Summary of political beliefs
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Person Man
Angry_Weasel
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« Reply #600 on: June 05, 2011, 11:21:25 PM »
« edited: June 05, 2011, 11:27:30 PM by FL ST 800.02 »

Well, that's what I would give TJ, anyway. He's probably a 2,7.  He's definitely right-of-center, economically ...but there are several caveats. Socially, he's right-wing (zero tolerance, but not over intense), but he isn't far-right. A far-right person would be interested in denying any form of seperation of church and state and be a tad xenophobic. He's a tad to the right of Bush (Bush "wasn't ready" for a total zero tolerance abortion policy), but not quite at Palin levels.
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specific_name
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« Reply #601 on: June 05, 2011, 11:25:47 PM »

TJ proves how useless the political matrix really is once again.

In what way? I think my matrix scores are about right: social conservative, economic center-right.

Your scores seem about right. Maybe more of S +5, hardly matters. A critical check on the abortion issue could push it more positive. The PM could use some improvement as a mentioned in the PM scores thread, but it's far better than the Political Compass which used to be the standard.
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RI
realisticidealist
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« Reply #602 on: June 06, 2011, 12:00:34 AM »

Easy. Should animals be treated the same as people? What about robots and computers that have very good AI? What if those robots use some human tissue to operate in the future? ..and its a good point to question what makes a person a person if its not just self-replicating DNA...but is it really a good idea to make that the sole criteria?

...and a lot of people base tradition off of what's right and wrong. For example, what was the father of conservatism, Edmund Burke's philosophy in the application of tradition? What is the role of tradition?

If someone is just going to get upset and call someone "cognitively dissonant", "nasty" and "regressive" because other people may think a certain way or other people think other people think a certain way, what is that person really trying to say?

I can’t say I have a terribly high opinion of Edmund Burke’s philosophy of traditional authority because it doesn’t do what you said in “basing tradition off of what’s right and wrong” but rather he bases right and wrong off of what is tradition, and even then, he does so incredibly selectively.

As for defining the boundaries of human life, yes, there does need to be a boundary, but such a boundary should be firm and determinate, rather than the fuzzy ‘sometime after conception but before birth, but I really don’t know when” spiel that often gets thrown around, for the simple reason that such a determination is necessary to sufficiently establish morally legitimate action. But as I said in my first post on the subject, this is a conversation that is rarely satisfactorily concluded for either side, and it is not the point of what I was getting after initially.

I don’t know what you’re getting at with the last paragraph, but I legitimately believe that Republican95 has a contradiction in his line of thought, demonstrating a lack of firm underlying principles, and I believe that he should attempt to create a coherent philosophy based on more than arbitrarily selecting positions that sound ‘right’. Not only did R95 acknowledge this, but then he attempted to justify his gap in logic, which is not something I personally understand, but whatever.

If you want to debate abortion, that’s fine, but that’s not what my point was.
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Person Man
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« Reply #603 on: June 06, 2011, 12:37:57 AM »

Everyone, apparently including myself, wants to make everything about abortion.

Law school lecture? Try to answer a professor's question with something that do with "life", "human life", "personal autonomy" or just make it about Roe altogheter. Amazingly, out of six times of frustratingly, semi-jokingly using it, it actually was very productive two or three times.

Anyways, thank you for correcting me on Burke....he believed that tradtion was the path to knowing what was right and wrong. His principles would involve the "legal science" of the late 1800s as people would justify the law by saying that new decisions are based on the way things always were and that they are that way for a indeterminable but profoundly important reason.   

The point is that people have their own reasons for believing what they believe, even if it sounds hypocritical to you. "So, we wait til their born to kick their ass" or "Only if you show babies the same compassion you show their murderers and the murderers of others..." are statements that show a lack of understanding of why people think the way they do. That's all I am trying to get across. Nothing more. Nothing less.

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Elyski
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« Reply #604 on: July 10, 2011, 11:54:12 AM »

Social Issues

Overall Ideology: A mix of Social Libertarianism and Conservatism.

Abortion: Pro-Life.

Marriage: I don't have a problem with gay marriage.

Homeland Security: Another useless department. It should be trashed along with all the other money and resorce wasting departments.

Death Penalty: All for it. If a person is a no good killer, why should our tax dollars keep them alive.

Drugs: Legalize Marajuana, continue the war on drugs for more serious types of drugs, like Crystal Meth and "Crocodile".

Euthenasia: If the person is in a lot of pain, and is of sound mind, why ignore them?

Gun Rights: I'm for very little gun control. I do draw the linde at machine guns, like M60's and the like.

Immigration: We need LEGAL immigration reform. Have a shorter waiting period and don't make employment compulsory for citizenship. As for illegal immigration, no amnesty.

Prostitution: Legalize it. Just make sure that the prostitutes have no STDs, are protected by bouncers, and have organized "pimping" be made illegal.

Education: Are country has really fallen behind intellect wise. The U.S.A. ranks behind most of Eastern Europe in math and Science, and is only number 27 in the world for reading. Also with most of Eastern Europe. This could end with the dismantaling of the NCLBA (No Child Left Behind Act), bad teachers being fired so good ones coulld be hired, and the introduction of a voucher system (especialy in low income areas).

Stem Cell Reaserch: I don't have a problem with it, I do have a problem with the government funding it.

Economic Issues

Overall Ideology: Fiscal Conservatism.

The Bailout: Wow, all that government money going to favored buissness so that they won't face banruptcy. That sure sounds illegal to me.

Welfare: I have no problem with unemployed getting money from the government. I have a problem with the lazy f***s who abuse the system and just sit around wathcing American Idol on their flat screen TV waiting for their next check from the government.

Debt: We dug ourselves in a hole we can't climb out of. And the government just keeps digging. Game Over man.....

Taxation:
T.axed
E.nough
A.lready

Foreign Issues

War: A nessecary evil that should be used as a last resort.

United Nations: What have they done for us besides use our resources and disagree with everything we say.

WMDs: They should all be destroyed. If Russia dosen't agree with that, then we should build more ABM's. Also give Israel ABM's. If Iran gets a nuke, you'll know what they'll do first.
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Torie
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« Reply #605 on: July 10, 2011, 12:26:43 PM »

Pragmatism. The end.
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Хahar 🤔
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« Reply #606 on: July 12, 2011, 10:04:12 AM »

Welfare: I have no problem with unemployed getting money from the government. I have a problem with the lazy f***s who abuse the system and just sit around wathcing American Idol on their flat screen TV waiting for their next check from the government.

I'm sure you know a lot of people like that.
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« Reply #607 on: July 12, 2011, 10:46:18 AM »

Social issues:

Get rid of the FCC and all ratings system

Pro-same sex marriage

Pro-choice

End the war on drugs

Backchuck people in guns shows/shops and prevent some guns to people. Some guns can stay for the hunting and stuff that don't harm people.

Anti-death penatly

Teach sex-education and birth control

Oppose all wars unless there a perpose to the war like the Civil War or World War 2.

Teach evolution in schools


Ecomincs:

More regulations on big business

Less taxes for the middle class and poor

Single Payer health care


Try and spend carefully
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« Reply #608 on: July 13, 2011, 03:41:53 AM »
« Edited: July 15, 2011, 01:59:32 PM by paul who was a ghost »

Alright, last time I'm doing this in a long time. I'm bored, way too awake and feel like ranting...

Abortion: Pretty anti-abortion outside of particular life threatening instances, although given public opinion this being a state issue is the best pro-lifers can really hope for unfortunately.

Marriage/Family: Government shouldn't be involved with marriage licensing or doing the sort of social engineering it does now in taxes, it's discriminatory towards all sorts of people. Also CPS and family court should be much more restrained than now, they are out of control and in a lot of cases send kids to even worse living situations under foster care.

Civil Liberties: Repeal the Patriot Act and similar legislation and abolish TSA, DHS, etc... The incredibly lax/non-existent standards for probable cause and ability for the government to spy on us are pretty ridiculous in general.

Guns: Very important issue to me. End all federal gun control legislation passed since 1934 and generally get government out.

Religion: I don't care if you pray in school or want a government grant for your charity (like all the others) just PLEASE leave me alone. Thank you.

Foreign Policy: We should have a non-interventionist foreign policy. Massively cut the military (>75%) and close down all foreign bases and withdraw from all current 'conflicts' immediately.

Economics: End the federal reserve, break up the banks/firms that caused this mess, ban further bail outs, significantly scale back most regulations (especially for small business), massively scale back the federal government in general. Also no more NAFTA/CAFTA/etc. type deals, we should trade with countries that are similar to us in standard of living and/or basic regulatory burden. As for the debt it's not going to be paid, sooner or later the US is going to default and whatever bond holders are left are going to get a haircut scalping IMO.. We're just delaying the inevitable at this rate. That's just how SamSpade I see it, sorry.

Taxes: Drastically reduce and simplify federal taxation. We should have consumption based taxes (gas tax and maybe VAT/National Sales tax).
 
Healthcare: Repeal Obamacare, the HMO act of 1973 and at least scale back EMTLA. I have mixed feelings here though, I support public healthcare at the state level but I don't really trust the federal government to handle this even putting aside possible constitutional issues... They can't even manage what we have now competently and lobbyists infect every step of the process as we've seen with all these waivers and special deals. This is one of those rare moments I really wish I was Canadian, at least they're not as stupid as us on this issue.

Energy: The government should stop subsidizing industries and avoid creating new carbon taxes or emissions trading.. Basically I think the market will handle it. I'm not a fan of fracking though.

Agriculture: End farm subsidies. Stop letting factory farms game the system like they do now.

Education: Repeal No Child Left Behind and scrap the Department of Education. I think we should move towards a charter school based system complete with uniforms, but it should pretty much be left to individual districts to decide things unless they're creationist or something equally stupid.

Crime: The drug war is a failure and we should abolish the federal death penalty and generally incarcerate way less people, it doesn't really make us any better off and costs us way too much. We should relax home defense laws in general and move towards a more restitution and/or rehab based system because that would be less expensive and be less invasive and counterproductive in general IMO.
  
Euthanasia: Should be allowed in terminal cases but leaving this to the states is for the best right now.
 
Freedom of Speech: For it especially in terms of political speech even if it's 'hateful' although some minor regulations (i.e. vchip or scrambling or something) are OK with me as a compromise as long as they don't ban or severely restrict access to 'offensive' content.
  
Foreign Aid: End, we have serious financial problems and really, it does a lot of harm quite a lot of the time even when not lost or squandered (e.g. local agricultural markets being harmed; cost of foreign loans). People can donate out of their own pocket or give blood or something if they want, I know I do.
 
Immigration: I think we should basically have a moratorium.. At least until the economy improves and we've done SOMETHING about our illegal immigration problem, although obviously I'd prefer we simply deported people here illegally.

Minimum wage: Abolish at federal level.

Nuclear disarmament: The US really doesn't need to spend the enormous amounts of money it does maintaining its arsenal these days, assuming it ever really did.
 
Voting system: IRV + scrapping the electoral college + either scrapping the senate or ending the practice of electing senators (they really are pretty useless). Maybe we should add up the popular vote per state to make things fairer, but idk.. Almost anything would be better than now though.
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CARLHAYDEN
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« Reply #609 on: July 13, 2011, 04:27:03 AM »

Ghostwhite,

Seems to me to generally be a pretty sensible post.

Two points of disagreement:

First, I believe that legal immigration of up to one quarter of one per cent of the United States population per annum (say, about 770,000) should be allowed.

If we give preference to those who will add to our economy (investors and those with critical job skills), this will be a net plus.

Second, the political system (you call it the voting system) is designed to prevent a number of insanities.  While the present system has defects, let me suggest you consider not throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
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Dallasfan65
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« Reply #610 on: July 17, 2011, 12:08:40 AM »

Damn, Mint is pretty centrist for a Democrat.
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Misoir
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« Reply #611 on: July 25, 2011, 09:01:26 PM »

Social Policy:  I believe in Federalism on this issue allowing states to make their individual choices without interruption by the federal government so long as they do not violate any principles of the Bill of Rights. On the state level however I am culturally moderate with liberal views on gun restriction, drug laws, abortion, gay marriage, evolution, and stem cell research while holding conservative views on crime/punishment, language laws, immigrant assimilation, and school prayer.

Foreign Policy:  On this issue I break with both parties. Overall I am an Isolationist believing in no intervention abroad unless we are facing an immediate and direct threat, a strong military which does not require massive spending, closing all foreign military bases, exiting all international organizations, ending free-trade in favor of import tariffs which equalize the cost of production between our country and the country which we enter a trade agreement with, and drastically reducing immigration until we have assimilated all current immigrants into our society (learn English, pay taxes, do not commit crimes, excluded from welfare benefits until 3 years taxes are paid).

Fiscal Policy:  Balance the budget which includes raising taxes and cutting spending, reform the disability benefits system to check on recipients every few years and give rewards for turning in those committing fraud, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, creating a system of Medicare for all, reduce taxes on corporations to a flat 27% rate, end all tax loopholes, make the income tax more progressive, eliminate several federal departments which would be better handled at the state level (EPA, Transportation, Education), support labor unions right to collectively bargain, spend more on infrastructure development, set a cap for the size of all banks and bust up the ‘too big to fail’ banks.

Government Philosophy:  I support the power of the judiciary, elimination of 17th amendment, strengthen rights of states, believe in strict interpretation of the constitution, favor a very weak executive with a strong judiciary and legislature.

Overall I would say my philosophy is hard to understand but is similar to the Republican Party to the early 20th century with some notable differences. Overall I consider myself an Economic nationalist and Conservative Federalist.
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Bo
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« Reply #612 on: July 28, 2011, 04:05:40 PM »

Social Issues:
Abortion: I am pro-life in most cases. Abortion should be banned expect in cases of maternal life, maternal health, rape, and fetal abnormalities.

Death Penalty: If abolishing the death penalty saves money, I'm all in favor of abolishing it.

Drugs: Weed and possibly some other less harmful drugs should be legalized. As for hard drugs, legalization/decriminalization should be done on a cases by case basis.

Euthanasia: It should be allowed if someone is critically ill and mentally sane. Otherwise, it should not be allowed.

Gay Marriage: Oppose gay marriage, support civil unions with all the benefits of married couples.

Gun Rights: There should be strict background checks and waiting periods for everyone before getting guns. Possessing guns while high/drunk should be illegal. As for overall gun policy, I would favor having strict gun control everywhere except in areas/cities with high crime rates (where gun control should be looser).

Immigration: There should be strict border controls. I would favor some kind of amnesty for illegals without criminal records as long as they wait behind those immigrants that came here legally and as long as they back all the taxes that they owe.

Prostitution: It should be legal and regulated. If someone wants to have sex for money, they should be entitled to.

Separation of Church and State: Creationism should not be taught in public schools. Other than that, the status quo should be maintained, I guess.

Stem Cell Research: I wholeheartedly support non-embryonic stem-cell research. As for embryonic stem-cell research, I would support it if the embryos were going to be thrown away or destroyed anyway, and I guess I would oppose it otherwise. Still, this is an issue that I'll need to think about a little more.



Economic Issues:
Affirmative Action: Favor affirmative action by income, oppose affirmative action by race or gender.

Education: We should focus more on math and science and get more qualified teachers, I guess.

Environment: Support cap-and-trade and other efforts to help the environment.

Fiscal Policy: Support drastically reducing or eliminating deficits in the long term. I support tax raises on the wealthy and spending cuts on defense and other sectors to reduce the deficit. Deficits should be okay during recessions, as long as they are not too large. Also, I would prefer it if "entitlement programs" for the poor and middle class don't get cut (or at least, don't get cut that much).

Health Care: Support a public option and possibly single-payer healthcare as well.

Social Security: Favor cutting benefits for wealthy retirees. Benefit cuts for poor and middle class Americans should be either small or nonexistent, though.

Taxation: Support higher taxes on the wealthy. If absolutely necessary, I might be willing to support some tax hikes on the middle class as well.

Unions: Neutral. I don't really care one way or the other.



Foreign Issues:
Iraq: We should withdraw most or all of our troops out of there as soon as possible. Invading Iraq was a large mistake and the country seems to be recovering now.

Israel: The U.S. should strongly support Israel but also work towards creating a two-state solution in the region.

Military: Support the servicemembers of the military. However, military spending should be significantly cut after we withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Intervention: Support intervention to protect national interests and/or human life. Otherwise, I generally oppose intervention.

Nuclear Weapons: The U.S. should jointly pursue partial disarmament along with Russia and the other nuclear weapons-states. The U.S. should keep some nukes until all other nuclear weapons-states agree to completely disarm, though.


What do you guys think of my political positions?
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TNF
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« Reply #613 on: July 29, 2011, 02:09:11 AM »

Abortion: Pro-choice with minimal restrictions. We should focus on reducing the number of abortions performed by investment in young mothers and our health care system, rather than trying to stamp out abortion with a doomed-to-fail prohibitory policy.

Marriage/Family: Same-sex marriage ought to be legal.

Civil Liberties: Status quo.

Guns: Status quo.

Religion: Status quo.

Foreign policy: Realism tempered with liberalism. End the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and in Libya, and reduce American military commitments abroad.

Economics: Realist trade policy combined with a national industrial policy, heavy Keynesian stimulation of the economy, and universal social insurance programs.

Healthcare: Medicare should be expanded to the whole of the population.

Energy: Massive investment in nuclear power and expansion of drilling for oil and natural gas in non-protected areas. TVA-style arrangements to harness hydroelectric power. Make clean energy cheap rather than making dirty energy expensive. No Cap and Trade, no Carbon Tax.

Taxes: Close loopholes, increase progressivity.

Education: Greater emphasis on vocational education for those who shouldn't go to college and who simply don't want to. Increase power of teachers' unions to help with policymaking, end the use of charter schools and vouchers. Abolish tuition at public universities and ban any private educational institution from operating as anything other than a non-profit.

Crime: End use of the death penalty. Reform the prison system to focus on rehabilitation and teach prisoners trades.

Euthanasia: Legalize.

Freedom of Speech: Status quo.

Immigration: Regional points-based system.

Minimum wage: Increase to $10 an hour.

Voting system: FPTP with IRV.
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« Reply #614 on: July 31, 2011, 01:37:55 AM »

Wow a Democrat from Kentucky. Wink  Welcome to the forum TNF
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TNF
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« Reply #615 on: July 31, 2011, 09:57:21 AM »

Wow a Democrat from Kentucky. Wink  Welcome to the forum TNF

Thanks! We're actually the majority here. I'm just an out-and-out liberal while most of my fellow Kentucky Democrats are socially conservative economic populists.
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The world will shine with light in our nightmare
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« Reply #616 on: July 31, 2011, 06:36:04 PM »
« Edited: March 20, 2012, 11:57:55 PM by Senator Scott »

PHILOSOPHY ON GOVERNMENT:
Government has a role in society to be as small as possible, but also helpful to the people it represents.  It is not the role of government to legislate on personal and moral issues, such as marriage, drugs, and abortion, and government should never monitor its citizens for security reasons.  Ultimately, the citizens themselves should be the biggest factor in the growth and prosperity of a country.  However, government should also work as a tool for people in need, and never turn away from those who need a hand-up, not just a hand-out.

I describe myself as a "New Democrat".

ECONOMY:
  • Supports fair, but free trade
  • Supports fair regulations on large corporations
  • Supports new negotiations on trade policies with China and Mexico
  • Supports democratic-capitalism
  • Supports a single-payer health care system or public option
  • Supports auditing the Fed and making the chairmanship an electable position
  • Supports fighting plutocracy
  • Supports the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act
  • Supports budget cuts to ineffective government projects
  • Opposes cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and education

TAXES:
  • Supports tax cuts for small businesses and families making under $250,000 a year
  • Supports cutting the Payroll Tax
  • Supports abolishing the Estate Tax for middle-class families
  • Supports cutting the Corporate Tax, so that the US can continue to be competitive in a global economy
  • Supports ending loopholes
  • Supports progressive taxation
  • Supports raising the Capital Gains Tax
  • Supports a tax on marijuana
  • Opposes the Bush tax cuts
  • Opposes the Flat Tax

FOREIGN:
  • Supports complete withdrawal from Afghanistan
  • Supports complete withdrawal from Iraq
  • Supports diplomatic approaches to preventing Iran from creating nuclear weapons
  • Supports closing military bases in countries where they are not needed, such as Germany
  • Supports cutting military funding at least by half
  • Opposes foreign aid to China
  • Opposes nation building

SOCIAL:
  • 100% Pro-choice; supports Roe v. Wade, and want it to be made federal law
  • Supports gay marriage in all states and territories
  • Supports marijuana legalization
  • Supports the Equal Rights Amendment
  • Opposes TSA scans
  • Opposes the PATRIOT ACT
  • Supports affirmative action to an extent; Opposes quotas

GUNS:
  • Supports the Brady Law
  • Supports background checks
  • Supports concealed guns
  • Leans against bans on semi-automatic weapons
  • Opposes the presence of guns in schools, college campuses, and bars

CRIME:
  • Supports the Three Strikes Law
  • Supports more police on the streets in high crime areas
  • Opposes the death penalty

ENVIRONMENT:
  • Supports hands-on solutions to combating greenhouse gasses
  • Supports transitioning the country and the economy to more environmentally friendly fuel sources
  • Opposes Cap-and-Trade (ineffective, indirect, unable to solve the problem while banks benefit more than the environment)

CHURCH AND STATE:
  • Supports a constitutional amendment allowing non-led prayer in public schools
  • Opposes laws that pertain to religion
  • Opposes removing "In God We Trust" from money
  • Opposes removing God from the Pledge
  • Opposes The Ten Commandments being posted on walls of courthouses
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« Reply #617 on: August 02, 2011, 12:22:40 AM »

Wow a Democrat from Kentucky. Wink  Welcome to the forum TNF

Thanks! We're actually the majority here. I'm just an out-and-out liberal while most of my fellow Kentucky Democrats are socially conservative economic populists.

Oh, yes.... I remember the big conversation about the Democratic registration advantage which was supposed to hurt Rand Paul. I imagine that, it's kind of like West Virginia to a degree - economic populism going back awhile - but still uberconservative.

This reminds I last filled this out in 2007 when I was on the right, time to get cracking on a new version so everyone can know what a communist I've become.
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Хahar 🤔
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« Reply #618 on: August 02, 2011, 01:07:41 AM »


That's an interesting position. I'd be interested to hear your reasoning.
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Torie
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« Reply #619 on: August 02, 2011, 09:39:15 PM »

A summary of mine - it depends.
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change08
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« Reply #620 on: August 06, 2011, 06:54:43 PM »

Social Issues

Abortion: I'm staunchly pro-choice. It's the mothers decision what she does with her body.
Church and state: Keep the two completely separate. If you want to follow a religion, follow it, you don't need the government to "enforce" or "endorse" a religion for you to do that. Get religion out of schools (replace "R.E." with something more productive), abolish state run schools which have religious affiliation. Get rid of the Lords Spiritual.
Gay Marriage: Legalize
The Smoking Ban: Keep it and keep it as it is. There's no need to expand it or abolish it.
Euthanasia: Legalize it.
Prostitution: Illegal
Embryonic Stem Cell Research: I don't have a problem with it. The pros far outweigh any cons.
Immigration: I personally don't have a problem with the current system, although i'd support some stricter rules and regulations simply to put a stop to the rise of the far-right. Maybe like the Australian system.
Fox hunting: Keep it banned, obviously.

Economic Issues

Taxes: I favour the LibDems' approach to taxation. Hardline progressive taxation. Cut VAT to 15% to stimulate consumer spending and to renew consumer confidence.
Welfare state: Support it. Expand it. Invest in it.
Healthcare: Increase funding for the NHS. No "competition" in the health service.
Education: Massively increase funding in education. As above, abolish religiously aligned schools. Encourage lessons to develop citizenship. Abolish tuition fees! Keep tuition fees at a current rate (as of 2011-12) and freeze the cost to students over the lifetime of the parliament. Keep the Education Maintenance Allowance (E.M.A) and maybe extend the limit to £40,000 income to receive it. Make Sixth Form education compulsory. Abolish single-sex schools. Abolish faith schools.
Minimum Wage: Keep it and raise it.
Infrastructure: Introduce congestion charges in all major cities, but massively cut prices for public transport. Nationalise railways.
Energy Policy: Invest in nuclear power - it's clean, it's powerful - we just need to research into ways to improve safety. Build more wind farms and put up solar panels. Take advantage of tidal power and other renewable resources.

Foreign Issues

European Union: Further intergrate with Europe although I oppose a federal "United States of Europe". Stay in our current situation. The single currency has failed the European people, go back to pre-Euro situation. It's more than clear that the Union needs more accountability. Oppose expansion until the EU has weathed the current storm, but i'd be open to it afterwards.
Afghanistan: Increase troop numbers there.
Military Involvement: Attack only if attacked or directly threatened. Don't blindly follow the US like with Iraq. Get out of Libya.
Military Budget: CUTCUTCUT!

Constitutional Issues

Devolution: Support the assemblies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as long as Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland MPs aren't allowed to vote on England-only matters OR form an English Parliment just for English issues and keep the current Houses of Parliament for UK-wide issues.. Establish regional assemblies (North West, North East, Anglia, etc).
Scottish/Welsh Independance: Oppose! Keep the United Kingdom united. I could never support the nationalist government in Scotland, although I suppose it's not my place.
Voting and elections: Keep the voting age at 18. Introduce an Additional Member or an AV+ system. NOT AV. Give constituents the ability to re-call their MP.
House of Lords: Democratically elect members 100% of the House of Lords, no appointments or hereditary peers or bishops or anyone who isn't accountable to an electorate. Allow party members to elect their party's leader, Labour should keep its electoral system, but the party leader (whether in government or opposition) should be subjected to a confidence vote by the PLP upon election and every year there after.
Monarchy: Abolish it completely. Become the United Republic and let the public elect the head of state.
Fixed terms: Stupid idea.

Changes in italics.
Changes in italics.
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All Along The Watchtower
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« Reply #621 on: August 07, 2011, 02:20:38 PM »

Social: Libertarian. I believe strongly in individual freedom, including the right for a woman to choose, the right to keep and bear arms, the right for a homosexual couple to marry, the right to practice one's religion, and the right to privacy. I also believe strongly in the separation of church and state.

Economic: I believe that small businesses and innovative fields like the "green" industry are what stimulate the economy. I believe their autonomy should be protected, and I support free trade. However, I recognize that consumers and small businesses need protection from predatory corporations seeking to create monopolies, so I advocate strong, transparent government regulation of industry.

Foreign: I am pragmatic when it comes to foreign policy. I believe in a world of shared self-interest. I also believe in spreading democracy, but through the power of votes and reformers, not through the power of bullets and bombs. I think institutions like the U.N. are good experiments but need a lot of reform in order to be effective.


Alright, my modified political views...

Social: Pretty liberal in general. I believe that freedom of religion should be protected, but I also believe strongly in the separation of church and state. I think a woman should have the right to choose, gay couples should have the right to marry, with all of the legal protections that straight couples have. I believe in the right to privacy and that the USA Patriot Act is in violation of that right. However, I believe in the right to bear arms. Drugs should be legalized, except for really dangerous drugs like methamphetamine, and the War on Drugs should be ended; nonviolent offenders should be released from prison. I think money spent on social programs for the poor could be better spent on education, and that a favorable and more egalitarian tax code for the lower and middle classes would greatly level the playing field.

Economic: As said above, a fair tax code is crucial to a healthy, thriving working and middle class society. Taxes should be steeply progressive, with 70 percent being the highest marginal rate for incomes of over $2,000,000 a year, and on incomes of less than $25,000 a year, there should be no income tax. The cap on Social Security taxes should be lifted. Taxes on capital gains, dividends, interest,  estates, and gifts should also be quite high. Corporate taxes should be lowered for small businesses. On the spending side, I believe that military spending should be cut in terms of wars, foreign bases, procurements, and intelligence operations, and the move towards streamlining the military into a more effective defense force should be initiated. On the domestic discretionary spending side, more federal money should be spent on education, infrastructure, and public transportation. I believe a single-payer health care system is the best option for medical care.

Foreign policy: As said above, military spending should be streamlined into what is necessary for defense and what is effective. More money should be spent on foreign aid and on the Peace Corps. I believe in democracy, spread through an assertive but not aggressive example by the United States. I think that the United Nations should be viewed not as a necessary evil, but a necessary good that can do much good if the United States helps lead the way.
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TJ in Oregon
TJ in Cleve
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« Reply #622 on: October 14, 2011, 09:03:57 PM »

It’s been a while since anyone has used this thread but I'd like to revive it and add some detail to what I posted back in June when I was really new to this site. I mostly changed the economic and foreign policy parts since those were skimpy:


Social Issues:

Abortion: I am pro-life, even in the case or rape or incest. I believe abortion is murder. This is the single greatest issue I base my vote on for national elections.

Death Penalty: I believe it is only morally justifiable to take a life if doing so it required to ensure the health and safety of others. In virtually all cases in the US, I believe capital punishment is an instrument of revenge rather than justice.

Drugs: I vehemently oppose any further legalization efforts because I think doing so will just cause more people to use drugs. I would like to see the drinking age either changed or enforced. I also do not believe that drug legalization would lead to a reduction in violence because most violent drug dealers aren’t in it to express an act of civil disobedience, they’re in it for a greed that cannot be satiated by their capacity to earn money otherwise.

Euthanasia: I believe that human life has a certain value that cannot be compromised out of depression and selfishness. I do not accept the idea that other people are not harmed by a suicide. The legality is largely unimportant since it is not likely a major concern of anyone considering suicide but I would like to see it remain illegal in all forms.

Gay Marriage: I think the entire reason marriage has a place in civil society is because it is the traditional environment to produce and raise children. I think legal recognition of marriage is a form government social intervention for the purpose of promoting an environment to produce and raise children. Gay relationships are clearly incapable of producing children, so no governmental recognition is necessary. That being said, I don’t think the government should go around and look for sterile people or anything of that sort.

Gun Rights: I think people should be allowed to own and carry guns with proper background checks. I think it should be illegal to carry a gun under the influence of alcohol.

Immigration: We are a nation of immigrants and immigration should be encouraged by raising the number of people we let into this country legally. I support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants current in the US, provided they have no criminal background and have a job while giving preferential treatment to those with families. However this alone is meaningless without better border enforcement in the future.

Prostitution: It is disgusting and should remain illegal where it is currently illegal. It is not the answer to economic desperation.

Separation of Church and State: I believe that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” should be taken to mean that Congress cannot favor one religion over another or force people to join a particular religion. I think this is an area where the government should not be very involved, but that the level of secularization currently being discussed (ie. Deleting “Under God” from the Pledge of Alligence) is asinine.

Stem Cell Research: I support adult stem cell research and oppose embryonic as it is currently practiced. A professor (who does embryonic stem cell research) told me once that we could get embryonic stem cells from live embryos inside their mother rather than aborted embryos if we really wanted to but that this is not the way research is currently conducted. If this practice was changed to remove abortion from the equation, I would support it. Just to note, I do not support outlawing embryonic stem cell research as practiced, but would not like to see government funding of it. This is a funding issue, not a law issue.



Economic Issues:

Affirmative Action: I consider this an economic issue rather than a social one and am more or less neutral on it. On one hand, I want the best person available to get the job. On the other, I find it irritating that many white kids use affirmative action as an excuse for their own failures. Every person should strive to not only meet the standards of acceptance (if to colleges) but to exceed them.

Education: Education is mainly a state issue and one that no blanket nation policy can be effective on. I think that classroom size has a greater effect on quality and success than does technology or textbook quality, or the building itself. The necessary components to a good education are: parent who discipline their children, students who want to learn, and a qualified teacher who cares. I do believe standardized testing has a place in education but that place is not the central purpose.

Environment: The environment can best be approached by researching better, more cost-effective technologies to address environment problems. The strictness of the EPA is both a blessing and a curse, since it helps to improve American quality of life but also hurts businesses.

Fiscal Policy: In general I think that Ricardian Equivalence is correct, such that increased spending today is just a way of stealing from tomorrow. There are some circumstances where increased government spending over a short period of time can provide a needed boost to the economy. I oppose the hijacking of fiscal stimulus to serve ulterior motives such as funneling resources to environmental causes that are not a cost effective means of job creation.

Health Care: I support a fully private healthcare system with a safety net for those who cannot afford it. I am not necessarily opposed to an individual mandate though I have some question about its constitutionality. In any case, the government needs to look carefully at whatever proposal enacted to ensure it does not force small businesses to cut employees’ healthcare by making the minimum standards so high that a fee is cheaper. I oppose a single-payer system because I believe such a system will inevitably lead to euthanasia in the mid-to-distant future.

Monetary Policy: I mainly take the side of the Rational Expectations school of economics, thus placing me primarily on the side of the Republican establishment and somewhat opposed to the Tea Party. I am opposed to an audit of the Fed on the grounds that doing so would lead to a loss in the fiduciary trust in our current system. I am also opposed to the idea of Congress running the Federal Reserve. I also oppose the gold standard because the purpose of it is that gold supposedly has an “objective value” when it really doesn’t and it’s worth is decided by the market just like anything else.

Social Security: In many ways, this is the key budgetary issue set between the US and long-term fiscal sustainability. The system was created for an era where the average person had four children and lived just past the retirement age. Now, the average person has 1.8 kids and lives to be 77. We have a few tough options: dramatically increase the retirement age, privatize the system, cut it, increase the payments demanded, or cut the benefits received.  Social security may be politically untouchable but we will soon face the reality that it must be reformed.

Taxation: Taxes should be kept as low as reasonably possible to promote economic growth; however, they must be raised now, in addition to spending cuts, to avoid budgetary disaster. I am not necessarily opposed to a flat tax, but would rather see something along the lines of an exponential decay function used to eliminate discontinuities in the derivative of the overall tax rate.

Unions: This is a personal issue for me since my mother is a union member who went on strike when I was in high school. Thus, I do think union have an important place in American society although I dislike the way most of them serve as blanket funneling organizations for socially liberal agendas. I do, however, support right to work legislation.



Foreign Issues:

American Exceptionalism: In short, I do not accept the idea of American exceptionalism that the US is somehow morally superior to other nations or that we are predestined for some kind of greatness as the world’s last superpower. I see the US as a country looking out for its interests like any other country would do. Many policies the US enacts will be the right thing to do and many will be wrong.

China: There are some serious issues remaining in the relationship between the US and China from currency manipulation to religious freedom, but I still see China as an odd sort of ally to the US in the long term. Too much of our economic futures are linked to each other’s success to become enemies.

Diplomacy: Unlike many in the GOP, I have no problem with the president talking with terrorists, or anyone else for that matter. If President Obama wanted to meet with the Kim Jong Il or any of the various rouge Middle East dictators, I’m not sure what he could possibly have to say that will make a difference, but I don’t mind them talking.

Iran: This is an incredibly tough situation because the United States cannot afford another military conflict at the moment and our “sanctions” don’t seem to be doing very much. This is a common theme throughout our handling of the Middle East.

Israel: A part of me deeply respects Israel because they quite frankly don’t care what the world will think when they do something. They aren’t trying to be popular; the world already hates them. That being said, the only possible answer to their issues with Palestine is a two-state solution.

Military: I greatly respect all the sacrifices made by our soldiers and support them. I do agree that the military is not above our budget problems but that special care should be taken to ensure the safety of our service men and women.

Intervention: If I’ve learned anything from the Iraq mess, it’s that great care must be taken when making a decision to go to war. Still, I almost always oppose withdrawal in the middle of a war.

Nuclear Weapons: I don’t like nuclear weapons a whole lot and would oppose using them in just about any circumstances I can see happening. But, I also think a worldwide disarmament is a fairy tale because there really are evil people out there who want to kill us.
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« Reply #623 on: October 14, 2011, 09:32:19 PM »

Outside of most (but not all) of the economic issues and maybe gay marriage (and a couple other tiny things), I largely agree with you, TJ.
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Marokai Backbeat
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« Reply #624 on: October 15, 2011, 12:05:00 AM »
« Edited: May 01, 2012, 08:05:00 PM by Marokai Béliqueux »

Overall philosophy: I have for many years, and continue to, consider myself a Democratic Socialist in most respects. That being said, I also place a very heavy emphasis on empirical evidence when determining policy. "Principles" and "freedom" tend to take a backseat, for the most part, when I consider what policy is the best or worst. I do not believe people can govern themselves, and that is why we have a representative democracy, and cannot be trusted to directly make decisions on their own, which is why I oppose any referendum/initiative systems.

In the economic realm, I don't care whether it's the private sector or the public sector handling something, so long as it is fair, efficient, and cheap. I just so happen to think the public sector often does the better job, and that heavy regulation on the private sector is necessary to keep them in check. As for social issues, I tend to take the position of, "If it does not harm other people, there is no reason to prohibit it" with a few exceptions.

Social Issues.

Abortion: Abortion should be entirely legal until the third trimester, all birth control should be entirely legal, and it should be freely provided by the state. I oppose parental notification laws. People who consider this more important than economic issues have their priorities wrong, to say the least.

Drugs/Legalization: I support legalization of marijuana and other soft drugs. The drug war is one of the most idiotic policies we have ever implemented and has been an obvious, objective failure. It is an undeniable waste of money, allows criminal elements to thrive, and clearly clogs up our justice system. The drinking age should also be reduced to 18. It's retarded to have it at 21, as plenty of other countries have it lower than we do and have no problems. Creating forbidden fruit is dumb policy.

Euthanasia: I believe people should have control over their own bodies, so yes, I believe people have the right to doctor-assisted suicide in the case of terminal illness or severe pain and suffering.

Gay Rights: There is no rational, secular argument for opposing gay rights. Seriously, none. If you do, shame on you.

Gun Control: This doesn't have to be an either/or issue. You don't have to take one extreme side or another. I like to think I occupy the pragmatic middle ground. Background checks should be strict, gun-show loopholes should be closed, waiting periods are reasonable, limits on clip size are completely acceptable and empirically make a difference. Nobody needs machine guns, and certainly not explosives or artillery. A registry also makes perfect sense, as does engraving serial numbers on bullets and firearms to be able to track them. The gun lobby hates all of these ideas. Because they're bad people.

Immigration: Illegal immigration is not getting worse, and the effects of it that it has in areas like crime, or highly exaggerated. If our immigration system worked better and more quickly, and we had proper border security, we wouldn't have this problem anyway. Grant a path to citizenship, or hell, even blanket amnesty at this point. Catching all of the illegals is an unrealistic fool's errand supported only by simple minded politicians more interested in a talking point than an effective policy. The DREAM Act is the absolute very least we can do. That being said, once you stop the immediate problems, you have to crack down.

Prostitution: Once again, this is a "in control of your own body" issue. Stop and think for a moment; People like TJ in Cleveland are arguing that taking your own body and having sex with someone else, and being given a bit of money for it, should be illegal. Is that not an insane notion? If legal, it could be more tightly regulated and the health of all involved could be better ensured. Keeping prostitution illegal is anti-woman, full stop.

Separation of Church and State: I support subjecting churches to the same taxes any other property or property owner would be subjected to.

Stem Cell Research: Of course it should be legal and encouraged. Good lord. The amount of possible breakthroughs far outweigh the "moral consequences" of a few frozen slabs of goo. Sorry.

Smoking Bans: Here's where I differ from idiot libertarians who are hell-bent on freedom at all costs. Smoking is a scientifically proven harmful activity to everyone around you. Smoking bans have also been implemented in numerous countries and cities around the world, and they have been proven to lead to improved health and happiness. What you want to do with your own body is fine. But smoking is not an activity that just harms you, it harms other people too. Which is why there is absolutely no argument for opposing public smoking bans if you actually believe in a "it's your own body!" philosophy. Other people should not be punished because of your own vices.

Affirmative Action: I oppose affirmative action on the basis of race, and instead prefer a system of affirmative action on the basis of class.

Miscellaneous:
  • I support the Equal Rights Amendment.
  • I support repealing the Patriot Act.
  • I support Network Neutrality.
  • I support lowering the sexual age of consent to 14, with some age restrictions for huge disparities in partners.
  • I oppose the death penalty and three-strikes laws.
  • I support comprehensive sex education for all kids in public school. Abstinence should be a footnote.

Economic Issues.

Taxes: I generally support increasing taxes on those making more than $200,000, as well as creating additional marginal income tax brackets to ensure a more progressive bent to our tax rates. A top income tax rate of 60% on extreme incomes is reasonable, to me. I support the full reintroduction of the estate tax. I support the introduction of a national internet sales tax, and am neutral on a carbon tax. I also support increasing, or eliminating, the payroll tax cap going into Social Security, as it's ridiculously regressive. First and foremost, I at least support letting all Bush tax cuts expire.

Education: I support increasing teacher pay, as well as devoting more money to renovating or rebuilding entirely, old schools, particularly in urban areas. I also support limited subsidization of tuition fees for middle and lower class students, as well as increasing a focus on public universities, community colleges, and trade schools. I oppose voucher programs, they're a waste of time.

Environment: I support cap & trade, strict EPA regulations in regard to tobacco and carbon emissions as pollutants, and very high goals in gas mileage standards. Public transportation funding should be considered a top priority, as well.

Social Security: Social Security is a crucial program that keeps millions of people out of poverty and should be considered a bare-bones necessity in any welfare state. The payroll tax going into SS should be uncapped, or the cap dramatically raised. I do not support raising the retirement age. The fact that we haven't fixed this problem by now is embarrassing, as it's one of the simplest and easiest fixes imaginable. I once supported means testing the program at a top level, but no longer do.

Unions: First of all, if you support right-to-work legislation, you are not pro union. I think unions were one of the crucial elements that built the middle class in America and are an incredibly important component in our economy that help keep businesses accountable. I support the Employee Free Choice Act, (Opposing it makes no sense whatsoever) and support the ability for unions to form in any business they choose to. I also support temporary striker protection laws. I also don't believe any strike should be "illegal." Businesses and governments certainly feel free to break contracts willy-nilly.

Health Care: I personally believe that allowing the profit motive into healthcare is sickening (no pun intended), and support a single payer healthcare system, while also allowing for private healthcare alternatives. It is cheaper, more efficient, and covers more people. Having a half dozen patchwork healthcare programs and subsidies is an insanely inefficient system, and the private healthcare market is ridiculously expensive and inefficient, not to mention blatantly immoral/amoral.

Energy: I oppose further deepwater drilling for oil, as well as drilling in wildlife refuges. Further oil drilling will not reduce the price of gas. I think we should be investing a huge amount of money and organizing energy in solar panels, windmills, and hydroelectric energy, as well as requiring that all new buildings in major cities have solar panels built along with them. I also take a very simple and practical view of the issue of solar and wind energy: We have huge swaths of land in the plains and desert west going completely unused. Let's set up shop and have the government acquire miles and miles of land in the plains for nothing but huge solar and wind farms. If the private sector can't do things in large enough scale, the government should.

Miscellaneous:
  • I support bring our rail transit up to European standards, with an increased focus on bringing rail to more parts of the country than just the coasts.
  • I support the introduction of state-owned banks across the country, in the model of North Dakota's, as well as on the national level.
  • I support the creation of a national public electricity utility, designed to compete with the private sector, as well as price caps on electricity on a regional basis. Public power is cheaper than private power.
  • I support a 20% interest rate cap on credit cards.
  • I support raising the full-time minimum wage to at least $9.00 an hour. For all the right-wing scaremongering over the minimum wage, Canada's wages are doing just fine with higher rates than that.
  • I support banning payday loans, and other predatory loan practices.
  • I support equal pay laws, further protection of maternity leave, and an expansion of vacation days per year for all workers.
  • I support repealing Clinton's welfare reform, as well as Bush's bankruptcy law.
  • I support banning drug advertising.
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