Summary of political beliefs

[Alexander Hamilton]

Abortion: Support legality for first trimester, beyond that is up to the states.
Affirmative Action: Do not support in any way, shape, form, or color. Obviously discriminatory and leaves an impression that our government doesn't think minorities have the capacity to succeed on their own accomplishments.
Alternative Energy: Support researching new fuel sources and technologies, expanding all means of production, and harnessing solar and wind power, nuclear, geothermal, etc. Kitchen sink approach.
Death Penalty: Support for serious crimes with concrete evidence.
Drug Legalization: Personally am not too concerned, leave it up to the states, but I don't think substances like meth, etc. should be allowed. Far too dangerous.
Education: I have seen the worst (best?) of public schools. Support the construction of additional private schools and allowing parents to have easier access to private schools, regardless of any kind of religious affiliation. Support a charter system for failing schools. Oppose unionization of teachers. Easier access to college educations, vocational training, year-round schooling, advanced courses, reassessment of standardized testing procedures, etc. are all good methods.
Environmental Issues: Protect biodiversity, reduce pollution, recycle resources (makes sense from a capitalistic viewpoint regardless), reduce waste, clean air, soil, and water, cleaner agricultural technology and reduce dependence on coal/oil. That's the plan.
Euthanasia: Don't really see the big deal about it.
Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: I see no intelligence supporting the idea of "intelligent design."
Gay Marriage: Fine, but I honestly don't get why 14-20 year olds think this is the most important issue, ever, at all, in history.
Global Warming: Shouldn't even be on this list. Period.
Guns: Second Amendment is irrevocable.
Health care: All measures must be taken to reform health care. Reduce costs through tort reform, purchases across state lines. MSAs should be created. There should be a basic public availability to necessary medical resources. Pre-existing conditions can not be a cause for rejection. Insurance companies will not go unregulated. Support the rights of pharmaceutical companies to create and profit from products so that America can continue to develop groundbreaking cures and vaccines.
Illegal Immigration: What else to say? It's ILLEGAL. No ID card, driver's license, or schooling for their children. Background checks by employers before hiring mandated (good business practice, regardless).
PATRIOT Act: Needs repealed or modified to prevent this level of government intrusion.
Stem Cell Research: An opportunity to save more lives. Definitely a positive.
Spending/Debt: Out of control, needs reigned in. We need to work toward a balanced budget. Continuing to incur massive debt will cause the dollar to devalue seriously out of control.
Taxes: Even out the tax burden. Make taxes that don't disproportionately affect certain groups.
Trade: Needs reworked to make sure that we don't take advantage of poorer countries labor, at the expensive of losing our own jobs, all to the benefit of large multinational corporations that don't have the everyday struggle working Americans do. "Free" trade isn't free and it definitely isn't fair.
War: We don't need to blow up entire nations just because of a disagreement. Unless there is a serious threat to liberty and our nation/allies, we have other methods of diplomacy.
Welfare: Is not a job. Permanent existence on welfare should only be for the disabled. Limits and restrictions should be placed, along with drug testing.

[Alexander Hamilton]

Holy sh**t, I mean, I disagree with some of what he put down, but Jfern's outline looks pretty damn reasonable.

Mine didn't? ...

[Alexander Hamilton]

Trade: Needs reworked to make sure that we don't take advantage of poorer countries labor, at the expensive of losing our own jobs, all to the benefit of large multinational corporations that don't have the everyday struggle working Americans do. "Free" trade isn't free and it definitely isn't fair.

You know what's even more unfair? Backwardass Protectionist policies. If we had stayed with the old "Support America businesses" bullsh*t the old GOP wanked off to constantly we would probably be driving heavy ass Chevys. Don't give me that working man vs. multinational corporation crap either, there are many American corporations who would be orgasmic at the thought of the government punishing the hell out of foreign competition for their benefit and they would still screw over their workers. Why is it then that since America started making liberal trade relations with other nations that the overall standard of living kicks the hell out of what it was back in the good ole days when corporations could squash unions relentlessly without reproach? I find it very ironic how you view welfare as a handout yet can't see protectionism as the exact same thing. Maybe if American workers were more productive they wouldn't see their jobs going to China or Thailand, but no we have to let the great benefactorial government make up for the fact that Billy Bob was too much of a lazyass fratboy partier in college to keep his GPA above a 2.3 while his Chinese friend Tan was at the top of all of his classes! Maybe if Americans got off their own asses and competed with foreign labor, instead of asking the government to play daddy and break up the fight, they could get honest results without downgrading our own foreign relations and further destroying any hope for world peace. If you don't want American labor to become more productive, continue supporting backwardass protectionism. It is only by letting American labor face the realities of a global economy that they can become more productive, not by having Big Brother show up to fight their fights for them.

The unions YOU SUPPORT make any kind of labor competitiveness impossible. If a job can be done by someone in Mexico at the same rate as in America, it will be done in Mexico- much more efficient and profitable for companies. So basically you support Americans having a standard living wage, but other nations being sh**tcanned. Well, if you really support the benefit of few at the expense of many... You might as well find a home in 1950s era Soviet Union.

[Alexander Hamilton]

Trade: Needs reworked to make sure that we don't take advantage of poorer countries labor, at the expensive of losing our own jobs, all to the benefit of large multinational corporations that don't have the everyday struggle working Americans do. "Free" trade isn't free and it definitely isn't fair.

You know what's even more unfair? Backwardass Protectionist policies. If we had stayed with the old "Support America businesses" bullsh*t the old GOP wanked off to constantly we would probably be driving heavy ass Chevys. Don't give me that working man vs. multinational corporation crap either, there are many American corporations who would be orgasmic at the thought of the government punishing the hell out of foreign competition for their benefit and they would still screw over their workers. Why is it then that since America started making liberal trade relations with other nations that the overall standard of living kicks the hell out of what it was back in the good ole days when corporations could squash unions relentlessly without reproach? I find it very ironic how you view welfare as a handout yet can't see protectionism as the exact same thing. Maybe if American workers were more productive they wouldn't see their jobs going to China or Thailand, but no we have to let the great benefactorial government make up for the fact that Billy Bob was too much of a lazyass fratboy partier in college to keep his GPA above a 2.3 while his Chinese friend Tan was at the top of all of his classes! Maybe if Americans got off their own asses and competed with foreign labor, instead of asking the government to play daddy and break up the fight, they could get honest results without downgrading our own foreign relations and further destroying any hope for world peace. If you don't want American labor to become more productive, continue supporting backwardass protectionism. It is only by letting American labor face the realities of a global economy that they can become more productive, not by having Big Brother show up to fight their fights for them.

The unions YOU SUPPORT make any kind of labor competitiveness impossible. If a job can be done by someone in Mexico at the same rate as in America, it will be done in Mexico- much more efficient and profitable for companies. So basically you support Americans having a standard living wage, but other nations being sh**tcanned. Well, if you really support the benefit of few at the expense of many... You might as well find a home in 1950s era Soviet Union.

I don't actively support unions, I just don't believe corporations should have full authority to squash them. Also, compared to what those workers in poorer nations were facing before their evil evil American international business job, I say they would take a sweatshop job over say living life as a poor villager with little contact to the outside world. Not that that is justified, but their standard of living is higher than it was in the past. We can not expect for them to get better if we revert to the past, doing so would only discourage foreign workers from seeking jobs in American companies due to the reactionary trade policies their own country would enforce against American companies. Instead of having to work in a sweatshop with a "pathetic" wage, alot of those workers would get fired and released back into their way more sufferable lives before having that American job. Protectionism isn't just one sided: if we enact protectionist policies other countries would retaliate against American products and businesses. Jobs would be lost and our overall trade benefit would go down. Less money would go into the US due to other nation buying less of our stuff.
If you are suggesting that the US base it's trade policies on working conditions, then yes I could possibly see the light on that. If you are arguing that free trade is all evil and no good and protecitonism is great, I respectfully disagree.

It is no surprise that the biggest supporters of "free" trade have also been the most heinous figures in American history- from Southern slaveowners to bastard businessmen, free trade has been their cause. But free trade policies don't help American workers- free trade policies don't help other countries' workers- they enslave them or create unemployment en masse. If all workers were paid the same comparative wage, with the same protections and benefits and regulations, etc. Free trade would work fine. But we don't live in that perfect world, therefore, we must adjust our policies to those which are beneficial to the nation as whole, and fair to those who are voiceless. Free trade is NOT a means of preventing war or creating peace.

[Alexander Hamilton]

Centrist isn't a viable option for foreign policy, hash

[Alexander Hamilton]

Better descriptions for your foreign policy would be liberal pragmatist or soft interventionist or non-perfectionist

[Alexander Hamilton]

It's called non-perfectionist

[Alexander Hamilton]

National Issues
...
Taxes
At the federal level, replace the income tax with the "FairTax."  At the state level, I support progressive taxation.

what is "the 'Fair Tax'"?

a flat income tax rate

[Alexander Hamilton]

National Issues
...
Taxes
At the federal level, replace the income tax with the "FairTax."  At the state level, I support progressive taxation.

what is "the 'Fair Tax'"?

a flat income tax rate

Hardly what I'd call fair if you ask my opinion.

Why?

[Alexander Hamilton]

National Issues
...
Taxes
At the federal level, replace the income tax with the "FairTax."  At the state level, I support progressive taxation.

what is "the 'Fair Tax'"?

a flat income tax rate

Hardly what I'd call fair if you ask my opinion.

Why?

Well for one thing it'd for all intents and purposes function no differently to regressive taxation, when you think about it closely enough, those in the higher wealth groups might as well be charged a lower rate than those who earn less.  Personally I favour progressive taxation.

Anyway, that's my opinion in a nutshell.

I wasn't arguing that it is preferrable. I am saying that it is more fair. S in, you know, treating everyone equally.

[Alexander Hamilton]

I will just list some of my beliefs.

Universal Health care: SUPPORT!
Gay marriage: Oppose
NAFTA: Oppose
Immigration reform: Support
Union rights: Support
Taxes: Lower
Social Security: Support
Stimulus/BAILOUTS: sUPPORT
Abortion: Strongly oppose
Affirmative action: oppose
Expanding public universities: Support!
War in Iraq: oppose
Drug legalization: HELL NO

Damn.  Take out the Iraq War we gots ourselves a Bob Casey Democrat on our hands.  I thought this state's Democrats have finally turned a new leaf.

With Arlen Specter?

[Alexander Hamilton]

Trade: I believe free trade grows our economy.

You believe wrong.

Israel: I support Israel 1000%.

Why in the world??