Opinion of the Issue, Part 54

[Associate Justice PiT]

32	Criminal Trials by Jury	81.3; 9.4; 0.0; 3.1; 6.3
1	Women in the Military	83.3; 5.6; 11.1; 0.0; 0.0
49	Permit Plea Bargaining	83.3; 4.2; 8.3; 4.2; 0.0
38	Aid for Importing Prescription Drugs	40.0; 46.7; 0.0; 6.7; 6.7
37	Water as a Public Good	80.0; 6.7; 0.0; 0.0; 13.3
9	Legalize Prostitution	73.1; 11.5; 0.0; 3.8; 11.5
19	Legalize Marijuana	74.0; 10.0; 0.0; 6.0; 10.0
31	Jury Nullification	79.2; 4.2; 4.2; 4.2; 8.3
53	Allow Airlines to Charge for Passengers who Require Extra Seats	73.0; 8.1; 0.0; 5.4; 13.5
25	Job Outsourcing	58.6; 20.7; 6.9; 0.0; 13.8
6	Allow Gay Marriage	75.9; 6.9; 0.0; 0.0; 17.2
17	Government-Sponsored Health Care	62.5; 15.0; 0.0; 7.5; 15.0
47	Reduce Student Loan Interest	64.3; 10.7; 3.6; 0.0; 21.4
26	Line-Item Veto	47.8; 26.1; 0.0; 8.7; 17.4
22	Nuclear Power	58.6; 13.8; 6.9; 6.9; 13.8
18	Eliminate the Deficit	40.0; 32.0; 12.0; 4.0; 12.0
29	Doctor-Assisted Suicide	56.7; 13.3; 0.0; 10.0; 20.0
30	Reduce Military Fudning	60.0; 8.6; 0.0; 8.6; 22.9
4	Free Trade Expansion	41.7; 25.0; 2.8; 11.1; 19.4
44	Reduce Stop Light Cameras	51.5; 9.1; 12.1; 9.1; 18.2
52	Right to Nuclear Energy	52.0; 8.0; 4.0; 12.0; 24.0
10	Legalize Selling Human Body Parts	44.0; 16.0; 0.0; 8.0; 32.0
5	Legalize Hard Drugs	31.3; 28.1; 6.3; 9.4; 25.0
23	Protect Strikers' Jobs	50.0; 7.7; 0.0; 19.2; 23.1
15	Campaign Finance Reform	40.6; 15.6; 3.1; 6.3; 34.4
51	Sin Taxes	36.7; 16.7; 3.3; 10.0; 33.3
16	Funding of Religious Charities	19.4; 35.5; 3.2; 16.1; 25.8
21	Offshore Drilling	30.3; 24.2; 15.2; 12.1; 18.2
48	Eliminate Permanent Security Council Positions	43.5; 8.7; 4.3; 17.4; 26.1
46	Marque and Reprisal against Piracy and Terrorism	30.0; 20.0; 20.0; 10.0; 20.0
33	Reduce the Corporate Tax	36.7; 10.0; 6.7; 16.7; 30.0
34	Limit CO2 emissions	27.3; 18.2; 18.2; 18.2; 18.2
45	Eliminate Copyrights	38.5; 3.8; 3.8; 15.4; 38.5
50	Public School Uniforms	26.7; 13.3; 3.3; 3.3; 53.3
8	Punish Illegal Immigrants	26.9; 11.5; 0.0; 7.7; 53.8
43	Shorten Prison Sentences	22.7; 13.6; 18.2; 9.1; 36.4
39	Increase Foreign Aid	25.0; 10.7; 3.6; 14.3; 46.4
42	Mandatory Public School Attendance	26.5; 8.8; 0.0; 17.6; 47.1
14	Privatize Social Security	31.3; 3.1; 9.4; 12.5; 43.8
41	Continue Monetary Aid to Israel	22.9; 11.4; 0.0; 17.1; 48.6
35	Require Helmets for Skiing	18.2; 15.2; 3.0; 3.0; 60.6
13	Reduce Federal-Owned Lands	24.0; 8.0; 24.0; 12.0; 32.0
40	Permit Segregation in Prisons	18.2; 13.6; 4.5; 18.2; 45.5
12	Stricter Gun Control	22.6; 3.2; 9.7; 16.1; 48.4
7	Eliminate the Income Tax	16.1; 9.7; 0.0; 6.5; 67.7
11	Restrict Abortion	22.9; 0.0; 5.7; 20.0; 51.4
27	Allow Procedural Filibuster	13.6; 9.1; 4.5; 9.1; 63.6
28	Government Price Controls	14.8; 3.7; 7.4; 18.5; 55.6
20	Censor Indecent Broadcasts	3.7; 14.8; 0.0; 18.5; 63.0
24	Support NCLB	8.0; 8.0; 4.0; 32.0; 48.0
3	Return to the Gold Standard	9.1; 4.5; 4.5; 9.1; 72.7
2	Support the Patriot Act	4.0; 4.0; 4.0; 12.0; 76.0
36	Ability to ban Films and Video Games	5.6; 0.0; 2.8; 13.9; 77.8

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Absolutely.

[The Mikado]

I picked "Lean Yes," by which I mean, "Yes, but do it right."

[Lief 🗽]

I picked "Lean Yes," by which I mean, "Yes, but do it right."

word

[Torie]

The "whole world" bit off puts me.  Are Western Europe and Japan, Brazil, and India, etc., just the null set, who have no "responsibility" to do anything?  I don't think so, and beyond that, in areas where they have the primary interest and responsibility, it would be a useful lesson that doing nothing, and sitting on your ass, and just letting Uncle Sam do it, will have costs.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I picked "Lean Yes," by which I mean, "Yes, but do it right."

word

[Mint]

Lean No. We tend to just make things worse. That and we have enough problems as it is without taking on other people's.

[Earth]

In general, I would 'lean no'. It's not solely an American job to undertake when conflict arises, but there are definite instances were it could be warranted. Specifically speaking of mediating.

[Frodo]

Yes -who else is going to be able to do that?  India?  China?  Russia?  The EU?  Come on....

[Senator Robert A. Taft]

Absolutely not.  We should stay out of other countries' business.

[k-onmmunist]

Lean Yea.

[Magic 8-Ball]

Lean yes, but

The "whole world" bit off puts me.  Are Western Europe and Japan, Brazil, and India, etc., just the null set, who have no "responsibility" to do anything?  I don't think so, and beyond that, in areas where they have the primary interest and responsibility, it would be a useful lesson that doing nothing, and sitting on your ass, and just letting Uncle Sam do it, will have costs.

I suppose that the reason that those countries don't take a more direct role is because they aren't used to taking the lead.  I mean, outside of the 6-party talks with North Korea, when was the last time in 60 years that any European country has lead the way in anything?

[SPC]

Hard No

[Associate Justice PiT]

Absolutely not.  We should stay out of other countries' business.

[Purple State]

I picked "Lean Yes," by which I mean, "Yes, but do it right."

That.

Of course, what "doing it right" really involves is a debate in and of itself. We have caused just about as many problems as we solved, so I lean yes, but hope more thought is given to the consequences in the future.

[SPC]

Can any of the 'Yes' people cite an instance where this has led to a good outcome. I can cite several where it had led to a horrible outcome.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

No

[Purple State]

Can any of the 'Yes' people cite an instance where this has led to a good outcome. I can cite several where it had led to a horrible outcome.

To name a few (and by no means a conclusive list):
WWI, WWII, Korea, Bosnia, Gulf War, Rwanda (albeit late)

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Can any of the 'Yes' people cite an instance where this has led to a good outcome. I can cite several where it had led to a horrible outcome.

To name a few (and by no means a conclusive list):
WWI, WWII, Korea, Bosnia, Gulf War, Rwanda (albeit late)

I would disagree that WWI and WWII were mediating in regional wars.  WWI had the Zimmermann Telegram and WWII had Pearl Harbor.  Now, granted we got more involved than we had to to defeat only German and Japan respectively, but I think it's unfair to put WWI and WWII in the same list as Bosnia and Rwanda.

[Sbane]

No way. Not without the help of other countries, and by that I mean more than just the British. I don't see why America is responsible for mediating conflicts around the world. If a situation gets so bad that outside intervention is required, then it should be a world effort and not a solely American one. Not to mention it makes us look like colonialists.

[dead0man]

No way. Not without the help of other countries, and by that I mean more than just the British. I don't see why America is responsible for mediating conflicts around the world. If a situation gets so bad that outside intervention is required, then it should be a world effort and not a solely American one. Not to mention it makes us look like colonialists.

The problem is that there is no organization to delegate who does what.  It's a travesty that things like Darfur can go on in the 21st century while the West sits around with our thumbs up our collective asses.

[SPC]

Can any of the 'Yes' people cite an instance where this has led to a good outcome. I can cite several where it had led to a horrible outcome.

To name a few (and by no means a conclusive list):
WWI, WWII, Korea, Bosnia, Gulf War, Rwanda (albeit late)

WWI led to the rise of Communism, Fascism, and Nazism, and ultimately led to a greater conflict a mere twenty years later.
WWII cost the lives of over 50 million people and led to the Soviet domination of half of Europe, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forced repatriation of Soviet POWs, ethnic cleansing of Germans from Eastern Europe, and half a century of Cold War. Best case scenario would be a lesser of two evil outcomes, but certainly not a good outcome.
Korea had over 50,000 Americans die for a stalemate between two dictators.
I don't have enough info on Bosnia to comment, but I doubt bombing innocents could be considered a good outcome.
The Gulf War reinstated the Kuwaiti monarch, and led to the sanctions that killed half of million Iraqi children, which Osama would include in his fatwa against America.
I don't have enough info on Rwanda either, but I can hardly consider a good outcome one where 1 million people die.

Now here's a few (not a conclusive list) that didn't have a good outcome:
Operation Ajax, Bay of Pigs, Guatemalan coup de`tat, Vietnam, Chilean coup de`tat, Soviet-Afghan War, Iran-Iraq War, Nicaragua, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Angola, Kosovo, Afghanistan (again), Iraq (again)