Summary of political beliefs
       |           

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 05:06:53 AM
News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more

  Talk Elections
  General Politics
  Individual Politics (Moderator: The Dowager Mod)
  Summary of political beliefs
« previous next »
Pages: 1 ... 49 50 51 52 53 [54] 55 56 57 58 59 ... 63
Author Topic: Summary of political beliefs  (Read 557614 times)
HillGoose
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 12,861
United States


Political Matrix
E: 1.74, S: -8.96

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1325 on: September 14, 2018, 12:42:56 PM »

I'm gonna do one now.

Foreign Policy: I believe in expanding NATO, increasing military spending, having US troops in Ukraine, and liberating Syria, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Sudan. And continuing drone strikes to kill terrorists.
Drugs: I believe all drugs should be legal. Including meth, heroin, DMT, whatever. People are still responsible for crimes they commit while under the influence, however.
Abortion: No government ban, but also no federal funding.
LGBT: Legal SSM. Let people do whatever they want with their sexuality, government doesn't belong in it. That means it's also okay to not sell to LGBT, but you're an idiot if you're running a business and actively refusing customers.
Welfare/Social Security: I believe in ending Social Security. I think welfare should still exist for poor children and adults who prove they are responsible enough to deserve it. I do not believe anti-vaxxers should get welfare benefits.
Free Trade: Free trade is the best, I support NAFTA, TPP, and want the US more integrated in free trade and the global economy.
Education: I think the government should replace teachers with computers. It will save a lot of money.
Taxes: I believe in lower corporate rates, lower rates on high-income earners, abolishing capital gains taxes, as well abolishing estate taxes. I believe in getting tax rates as low as possible.
Minimum Wage: I don't believe in a minimum wage, certainly not increasing it either. Minimum wage jobs are to build experience, not to have a family on.
Prostitution: I believe it should be legal nationwide for any consenting person over the age of 21, to either buy or sell.
Immigration: Make it as easy as possible for people to immigrate here, without going open-borders. Background check for no criminal connections, but otherwise no restrictions on legal immigration.
Separation of Church and State: I don't believe there should be any references to religion in government. No Ten Commandments in courthouses, no religious-based policies, none of it. We are a secular nation.
Environment: I believe the free market will solve all environmental issues.
Euthanasia: Oppose on a personal basis. Lawyers should have to produce documentation that you want to die and confirm it in court before anyone has euthanasia done.
Healthcare: Repeal PPACA with no replacement, government doesn't belong in healthcare, except to provide healthcare for poor children.
Logged
libertpaulian
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,610
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1326 on: September 15, 2018, 09:14:07 PM »
« Edited: September 15, 2018, 09:22:51 PM by libertpaulian »

Social issues:
- Pro-life, but can accept a 20-week ban as a compromise position.
- Pro-SSM
- LGBT should be added to civil rights laws
- Pro-Gun
- Pro-Criminal Justice Reform
- Pro-Marijuana
- Pro-Immigration Reform
- Abolish qualified immunity for police officers

Economic:
- Fiscal restraint
- Multi-payer or all-payer healthcare but with the market as the first resort.
- Capitalist
- Free trade
- Market solutions to resolve climate change
- Give states more leverage to solve major policy issues
- Repeal the 16th Amendment and replace our tax system with a Land-value tax and Pigouvian tax

Foreign Policy:
- Pro-Israel
- Realist
- Cut aid to dictatorships
- Anti-Russia
- Anti-Saudi Arabia
- Treat China as a frenemy
Logged
LAKISYLVANIA
Lakigigar
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 15,165
Belgium


Political Matrix
E: -7.42, S: -4.78

P P P
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1327 on: September 18, 2018, 02:34:24 PM »
« Edited: September 18, 2018, 02:46:52 PM by Lakigigar »

Foreign Policy: I believe that NATO should be disbanded, and that we should decrease military spending, focus on diplomacy and international dialogue, and follow an independent course in terms of foreign politics.
Drugs: Legalization of marijuana, decriminalisation of other drugs, but focus on prevention and rehabitilation. Driving while drunk or driving under influence should not be tolerated though.
Abortion: Pro-choice. If woman are against abortion, they can chose to not have an abortion when they're pregnant, but it's not my business or business of the state. Illegal abortions are also not safe and not preferrable by any means, because the government or private instutions doesn't provide a safer way.
LGBT: I support LGBTQ-rights, but we shouldn't start to pro-discriminate them which is currently happening. People are starting to feel like they're being forgotten when they're "too normal".
Welfare/Social Security: Expand. Social security might be the most important task a government has to offer their citizens. It's the only way to combat poverty, and it's the most humanitarian approach. Economic equality is very important to me.
Free Trade: Lean towards oppose. Or... at least less than now. Let's put it that way. Globalism has gone too far, and multinationals have too much of a hegemony over the market. We should focus on supporting local economy, and more protectionist measures against international corporations, but... still more than reasonable.
Education: I support free tuition fees, and would invest a lot in quality college. Education is what shapes a person and what helps them in their further life. Anything starts with going to college. That's why we should spend a lot here. I'm a proponent of the Finnish system.
Taxes: Lowering rates on middle and lower classes, higher or keeping high on high-income earners, and progressive tax system on corporations (high multinationals, less high on local corporations). Taxes should be used to provide more economic equality.
Minimum Wage: I believe in a minimum wage yes. People who work need to have a decent income. Should be up to 15 dollar / hour at least. Anything below is basically slavery.
Prostitution: Legal, starting at the age of 21, for both people who offer / make use of it.
Immigration: I believe we should be tough on immigration, but be anti-racist. But we need to stop importing poverty here, and focus on stabilizing other regions on the world. The world isn't culturally homogenous enough or tolerant enough to other cultures to have mass-immigration of this rate. Immigration should thus be tough, but correct and humane. We also need to make sure that immigrant groups already staying in our country, can truly integrate in our country.
Separation of Church and State: We should be a secular nation, and there should be no reference of religion in the state, even at school.
Environment: Climate change might be the most important issue of 21st century, so we need to take harsh measures here. We currently are not doing enough to combat climate change. We need to prioritize green energy and focus on a sustainable green economy, focus on public transport, and have a tax of 21% on meat.
Euthanasia: I support euthanasia. People have the right to die if they want too. It's also more humane that suicide efforts and it can offer a way for people to say goodbye to that person and accept it.
Healthcare: I support universal single-payer healthcare system. Healthcare is very important, and everyone should afford it. No-one should die or get sick because they simply can not afford to go to the doctor or pay a visit to the hospital.
Logged
bigic
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 504
Serbia and Montenegro


Political Matrix
E: 2.32, S: -7.30

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1328 on: September 27, 2018, 07:24:18 AM »
« Edited: September 27, 2018, 07:57:01 AM by bigic 🌐 »

Foreign Policy: I'm for an internationalist and globalist foreign policy based on democratic and liberal values. Support most forms of political co-operation between the states, such as the EU. If for example Ukraine wants to join NATO, it should be able to join. Not a fan of offensive wars, but they have their place.
Drugs: Legalize marijuana and other "soft" drugs, decriminalize other drugs as a start. I'd like all drugs being legal, but I'm sceptical about that.
Abortion: Pro-choice. Against banning abortion, including late-term abortion.
LGBT: Full legal equality with heterosexuals and other sexual orientations. For marriage, adoption and other rights.
Gun control: Against. Gun control is paternalism.
Welfare/Retirement: The welfare system should be more cash based - replace food stamps, social housing etc. with cash transfers. Curious about NIT/UBI. I also think that welfare spending should be somewhat reduced. Reduce the retirement system so that it provides just a minimal amount to keep old people from being poor and promote private retirement insurance.
Free Trade: For abolition of all tariffs and for multi-lateral trade agreements to eliminate (or at least reduce) non-tariff barriers. Trade should be as free as possible.
Education: For school vouchers and more private schools.
Taxes: Curious about LVT, I think it's a good replacement to property taxes as it doesn't disincentive development as much. Shift tax burden from income taxes to consumption taxes and reduce overall taxation and spending.
Minimum Wage: Against minimum wage, as it reduces employment.
Privatization: Privatize everything except maybe natural monopolies.
Regulation: Almost always for deregulation. Particularly opposed to zoning, occupational licensing, taxi and anti-Uber regulations...
Prostitution: Should be completely legal.
Immigration: Against any immigration restrictions.
Separation of Church and State: The state should be neutral to all beliefs and non-beliefs. Against restriction of religious freedom and against promotion of religion by the state and religious symbols in state institutions.
Environment: For market-based solutions such as carbon tax or cap-and-trade.
Euthanasia: For legalizing euthanasia, as long as it's done with appropriate consent
Healthcare: For a market-based multipayer system of universal healthcare.
Logged
GreatTailedGrackle
Rookie
**
Posts: 58
United States


Political Matrix
E: 3.55, S: -8.78

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1329 on: October 01, 2018, 09:58:16 PM »

If I start going issue-by issue it will take forever, so I will break it down into three parts, summarized briefly: social issues, economic issues, and foreign policy.

On nearly all the social issues I can think of I am a libertarian and usually hold positions near the extreme end of the spectrum.  However immigration and gun control are exceptions: in both cases I hold positions very near the political center.

On economics I am more moderate.  I am not opposed in principle to either government spending or regulation, but I believe that the justification for either one has to be pretty strong.  Regulation in particular, I think is excessive: I believe the only acceptable regulations are those address an externality, an imbalance of information, or a natural monopoly, and then only if the burden is commensurate with the harm the regulation addresses.  When it comes to spending, there are more reasons I would support it, but usually only if there is also strong fiscal multiplier.  I oppose deficit spending except in times of war or a major recession, but I also don't think we'll get the debt down in my lifetime.  When it comes to taxes, I don't like them (who does?) but am more concerned with loopholes than the rate.

On foreign policy, I'm much more internationalist than movement libertarians, and I loved John McCain's "League of Democracies" idea.  I support drone assassinations and some cases of targeted air strikes, but strongly oppose offensive wars involving ground forces.  I believe free trade and cultural ties are the best way to effect regime change in dictatorships.  I am skeptical of foreign aid because of the evidence that the most popular forms are counterproductive. I think withdrawing the US from the Orwellian "United Nations Human Rights Council" is one of the only things Trump got right, and I would like to kick the UN out of New York City as well, so that foreign dictators with outstanding travel bans can't speak at Columbia University or go shopping on Fifth Avenue.
Logged
BlueSwan
blueswan
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 6,289
Denmark


Political Matrix
E: -4.26, S: -7.30

WWW Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1330 on: October 13, 2018, 12:50:43 PM »
« Edited: October 13, 2018, 12:54:43 PM by BlueSwan »

I don't know if I ever answered this thread before, but here we go. I'm going to include some issues that are hotly debated in the US even if they are not in Denmark.

Abortion: I support abortion rights, but with a time limit. In Denmark we have free access to abortions during the first trimester, with some exceptions being made up to 20 weeks. It seems to work well. Crucially, sex education is super important.

Affirmative action: Bill O'Reilly's beloved "White christian straight male power structure" is very real and it needs to be challenged to give minorities and women equal chances. Therefore I tend to support various versions of preferential treatment for minorities and women (or even men in some female dominated areas), with the caveat that these are meant to be icebreakers to change said power structure, not as permanent fixtures.

Immigration: I have nothing whatsoever against immigrants. I'm not afraid of brown people or muslims. Quite the contrary, actually. I have a lot of empathy for those people, because they don't have it easy in Denmark these days. However, I am sick of losing elections over this issue - this issue alone has caused the progressive side to lose 4 of the last 5 parliamentary elections in Denmark (every election since 2001, except the one in 2011). The fact is that many people are deeply concerned about the cultural impact of third-world immigration and we have to take that concern seriously. That's why I am ok with a somewhat strict immigration policy, even if I don't actual like that policy myself. However, I am TOTALLY against all the initiatives that are basically designed to harrass muslims. I think we need to do MUCH more to make immigrants actually feel at home here and as it currently is, I certainly can't blame immigrants for not feeling at home, because the overall sentiment in danish politics and danish media is heavily anti-immigrant and even more heavily anti-muslim. As for the US, I believe that Donald Trump won because of this issue and I think Democrats should take it seriously. If democrats are perceived (however wrongly) as being the party of unlimited immigration, they will lose again.

Crime: I support being massively more lenient in the criminal system. Alternative methods of punishment should be used far more and funds are better spent on prevention and resocialization programs than on keeping people locked up. I am obviously against the death penalty.

Gun control:If you had a well-functioning country basically without guns, would you support allowing for people to buy guns at will?? I think any reasonable person would answer "NO!" to that question, which is why it for Europeans seems nonsensical that Americans cling to their guns the way they do. I realize that getting rid of guns in the US is not going to be easy, but they did it in Australia, so it is not impossible.

LGBTQ-issues: I support equal rights for everyone. Always have, always will.

The environment/climate change: MASSIVE initiatives needs to be taken to battle global warming and it needs to happen now. The Paris treaty was just a baby step. All wealthy nations need to pour massive resources into scientific research and we need strict CO2-quotas for all to follow. Countries that do not follow suit should be heavily sanctioned.

Taxes: I support fairly high levels of taxes and in particular higher taxes on property, resource use and inheritance.

Trade:I support REGULATED free trade, not the libertarian version of free trade. But regulated free trade make us all richer.

Health-care: Access to health care is a human right. I fully support a single-payer universal health care model.

Automation:Automation is GREAT. It makes humanity richer and allows for us to have more interesting, less physically demanding and probably better paying jobs. If you don't agree with this think about whether you'd really like to go back to the early 1800s.

Education: Education should be governmentally funded. In Denmark we get paid to take an education. I realize that this might not be an immediately feasible solution for many countries, but ideally I think it is a great system.

Benefits: I support a strong social security net. Western countries are so rich that nobody should be poor, period. The government needs to provide funds for a decent life for anybody who can't find work or simply cannot work.

Minimum wage: In Denmark we don't have a legal minimum wage, as we have strong enough unions to take care of the issue. The de facto minimum wage is around $17-18. I certainly support a higher minimum wage in the States but don't have any strong feelings as to what exactly the level should be at.

Foreign Policy:
The western world needs the US to return to the Obama years of being a general force for good in the world. We cannot take peace for granted. The peaceful times we have had in the west since WW2 has happened for a reason. Without a strong US it is far from certain that it would have been as peaceful. But for the US to remain strong, they need to stop fighting unwinnable wars. The wars in the middle east were a mistake and should not be repeated.

Voter reform/election reform: Automated national registration at 18 years of age. Voting rights are RIGHTS, you should not be able to lose those under any circumstances, which means that felons should also be able to vote. Gerrymandering should be outlawed - all congressional districts should be drawn by nonpartisan boards. Ideally a proportional voting system should be adopted, but that is probably unrealistic. I support the national popular vote initiative, since I don't believe the electoral college will be abolished. Another unrealistic idea is that ideally I'd like to see the senate abolished as it gives way to much power to microstates, which do not even form a sociocultural unit in any meaningful fashion other than geographical proximity (much more important if you are urban or rural, black or white, rich or poor, well educated or not, or male or female than if you live in Iowa or Minnesota).

Drugs/prostitution: I generally don't believe in criminalizing behaviour that only hurts the actual people involved in the acts. Furthermore, I don't think criminazation accomplishes anything. So I support the legalization of prostitution and drugs. Both should be combated but in different ways than through the legal system.

The budget: It is generally nonsense to regard it is important to "balance the budget". A public budget does not need to balance, but it IS wise to avoid debt levels getting out of control. The US running trillion dollar deficits during a boom is most definitely NOT responsible fiscal policy. If the US should ever run a surplus it should be right now while the economy is booming and unemployment is very low. During a boom is the BEST time to raise taxes, so the US should get on with that immediately (as if that's going to happen....).
Logged
Florian Geyer
Chadpotkin
Rookie
**
Posts: 123
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1331 on: October 18, 2018, 12:07:23 PM »

Social Policy
Abortion: Personally I'm pro-life, but allow for first trimester only, as well as no sex selective abortion. Women getting safe abortions is better than in an alley ig.
Drugs: Decriminalize some drugs like marijuana
Censorship: No
Gay Marriage: Gay people should be allowed to get married
Death penalty: Legal for war criminals/terrorists, as well as for people who commit industrial crimes (DuPont dumping chemicals in the water)
Prostitution: Keep it illegal
Stem cell research: Conflicted feelings
Gun control: The 2nd amendment asserts the right of every American to bear arms, and we should keep it that way
Assisted suicide: Legal for terminal illnesses and the like
Gambling: Casinos should stay illegal

Electoral Reform
Term Limits: No term limits
Voting Age: Stay the same
Campaign Finance Reform: Publicly financing is an ok idea, definitely ban corporate donations
Gerrymandering: Bad

Economic Issues
Unions: Unions protect the working class, extremely good
Privatization: No, nationalize some industries instead
Minimum Wage: $15 + adjust for inflation
Taxation: Lower taxes on the middle/lower classes and higher on the highest earners
Healthcare: Universal healthcare system
Trade: Support fair trade, prioritize America but don't go full protectionist. Only sign free trade agreements with labor protections.
Military: Scale back the military, withdraw troops slowly from Middle East

Foreign Policy
War: No wars of aggression
Israel-Palestine: Very messy, just don't bother
UN: Remain in UN, but less involvement
Logged
OBD
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,575
Ukraine


Political Matrix
E: -5.16, S: -6.26

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1332 on: October 29, 2018, 12:43:33 PM »

Social Policy
Abortion: Pro-life. If you have a baby it's your own fault not the baby's so it's wrong to kill it just because you were being stupid. Exceptions include rape, incest, and the like.
Drugs: Legalize medicinal, not recreational.
Censorship: Only in the most extreme cases, eg. porn
Gay Marriage: Support.
Death penalty: Only in the most extreme cases, eg. mass shootings.
Prostitution: Should be illegal.
Church and State: Keep separate.
Stem cell research: Support, as long as no babies are killed.
PATRIOT Act: Mildly against. Personal rights and national security must be balanced.
Gun control: For. It's been my view that an American citizen who hasn't committed crimes should be able to get guns (not AR-15s and the like though) even under strong regulations.
Assisted suicide: For. It's their choice.
Gambling: I wouldn't do it but people should get to choose whether to meme themselves or not.

Electoral Reform
Term Limits: Against. No need, except for presidential term limits.
Statehood: Give PR statehood, idk about the other territories since they are too small.
Voting Age: Lower to 16. Probably will change once I get older lol.
Campaign Finance Reform: Companies should be able to donate money if they want to. Still, limits should be imposed.
Gerrymandering: Against. Nonpartisan committees should draw boundaries for all states. I would support a constitutional amendment on this issue.
Voter ID: Against. Voter suppression tactic.

Economic Issues
Unions: I support the right to organize, provided they aren't used as excuses for poor performance.
Privatization: Let's keep things as they are. Obviously prison privatization is a human rights disaster, but in other areas it's not so bad...
Minimum Wage: Let's keep it as it is.
Taxation: Lessen the slope of incremental tax, the rich work hard for their money and shouldn't be forced to give it up, but it's important to fund government programs at the same time. There shouldn't be new taxes, government needs to be more efficient with revenue.
Healthcare: Universal healthcare would be nice but would cost a ton. Personally, I'm good with the ACA.
Trade: Free trade best trade!
Military: Strike a balance between protecting liberty around the world/protecting against domestic terrorism and not wasting funds that could go to worthier domestic causes. I would support some cuts.

Foreign Policy
War: Only if human rights violations are clearly being committed, or to defend an ally (eg. South Korea)
Israel-Palestine: Neutral.
Draft: Don't really know. Hopefully there won't be a war to trigger one.
UN: Stay in, the US must remain involved in world affairs as a voice for human rights.
Nukes: Nuclear war bad, so try and get other countries to disarm instead of pissing them off by withdrawing from treaties.
Foreign Aid: Only give to nations with democratic ideology.
Logged
Xeuma
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 711
Vatican City State


Political Matrix
E: -4.26, S: 0.00

P
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1333 on: November 08, 2018, 12:43:35 PM »

Social Policy
Abortion: Personally not a fan, but pro-choice. Open to a ban after the first trimester.

Drugs: Decriminalize all, legalize most.

Gay Marriage: Support.

Death penalty: Permitting the government to kill its citizens is the slippiest slope.

Prostitution: Decriminalize.

Church and State: Politicians can base their votes on whatever they want. Don't establish a national religion or discriminate, obviously.

Stem cell research: Support

PATRIOT Act: Strongly support repeal. Also reform the intelligence apparatus and bring it under Congressional review. Auditing the NSA > auditing the Federal Reserve.

Gun control: I really don't care.

Assisted suicide: Again I personally have a problem with it, but this I can't decide one way or another.

Gambling: Its my problem if you're an idiot.

Electoral Reform
Term Limits: We already have elections

Statehood: Statehood for all territories and DC.

Voting Age: Lower to 16

Campaign Finance Reform: Publicly finance all campaigns, overturn Citizens United and ban corporate donations.

Gerrymandering: Disgusting, but Democrats need to level the playing field.

Voter ID: Bad solution to a non-existent problem.

Institutional Reform: Strongly support increasing the House to 995 members and reforming the Senate into a proportional representation system.

Economic Issues
Unions: Strongly support.

Privatization: Hell no.

Minimum Wage: $11, indexed to age of the employee, area economy, and inflation

Taxation: Repeal the 2017 tax bill, expand credits and deductions for low-income (especially families with children). End welfare cliffs.

Healthcare: Multiplayer market solution

Trade: Strongly support free trade, but agreements should contain provisos for labor protections

Military: Maintain current levels or scale back slightly

Foreign Policy
War: Only to protect human rights (Bosnia) or if attacked first

Israel-Palestine: Lean pro-Israel, but criticism of Israel is not anti-semitism.

Draft: We don't need it anymore. Abolish.

UN: Strongly support it

Foreign aid: Expand, but cut off support with totalitarian regimes (e.g. Iran, Saudi, Russia).
Logged
IceSpear
Atlas Superstar
*****
Posts: 31,841
United States


Political Matrix
E: -6.19, S: -6.43

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1334 on: November 25, 2018, 05:02:51 AM »

Since I don't think I've done one of these before...

Overview:
Social: Left
Economic: Left
Foreign: Centrist, I guess?
Party Affiliation: Democratic

Social Policy:
Abortion: Strongly pro-choice until fetal viability.
Same-Sex Marriage: Strongly support, obviously.
Drug Laws: Legalize marijuana, or at minimum decriminalize it. Treat drug addiction as a medical condition that needs treatment, not a crime.
Death Penalty: Support for particularly heinous crimes where there is no doubt whatsoever that the person is guilty.
Gun Control: Standardize the background check system, close the loopholes, and ban military style assault weapons. I don't support blanket gun bans.
Religious Freedom: Who doesn't support religious freedom? Seems like this is code for something else.
Affirmative Action: Generally support, but it tends to depend on how it is implemented.
Political Correctness: People who are overly politically correct are annoying, but I've tended to notice that most people who complain non stop about "political correctness" are just mad they can't use the N word in public anymore without getting called out for it.
Euthanasia: Strongly support. People should have the right to have a painless and dignified death if they so choose. Nobody should have the right to take their agency away from them.
Prostitution: Legalize it, or at the very least decriminalize it.
Immigration: I support comprehensive immigration reform. Give the Dreamers immediate citizenship, give those already here who aren't criminals a reasonable and non draconian path to citizenship, secure the border. I'd even give Trump his stupid, pointless, money wasting wall if it was included in a comprehensive and reasonable bill. I don't support open borders.

Economic Policy:
Minimum Wage: The nationwide floor should be around $12, indexed for inflation. States/cities with a higher cost of living should be encouraged to raise theirs higher.
Right to Work: Oppose. The decline of unions has had a horrendous impact on the American middle class.
Taxation: Raise taxes for corporations and the super wealthy.
Healthcare: Ideally a Canadian or European style universal healthcare system, but I recognize it will take America a long time to get there, if we ever do. I support whatever steps will expand healthcare in the meantime. Obamacare (particularly Medicaid expansion) was a good start, but we need to go further.
Education: The American education system is abysmal. Our schools are underfunded, our teachers are underpaid, and we're not preparing the future generations with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. Not only that, we burden our future generations with massive amounts of student debt. Tuition at public colleges should be low cost or free.
Free Trade: No opinion. This has always been the one "major issue" I have little interest/investment in. I've read about it at times and hear convincing arguments from both sides, and haven't fully bought into one or the other.

Foreign Policy and National Security:
I would say I'm a foreign policy realist. I oppose both neoconservatism and isolationism. I think potential and current conflicts should be evaluated on a case by case basis. Diplomacy, sanctions, etc. should always be exhausted before entering into a conflict, but sometimes conflict is inevitable. I support a two state solution for Israel/Palestine. Russia is a hostile adversary that needs to continue to face serious consequences for interfering in our election, and our current president cozying up to Putin and refusing to acknowledge his attacks on our democracy is disgusting.

Environment:
Climate Change: Exists obviously, but I'm a bit of nihilist here. I honestly don't think the status quo is ever going to change until it's too late. Luckily I won't have kids so the potential destruction of the world won't affect me. But the same won't apply to all the rich people destroying the environment for the sake of profits.

Electoral and Political Reform:
Term limits: It's an intriguing idea, but I'm not sure it would do much to fix the problems it professes to solve. I'd be open to hearing opposing arguments on this though.
Electoral College Reform: Abolish the archaic anachronism already.
Voter ID: Support, but only if IDs are free and easily accessible. Otherwise it's an unconstitutional poll tax and/or attempt at voter suppression, so I oppose most voter ID laws in their current form.
Logged
YE
Modadmin
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 15,640


Political Matrix
E: -4.90, S: -0.52

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1335 on: November 25, 2018, 08:43:52 PM »

IceSpear is so Generic D.
Logged
Dr. MB
MB
Atlas Politician
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 15,813
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya



Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1336 on: November 26, 2018, 02:33:18 AM »
« Edited: November 26, 2018, 02:37:54 AM by MB »

Overview:
Social: Left
Economic: Left
Foreign: non-interventionist
Party Affiliation: Democratic

Social Policy:
Abortion: I can't really justify it, but at the same time I can't really justify banning it, so pretty neutral I guess. Not an issue I care about that much.
Same-Sex Marriage: Strongly support, obviously.
Drug Laws: FREE THE WEED (and everything else!). Pardon everyone convicted of drug offenses.
Death Penalty: Usually oppose as I can't justify giving our justice system that power, but there are a few people who I wouldn't be sad to see go.
Gun Control: Nope.
Religious Freedom: Too broad and vague, if you're talking about the dogwhistle then no but if you take it literally then of course
Affirmative Action: Not a fan, instead we should implement reduced/free tuition, especially for low income people
Political Correctness: Who cares? People who obsess over it are dumb@sses.
Euthanasia: See abortion.
Prostitution: Arresting prostitutes is a bad move. Legalize it I guess.
Immigration: Just leave people be. They came, they're here, so what?
Criminal justice: Ohh boy. Yeah, basically take the most left wing view on everything related to this and I have it.

Economic Policy:
Minimum Wage: It's good to have a minimum wage. Preferably one that's high enough for people to actually be able to afford basic needs.
Right to Work: F**k you, Scott Walker
Taxation: Higher taxes on the rich, lower on everyone else
Healthcare: Universal healthcare is the only way to go (and with that, single payer).
Education: As someone who's part of the American education system, it's...bad. But going in and teaching people to be good little obedient workers ain't good either. Obviously increase funding to the underfunded schools (which really need some funding). For college, make it reduced cost or tuition free. Also, waive all student debt.
Free Trade: Unrestricted free trade is bad, mostly cause I really, really can't trust a lot of the multinational corporations. But, protectionism and tariffs don't work either. I'm good with it as long as the people on both sides of it are benefiting and performing fair labor (no sweatshops for example).

Foreign Policy and National Security:
Most of the time we try to go to war, it, well, just doesn't work. Also, antagonizing countries is a bad strategy, as is supporting sh!tty dictators (supporting and supplying the Saudis now is just like supporting Pinochet or the Contras during the Cold War). Just, respect everyone that's respectable.

If we could ever get true bilateral nuclear disarmament that would be great, but sadly it ain't happening anytime soon.

I'm pro-privacy and oppose surveillance state measures disguised as "national security". Also, the 1st amendment is great.

Environment:
Climate Change: It's here and it's bad. Ideally we'd switch as soon as possible to purely renewable energy but again that ain't happening.

Electoral and Political Reform:
Term limits: Nah.
Electoral College Reform: Get rid of it
Voter ID: Nationwide vote by mail
Logged
Holy Unifying Centrist
DTC
Atlas Politician
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,200


Political Matrix
E: 9.53, S: 10.54

WWW Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1337 on: November 28, 2018, 11:10:37 PM »

Haven't done this for a while, and I feel like my views have shifted a tad.

SUMMARY
Social: Center left
Economic: Center right
Foreign: Rather interventionist
Party Affiliation: Republican

SOCIAL POLICY
Abortion: I support Roe v. Wade and generally fall under the umbrella of "pro-choice."  However, I have serious moral qualms with abortion, and I am incredibly turned off by a lot of "liberal" rhetoric on the issue (this issue brings out some of the worst of tribalism).  I absolutely support some type of third trimester ban (except for the big three exceptions), though I would defer to someone with some more medical knowledge than I have to determine the cutoff (which will, of course, inevitably be somewhat arbitrary).
Same-Sex Marriage: I support it, no exceptions.
Drug Laws: I think states should be able to decide RE: marijuana, but I think drug use in general should be decriminalized, with the punishment falling on the large scale dealers.  No kid should face jail time or have their job prospects shattered for being one of the many college kids who comes across drugs and trying it/being that unlucky that they get caught.
Death Penalty: In general, I support its existence ... I have a hard time articulating this view, as there is no perfect "rule" of when to use it that I can land on.  However, I do strongly believe that it is an appropriate punishment for certain cases.
Gun Control: I am generally quite skeptical.  I am sympathetic to the Second Amendment and to the arguments that defend not altering it too much.  I would support common sense measures like background checks and waiting periods, but anything else is Constitutionally dubious and won't help the problem much.
Religious Freedom: Follow the precedent of past civil rights legislation and the Interstate Commerce Clause.
Affirmative Action: I support it for SES, but I am quite skeptical of affirmative action on the basis of race, specifically for minority groups with higher-than-average SES (like Asian-Americans).
Political Correctness: Try not to offend people ... there isn't a "law" that can make a meaningful impact here, IMO.  Rational people can see where the line of common sense is.
Euthanasia: Though I have some real reservations about this morally, I have not arrived at a reason to oppose people's right to die with dignity.  My uncomfortably with the state systematically condoning the killing of innocents (even if the innocents have asked for it) is slightly outweighed by sympathy for the patients who desire that type of ending.
Prostitution: This is a "live and let live" position that I strongly disagree with.  While a prostitute should never be in legal trouble for having to resort to that, prostitution must absolutely remain illegal.  Forgetting for a second the moral decay (unironic use) that would ensue, it enables the sex trade.
Environment: I am in favor of measures to preserve and protect our environment.  While regulations to do both can and should be balanced with policies that encourage the business community and private sector to thrive, punishment for breaking environmental regulations needs to be severe, and incentives for green policies should be generous.
Immigration: It is impractical (especially financially) to deport illegal immigrants that are already here, with the exception of ones that are identified as having committed minor crimes (ones who commit major crimes should be detained here).  However, a mark of a civilized country is to have border security that at least enables you to know who and what are entering your borders.  You owe that to your citizens, period.  I would support a pathway to citizenship for those already here (and amnesty for the crime of immigrating here illegally) and an intentional effort to secure our borders.  Most of my issue with more "conservative" thinking on this issue is with unwelcoming rhetoric that phrases the desire for border security in an unfair and unsavory light ... it's common sense to monitor immigration into your country and to make sure there is security.  How that somehow got associated with any type of "backward" thinking is absurd.

ECONOMIC POLICY
Minimum Wage: Have a federal minimum wage around $10.00 and let cities or states adopt higher ones if they desire to.  Index it to inflation, of course.
Right to Work: I'm rather conflicted, but I lean toward support.
Taxation: Current rates are fine, especially the new corporate ones.
Regulation: Regulation in general targets the wrong sort of companies and fails to truly alter the practices of the companies who acted irresponsibly in the first place.  We obviously need regulations on businesses, but in general what we have now has too much red tape that only ends up passing costs to consumers and lowering wages.
Healthcare: I would support a slightly more conservative version of Obamacare.  Most of my issue with liberal healthcare proposals is that they are too "one size fits all."  It seems to be an obsession of liberals to make everything uniform and under government regulation, but subsidies and whatnot for lower income individuals are a much better idea.  My other major issue with Obamacare is that it was intentionally designed to create a demand for government-run healthcare by making the fine for not offering healthcare less than the cost of providing it to your employees ... it's literally the worst of both worlds.
Free Trade: While human rights conditions and whatnot need to be considered, free trade is the best trade.

FOREIGN POLICY
I have a meeting coming up anyway (Tongue), but I also wanted to keep this one vague since it is a vague issue.  I generally believe that, post-World War II, we have assumed a responsibility (for better or for worse) as the leader and prime example for the free world and democratic West; a critic might call this the "world's police."  We obviously can't get involved in every conflict everywhere, but it is both in our interest and in the world's interest for the Untied States to be a leader in promoting democracy and human rights across the world.  Sometimes, this is inevitably going to mean military involvement.



Not going to bother writing my own post when someone has basically done it for me. Smiley

I'm an Independent though, not a Republican.

Logged
MR DARK BRANDON
Liam
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,098
Canada


Political Matrix
E: -0.65, S: -1.57

P P P

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1338 on: November 30, 2018, 05:09:27 PM »

Economic and Fiscal Issues : Extreme Conservative
Foreign Policy : Conservative
Domestic Issues: Very Conservative
Social Issues : Centerist
Logged
West_Midlander
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 6,963
United States


Political Matrix
E: -2.19, S: 1.22

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1339 on: December 10, 2018, 11:41:10 PM »

Last time I took the political matrix test (a long while ago) I shifted slightly left economically and a lot to the right socially. I just took the test again and shifted to the right on both.

Economic: Was: -7.81, Now: -5.61 (Change +2.20)

Social: Was: -4.96, Now: -3.57 (Change +1.39)



"Your score pegs you as economically leftist and socially moderately libertarian.

Economic leftists mostly support strict economic controls and programs to assure that the poor are elevated to a higher position in society.

Moderate social libertarians generally favor a hands-off approach to social legislation. They may believe that the government has no right to enforce morals, but may support certain controls on individual rights to avoid crime, drug use, or similar social ills."

Mostly accurate, note "mostly," "generally" "may support certain controls" as some exceptions occur parting my views from the representation in the blurb. Especially agree with the elevating the poor portion.
Logged
Flyersfan232
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 1,792


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1340 on: December 15, 2018, 05:08:51 PM »

mixture rand paul and trump.
Logged
Calthrina950
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 15,937
United States


P P
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1341 on: December 22, 2018, 12:59:15 AM »
« Edited: December 25, 2018, 12:45:44 AM by Calthrina950 »

Overview:
Social: Centrist to Center Right
Economic: Centrist
Foreign: Center to Center Right
Party Affiliation: Registered Independent (Republican for avatar purposes)

Social Policy:
Abortion: Personally, I consider myself to be strongly pro-life. I have a very difficult time accepting the arguments of those who say that women should have absolute control over their bodies. Moreover, I think that individuals possess a great share of personal responsibility when they engage in sexual activities, and I firmly believe that life begins at conception. However, in reality, I know that, barring some dramatic change in the political landscape, abortion will always remain a legal practice in this country. Thus, I would support allowing abortion for the first trimester only. After that, unless if it necessary due to incest, rape, or a threat to the life of the mother and/or baby, it should not be permitted. I also think that all federal funding should be cut off to Planned Parenthood and to any other agencies that are engaged in providing abortion-related services. I would support expanding access to contraception, however.
Same-Sex Marriage: At first, I was strongly opposed to same-sex marriage, but in the three years since Obergefell v. Hodges was decided, I've come to accept it as the law of the land. Thus, I would support maintaining the legal status quo, balanced at the same time with a recognition that not all individuals are morally in agreement with it. Hence, some of the religious freedom considerations (i.e. with the Masterpiece Cakeshop), that have been raised, would be valid to keep in mind.
Drug Laws: I support the legalization of recreational and medical marijuana, with the appropriate safeguards to keep it out of the hands of those under 21 and those with a criminal felony. I also believe that we need to limit or do away with mandatory minimum sentences, and that we need to take a rehabilitative approach towards those who are caught up in the opioid crisis. In my view, the best approach would be to expand funding for rehabilitation and work-release programs, to increase access to community health centers, and to crack down on those who illegally distribute drugs. I also support "Death with Dignity" laws, and believe that the federal drug laws should be relaxed, to allow not only for marijuana in states where it has been legalized, but also to allow for access, under the proscribed conditions, to those drugs used by individuals to end their lives under "Death with Dignity".
Death Penalty: I support maintaining the death penalty for those who have been convicted of the most heinous crimes (i.e. murder, terrorism, etc.), but I think that more rigorous safeguards need to be put in place to prevent those falsely accused of a crime from being executed, and that a greater effort must be made to extend clemency and fair treatment to those who deserve it.
Gun Control: I am strongly in favor of the Second Amendment. I do not think gun control laws, such as universal background checks and assault weapons bans, are the best means in dealing with this issue. However, I do support arming teachers, expanding funding for mental health programs, and engendering greater cooperation between law enforcement agencies on the one hand, and school districts, businesses, and private individuals, on the other, in response to these sorts of situations.
Religious Freedom: I strongly support freedom of religion, and I believe that every individual should have the right to practice their beliefs, as their conscience dictates. I also think we need to keep a firm line between church and state: thus, I'm against any public funding for things such as Tenth Commandment memorials, and I also support current court precedents regarding school prayer.
Euthanasia: Support, as I've noted above.
Prostitution: Maintain the status quo, but focus on rehabilitative efforts for prostitutes, and not on punishing them.
Immigration: I support a strong border defense. That includes a barrier of some kind (not necessarily a wall), as well as the provision of extensive funding and resources to ICE. I also think that we need to end chain migration and to tighten the procedures regarding asylum and visa applications. Visa programs, in particular, need to be cut in size, given the negative effects that foreign labor, gained through such venues, has had upon American jobs and American workers. At the same time, however, I recognize the humanity of those who are truly seeking asylum in this country, as well as that of those brought here illegally as children. Thus, I believe that a clean amnesty should be granted to all current DACA recipients. However, we must implement E-Verify for all businesses and take steps to deport all criminal illegal aliens as soon as possible.

Economic Policy:
Minimum Wage: I strongly support a minimum wage, adjusted in accordance with inflation and with economic conditions. $15 a hour is too high, but I would support a small federal increase, as well as increases through state and local legislation. We must also make sure to balance any such increases with the capabilities of and demands placed upon businesses.
Right to Work: I support this, as I don't think workers should be forced to pay dues to organizations that they do not belong to. However, we must maintain all regulations and laws that guarantee fair working hours, pay, and working conditions for all workers.
Taxation: I would support the implementation of a progressive tax system, one in which wealthier individuals pay a higher proportion of their income in taxes, and poorer individuals a lower proportion of their income. However, I oppose excessive tax measures such as "soda taxes" and the like, and I think that at the local and state level, individuals should have a say in how much their taxation can be raised (through initiatives and referendums, as is the case in Colorado). I also think that we need to keep property and sales taxes low, and limit how much is collected through state income taxes.
Healthcare: I don't support single-payer healthcare, and I will not support it until we can find a way to make it economically feasible and administratively practicable. However, I do support maintaining most elements of Obamacare, with the exception of the individual mandate. I also strongly support Medicaid expansion, and I believe we can be taking steps to widen the categories of individuals who qualify for coverage under that program. We must also do everything in our power to keep healthcare premiums as low as possible.
Education: I support any measures that can be taken to alleviate the terms for student loans, cut back on student loan debt, and to expand opportunities for scholarships, to be awarded to deserving students. I also support the expansion of voucher programs, to allow for parents to send their kids to schools (i.e. charter, out of neighborhood), which they believe will provide the best education for their child. At the same time, however, I believe that we cannot neglect our public education system, and we must expand funding for school lunch programs, school textbooks, teacher pay, and classroom sanitary conditions, among other things. We also have to continue restructuring our educational system away from a "teaching to the test" model and place emphasis back on critical thinking and comprehension skills.
Free Trade: While I do think that the free market has generally been a good thing for our country's economy, I also believe that our trade with other countries cannot be completely free. We have to balance our need to maintain strong trading relationships internationally with the needs of our workers and of our industries. Thus, I am an advocate of "fair trade", by which we obtain more equitable and more beneficial agreements with other countries, as well as provide incentives to businesses to keep jobs and plants here, and punish those companies that engage in extensive outsourcing. We must also keep firm watch over our intellectual property rights, especially against countries like China and Russia.

Foreign Policy and National Security:
While I firmly believe in a strong defense, and believe that we must keep ourselves ready for any potential military conflict, I am also not too fond of overseas military interventions. We should only intervene in other countries when it is absolutely necessary, and Congress must always take care to keep watch over the foreign and military policy activities of the executive branch. I also think that we need to rein in the CIA, NSA, and other intelligence agencies, and we must provide greater safeguards for protecting the privacy rights of our citizens. However, we must also keep full faith in those agencies, and take all necessary steps to allow them to perform their duties, in the manner that will best keep us safe. Thus, I support maintaining current funding and resources for federal law enforcement. I also believe that we must expand our funding and resources for cybersecurity, which is becoming such a critical security issue of this century, and we must fight against cyber-terrorism in all of its forms. We must maintain our membership in all currently existing alliances, while demanding that our partners bear their fair share of the costs. Finally, I am in firm support of Israel, am in firm opposition to Iran, and believe that we must continue pursuing all peaceful means to come to an agreement with North Korea. We must also maintain a firm line towards China and Russia, and keep open our newly reestablished diplomatic ties with Cuba.

Environment:
Climate Change: Climate change is one of the most serious and pressing issues of our times. While I think that that some of the alarmism surrounding it has been overblown, I also think that we must be doing much more to confront the crisis. Thus, I would support expanding incentives for green and renewable energy programs, along with the corresponding transition away from fossil-fuel sources. Such a transition, however, must be made at a gradual rate, with due consideration for the economic and political consequences. The best approach, then, would be to combine use of fossil-fuel sources with sources of renewable energy, and as renewable energy becomes more sophisticated over time, to gradually shift more and more of our economic focus into that sector. I also think that we must take steps to more vigorously limit carbon emissions, to protect our public lands, and to honor our treaty obligations, regarding climate change, with other countries. We must also be more proactive in protecting endangered animal species and the waters.

Electoral and Political Reform:

1. I would support imposing term limits on members of both Houses of Congress. Representatives should be limited to six two-year terms; Senators to two four-year terms. I also think term limits should be imposed on Supreme Court justices: no more than fifteen years of consecutive service, and a mandatory retirement age of 70.

2. I believe that Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia should both be granted statehood, with full congressional representation.

3. I think the Constitution should be amended to provide for a more clear definition of "legislative", "executive", and "judicial" power, to clarify the differences between each, and to spell out the exact powers possessed by Congress, by the President and other members of the executive branch, and by the Supreme Court, along with the lower federal courts. We must also take steps to rein in the administrative state and to expand the role of judicial review of all agency decisions, executive orders, and legislative acts.

4. I think the Electoral College should be abolished. Presidents should be elected solely on the basis of the popular vote, preferably in a runoff system.
Logged
Cokeland Saxton
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 2,601
United States


Political Matrix
E: -0.26, S: -6.26

P
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1342 on: December 22, 2018, 04:39:14 AM »

Social: Centrist to Center Right
Economic: Center Right
Foreign: Center Right
Party Affiliation: Registered Republican

Abortion: Abortion should be illegal except when the mother's life is threatened or the fetus is incompatible with life. If the mother doesn't want the child, they should give it up for adoption. There are plenty of people who want to adopt, but never get the chance to.

Same-Sex Marriage: I support civil unions, but no marriage. Marriage should be between a man and a woman. Civil union partners should have the same rights as other couples, with the exception of marriage.

Drug Laws: I support the legalization of medical marijuana ONLY (no recreational), but to keep it away from people under 21. I also believe that we need to limit  mandatory minimum sentences, and that we need to take a rehabilitate those who abuse drug rather than punish them. Expand funding for rehabilitation and work-release programs in order to increase access to community health centers and crack down on those who illegally distribute drugs. I will not support "Death with Dignity" laws because it is not our choice when we die. I also support lowering the drinking age to 18, putting us in line with much of Europe in this regard.

Death Penalty: I support keeping the death penalty only for those who have been convicted of the most heinous crimes (intentional murder, terrorism, etc.), but I think that more rigorous safeguards need to be put in place to prevent those falsely accused of a crime from being executed, and that a greater effort must be made to extend clemency and fair treatment to those who deserve it, such as those who are truly repentant.

Gun Control: I am very much in favor of the 2nd Amendment. Gun control laws, such as universal background checks and assault weapons bans, are not the best ways to deal with this issue. However, I do support arming teachers, expanding funding for mental health programs, and greater cooperation between law enforcement agencies and school districts, businesses, and private individuals in response to these sorts of situations. There should also be mandatory training for police and first responders on how to deal with a person who is disabled or has special needs, such as autism and other developmental disorders (btw, I am autistic myself).

Religious Freedom: I support freedom of religion and I believe that every individual should have the right to practice their beliefs, as long as it doesn't violate the rights of other groups or is meant to circumvent the law. Separation of church and state has gotten too extreme. I support most public funding for things such as Tenth Commandment memorials as long as it is optional, and I also support current court precedents regarding school prayer, but exception could be made for optional prayer.

Euthanasia: Uh, yeah no. Only allow it if the person is truly near death and in a lot of pain. We don't need to be like Belgium or the Netherlands in this regard.
 
Prostitution: Focus on rehabilitation for prostitutes, rather than stigmatizing and punishing them. Much of the time, these people were forced into it or did not have a good home life growing up.

Immigration: I support a strong border defense, including a barrier (not necessarily a wall but maybe), as well as extensive funding and resources to ICE. I also think that we should end chain migration and tighten procedures regarding asylum and visa applications. Visa programs, need to be curbed due to the effects of foreign labor on American jobs and American workers. At the same time, however, I recognize the humanity of those who are truly seeking asylum in this country, as well as that of those brought here illegally as children. Thus, I believe that clean amnesty should be granted to all current DACA recipients. However, we should use E-Verify for all businesses and take steps to deport all criminal illegal aliens as soon as possible.

Minimum Wage: I support having a minimum wage. It should be a living wage, but $15/hour is too much. It should be above $7.25/hour, but it should only be raised too keep up with inflation.
Right to Work: I support this. Workers shouldn't be forced to pay dues to organization if they don't belong to it. However, we should keep all laws and regulations that guarantee fair working hours, sufficient pay, and working conditions for all workers.

Taxation: I would support a progressive tax system, in which richer people pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes, and poorer individuals a lower proportion of their income, but it should be kept low and the very poor shouldn't have to pay at all. I oppose excessive tax measures such as "soda taxes" and that stuff, and at the local and state level, people should have a say in how much their taxation can be raised (like through initiatives and referendums). We need to keep property and sales taxes low, and put limits on state income taxes.

Healthcare: I strongly oppose Obamacare and it was never a good idea to begin with. It does not help enough with keeping healthcare affordable. Many middle class families I know, including mine, have lost our insurance and had it replaced with an inferior policy that doesn't cover certain conditions. And I have hard of poorer people who still cannot afford insurance. We should keep healthcare premiums as low as possible.

Education: I support any measures that can be taken to help with student loans, reduce student loan debt, and to expand opportunities for scholarships to be awarded to students who deserve them. I also support the expansion of voucher programs that allow parents to send their kids to schools that they believe will provide the best education for their child rather than zoning them to a neighborhood school. This can be damaging to a poor child, who is forced to attend a bad school because they are poor. This is why poverty continues to ravage communities. We also need more funding for our public school system. Textbooks, classroom resources, sanitation, school lunches that don't taste like cardboard, you name it. We  should also scrap our outdated model where performance is based on testing than individual aptitude and place emphasis on critical thinking and comprehension skills. we should also bring back our arts programs and encourage creativity.
Free Trade: I am not familiar enough with this issue to have an opinion.

Foreign Policy and National Security:
While I do believe in strong defense and that we should be prepared for any potential military conflict, I think that overseas military interventions should not happen unless it is absolutely necessary, and Congress should keep watch over the foreign and military policy activities of the Executive. I also think that we should curb some of the power of he CIA, NSA, and other intelligence agencies in order to and we must provide greater safeguards for protect the privacy of the people. However, we should also keep full faith in those agencies, and take all necessary steps to allow them to perform their duties, in the manner that will best keep us safe. I support maintaining current funding and resources for federal law enforcement. I also believe that we must should our funding and resources for cyber-security, and we should aid in the fight against cyber-terrorism. We should maintain our members in all current alliances, while ensuring that our allies pay their fair share. I support Israel, remain neutral toward Iran, and we should continue to attempt to make an agreement with North Korea. We should keep tabs on China and Russia, and maintain our newfound diplomatic ties with Cuba.

Environment:
Climate change is an issue, but the reactions to it have been a bit hyperbolic. I do support mixing of fossil fuels and renewable energy to avert a crisis when fossil fuels run low. Other that that, I'm quite divided on this issue.

1. I support term limits on members of both Houses of Congress. Representatives should be limited to six two-year terms and Senators to three four-year terms.

2. I believe that Puerto Rico should be granted statehood (but not DC) with full congressional representation.

3. I think the Constitution should be amended to provide for a more clear definition of "legislative", "executive", and "judicial" power to clarify the differences between each and to spell out the exact powers held by Congress, the President and other members of the executive branch, and the Supreme Court along with the lower federal courts. We should take steps to curb the administrative state and to expand the role of judicial review of all agency decisions, executive orders, and legislative acts.
 
4. We should use the system in which votes are counted by congressional district, with the popular vote winner getting the state's two bonus districts. We should also impose the Wyoming rule for better proportional representation.
Logged
Kingpoleon
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 22,144
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1343 on: February 06, 2019, 01:36:20 AM »
« Edited: May 25, 2019, 02:41:06 PM by Kingpoleon »

- Allow states to ban abortion at/after 24 or 30 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.
- Fully support same sex marriage; should issue federal legislation upholding the ruling of SCOTUS.
- Deport illegal immigrants convicted of felonies.
- Path to citizenship for non-felon immigrants.
- Secure border, raise immigration limits by 50% eventually, rigorous background checks and maximum of a four year wait time.
- Reduce maximum citizenship time to six years, and two years for the children, siblings, and spouses of citizens.
- Reduce voting age to 16.
- Fully support background checks and mental health tests to buy guns, as well as a 72 hour initial waiting period and registry.
- Immigration limits will be altered and raised by 50% over the course of a couple years.


- Reforming and streamlining regulatory processes, requiring any and all regulations not legislatively created to be subject to approval and comments by a regulation body composed of economists, former business and labor union officers, and retired workers.
- Reduce age to serve in the Senate and House to 20, and reduce the age to serve as President to 25.
- Allow anyone who has been a citizen for over six years to run for Congress, and allow anyone who has been a citizen for over twelve years to run for President.
- Impose a five term limit on the Senate and a six term limit on the House of Representatives.
- Switch the House to a nationwide, PR list system, with a four year term and 320 members, with another 13 members elected by D. C. and the territories using a list, PR system.
- Switch the Senate to a four year term, elected by IRV alternating which seat in each state every 2 years.




- Healthy Americans Act.
- Wyden-Ryan Medicare Reform.
- Replace Social Security and all welfare besides SNAP/HUD funding with $12,000 relative basic income for those making below said amount and those past the age of 65 - say, $9,000 a year for unmarried people not past retirement, $21,000 a year for a couple not past retirement; $12,000 for unmarried people past retirement, $27,000 a year for a married couple past retirement.

- Transaction Tax
Wall Steet: 0.1%(+$25 B.)
Bonds: 0.1%(+$75 B.)
Derivatives: 0.05%(+$25 B.)
Futures/Swaps: 0.02%(+$25 B.)

- Capital Gains Tax
0%/12.0%/18.0%

- Payroll Tax
16.0% payroll tax (6.5% from employer, 6.5% from employee, 1.5% each for Medicare)

- Value-Added Tax(+$1.1 trillion)
5.0%
Rebate of up to $5,400 (with receipts) [$900 Credit each for up to six kids for married couple, or up to three kids for a single parent]

- Income Tax:
10%: <$10,000; <$20,000
15%: $10,000-$30,000; $20,000-$60,000
20%: $30,000-$75,000; $60,000-$150,000
30%: $75,000-$175,000; $150,000-$225,000
35%: $175,000-$325,000; $225,000-$400,000
40%: $325,000-$400,000; $400,000-$500,000
42.5%: $400,000-$450,000; $500,000-$600,000
45%: $450,000-$700,000; $600,000-$1,000,000
47.5%: $700,000-$1,000,000; $1,000,000-$1,500,000
49.5%: $1,000,000+; $1,500,000+
Child Tax Credit: $2,900 per child(up to 3 for single parent, up to 5 for married couple)

- Raise gas tax by 10-15 cents, and spend the money on infrastructure. Cut back by 15-20 cents in three years.

- Corporate Taxes:
12.5%: <$300,000
19.5%: $300,000-$750,000
29.5%: $750,000-$20.75 million
22.5%: >$20.75 million
Streamline several deductions and tax credits

Estate/Inheritance tax hike to 55%, lowered to $3 million

- $11.00 minimum wage by 2022
- $95 billion NASA spending, with the goal of two bases on the Moon by 2030 and at least one very major base/colony on Mars by 2035
- National railway system, going through the 100 biggest metros in the country. The goal of this will be to reduce reliance on cars and standard energy sources.
- Transition away from coal and most fossil fuels, towards renewable power and natural gas.
- $400,000,000 in auditing the federal government
- 9.5% cut in all spending barring NASA and salaries
- Presidential salary and Congress’s salary decreased by 15%


- $40 billion funding for Rojava, SNC, and the SDC - negotiate an alliance between these three groups.
- Stronger alliance with India.(slowly cut our relations with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey.)
- Free trade deal with Thailand, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, and Argentina.
- Raise all military members’s salary by $2,000.
- International coalition of Japan, South Korea, India, Russia, the European Union, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, the U. K., and America should economically pressure China into forcing Kim Jong Un down and instating Kim Han Sol into a democratic transition. If they refuse, all countries involved will reduce trade with China by, say, 60%, and place certain sanctions on them. If we’re lucky, Wang Yang might be Xi Jinping’s successor, and if that happens we have a good shot at improving relations with China.
- We should consider signing a trade deal with India, South Africa, Mozambique, Indonesia, Myanmar, Kenya, Australia and Uganda. This would allow us a strong trade boost in the Indian Ocean.
- League of Free and Democratic Nations, inviting all nations committed to freedom and democracy to join; Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Mauritius, Malta, Uruguay, and Botswana should be the governing members of this League
-
Logged
WoodlandAscetic
Rookie
**
Posts: 22


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1344 on: February 12, 2019, 03:22:52 PM »

Philosophy: Communitarianism/Distributism
Political Affiliation: No Party/Independent (I vote for candidates who are closest to my principles rather than for a specific party. My state has semi-closed primaries so I can register with either party when I go to vote. Closest political party to my beliefs is the American Solidarity Party.)

My political principles are guided ultimately on the virtues of love and charity.

I believe that all human beings should be treated with love and respect. I oppose abortion and believe we need to address the socio-economic problems that often cause someone to choose to have an abortion. I believe we can do that by fighting against poverty, fighting for free public college and university education, economic support for parents, guaranteed parental leave, and universal health care which all help address other issues I see as a lack of charity for people.

I also oppose euthanasia, but believe people should be allowed to choose to refuse treatment.

I oppose the death penalty and support a system of prisons not as a form of punishment, but as a form of rehabilitation so people can rejoin as fully active members of society again.

I oppose war and believe we should not give military aid, but rather give real humanitarian aid. I believe we should trade with any country that meets a certain standard of labor and environmental protection.

I believe racism in America has caused long lasting societal effects and we need to seriously transform all of our institutions to end racial injustice. I support reparations for the descendants of slaves and Native Americans.

I support strong environmental regulations, a transition to 100% renewable energy, and banning the production and importation of products that are less than 50% biodegradable.

I support religious freedom as the ability to practice or not practice a religion as best meets the person's conscience both in private and public as long as they don't harm another person.

I support strong decentralization both of political power and economic power as I see the two ultimately aligned with one another. I believe most decision making power should be handled at the local level democratically, then at the city level, then at the county level, then the state/regional level, and then the federal level. I support publicly funded elections with donations being paid through vouchers given to each citizen who can legally vote in the election. I also support ranked choice voting, initiatives, referendums, and recall elections for all levels of government. Economically I support breaking up corporations and monopolies and banks, a transition to workplace democracy as the primarily model of worker relations for medium-large businesses while support family and locally owned businesses, supporting worker cooperatives, replacing social welfare with consumer cooperatives and prohibiting for-profit health insurance and other types of enterprise that would weaken the strength of consumer ownership of social services.
Logged
DabbingSanta
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 1,679
United States
P P P
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1345 on: February 16, 2019, 03:53:42 PM »

Social Policy:

Abortion: Pro choice with limitations, ban third trimester
Same Sex Marriage: Support
Drugs: Legalize marijuana, decriminalize drug use
Stem Cell Research: Support with private funding
Death Penalty: Abolish
Gun control: Pro 2nd amendment, open to debate on licensing/restrictions
Affirmative Action: Abolish
Prostitution: Decriminalize
Euthanasia: Allow states to decide, personally against it

Economic Issues:

Minimum Wage: Raise federally to $10/hour with exceptions for small business/restaurants
Welfare: Cut funding
Right-to-Work: Support
Taxation: Cut taxes for households making under $50K/year
Healthcare: Privatize
Social Security: Privatize
Trade: Pro free trade          
Education: Very basic national standards with state leeway on curriculum
Balanced Budget Amendment: Yes


Foreign Policy and National Security:

Afghanistan: Leave
Iraq: Leave
Iran: Leave
Syria: Leave
Cuba: Keep sanctions
Military Spending: Support some cutbacks
PATRIOT Act: Abolish
NSA Spying: Abolish
Palestine: Do not recognize
Israel: Support, do not fund
Immigration: Easier process
Guantanamo Bay: Shut it down

Environment:

Climate Change: Skeptical
Green Energy: Provide tax incentives
Keystone XL Pipeline: Build it

Electoral Reform:

Electoral College: Prefer popular vote, but existing system works
Gerrymandering: End the practice
Term limits: Yes
Voter ID: Yes
Compulsory Voting: No
Voter Registration: Yes
Statehood: Allow referendum for Puerto Rico
Logged
Dillon
Rookie
**
Posts: 70
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1346 on: February 17, 2019, 11:02:23 PM »

Social Democrat here, with hardline libertarian stances on foreign policy and social issues.

Social Policy:

Abortion: Pro choice up until viability with exceptions
Same Sex Marriage: Support
Drugs: Legalize all drugs
Stem Cell Research: Support
Death Penalty: Abolish
Gun control: Pro stand your ground, anti assault weapons ban, pro background check
Affirmative Action: Reform
Prostitution: Legalize
Euthanasia: Legalize
I am also for greatly reforming the FCC, to account for modern sensibilities by removing most restrictions on television and film. I am for regulating major social media platforms and streaming services as public utilities, giving users 1st amendment rights. I am against hate speech laws and also hate crime laws. End mandatory minimum sentencing and release all victimless criminals.

Economic Issues:

Minimum Wage: Raise federally to $15 dollars an hour  
Welfare: Abolish most of the beurocracy, end snap and similar services in favour of yangs freedom dividend
Right-to-Work: Ban federally
Taxation: Cut taxes for families making less than 40k a year, raise highest bracket to 60% for earners of 5million a year
Healthcare: Med4all
Social Security: Expand
Trade: American workers First policy, end all outsourcing from American companies        
Education: Free community college, ween off of standardized testing but keep federal standards in place, albeit with many tweaks
Balanced Budget Amendment: No


Foreign Policy and National Security:

Afghanistan: Leave
Iraq: Leave
Iran: Leave
Syria: Leave
Cuba: Normalize relations, end ridiculous sanctions
Military Spending: Cut by 33%
PATRIOT Act: Abolish
NSA Spying: Abolish
Palestine: Recognize
Israel: Stand up to, no sanctions. Two state solution, period.
Saudi Arabia: Sanction
Immigration: Amnesty to all illegals, make the process easier, but no open borders.
Guantanamo Bay: Shut it down

Environment:

Climate Change: Number one priority, Green New Deal hardliner
Green Energy: Mandatory
Keystone XL Pipeline: No

Electoral Reform:

Electoral College: Popular vote with rank choice voting
Gerrymandering: End the practice
Term limits: No, not even for the president
Voter ID: No
Compulsory Voting: Yes
Voter Registration: No
Statehood: Make Puerto Rico 51st state, DC area 52nd state.
Logged
courts
Ghost_white
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 6,466
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1347 on: February 18, 2019, 08:06:34 AM »


Social Security - I swear that Social Security and Medicare are Ponzi schemes straight out of a smoke filled room, sold by the snake oil salesmen known as socialists. I want Social Security and Medicare abolished.

yeah i don't like the way social security is structured right now either
Logged
QAnonKelly
dotard
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 2,995


Political Matrix
E: -3.48, S: -5.50

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1348 on: February 18, 2019, 07:49:20 PM »
« Edited: February 18, 2019, 07:53:31 PM by dotard »

Constitutional Reform:

I believe the US should adopt a parliamentary system.  I think the senate and electoral college should be eliminated and the house should be bumped up to at least double its current number. The president’s power should be curtailed. I think we need a new VRA and should implement national vote by mail. I also think all redistricting should be done by independent commissions who have to meet certain requirements. I think PR and DC should be states (if both choose). I also support Rick Perry’s idea to reform the SC where you have the justices term limited and have someone’s term end every other year.

Social:

*Pro choice but we should be investing heavily in things like paid family leave and sex education to limit the number of abortions.

*Religious Freedom: Do what you want , I don’t care but “religious freedom” laws are dumb

*SSM: support but it’s not an issue anymore

*Drugs: Legalize marijuana and decriminalize everything else. Wipe everyone’s conviction charged with simple possession.

*Stem Cell: For

*Death Penalty: Should only be used very rarely in cases like serial killers and terrorists

*Guns: For Universal background checks , AW ban, more education, and stricter licensing

*Euthanasia: against

*Prostitution: Think it should be decriminalized but not outright legal

*Immigration: Support the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform.

Economics:
*Minimum wage: think federal MW should be raised but shouldn’t be a blanket number. Needs to be tied to cost of living and automatically raise with inflation

*Taxation: support a progressive tax system

*Healthcare: support universal healthcare but believe it should be done by expanding Medicaid to everyone who makes a certain percentage of the poverty line. I think people and companies who make over the line should be able to buy it directly from the government

*Education: I support the Finnish model. We need to be investing heavily in K-12 education in particular. I also believe that anyone whose family makes under a relatively high amount should get two free years of either Community College or Trade school. “Free college” is inherently regressive .

*Free Trade: strongly support. Tariffs are dumb.

Foreign: Think we should stick with our NATO allies. China is the biggest threat we face. I strongly believe that we should be focusing on human rights and democracy in the world but not in a neoncon way. Putin is not our friend.

Environment: I think we should be heavily investing in nuclear supplemented by renewables. The GND is dumb as is but I would support the idea with a serious proposal


Logged
harrydrewer1997
Newbie
*
Posts: 1
Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1349 on: February 20, 2019, 06:04:12 AM »

Overview:
Social: Centre-left
Economic: Moderate
Foreign: Non-Interventionist
Party Affiliation: None

Social Policy:
Abortion: I generally support abortion. I take the view of minding my own business when it comes to what women do with their body. I would also expand contraception among the youth and better sex education, so we don't have to get to the stage of abortion in the first place.

Same-Sex Marriage: As a gay man, I support same sex marriage. I don't believe legalising it desecrates the tradition. It is an affirmation of a couple's life commitment and that is beautiful.

Drug Laws: I support legalising recreational and medicinal marijuana, but it needs to be well regulated to prevent misuse. I would also want to put funding into rehabilitation for ice users and those addicted to opioids.

Death Penalty: I do not support the death penalty. I don't believe the government has the moral right to kill its citizens. That being said, I still support life sentences, particularly life, never to be released, for the most hardened criminals.

Gun Control: I support increased regulation of firearms and licensing. I think a ban on some assault weapons could be a good idea. I think there needs to be a culture shift with guns in the US. In Australia the gun culture is about recreation and hunting, rather than defense. I don't support banning all guns because that would allow vermin to flourish and it would be an unnecessary incursion into people's civil liberties.

Religious Freedom: I support people having the right to practice their beliefs, so long as it doesn't encroach on the civil liberties of other. A definite separation of church and state is required.

Euthanasia: Support

Prostitution: I support the legalisation and regulation of this industry.

Immigration: I support help for those seeking asylum, those who are fleeing nations in hardship and war.

Economic Policy:
Minimum Wage: I strongly support a minimum wage, increasing each year with inflation. It should be able to be lived on modestly.

Right to Work: I support this, as I don't think workers should be forced to pay dues to organizations that they do not belong to. However, we must maintain all regulations and laws that guarantee fair working hours, pay, and working conditions for all workers. I would also indirectly encourage unionism, as that can help with improving conditions.

Taxation: I support progressive taxation, and a national sales tax. This is another thing Australia does. It distributes the revenue to the states according to need.

Healthcare: I support mulitpayer healthcare, like Australia's which includes a strong and robust public health system. I think people have a right to healthcare, to walk into the ED and get treatment, dental and eye care. These are basic necessities.
 
Education: I support lowering the cost of education on the student. And I also support more training and development for teachers. Including decreasing teacher-student ratios.

Free Trade: Free trade definitely has its positives, particularly if you are in an advantageous position. So I think we should trade freely with countries that would only help our country.

Foreign Policy and National Security:
I think far too much is spent on defense and national security. A policy of non-interventionism should be followed, except for cases where there is substantial evidence of human rights abuses, such as Rwanda.

Environment:
There needs to be better environmental regulation. We should pursue renewable generation and storage, as they will become economically advantageous.

Electoral and Political Reform:

1. Presidential and House of Representatives races should use Instant Runoff Voting and the Electoral College should be abolished.

2. House of Reps should be increased in size substantially, to about 300,000 per district, and a national independent electoral comission should draw the boundaries, to ensure fairness.

3. The senate should should be tripled in size, and proportional representation should be implemented, so there is better representation.
Logged
Pages: 1 ... 49 50 51 52 53 [54] 55 56 57 58 59 ... 63  
« previous next »
Jump to:  


Login with username, password and session length

Terms of Service - DMCA Agent and Policy - Privacy Policy and Cookies

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Page created in 0.141 seconds with 12 queries.