Home • About • Contact
Login • Page Content • Site Map

Search
GH.com   GH.com dir
Wikipedia   Web

My political views in general and about specific issues. I think everyone, especially politicians, should have a similar list.

• My Views In General
• My Views on Specific Issues

My Views In General

My political view point in general is "Progressive"  but, like everyone else, my opinions may vary from others who have the same label.

• Social Freedom: ~80%.
  • People are individuals who are varied, talented, innovative, and independent.
  • People explore, create, and play. People are diverse.
  • Fear < Courage. People can risk themselves but should be careful about harming others.
• Economic Freedom: ~40%.
  • People are also social creatures and a society has basic shared secular needs. Some needs could, in theory, be provided by individuals (EG: Food, shelter, transportation), but some needs can only provided by a society (EG: Laws, standards, safety, health care, utilities, communication, education, military, environment, and culture).
  • Society pools its resources so we can perform compassionate and inspiring acts.
  • Individual and groups (such as corporations) may be moral but more certainly look after their own interests. Checks and balances, plus watchdogs are needed.
  • I have nothing against becoming rich. Generosity and compassion is not a barrier for individual wealth.
• U.S. Bill of Rights summarized:
  1. The right to religion, to speak, to publish, to assemble, to petition the government.
  2. The right to bear arms.
  3. The right to not house soldiers without consent.
  4. The right to privacy, to specific warrants.
  5. The right to require a Grand Jury for capital crimes, to not be charged twice for a crime, to not have to witness against one's self, to due process, to not have private property seized by the public without compensation.
  6. The right to speedy and public jury trials, to be informed of accusations, to confront witnesses, to be able to get witnesses, to an attorney.
• Authoritarians.
  • An authoritarian government could be very efficient (or inefficient). Too much government intervention can infringe on private freedom and can inhibit innovation & achievements.
  • It is hypothetically possible to have a good authoritarian government for a generation, but that would not guarantee that the next generation would be good too. Processes and laws combined with occasional democratic change is much safer.
• Libertarians. Freedom for everyone is a great idea but then you are relying upon the private sector to provide for shared secular needs and I think that at least a little bit of a public sector is needed.
• Centrists. Private & public partnerships should be encouraged, not discouraged. EG: The U.S. mail and FedEx get along fine.

My Views on Specific Issues

Here is a quick run down on my political view points on specific issues in no alphabetical order. Some are more permanent issues but some are more contemporary.

• Abortion
  • We can't stop it. It's safer if legalized. Educate people. Tax it because the government has to be involved.
  • Most people are not murderers. The choice is hard enough.
• Alternative & Renewable Resources
  • Oil is finite. The countdown is on.
  • If the latter 20th century was the "Service Economy", then the 21st century is the "Renewable Economy"
  • Energy Sources: Solar, Wind, Geothermal, etc.
  • Material Sources: Asteroids, Natural Plastics, etc.
  • Construction: subterranean homes, shared communities, etc.
• Animals
  • Yes, I eat meat.
  • Domestic animals should be raised humanely, even if it costs more.
  • Protect endangered species and such. Prevent species from becoming endangered.
• Archaeological Sites
  • Archaeological sites all over the world are in danger. They are irrecoverable and need protection.
• Corporations
  • Corporations are people working together to provide goods and services to society. Corporations do a lot of good and employ many people.
  • The rich and corporations have a disproportionately powerful voice because of their money. The adage of "absolute power corrupting absolutely" has been demonstrated throughout history. There should be caps on monopolies, media control, lobbyists, campaign contributions, etc.
• Drugs
  • Don't abuse yourself with drugs.
  • The most dangerous drugs need to be controlled but the definition of safe recreational drugs needs to be expanded (from stuff like non-prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco), to also include drugs like marijuana.
  • We can't stop it. It's safer if legalized. Educate people. Tax it because the government has to be involved.
  • Too much is spent on "war on drugs". Didn't we learn anything from the Prohibition?
• Economics and Taxes
  • Markets need to be as free as possible. Government should be minimally involved in free markets but free markets should not be confused with the artificial markets created by many government programs. EG: Government subsidies for farms and oil create bad artificial markets, but government spending on health care and education create good artificial markets.
  • Currently insurance companies are too powerful in that they create bad artificial markets, esp. in healthcare and malpractice insurance.
  • People and corporations have the right to get rich.
    • Wealth should be encouraged for everybody.
    • People have an obligation to embetter society. The richer you get, the more disposable income you have. Thus taxes should be progressively more for the progressively wealthier. This system does not by any means stop people from becoming richer.
  • The basic shared secular needs of a society must be covered as a matter of ethics not profit.
    • The public sector should be able to contract out to the private sector, but individuals and corporations should not abuse these government contracts (EG: war profiteering).
    • The government has the right to tax in order to fulfill its duties. If we believe that a government has certain responsibilities, then we must have taxes.
    • There should be some short term government subsidies and tax incentives to foster growth in particular areas, fields, etc.
    • The public must have representatives and independent watchdog entities to ensure that taxes are necessary, fair, and properly spent.
    • Paying taxes is like charity, like helping ourselves and our fellow man.
    • A government needs to have a responsible budget. If the government has to spend more, then perhaps taxes need to be raised in order to avoid a budget deficit. Conversely if the government is spending less or if there is a budget surplus, then perhaps taxes need to be lowered.
    • The bottom line should cover People, Planet, and Profit.
  • People have the right to private insurance. However not everyone can afford insurance, so the government should provide insurance to the public as a matter of ethics and continuity. This is commonly called "welfare" but it is simply society giving a helping hand to those who need it.
  • If the U.S. truly believes in free markets then the U.S. should also believe in globalism. However competing against low cost services and materials globally reveals how the U.S. is currently over priced .
• Education
  • Hard to over do.
  • Socialize but also give people private options. Vouchers are good.
  • "No Child Left Behind" needs work. It is a good idea to devise ways to measure educational quality but there are at least 2 problems:
    • The measurement system needs constant work. EG: Some schools get lower grades because they take care of more special education kids.
    • Some "failing schools" need more money and help, not less.
  • More emphasis should be placed on establishing and enforcing "best teaching practices" in a granular and flexible way.
• Environment
  • Hard to over do.
  • Conservation instead of Depletion. Remember the lesson of Easter Island.
  • Cooperation instead of Competition. We all want to win.
  • We need to do simple stuff like 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
  • Water is finite.
  • The "economy" that comes after the "service economy" is the "green economy".
• Euthanasia
  • We put dogs and cats to sleep. People also have the right to a dignified death.
  • Animals in nature let themselves die when it is time. People also have the right to a natural death. Medicine is sometimes an artificial extension of a life.
  • Humans sometime have emotional or rational needs for suicide. Assisted suicide should be allowed given sufficient counseling, medical treatment, power of attorney, etc.
• Farming
  • Reduce subsidies. Subsidize only what is used for social food programs.
  • Make it more like a free market.
• Fishing
  • Reduce and allow the sea fauna and flora to recover and repopulate. Then scientifically determine safe harvesting volumes.
  • Save the reefs.
  • Make fish farms that aren't toxic.
• Foresting
  • Make forest farms instead.
  • Fires and forests are natural. People who build homes in or near forests should expect to have forest fires.
• GLBTs (Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgender, etc.)
  • We can't stop it. It's safer if legalized. Educate people.
  • It's between consenting entities.
  • Gay Marriages. People in social contracts should have the protection of legal contracts too.
• Gun Control
  • I love the martial arts.
  • Everyone should have access to weapons. However waiting periods, registration, and required training are all good safety measures.
  • WMD should be carefully controlled.
  • It is still illegal to physically attack people ("battery" is the legal term), whether they have a weapon or not.
• Health Care
  • Hard to over do.
  • Socialize but also give people private options.
  • Everyone needs to be covered.
  • The US has a broken 1.7 trillion dollar industry that is not a true free market but is a system oddly morphed by the government and the insurance companies.
  • "Alternative" care is very small but is becoming more mainstream, especially with the government doing tests on "alternative" methods.
• Illegal Immigration
  • All immigrants should be "legalized", i.e. everyone should have an ID and legal protection.
  • U.S. employers encourage illegal immigrants by hiring them. Cheap illegal labor is illegal whether on domestic or foreign soil.
  • Legislation as I'm suggesting would raise costs.
• International Relations
  • If the U.S. believes in freedom, fairness, law, and due process, then the U.S. needs to participate in the international community and the U.S. should shape as well as obey international laws lest the U.S. become "above the law".
  • Diplomacy, economic pressure, etc. should be preferred over war.
• Israel and Palestine
  • Israel and Palestine have the right to be their own nations and to defend themselves.
  • The cycle of violence needs to be broken. Cooperation, compromise, fairness, and moral authority is needed.
  • Israel needs to pull out of lands promised to Palestine. Israel should not use assassination, US backing, or brute force.
  • Palestine should not use terrorism.
• Justice
  • The key thing about Law is that no one is entitled to justice; the only thing people are entitled to is due process.
  • The phrase "God's law above man's law" is subjective, often abused, and usually ends up as "man above law". The phrase "Law above man" is more objective and is sometimes abused (EG: Loopholes). The key thing is to follow the law and when "the spirit of the law" is violated, then that should drive adjustments to the law.
• Military
  • Reduce overall budget and reduce staff, but increase spending per staff.
  • We must ensure that the military gets a good deal from companies with no competitors.
  • Research and make Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), but don't use them or threaten others with them.
  • The military needs to do some serious work on its sex problems.
• Minimum Wage, Outsourcing, and Unions
  • A company may find cheaper labor overseas but "cheap labor" is unethical because historically it has been things like slavery, child labor, unsafe labor, and labor that perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
  • Unions should work for a decent wage, decent benefit, and decent working conditions but they should not over do it and create bureaucratic structures and make it unprofitable to run businesses.
• Pornography
  • We can't stop it. It's safer if legalized. Educate people. Tax it because the government has to be involved.
  • It's between consenting entities.
  • Non-consenting porn like true child pornography or "reality" rapes should be illegal and severely punished.
• Poverty
  • The solution to poverty is not to simply give poor people money. The key thing is eradicate things that perpetuate the multi-generational cycles of poverty. This includes good education, affordable housing, and affordable health care.
  • Why aren't there ongoing courses at the grade school and high school level about managing personal finances?
• Prostitution
  • We can't stop it. It's safer if legalized. Educate people. Tax it because the government has to be involved.
  • It's between consenting entities.
• Racism, Sexism
  • There should be no quotas or any form of sex or race discrimination. "Discrimination" on inability to perform specific jobs should be allowed.
  • Additional punishment for hate crimes is a good thing.
  • Whites, Blacks, Latinos, Men, Women, Gays, etc. should be able to make their own private clubs.
• Religion
  • The government should be neutral on private non-secular needs, but the government needs to intervene in certain cases. EG: Intervene for the safety of those who have no voice, no representation.
  • Church and government should be separate.
  • Government should be secular and not favor denominations.
  • The Catholic Church needs to do some serious work on its sex problems.
• Terrorism
  • Terrorism is not justified. Martin Luther King and Gandhi both fought great injustices through peaceful protest. Patience, publicity, and moral authority can achieve the same goals.
  • Terrorists are criminals not nations. Thus fighting terrorism requires police action not war. This is true even though the military is also used to fight terrorists. Doing otherwise "elevates" the terrorists.
  • War by terrorism is probably a million times more cost effective than war by conventional means. So even though the U.S. has lots of money, it can lose to terrorists if the U.S. fight the terrorist poorly. Patience, publicity, moral authority and allies (esp. Muslim allies) are more important when fighting terrorists than shock and awe technology & tactics.
• Tort Reform
  • There are good lawsuits and bad lawsuits. The questions is if we have the laws and processes to cut down on the bad ones while allowing the good ones.
  • Tort reform cannot go too far lest we violate our right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances" as per Amendment 1 of the U.S. Bill of Rights.
  • Ethically, I would rather err on the side of losing money and raising costs than losing lives and lowering safety.
• U.S. Foreign Relations
  • At some point, everybody will need a friend to lean on. We need our allies.
  • Increase diplomacy.
  • Increase economics and trade.
  • Help countries with problems of disease, drought, famine, and over-population.
  • Help countries become self-sufficient, esp. with infrastructure.
  • Work with international bodies such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. If you think they are broken, then work to fix them.

Page Modified: (Hand noted: 2008-04-09 01:46:30Z) (Auto noted: 2008-04-06 18:22:40Z)