Summary of political beliefs

[Brother Jonathan]

Figured I post this to help further introduce myself on here:

Social Policy

Abortion: Pro-life. At the very least I would like to see a return to "safe, legal, and rare", which I think at least ends the sort of celebration of abortion that we occasionally see (though of course it is more often than not acknowledge by all concerned as a decision of tremendous gravity, which takes a mental toll).  

Same-Sex Marriage: No strong feelings, as it seems to be fairly settled law. I'm reflexively socially conservative, but I don't have any real problem with it.

Drugs: I support the legalization of marijuana. Oppose needle exchanges and injection sites.  

Alcohol: Keep the drinking age at 21.

Death Penalty: Opposed, but I constantly question myself on it. I use to support it, as it seemed to me to show that for ultimate evil there is the potential for the ultimate punishment, but I simply can't reconcile the death penalty with my strong belief that government should not sanction the taking of life when it can be avoided. The death penalty is the epitome of state sanctioned death. Of course I instinctively would like to put murderers to death, but that cedes the moral high ground too much. Government is designed to temper such impulses. In any event, I recognize that it is Constitutional, but oppose it none the less.

Gun Control: Better enforcement of current laws, close loopholes. Allow for no permit concealed carry.

Affirmative Action: Opposed, but I would rather phase it out instead of just ending it in one go.

Euthanasia: Strongly Opposed. I understand why some support it, but I think there are no guidelines that you can create that will keep us from slipping down a slippery slope.

Stem Cell Research: Opposed, but with hesitation.

Prostitution: Keep it illegal.

Pornography: Laws are mostly fine as they are.

Immigration: Conflicted. Generally, I support a policy of immigration and assimilation, requiring English skills and such. I support family based migration, and think that as with most policies immigration policy improves when we consider its impacts in terms of communities (including families, but also areas where immigrants settle) rather than simply looking at the bottom line. I do think we should simplify the process, but keep strict restrictions on the number of immigrants admitted. We should, however, create a separate track to encourage skilled immigrants. In any event, assimilation is key (though of course we don't need to stamp out identity).

Criminal justice: I oppose mandatory minimum sentencing, and think Judges should have more discretion in sentencing.  

Surveillance: Repeal the Patriot Act, remove cameras from stoplights and other public areas.

Police: I generally think there needs to be more community policing, and would also like to see some demilitarization of American police forces, but we also have to recognize that the nature of crime changes over time, and so police will have to be adaptable to new situations.
 

Economic Policy

Minimum Wage: I can see indexing it to inflation, but no rapid increases.

Right-to-Work: Support, but I generally have a positive view of unions.

Tax Rates: Close income tax loopholes and end the mortgage tax deduction, but the rates are about right. As to corporate taxes, I would say current rates are fairly appropriate, but maybe could be lowered. Generally, I think the structure of the tax system is key, as opposed to simply the rates of taxation.

Healthcare: I've grudgingly accepted that the ACA is probably fine, for the moment at least. Some deregulation of insurance markets to increase competition would be good, though.

Social Security: Means test it, increase the taxable maximum. Gradually end benefits to upper income retirees ($1 Million plus per year). Modest increases in the retirement age.

Trade: Generally I'm for free trade, but I'm pragmatic on trade as both an economic and foreign policy tool. I support joining TPP to counter China's growing economic influence in Asia, for example, but I can also see times where tariffs or other trade restrictions are justified (especially in the agricultural sector).

Environment: I am concerned about climate change, but I take a pragmatic approach to addressing it. Mitigation seems imperative at this juncture. I also think supporting sustainable agriculture and small farmers is vital.

Education: I support public education. I think there should be less by way of federal intervention, while there should be greater federal aid to states for education.

Transit: Not a strong support of public transportation, if only for fiscal reasons.

Foreign Policy
(These responses are by no means comprehensive)

Russia: A major threat, to both the United States directly and to the world order (or whatever you want to call it) that we have helped to establish. Support strong sanctions and programs designed to isolate Russia. We also have to be careful to ensure that Russia remains willing to negotiate, and ensure that it remains largely stable internally (internal instability and a large arsenal of weapons of mass destruction is not a good combination). Putin is not ideal, but the alternatives are often worse (take Zhirinovsky for example). We should also seek to prevent Russia from expanding its influence via arms deals, which as we learned from the Cold War can create allies fairly quickly. Use a modern containment strategy and reinforce our European allies to buttress against Russia. Though this may give them some license for aggression, it will create new and serious geopolitical considerations which may prevent further aggression. This has been done to some extent, but it has been slipshod rather than concerted.

China: Perhaps the foremost geopolitical issue of the 21st century will prove to be China, in one way or another. Generally, I think a good first step in addressing the issues China presents is to seek to counter the Belt and Road Initiative. Increased US involvement in Africa, through trade deals that sponsor investment in infrastructure as well as through increased military and strategic support can help to counter China in Africa, while joining the Trans Pacific Partnership can start to counter China's economic influence in Asia. It's concerning that nations like Australia and the UK are becoming so economically intertwined with China, and while it may have been inevitable that trade between China and the outside world would increase, it is vital that we ensure our trade policies ensure that we continue to have greater influence than China in the markets of closely aligned countries. We should provide greater support to Taiwan, and also seek closer ties to Vietnam and Indonesia as potential bulwarks against Chinese influence in South East Asia, and place pressure on China in the South China Sea. Work with South Korea and Japan as well, and seek to win over developing countries in the region. Generally, the key to addressing China will be beating it in the influence game, and a combination of reserved hard power and expanded soft power will provide the best means of achieving this.

Israel: I am a proud Zionist. I am pessimistic about the prospect for peace between Israel and Palestine. Generally, as I see it, what Israelis will demand to ensure security and what Palestinians will demand to placate national honor are currently irreconcilable. At this juncture, at least some limited annexation is necessary as settlements in the West Bank are far to firmly rooted to be removed, but such annexation is unlikely to meet with Palestinian approval. And so here we are. Despite its flaws, the Trump exposes some very real truths about this present dynamic.

NATO: Strongly support. I would like to see greater contributions from other member states, but first and foremost we should ensure that NATO is strong and united. Turkey's drift is concerning to me, and we should work to ensure that such wayward action is avoided. Generally, I think we should reinforce NATO and seek to expand its influence in Eastern Europe as a means of buttressing against Russia. I also think a revival of some sort of SEATO would be a good way to counter China's growing influence by enlisting its neighbors in a concreted effort to check it.  
 
UN: I oppose some things it does, but in general the United States cannot afford to withdraw from the United Nations. We should ensure that the veto power remains, and should work closely with member nations to support global stability. It's far from perfect, but the UN's structure and our membership of it is reflective of geopolitical realties.  

Iraq: Use diplomatic pressure to promote domestic political reforms, while continuing security assistance. We need to ensure that Iraq does not fall into Iran's orbit.  

Iran: A major threat to regional stability in the Middle East. We should seek to support Saudi Arabia and Israel in their respective proxy wars against Iranian backed groups, and should continue to prevent Iran's development of a nuclear weapon. We should bolster domestic opposition however we can.¹

Afghanistan: As in Iraq, create pressure for domestic political reforms. Increase support for counter-terrorism operations, and drastically step up training of the Afghan Armed Forces. Of the all the revelations in the SIGAR Report, the fact that no serious training operations were undertaken in a meaningful way is truly the most concerning. High causality counts among the Afghan security forces (generally agreed to be outpacing replacement level) is perhaps the most concerning outcome of this neglect. A generalized "troop surge" would not work, at least not at this juncture, and our focus should be on building domestic security capacity.  

Electoral Reform

Electoral College: Keep as is.

Gerrymandering: It's not great, but at the same time I think there is some over estimation of its effects. To that end, allow states to do what they want, and larger states should probably adopt commissions that presents plans for legislative and executive approval.

Term limits: Opposed for all office except for President, the powers of that office being so great that term limits seem logical.
 
Voter ID: I support voter ID laws, but would like to see the process for getting an ID of any kind simplified.

Voter registration: I oppose automatic registration, and in general I think the current process is fine (though I recognize many states have different procedures, so I can't really say how I would feel about it if I lived in Alabama or California)

Voting age: I strongly oppose lowering the voting age, at any level for any reason. Frankly, while I think there are many young people who would make capable and informed voters, they lack the sense of responsibility that comes with voting. Honestly, at 16, the impacts of what you are voting for are often too indirect. 18 is fine, even though I think it may be a little low, but I don't think raising the voting age is a good idea either.

Mandatory voting: Opposed.

Supreme Court: I strongly support life terms for Supreme Court appointees, and in general feel that life terms are the most appropriate for al judicial offices.