I believe that
[ol]
[li]The ultimate goal of politics is to gain and maintain power over other people. The proximate goal is to confer advantages to politically favored groups.[/li][li]Peoples’ intuitive views about complex things, like economies or societies, are almost always wrong.[/li][li]The only political rights that deserve to be called such are negative rights. But not all negative rights are actually rights.[/li][li]Speech, trade and immigration should be almost completely free.[/li][li]The safety net for citizens should be a negative income tax, guaranteeing every adult (and perhaps children over 16, say) an income of, say, 80% of the poverty line for individuals. If people leave the labor force as a result, we can deal with it by importing or outsourcing labor.[/li][li]All drugs should be legalized.[/li][li]Gay marriage should be legal. Hell, polygamy should probably be legal too.[/li][li]The FDA should not test for drug efficacy, only safety.[/li][/ol]
-I believe in liberal constitutional government and am an international conservative with Christian principles
-I believe government social services should be a matter of last resort not of the first and should be kept minimal and only for those who can’t find work or not able to work
-I believe free trade must be encouraged to promote economic development and sponser global unity
-I believe everyone basically has a right to life from the moment of conception.
-I believe government should not force morality down people’s throats but it should not publically fund or sponser immoral acts either
-I believe the justice system should focus on preventing crimes from happening by means of both fear and rehabilitation
-I believe there must be a strong foreign policy to encourage freedom around the world, prevent genocide or mass murder, and encourage global unity
I believe
[ul]
[li]the US should have universal health care[/li][li]any adult should be able to marry any other consenting adult[/li][li]the age of majority should be the same in all states; I’m comfortable with 20. Make it so.[/li][li]abortion, although distasteful, is necessary, and should be an irrevocable right to anyone who becomes pregnant, no matter the circumstances[/li][li]religion should have absolutely no place in politics, nor should reverential obsequity to any deity be emblazoned on plaques and walls within governmental buildings, included within legal documents for which religion is not its purpose, imprinted on notes of tender, or invoked at secular and legislative gatherings[/li][li]any employed non citizen found living in the US illegally should be given two choices: (a) immediately begin the process of performing the requisite steps to become a citizen within a 36-month period, yes, while remaining in the country, or (b) be deported[/li][li]children brought to the US under the age of 10 who remain in the country for at least 5 consecutive years should be encouraged to apply for citizenship at age 16[/li][li]entertainment that masquerades as news on TV, radio, and print media, should be clearly and overtly disclaimed[/li][li]all Americans should learn and be demonstrably conversational in a second language of their choice as a requirement for high school graduation[/li][li]teachers should be held to much higher educational standards and tested on a yearly basis in order to maintain their certifications[/li][li]Israel sees the US as a useful idiot[/li][li]the US should have no right to commit acts of war on sovereign nations that pose no direct threat to us[/li][li]Salieri did indeed confess to poisoning Mozart to his priest[/li][/ul]
I believe that:
*the cutoff for non-emergency abortions should be made at 20 weeks, not 24.
*birth control should be free.
*everyone should serve 2 years of government service between HS graduation and age 20. If the person fails to graduate HS, service begins upon leaving school.
*because of the above, 4 years of public university tuition should be free to each American.
*both HS and colleges will no longer have competitive sports, and their focus shall be totally on academics, including music and art. No fraternities/sororities.
*war may not be declared except in case of direct attack on the 50 United States.
*all churches/temples/mosques shall pay property tax, and any services they need from the municipality be paid for at the same rate as individuals or corporations.
*immigration should be limited to able-bodied, intelligent people between age 25 and 50, whose fluency in English shall be at least at a fourth grade level. There can be a limited visa for US medical treatment, to be paid in full, with cash.
*Universal health care for US citizens.
*Heavy taxes on the catalysts used to hydrogenate oils and enzymes used to make HFCS.
*No income tax for the first $16,000 of income.
*50 cents/gallon tax on gasoline/diesel, to be applied towards highway efficiency and mass transit.
*End farm and oil corporate subsidies.
Some of the many, many things I believe:
[ul]
[li]That all associations should be voluntary and not compulsory.[/li][li]That freedom includes the freedom to fail, and that you should only count on voluntary assistance should you fail.[/li][li]That government has the right and obligation to arbitrate contracts entered into freely, unless all parties agree to non-government arbitration.[/li][li]That government has the right and obligation to prevent theft.[/li][li]That all theft through all means is wrong: the theft of life; the theft of money; theft through fraud, etc.[/li][li]That contracts should be voluntary and not compulsory.[/li][li]That contracts may be executed between any two or more agreeable parties.[/li][li]That freedom of voluntary association should include those of religion or not; and that these associations might well constitute enclaves with official government powers.[/li][/ul]
Of course those freedoms entail a heck of a lot more than they appear on the surface.
I believe that
o we need to cut about 75% of the agencies and departments of the Federal Government and return to the government as outlined in the Constitution.
o we need to build the fence, monitor it electronically and respond to intrusions with armed force.
o we need to round up and run out every illegal alien in the country. No amnesty.
o we need to repeal the 16th Amendment and replace the income tax with The Fair Tax
o we need to repeal the 17th Amendment
o we need an amendment that imposes a balanced budget and spending caps on the federal government
o we need to cut all welfare of any kind out of the federal budget. If welfare belongs in government, it should be handled at the state/local level.
o we need to change our national outlook back to the concept of being responsible for our own lives and not sucking off a government tit. (yeah, I know that’s not a pure political item. But it is necessary)
That will do for a start.
Gonna supplement my list with some more, if that’s ok
[ul]
[li]I believe human cloning should be researched and not a taboo.[/li][li]I believe illegal immigrants should have a pathway to citizenship.[/li][li]I believe the sexual age of consent for the entire country should be 16, and that includes allowing 16 year olds to consent to adults.[/li][li]I believe that sexual education needs to start early, in elementary school, and that parents should not be able to opt out for their children.[/li][li]I believe that the news media should be non-profit, and not allowed to lie.[/li][li]I believe that only science should be taught in science classes.[/li][li]I believe that sexual orientation should be added to the federal list of protected classes.[/li][li]I believe the US should abolish the debt ceiling.[/li][li]I believe suicide is the ultimate right of all peoples, to exercise or refrain from by your choice. If you have the capacity to enter into a contract, then you have the right to end your own life. Likewise, no person shall be punished for helping another person achieve this goal.[/li][li]I believe corporations should be counted as financial entities and not people.[/li][/ul]
Not disputing the point but I want to make sure I understand it. You’re against the direct election of Senators? (I’m assuming you want to return to election by state legislatures.) Can you tell me why?
Hi Little Nemo - here’s where I have to be a dick again (sorry :(). Can we keep any discussion to PMs or another thread? I just want this to be a platform for the posters’ beliefs to stand on their own - even if we feel a mistake may have been made, or would like clarification.
Partly because I want to avoid this turning to GD or the Pit, but also because I think it’s a good exercise for us to just put it all out there without being concerned with defending or explaining.
My beliefs are essentially in line with social democracy and secular humanism. FWIW, I came to my beliefs before I even knew there were terms to describe people who subscribe to them.
In deference to the OP’s wishes, I started another thread.
Coolio - thanks, LN!!
I believe a government should exist to serve a country’s populace, if it doesn’t do that then it shouldn’t exist.
I believe:
[ul]
[li]Gays and lesbians should be able to marry, adopt kids, and serve in the military.[/li][li]That taxes should be as flat as possible.[/li][li]In government services that help those who either need temporary help getting back on their feet (I.E. unemployment), or those who cannot (I.E. disability).[/li][li]That the commerce clause needs to be more narrowly defined so that things like what drugs are legal or illegal is left to the states.[/li][li]That the only “personhood” a corporation should have is for the purposes of paying taxes (I.E. it’s an individual tax payer in the eyes of the IRS, but that’s all).[/li][li]That all offensive military action must be approved by Congress and that the president should only be able to bypass Congress for defensive military action.[/li][li]That each congressional bill (and state legislative bills for that matter) should only be on one specific topic.[/li][li]That although our current immigration policies should be changed to make things easier for immigrants, and that we need better equipment and more personnel, no-one has the right to enter our country illegally. And that the best way to crack down on illegal immigration is to crack down on those knowingly employing them.[/li][/ul]
Enlightened self interest:
-That government can and does play a positive role in people’s lives;
-That promoting social equality is in the interest of all of society;
-That providing access to reliable health care is ultimately in the best interest of society as it is more cost-effective and efficient in many ways than our current system;
- That foreign aid is an important foreign policy tool;
- That it is vitally important for all segments of society to have a chance to excel and prosper and that when social mobility is limited to a select few, it will have a dire impact on quality of life for all of society.