prrriiide

Obama. After the last 7 years, I cannot vote for a Republican. They have had their chance and they shit in their messkit. Next time maybe they'll pay attention when The People say something.

Democrat
I feel much the same way. I don't have a uterus, so I can't tell someone else what to do with theirs. But at the same time I think more pre-procedure counseling is warranted.

Agreed. But also the consequences for discrimination against ANY person need to be stiffened to the point that practicing discrimination against anyone is just not an option.

I would add, alternative CLEAN fuels.

Yup.

I don't like crap on TV any more than you, but I think giving the government power to describe what is and is not offensive is a very slippery slope indeed. That said, I believe that our elected leaders should use their bully pulpit more to extol Americans to a better way. If a video game is nothing but sex, drugs and violence, OK. People should have the right to produce it and people should have the right to buy it. Our elected leaders should also have the right to condemn that item publicly and often without fear of legal action from the producers.

Not going to quote all you said, but I think the embargo has outlived its usefulness and should be lifted. Both Castros are old men that are going to be gone soon. But old Fidel was a "man of vigor" as they call it in Europe, and has 5 sons. I don't know if any wish to assume control at any point or not. But I think the best way to bring an end to communism in Cuba is to show by example what life in a democracy is like.

Don't let the door hit you in the ass, George...

I think congress would be much more effective if every single item that the leadership brings to the floor wasn't filibustered to death by Republicans.
I would add that universal higher/vocational education needs to happen along the lines of the European model.

While it seems redundant, the EC provides an important balance to elections, and should stay.

Yup

It has always been so, and always will be.

I'm not for FREE trade. I'm for FAIR trade. I believe that the US's policy on trade should be an exact mirror of the policies of the respective countries we're dealing with. We should have the same import barriers in place against China's goods shipped to the US as China has in place for our goods shipped to them. Same applies to Japan and Korea or any other country that has trade policies that allow a flow of their goods into the US, and a trickle of goods from the US into their country.

That's between them and God. It isn't my place to legislate happiness.

I happen to believe that it is a combination of some natural causes, and a lot of human activity. Consider that January of '01 production from OPEC was over 30 million barrels a day. That doesn't count the considerable production of the US and Russia. That's a LOT of burning going on. And every bit of that burning releases gases that are harmful to the atmosphere. I think that we are doing more to cause it than nature is doing. I think if we can reduce what we're doing, then the extent will be lessened to a more manageable level. Clean, renewable resources such a hydro, wind and solar are the way to go with a considerable upgrade in nuclear production.

Not going to get the genie back in the bottle, so we have to make sure that its effects on US workers are limited as much as possible.
I generally agree, except that there are some things that you really don't need, like an AK-47 or a Mac-10. I think that the rights should be preserved, but the process to legally own one should be tightened. At the same time, I would like to see the passage of draconian new laws addressing the possession of an unregistered firearm. IOW, they should make it easier for someone with a spotless record to own a gun, more difficult for some one with a blip or two on their record, and impossible for anyone with a criminal background.

My view is that the solution is going to be a hybrid government/private solution. The costs HAVE to come down.
Our borders right now are a joke. And the whole world knows it.
Right on.
I don't think that's really in the government's purview to address.

Again, I agree.
Actually, I think the reverse is true: it was put in place to prevent unwanted interference in the affairs of state by the religions. Remember that the Spanish Inquisition didn't officially end until 50 years AFTER the ratification of the US Constitution. These men knew EXACTLY what the church was capable of doing to influence affairs of state. We see in the Middle East what theocracies bring to their countries. Unending hatred and war. Affairs of state must be carried out in a rational, thoughtful manner. Religious fervor is not well-suited to diplomacy. But at the same time, the founders also knew the religious significance of the Gunpowder Plot and Guy Fawkes Night in the UK. So I suspect that it was put on place to protect each from the other to some extent.

This fund would be in good shape if the politicians hadn't used it for their personal pork-barrel bank for decades. Al Gore was right about the "lock box" for Social Security. And since the politicians got fat and happy off of it for decades, now they need to suck it up and make the adjustments to return it to solvency. I don't think it's any better than what Lay and his cronies did with the Enron pensions.
As long as the cells come from fetuses that were aborted out of medical necessity. I don't want to encourage abortions any more than they already are.

Now that GWB has packed the court with "strict constructionists" don't hold your breath on that.
UN needs to step up to the plate and do what it's supposed to do. They spend so much time arguing and politicking that they can't make a decision on important matters.

By the same token the Iraqis have a duty to make more rapid progress on the great political and philosophical questions confronting them in terms of how they will move forward. Does our duty extend to staying and getting our soldiers killed while they dither and delay? I think not.
I think that the reform of welfare has to take on a few issues. First, no work, no check. If someone wants a welfare check they can get their ass out of the house and pick up trash on the highway, they can watch the kids of other welfare workers while they go work, etc. There has to be a childcare component. First off, benefits should be frozen at the number of children present in the household when benefits commence. Second, there should be a system set up where welfare mothers watch the kids of other welfare workers. This would happen under intense CWS scrutiny to make sure the kids are safe. There needs to be an educational component. Welfare recipients need to be working towards education, starting with a GED, then an associates degree. If they get an associates degree and don't have a job within a year, then they aren't trying very hard and might need the motivation of losing their benefits. The tuition and books would be part of their benefits package, and would require a 2.5 GPA to maintain those benefits.
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NEVER

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