Summary of political beliefs

[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.