Re: Riots and Racists and Looting...OH MY!!!
Well, I took part in the labor protests at our state capitol and voted against Walker 3 times including the recall.
I'm against voter ID in its current (proposed) form - meaning where it hurts minorities and the poor and only benefits one party.
I'm for Gay marriage, the ability for gay couples to adopt and I 'm against the boy scouts for their stance - whether or not they have the "right."
While I personally detest the idea of abortion, I'm for the woman to have the right to make that decision as long as it's in the first trimester - unless her health is at risk later on.
I believe that gun control is far too lenient and would like to see more restrictions imposed. Not that people shouldn't be able to own guns though.
I believe that corporations are not in fact people.
I'm for the most part opposed to the death penalty - should be reserved for only the most heinous of crimes - not a gas station holdup gone bad.
I believe that taxes are essential so that the government can provide essential services. Whether that money is used in the right way or efficiently is another question.
I believe that society should provide for those who need it although those who are able should be forced (through job training etc) to get off of assistance at some point.
On the other side, I tend to be a bit more hawkish foreign policy-wise than the typical dem-voting Madisonian, I loathe the PC police, I believe that schools should be able to put on Christmas concerts, and I don't personally have a huge problem with torturing terrorists - whether our country should do it or not is a separate issue.
Any other hot button issues you'd like to know about before you deliver your verdict?
Ooh, I like this. Even better, Kepler gets to play Joan Quigley and tell us all about ourselves. I'm next.
Voter Id. I'm in favor. I think it's silly that we consider it normal to have to show an ID to use a credit card, pick up your mail when you've been on vacation, get hired for a job, etc..., and that it's an unreasonable hardship to show one when you vote. Pass the rule and make it effective 5 years from now to give everyone (by that, I mean all 14 people who don't have some sort of photo id) a chance to get one.
Gay Marriage. All in favor. Homosexuality isn't something that you are taught or that you pick up through your environment. It's who a person is, just like the color of your hair. If churches don't want to perform a ceremony for homosexuals, so be it. No one will probably be going to that church 25 years from now anyway. But for purposes of state recognized rights, any objection is purely bias.
Abortion. Woman's choice right up until the kid is born. Until then it's just a kidney or a gall bladder or any other part of her body. Raising a kid is a serious, important and expensive proposition and I don't think we should be telling people they have to do it if they don't want to.
Gun Control. Complete waste of time. Every gun that is sold has a serial number. Record the number and the name of the party that it's sold to. When you sell it, pass that information along, just like a car title. Until the new owner gets identified, it's still your problem. Start enacting laws that make gun owners liable for illegal acts committed with their weapons, both civilly and criminally. If people want to ban other people from bringing guns into their homes or businesses, fine. Same for government buildings. But those are just property issues. But you want to own a handgun, an assault rifle, or a hundred of them, be my guest.
ACA. It was a stupid idea, but it's done. Getting rid of it now does more harm than good. I don't believe you have a fundamental right to health care or health insurance or anything of the sort. It's like life insurance. You would be wise to set aside some of your earnings to purchase it. But if you choose not to, I'm not going to give it to you. We should have just gone with a single payer system if we were going to change, but with substantial limitations. We're stuck with Medicare. But like Social Security, I believe in means testing, and it's going to be hardcore. Government programs are supposed to be a safety net, not some sort of supplement to free up your other income so you can sit in a casino playing slots all day. I'm sorry. If we're sitting here pulling down $100-200,000 a year, I don't need any SS or medicare.
Death Penalty. Against. If the justice system is managed by humans, it's fallible. We can correct improper incarcerations. We can't correct executions.
Citizens United. Corporations aren't people. They are legal entities. But people are legal entities too. They both can spend whatever they want to say what they want, within the normal bounds governing free speech for humans. In fact, I think corporations and rich people should be encouraged to spend even more on elections. At least the money stays in the country and goes towards paying the salaries of television employees, people who make campaign signs, pollsters, and the hundreds of thousands of earnest, though misguided, campaign employees who would otherwise probably be unemployed.
Immigration. I believe in an open door policy. I think the desire of people to move to this country (or others) is no different than the migration of birds south/north or the migration of animals in Africa and the other continents. It's nature. It is natural to desire to move to a location with better opportunities for food, shelter, etc... But if you come here, you have to obey the rules. You have to pay taxes. You have to obey our laws. And if you want a vote, if you want a say so in how we do things here, you have to become a citizen. If not, you hold nothing more than a non-voting share of stock in this country, and you don't get to complain about how we do things.
Foreign Policy. I'm a bit of an isolationist (imagine that, coming from North Dakota). I think we need to stop spending our time serving as the world's cop, when we haven't been hired for the job, and I think we need to stop justifying it by claiming we are looking after our own interests. At the same time, I think we need a prepared military, and if called upon to respond, we respond hard. No screwing around. All means necessary.
Christmas Concerts in School. Sure, so long as I don't have to go. And so long as you don't make someone participate who otherwise has a reasonable objection, such as a different religion.
