District Four Debate Here

[John Dibble]

Question for Justice Dibble: Do you favor a 'window' for abortions?  Say a woman's pregnancy has just entered the second trimester.  Are you going to tell her that, because she's one day late, she can't have her abortion?  And if you allow a buffer there, would you say the same to a woman who just entered the third trimester?

Well, first off, do consider I don't think the federal government should have anything to do with abortion. I'd leave the decision to the regions.

Now, as to my personal opinion, no, not if the law says second semester abortions are illegal - if a woman is going to get one, she should get it early anyways, getting an abortion is irresponsible enough, but putting it off is even more irresponsible. The law is the law, and we should follow it. Unfortunately though, there is sometimes a difficulty in determining what trimester someone is in while they are in the between phase, so there's the 'nice in theory, difficult in practice' aspect. I'd leave it up to doctors to determine the trimester, but not the abortion clinic ones(as they'll have a bias).

[jokerman]

To John Dibble's Question:

I believe in a progressive tax system that rewards hard work and discourages cheating.  I believe in supporting a system of meritocracy that brings the best out of society and dosen't suppress the poor and working class.

I will propose a tax reform bill to the Senate that will:
~ Renew the estate tax on estates of value above $5,000,000
~ Roll back tax cuts on short-term capital gains (which I see not as real investment but short term manipulation of the economy)
~Roll Back Bush tax cut on the Richest 1%, Partially Roll back tax cut on Richest 2-5%
~Eliminate the marriage penalty
~Reform the AMT so it actually penalizes those who are wrongly taking advantage of the tax system and the bottom 66% of taxpayers won't have to fill out the form anymore
~Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit
~Heavily reduce corporate welfare that isn't beneficial to society in a way that encourages positive externalities such as scientific research
~Impose a tax on companies that send a significant percentage of their jobs overseas
~Lower small buisness taxes

[jokerman]

To Ebowed',s question:
I believe that the death penalty should always be an option for the worst adult criminals.  I do believe, however, that we need to spend more money making sure that some of the innocent aren't put to death because they are too poor to put up a good defense and I think some sort of DNA testing must be available for the defendent to use to administer the death penalty.

I believe a federal three-strikes law would be way too much federal involvement and I generally oppose these laws at the state level as well.  They restrict judges from doing their job and actually finding good ways to reduce crime and appropriately punishing criminals.

[jokerman]

To Ebowed I ask: What is your position on public health care and what would you do to improve the state of our healthcare system?

To Dibble I ask: Would you push to change the illegal drug laws and illegal drug policy (ie, war on drugs, legalization of marajuana and cocaine and such) as Senator, what is your position on a regions right to do so, and what are your personal beliefs on drugs?

[Ebowed]

To Ebowed I ask: What is your position on public health care and what would you do to improve the state of our healthcare system?

I support allowing prescription drugs to be purchased from Canada; I oppose federal funding for medical procedures.  I don't want to improve the system, I want to minimize it.

[John Dibble]

To Dibble I ask: Would you push to change the illegal drug laws and illegal drug policy (ie, war on drugs, legalization of marajuana and cocaine and such) as Senator, what is your position on a regions right to do so, and what are your personal beliefs on drugs?

I would push for federal legalization wherever feasible - though I wouldn't waste the Senate's time with bills that I know have no chance of passing, I will only attempt what I know is in the realm of possibility. As far as the regions go, even if legal under the federal government they should be able to still keep things illegal(for instance, there are still counties out there that keep the sale of alcohol illegal). Still, I would oppose such measures if my region attempted to pass them.

My personal belief on drugs is that they are a horrible habit and can be very bad for one's life. However, that does not mean that I think they should be illegal - I'm for personal choice as to someone doing drugs, but I'm also for personal responsibility. If you abuse drugs and commit a crime you should still be punished for it - drugs alter your state of mind, but the user is responsible for that state, so actions commited in that state are still their fault. People who do drugs also shouldn't receive welfare - taxpayers shouldn't be forced to pay for their habits.

As stated, I don't think drugs should be illegal. The drug war causes crime by creating a black market, as was the case during alcohol prohibition. It also raises prison costs, as we lock up people who did no harm to others - prison should be reserved for those who are a danger to others, not a danger to themselves. So, I think drugs should be legal and regulated - the best compromise and probably best solution in my view would be keeping sale off the streets(thusly away from minors) and in the buildings of licensed sellers(a license shouldn't be difficult to get, something around the level of getting a liquor license), and punishing anyone who is caught distributing to minors.

[Jake]

Looks like everyone answered there questions, now on to some moderators questions.  I'll do two of these, like the first, and then hopefully, we can get some citizens to ask some questions. So, anyone out there who needs to ask a question, PM me, and I'll ask it.


To everyone:
What is your position on federal stem cell research? Should more lines be opened up? Should more money be invested in this field by the federal government? Is this a regional, rather than federal interest?

[jokerman]

I do believe that this is a regional rights issue.  I will push for extended federal funding on this matter to research existing stem cells lines, while reserving the right for regions to fund more extensive research.

[John Dibble]

To everyone:
What is your position on federal stem cell research? Should more lines be opened up? Should more money be invested in this field by the federal government? Is this a regional, rather than federal interest?

I believe this is a regional interest. The federal government needs to stay out of it for the most part, even though by the constitution it is allowed to be in it. (Section 1, Clause 12 of the Powers Amendment) This goes for most science, though I know there are certain scientific thing the government definitely needs to be involved in(like things related to bettering defense) - if the federal government must involve itself in non-defense sciences, the best method is to provide incentives to the free market in the form of rewards or grants to those who make desired milestones first. The free market is generally more efficient in regards to advancing technology so long as there is incentive to do so. I'm not planning on making any federal moves to increase funding, but I might support a bill if it is free market incentive based.

Now, as to my personal opinion, I've got nothing against the idea outright. My only qualm is with what sources of stem cells we might use for research - I'm not quite sure it's ethical to 'farm' and then abort fetuses, even in the first trimester, just to get stem cells. If someone who has an abortion for their own reasons wishes to donate the remains to scientific research, I have no problem with that. A preferable source is the placenta that is removed from the mother after childbirth - though the stem cells from it have more limits on their uses compared to fetal stem cells, they should still be sufficient for research purposes.

[Ebowed]

To everyone:
What is your position on federal stem cell research? Should more lines be opened up? Should more money be invested in this field by the federal government? Is this a regional, rather than federal interest?

It's a regional issue in my opinion.  Personally, I'm a bit mixed on the issue.  I am completely against getting stem cells from human embryos or fetuses, and I don't support farming the aborted ones for baby parts either (Lord knows the abortion clinics get enough money as it is).  I support stem cell research on other sources of stem cells, such as baby teeth, etc.

[Jake]

To everyone again:

What is your opinion on the speed at which the Senate is moving ? Would you rather have a slow Senate where everyone can easily follow the pace or a faster Senate where more gets done, but less people can keep up ?

[Ebowed]

What is your opinion on the speed at which the Senate is moving ? Would you rather have a slow Senate where everyone can easily follow the pace or a faster Senate where more gets done, but less people can keep up ?

The more that gets done, the better.  Some people may miss a few votes from time to time, but usually that's not a big issue.  I will add that I think the current speed is fine.

[John Dibble]

What is your opinion on the speed at which the Senate is moving ? Would you rather have a slow Senate where everyone can easily follow the pace or a faster Senate where more gets done, but less people can keep up ?

I like the current speed. While it may be good to get things done fast, it's better to get them done right. By taking the time to go through the bills and debate them all, we ensure we get the best bills possible, not passing things because they look good on the surface.

[jokerman]

To everyone again:

What is your opinion on the speed at which the Senate is moving ? Would you rather have a slow Senate where everyone can easily follow the pace or a faster Senate where more gets done, but less people can keep up ?

I'd rather have the latter, assuming there is still enough time where most could get there vote in on most subjects.  However, I really think the current pace is ok.