Summary of political beliefs

[AuH2O]

Overall Political Philosophy: sort of eclectic mixture, most heavily influenced on the philosophical side by Oswald Spengler and George Santayana, though certainly I have respect for utility as a concept; I find Rawls distasteful. Politically my favorite is the venerable John Locke, a more recent example perhaps being Samuelson.

Issues

Social

I support:

- free speech

- drug legalization

- capital punishment

- right to keep and bear arms

- prostitution (in regulated zones)

- euthanasia (with regulation)

I oppose

- hate crimes or speech legislation

- affirmative action (including Title IX)

- gay marriage

- abortion

Economic

I support

- balanced budget amendment

- flat income tax or national sales tax

- right to work laws

- fairer trade... comparitive advantage matters, but so do strategic considerations if we let the Chinese abuse us

- greatly reduced federal spending

- more automony for the states

I oppose

- national healthcare

- national educational standards

- fees imposed by non-legislative agencies

Military/Foreign Policy

I support

- a strong military, but with fewer aircraft carriers, more light capital ships, more special forces, more space-based weapons development

- missile defense

- protecting Taiwan if attacked

- reduction in foreign aid

I oppose

- the invasion of Iraq (though I also oppose a hasty exit)

- the UN

- continued bias in favor of Israel