations via National Parks.

Foreign Policy

Embargo on Cuba: Totally against it. Cuba is no longer a threat. The more people we are trading with and working with across the world, the better. We need to lower barriers, not put up. No more Embargo on Cuba!

Military involvement overseas: My basic foreign policy idea is simple: It is much like Milton Friedman described Government policy in the economy. Foreign Policy is too powerful: any movement we make ultimately comes back to bite us in the future. See all these leaders we put into power and than overthrew. I think it's time we stopped being so involved in world affairs. Let's be more mindful of our place in the world and stop being the world police. So my foreign policy is a minimalist foreign policy.

Humanitarian causes: We should be more cautious about humanitarian aide. In any place where we could be thinking to fund poor kids in Africa, it turns out to be a dictator who takes those funds and slaughters thousands of his people. We need to be more cautious all around with foreign policy, but I think Humanitarian aide is a perfect example of why we need a more minimalist foreign policy.

Support for Democracy: The United States isn't a Democracy. It is a constant fight between Republic and Democracy. Why should we impose something that we aren't even 100% behind?  Again, let's leave people alone, we don't know the backlash we may face because of these policies. Iraq is still a disaster to this day, because we invaded a country and then tried to "fix" our mess under the guise of Democracy.

You are a kind of rockefeller isolationnist. Really on the left socially, on the right economically (but not so far). You could be Olympia Snowe but she's pro interventionnist, so I would say Lincoln Chafee when he was independant!

Isolationism is the wrong term. I support free trade and I support an aggressive policy on getting all countries who are interested in wanting to be our trade partner to do so. I think the correct term is Non-Interventionism.

Also, while I am generally center right on economic issues, I do have some where I fit into the fairly right wing mold (unions, social security/medicare, healthcare).
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H. Ross Peron
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« Reply #860 on: July 03, 2013, 01:26:08 AM »

Where am I politically?
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« Reply #861 on: July 03, 2013, 08:58:46 AM »


moderateheroland
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Supersonic
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« Reply #862 on: July 03, 2013, 09:11:50 AM »


New Democrat, in the mould of Andrew Cuomo and best typified by Bill Clinton. Generally centrist on social issues reading your answers, except on abortion and guns where you tilt to the right. You're generally centre-left on economics issues. Foreign policy, too, pretty centrist although your Syria stance stood out. It probably makes sense to switch your E/S matrix scores as you seem socially more centrist than economically so. You're not a moderate hero per-se, just a pragmatic Democrat. In days long gone, you might have voted Republican, maybe up to Ford in '76, or pushing it, Bush in '88. Thereafter probably straight Democrat.
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Supersonic
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« Reply #863 on: July 03, 2013, 09:30:18 AM »

Procrastination. I'll probably flesh this out at some point.

Social Policy

Abortion:  Constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade. Return abortion back to the states. Enact parental consent laws. Remove funding for Planned Parenthood.

SSM and other LGBT rights:  Support Same Sex Marriage, but it should be a state decision. Support ENDA too.

Marijuana:  Keep it illegal and crack down on the states that are decriminalising it, enact a federal ban preventing states from selling it.

Drinking Age:  Preferably lowered to 18 as in the UK but this doesn't really concern me.

Death Penalty:  Oppose. Imperfect society is incapable of accurately determining who deserves to die. (quoting TDA's answer here)

Physician-assisted suicide: Neutral, but lean oppose.

Guns: Moved slightly more to the right on this. Oppose federal attempts at gun control and empower the states to take their own lead on the issue. I support gun control at the state level, not federally.

Affirmative Action: Oppose, in all instances.

Economic Policy

Income Tax:  Gradually decrease it across the board. No tax rises.

Deficit:  Cut the deficit by spending cuts, see my plan on the NYT interactive budget app. Balance the budget via 20% tax rises, 80% cuts.

Social Security:  Cut social security, raises eligibility age to 70, tighten means testing etc.

Free Trade:  Wholly support. No exceptions.

Education:  Remove the Department of Education. It's a state issue.

Infrastructure spending:  No spending until the budget is balanced.

Environment: Encourage investment in greener technology, protect conservation and green belt areas. Allow off-shore oil drilling and fracking.

Foreign Policy

Mideast: Wholly support Israel. Should have kept troops in Iraq and would have voted for the surge (but would have opposed the war in retrospect). Neutral on Iran with the recent election, though any sign of antagonism towards Israel and building of nuclear weapons would be met with retribution.

East Asia: Continue to back our allies in Asia. Encourage a trade rapprochement with China, though remain wary of them.

Embargo on Cuba:  Continue.

Military involvement overseas:  Should be encouraged where human rights are being threatened or our nations interests are threatened.

Humanitarian causes:  As above.
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Just Passion Through
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« Reply #864 on: July 05, 2013, 12:45:24 AM »
« Edited: July 05, 2013, 02:32:33 PM by Senator Scott »

It's been about a year since I wrote one of these, and since certain US policies have changed, I thought it would be appropriate to revise some planks.


Social Issues

Abortion/Women's HealthSadLeft
  • Keep abortion legal nationwide; neutral on late-term abortion
  • Expand access to contraception, cover with public funds
  • Allocate public funds toward Stem Cell Research
  • Promote 'safe sex' education programs

LGBT Issues: Left
  • Support the Supreme Court's recent ruling on DOMA
  • Legalize same-sex marriage in every state, including adoption rights
(no preference for whether this should be done through ballot referendums, state legislatures, or courts)
  • Include sexual orientation in hate crime laws

Drugs: Center-Left
  • End the ‘Drug War’ nationally and internationally; direct money and efforts to causes that seek to prevent the use of hard drugs; decriminalize all drugs, prosecute dealers
  • Legalize, regulate, and tax the sale of marijuana; oppose the legalization of other hard drugs

Prostitution: Center-Left
  • Legalize and tax prostitution
  • Require routine medical tests and strictly enforce health standards

Guns/Crime: Center
  • Support conceal-carry and 'castle doctrine' laws
  • Support enacting Manchin-Toomey style background checks
  • Oppose handgun bans
  • Neutral/lean oppose assault weapons bans
  • Oppose the death penalty
  • Encourage states and local communities to address crime and prevent police brutality

Education: Left
  • Support public schools, but not misguided spending; reform the system from within
  • Adopt a Finland-based system and repeal 'No Child Left Behind'
  • Reward public schools that succeed, and redesign failing ones
  • Grant waivers to states for all federally-required standardized tests, reduce standardized tests to one per student during his or her junior/senior year
  • Guarantee teachers the right to unionize, but maintain a healthy balance between unions and governments
  • Give teachers the right to choose their own books and design their own assignments/tests, provided that they meet a certain criteria

Immigration: Center/Center-Right
  • Enforce immigration laws; use defense funds to increase Border Patrol, deploy sensors, and build fences
  • Prosecute businesses that hire illegal immigrants
  • Provide residency for illegal individuals who demonstrate ‘good moral character’ by pursuing higher education or serving for at least two years in the US military
  • Oppose English-only legislation; strengthen bilingual education, instead
  • Oppose prosecuting children of illegal immigrants
  • Oppose mass deportation
  • Oppose ‘Arizona-style’ immigration proposals

Euthanasia: Left
  • Allow euthanasia at the consent of individual doctors and their patients

Church and State: Center
  • Allow voluntary school prayer, but no official teacher-led prayer; allow students to form religious groups in public schools
  • Keep the words ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance
  • Support separation of church and state, but oppose keeping the church out of the public square

Economic Issues

Affirmative Action: Center
  • Shift the emphasis on AA strategies from racial preferences to economic empowerment of all disadvantaged citizens; oppose quotas
  • Support equal pay legislation

Free Trade: Center
  • Generally support free trade; oppose both global laissez faire and protectionist policies
  • Give other countries access to the US market if they apply labor and environmental standards to factories
  • Build a rule-based global trading system

Health Care: Left
  • Keep the Affordable Care Act in place for the time being, but transition to a public option or single-payer system
  • Cover American citizens from the time of birth

Welfare: Center
  • Support ‘work-for-welfare’ legislation, such as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act
  • Drug-testing for welfare recipients has not worked in practice or saved money for welfare programs, but I am in favor of letting states mandate drug-testing if it’s proven to be a cost-saving measure.  Unfortunately, the practicality of such policies is yet to be shown.

Minimum Wage: Center-Left
  • Support the minimum wage, but exempt small businesses that would not be able to afford it

Taxes: Center
  • Roll back the Bush tax cuts for top earners, but keep them in place for Americans making below $250,000.  Revert back to Clinton-era tax levels when the economy stabilizes
  • Remove tax loopholes
  • Reduce the Corporate Tax

Regulations: Center
  • Re-evaluate government regulations; some are necessary, but others have the tendency to benefit large corporations at the expense of small businesses

Budget: Center-Right
  • Make debt/deficit reduction a priority, but not one that outweighs the importance of economic recovery
  • Oppose across-the-board spending cuts until the economy stabilizes
  • Evaluate and slash spending that goes  to wasteful or unnecessary projects
  • Ban pork-barrel projects
  • End farm subsidies for large businesses in the food industry
  • Cut pay of civilian federal workers by 5 percent, reduce federal workforce by 10 percent

Energy: Center/Center-Left
  • Continue oil drilling, but incentivize the private sector to generate energy from cleaner sources
  • Launch an initiative for the federal and state governments to transition energy sources in public buildings (new heating and air conditioning systems, new lighting, etc.)
  • Keep tax credits for the production and sale of hybrids and environmentally friendly vehicles
  • End government subsidies and tax cuts to oil businesses
  • Lean against Cap and Trade legislation

Social Security: Left
  • Protect SS funds from being allocated toward unrelated expenditures (lock box)
  • Raise the Payroll Tax after the economy stabilizes
  • Oppose proposals to raise the retirement age or privatize Social Security
  • Reduce benefits for wealthy individuals
  • Use an alternate measure for inflation

Unions: Center-Left
  • Balance labor demands with business concerns
  • Negotiate with public unions for pension cuts when necessary, but keep collective bargaining in place

Foreign Policy/Defense: Left

PATRIOT ACT
  • Strongly oppose; repeal the law in its entirety and protect Constitutional liberties

Afghanistan & Iraq
  • Withdraw all military presence from Afghanistan and Iraq

Israel/Palestine
  • Support a two-state solution; craft a foreign policy that pertains to the needs of both Israelites and Palestinians
  • Keep both entities accountable for upholding promises

Iran
  • Use embargoes and isolationist techniques against Iran, but commit no military action unless there is clear evidence that a nuclear arms program is being developed

Syria
  • Oppose US intervention in Syria.

Military Spending
  • Withdraw troops from Korea, China, Japan, Europe, and elsewhere
  • Reduce nuclear arsenal and space spending
  • Reduce Navy and Air Force fleets
  • Cancel or delay some weapons programs
  • Reduce noncombat military compensation and overhead

Electoral Issues/Government

Voter Regulations/ID Cards
  • Support distribution of voter ID cards, but not at the expense of the individual
  • Oppose any reform laws that might disenfranchise voter participation
  • Allow early voting and count absentee votes

Electoral College
  • Abolish the electoral college; let new presidents be selected via popular vote.
  • Enact proportional representation for elections pertaining to the legislative branch

Washington D.C.
  • Let the citizens decide if they want to remain a district or become a part of Virginia/Maryland, but only at the consent of the state that would incorporate the district.

Puerto Rico
  • Let the citizens decide on statehood.

Senate
  • Tighten rules pertaining to the filibuster
  • Reduce Senate terms to four years instead of six



To sum up my ideology, I suppose I'm firmly leftist, but occasionally tip to the center or even the center-right, depending on the issue.  My top priority is making government more frugal, efficient, and respecting of civil liberties.
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Del Tachi
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« Reply #865 on: July 19, 2013, 04:10:22 PM »


  • Reduce Senate terms to four years instead of six


So there are going to be two electoral classes of 50 Senators each?

So, that would mean that half of the U.S. Senate would always stand for re-election the same year as presidential elections...not gonna fly with ardent defenders of the Senate's status as the "upper chamber". 
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TJ in Oregon
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« Reply #866 on: July 19, 2013, 11:58:33 PM »


  • Reduce Senate terms to four years instead of six


So there are going to be two electoral classes of 50 Senators each?

So, that would mean that half of the U.S. Senate would always stand for re-election the same year as presidential elections...not gonna fly with ardent defenders of the Senate's status as the "upper chamber". 

Maybe we could do odd years?
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The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
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« Reply #867 on: July 25, 2013, 09:55:07 PM »

Ideally, half the Senate would be up every two years.
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TNF
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« Reply #868 on: July 26, 2013, 07:56:55 AM »

Ideally, half the Senate would be up every two years.

Shorter terms = more money in politics
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tpfkaw
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« Reply #869 on: July 27, 2013, 03:33:32 PM »

Ideally, half the Senate would be up every two years.

Shorter terms = more money in politics

and even more short sighted, election-cycle politics. then again as i've said before i support something like demarchy so what do i know.

But you think nearly all people are idiots...
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ElectionsGuy
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« Reply #870 on: August 07, 2013, 09:40:31 AM »
« Edited: September 01, 2013, 02:17:55 AM by Waukesha County »

Since it is much harder to think of issues to explain, I will copy the political matrix test and tell you what I think.

A = Agree, N = Neutral, D = Disagree, UD = Usually Disagree, UA = Usually Agree. CI = Critical Issue.



1. The right to individual autonomy is important, even if it threatens collective security. (A) (CI)

2. The government should penalize organizations that practice outsourcing. (D)

3. Giving faith-based charities the same government resources as secular organizations is a good idea. (N)

4. We should increase foreign aid to countries struggling with poverty. (D) (CI)

5. We should increase funding for education. (N)

6. Heterosexual couples should receive higher marital recognition than same-sex couples. (D)

7. Overall, free trade hurts more than it helps. (D) (CI)

8. We should reduce the number of government programs substantially. (A) (CI)

9. Abortion should be illegal or very heavily restricted. (D)

10. The government should fund museums, theaters, and other cultural institutions that are unable to survive independently. (D)

11. The government should subsidize health insurance for those who cannot easily afford it. (N)

12. The government should work to reduce children's exposure to offensive radio and television content. (D) (CI)

13. It is unfair that wealthier people pay higher tax rates. (A) (CI)

14. The minimum wage should be raised. (D) (CI)

15. Marijuana should be legalized. (A)

16. Society focuses too much on forcing equality at the expense of real merit. (A) (CI)

17. Violating individual rights is acceptable when it comes to fighting terrorism. (D) (CI)

18. Current levels of government regulation on industry are excessive. (A) (CI)

19. The government should provide basic needs for all people. (UD) (CI)

20. The death penalty should be an option for serious crimes. (D)

21. We should reduce the difficulty of immigration. (A)

22. Union workers should be protected against being fired during strikes. (D)

23. Prostitution should be legalized. (A)

24. Flag burning should be banned. (D)

25. I support affirmative action. (D) (CI)

26. The government should impose tariffs to protect industries from foreign competition. (D)

27. Physician-assisted suicide should be legal if the patient is capable of informed, rational consent. (A)


Economic: +7.48. Social: -7.83.

Last Updated: September 1st, 2013.
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MalaspinaGold
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« Reply #871 on: August 07, 2013, 05:46:02 PM »
« Edited: August 07, 2013, 07:30:45 PM by MalaspinaGold »

My political views:

Abortion:- No restrictions, up to 24 weeks. States can do what they want after 24 weeks, so long as abortion related to life/health of the mother and birth defects (maybe rape/incest) not infringed upon. Third trimester abortions make up less than 5% of abortions, so it's not really an important issue to me.

SSM- Same-sex couples get full rights received by straight couples. Repeal DOMA; not a federal issue. States can decide as they wish, though they have to recognize marriages made in other states, otherwise federal legalization. As you can see, I am ambivalent about this issue.

Drug War- Legalize marijuana, scale back drug war. It's not working, we should not be throwing money at it. Spend resulting surplus on anti-poverty programs.

Guns- I've moved to the right on this issue a bit. Federal background checks needed. Federal assault weapons ban not really called for, but local governments should have the right to impose an assault weapons ban, a handgun ban, and/or a ban on on large magazines, because they represent the most homogenous communities (i.e. these would probably not work as well in Montana, but in New York City, could help cut crime).

Done with boring social issues.

Taxes Taxes on top 2% revert to Clinton-era. Close some tax loopholes (i.e. helicopter/yacht tax breaks) while reforming others (child tax credit make applicable for only the first 3/4 children, and get rid of it for those making over $250,000). Corporate tax code should be raided of loopholes.

Social Security/Medicare- These will eventually have to be dealt with; but now is not the tie. Social security pays for itself, and as more boomers retire, we should eliminate the cap on the Social Security taxes.

Minimum Wage- Raise it, tie to inflation. Only common sense thing to do.

Corporate Subsidies- Eliminate many corporate subsidies, such as the oil subsidies.

Regulations Regulations are important, and get too much bad rap. Curtail some "red tape" but enact more regulations on financial institutions.

Energy
Coal: Coal is dying, no need to resuscitate it.
Natural Gas: Severely limit and regulate fracking; probably not politically sound to eliminate it.
Nuclear: Ambivalent about this: More study into feasibility of fusion reactors; fission should be looked at too, if only to cut greenhouse emissions.
Biofuels: Some good, some bad. Corn is essentially a waste of time and money;by contrast Germany has had success utilizing algae.
Green Energy: Establish subsidies to get this nascent industry off the ground. We used to have a near monopoly on this energy, but are in danger of being overtaken by the Chinese. Solyndra was an exception, not the rule.
Oil: As said before, eliminate oil subsidies, no drilling in natural reserves, parks, monuments, etc.
Cap and Trade: support

Health care- ACA should have gone farther, included public option.

Labor-Generally support unions, NLRB should be given more teeth. Unions are a critical counterweight to large corporations, and should be protected.

National Security-Right to privacy is important. The NSA should not have authority to collect the data it does, and in any case, it is inefficient. I am against the Patriot Act.

Foreign intervention-I am neutral on Syria, especially since the rebels if given power would probably be too weak to keep an Islamic state from rising. I support increasing humanitarian aid to developing countries; considering that less than 1% of our budget is spent in this area. Israel is our ally; we should make it clear that we insist upon a Palestinian state, and they should not feel entitled to a blank check.

Free trade- Generally do not support; by all means we should trade freely with countries that treat workers fairly and are democratic. However NAFTA was a mistake, as countless jobs have moved to maquiladoras along the Mexican border, resulting in worse conditions on both sides of the border.

So, what am I?
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PolitiJunkie
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« Reply #872 on: August 07, 2013, 11:02:05 PM »
« Edited: August 07, 2013, 11:15:28 PM by PolitiJunkie »

I'll do social and electoral tonight, and add economic and foreign tomorrow.

Social

  • Abortion/Women's Health: I am 100% pro-choice and I support federal funding for planned parenthood and other women's health clinics. I also fully support a woman's right to any and all contraception, and I believe that all hospitals should be required to provide such contraception regardless of religious affiliation.
  • Affirmative Action: Support, to a reasonable extent. I believe affirmative action is more important with regards to college admissions than employment, but both are still necessary. Preferably, race should be a deciding factor between candidates of equal caliber, not a booster for unqualified candidates.
  • Assisted Suicide: Support one's right to choose this option, but it should obviously be monitored closely.
  • Church and State: Should be fully separated. Oppose the presence of "under God" in the Pledge; the U.S. operates under the Constitution, not God. Faith-based charities should not have the same government resources as secular ones.
  • Dealth Penalty: I have no problem whatsoever with the moral concept of the death penalty, however I have three major problems with the way it is currently executed (no pun intended): 1. The death penalty is cost-deficient; one execution costs more money than keeping one person in prison for life. 2. The death penalty is applied in a racist fashion. 3. The death penalty is sometimes applied when there is still reasonable doubt about one's guilt of a crime. If we can eradicate these issues, and create a cost-effective, color-blind death penalty that is only used in instances of 100% certainty of guilt, go for it.
  • Drinking Age: All practical arguments point in favor of lowering the drinking age to 18.
  • Drugs: End the war on drugs completely. Legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana, allowing it to occupy a similar position as alcohol and cigarettes. Decriminalize all other drugs but do not legalize or sell them in a way that would make them readily available.
  • Gun Conrol: Gun control is one of the toughest issues, and it is one where extreme (or even very strong) views on both sides are completely insane. We cannot ignore the Second Amendment, but we also cannot ignore the presence of the words "well-regulated." Nobody needs a magazine that can shoot several rounds, or an AK-47. Support assault weapons ban. Oppose handguns ban. Support strengthened background checks. Oppose the NRA's stranglehold on Congressional Republicans. A moderate approach is the only way to deal with gun control.
  • Hate Crime Laws: Fully support them.
  • Immigration: Continue to strengthen border security, streamline legal immigration, provide a pathway to earning citizenship for illegal immigrants who are already here, and crack down on employers hiring undocumented workers. Support DREAM Act. Supported Gang of 8 Immigration Bill before it became nothing. Vehemently oppose any federal, state, or municipal laws that stipulate racial profiling as a means of combating illegal immigration. SB1070 and similar legislation is not only disgusting but inherently unconstitutional and anti-American.
  • PATRIOT Act: 100% oppose. Repeal.
  • Prostitution: Legalize, regulate, and tax prostitution.
  • Same-sex marriage: 100% support; legalize at the federal level and ensure that, in the eyes of the law, there is 0 distinction between a same-sex couple and an opposite-sex couple.
  • Stem-Cell Research: Fully support federal funding of stem-cell research.

Electoral Reform
  • Campaign Finance Reform: Strongly support. Pass a 28th Amendment that overturns Citizens' United decision
  • Congressional Term Length/Limits: Of course I see the upsides, but oppose. Let the voters make that decision. I would make no changes to the current system of term lengths (keep all House terms two years, and all Senate terms six years with one-third of the Senate up for reelection every two years).
  • Electoral College: I don't think it's as evil as some say, but abolish, replacing it with national popular vote and run-off for the top two candidates if nobody achieves a majority. Vehemently opposed to any electoral college reform (i.e. changes that aren't abolition) because most are measures that would make the winner of the popular vote less likely to be elected POTUS and would benefit Republicans tremendously (i.e. applying the Maine/Nebraska method to all states; this would be horrendous)
  • Filibuster: The filibuster in its present form is a massive hindrance to progress in the Senate and in Washington D.C. overall. Senate filibusters SHOULD absolutely require floor speech for their entire duration, and lower the number of Senators required for cloture to 55.
  • Voter Regulations/ID Cards: 100% oppose any measures to disenfranchise. All voter regulation/ID Card measures recently have been attempts by Republican-controlled state legislatures to disenfranchise minorities and other Democratic-leaning groups. I support automatic voter registration for all persons aged 18 and up (undecided about lowering the voting age to 16, but leaning toward no.)
  • Presidential Term Length/Limits: Presidents should serve one non-renewable six-year term. That way, NO President is ever distracted by running for reelection and thus deterred from serving the people, but still has more than four years to set an agenda. Presidents who serve less than three full years of another's term due to death, resignation, or impeachment, can run for a full term, but those who serve more than three full years cannot.
  • Puerto Rico Statehood: Let the people of Puerto Rico decide. If they pass a resolution for statehood, Congress should have to approve this resolution.
  • Washington DC Statehood: Vehemently oppose. The whole intent is that the capital is NOT one of the states. Ambivalent with respect to retroceding all the non-federal areas of DC into Maryland, but I can see the pluses.

 
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H. Ross Peron
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« Reply #873 on: August 07, 2013, 11:24:34 PM »


I'd say generally New Deal Democrat.
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Zioneer
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« Reply #874 on: September 06, 2013, 04:49:40 PM »

Can I have a list of the current questions/topics we've got? It's annoying to have to copy and paste the topic titles and have to check whether the post I'm using has all the topics or not.
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