2008 Presidential Candidates: I haven't really decided yet, but I like McCain/Huckabee for the GOP and Obama for the DNC.

Party: Independent

Abortion: It's a state issue. I am against it personally, but I believe it is up to the woman, so in principle, I'm pro-choice.

Affirmative Action: Affirmative Action is descriminatory. We need to get rid of it.

Alternative Fuels: We have to get off oil. Alternative fuels is a must in order for America to remain a World Power in the 21st century.

Capital Punishment: I'm okay with that. There are some crimes in which the criminals don't deserve to live.

Censorship: There's a lot of different types of censorship. The biggest one is censoring critisizm of the government. I would be against that. But another one is the FCC, I'm okay with it at it's current levels. I don't wanna hear a bunch of profanity or see boobies everytime I turn on the TV.

Cuba: Keep the embargo until their communist government collapses. Communism is dying out. If it doesn't end with Fidel, than it ends with Raul. I expect that after Raul dies, Cuba will become a democracy. When it does, we will begin unrestricted trade with Cuba and boost their economy way above current levels. They will forget about the embargo and their standard of living will increase. They will consider America their best friend once that happens. But, for the time being it is important not to slacken the embargo on Cuba because that could actually end up being counter-active to democracy. It would appear like their communist government has succeeded in improving the economy and restarting trade with Cuba, and could extend the current communist government indefinately. However, I estimate that by this time 2018 (10 years from now), Cuba will be a democracy. And by then, the embargo will be lifted and friendly trade relations can begin.

There is a lot of international pressure and domestic pressure on Cuba to become a democracy very soon. I would not be surprised if Fidel died before the end of the decade, and Raul a year or two after. Once this happens, they will be under enormous pressure by the US, the UN, and the Cuban citizens to reform their government into a democracy and hold free elections. Once they do, and America resumes trade with them, we can expose them to all the US has to offer and boost their economy to levels not seen in nearly 60 years. Then they will be "hooked" on American goods and buisnesses and wonder how they ever did without. I'm not kidding about this: there are masses of resorts and other tourist industries lined up to invest in Cuba as soon as the embargo is lifted. The credit crunch has squeezed the life out of Cuba's current tourism industry because nobody (American's not included...it's illegal) can afford to take a vacation to Cubawith the petrol expenses being what they are. America is their last hope for revitalizing their economy, and as soon as communism dies, then I would be surprised if Democracy does not take it's place.

Current Administration (Bush/Cheney): They suck, but they're a lame-duck administration now. They won't do much more damage. I don't really care about this issue seeing as it's about to be over.

Current Congress: This congress blows. Their approval rating is worse than Bush's. I hope the next go-round is better.

Education: One of the most important issues. Repeal NCLB. It's a failure and takes money away from the schools that need funding the most.

Electoral College: There's still a lot of uninformed voters out there. It should be kept for a little while longer. I was on the plane going from Atlanta to Charelston and I met a woman who said she supported John Edwards. When I asked her why she supported him, she said it was because he looked "well-groomed" and seemed to be a nice man. This woman was around 50 years old, perhaps older. It's pretty sad that in the 21st century, people want to elect the next leader of the free world based on how they look and present themselves. That is why I believe that the Electoral College needs to be maintained a bit longer. In this day and age, there is no excuse for people to be ignorent of political figures, yet some still choose to be.

Flag Burning: Freedom of Expression is protected under the 1st ammendment

Foreign Policy: Diplomacy>Sanctions and embargos>war

Free Trade: I'm all for free trade, I just don't want the US to be getting the short end of the stick and getting ripped off by other countries.

Gay Rights: I don't approve of homosexuality, but that doesn't mean I don't think gays should be kept from marrying the person that they love.

Global Warming: I'm not entirely convinced that Humans are the main source of the problems, It is most likely just natural climate change. However, since there is the chance we are behind this, we must do what we can to be good stewards of this planet and leave it no worse, prefferably better than we found it.

Globalization: I like some parts of this and I'm against other parts.

Gun Control: 2nd ammendment was there to protect the citizens from oppressive governments and to keep the government (and invading countries) in check. If we take away our gun rights, than warrantless wiretaps and internet monitoring will be nothing compared to the loss of civil liberties we could experiance.

Healthcare: Needs reform, but don't even think about socializing it. You think it's expensive now, just wait till big bro is in control of it.

Illegal Immigration: secure BOTH borders. What we have now is harmful to our economy and its effects are already beginning to be felt.

Marijuana Legalization: NO WAY

Media Bias: It's bullshit. Sure, some stations like fox have a conservative bias, while others have a liberal bias, there is ample supply of news sources availble to us here in America. Media bias is no excuse to be "uninformed."

School Prayer: I don't want the government making up some watered down prayer for me. I'd rather just have a moment of silence and people can pray if they want to whichever God they worship

Separation of Church and State: This was implemented to protect the church from being used as a puppet for political leaders. Keep the two entities seperate.

Social Security: Why should I pay into something that I'll most likely never reep the benefits of. Either reform this direlect from the New Deal or get rid of it and save/invest your money the old fashioned way.

Stem Cell Research: All for it as long as we're not destroying life.

The Constitution: Most important political document in the West. It is also the supreme law of the land and any laws made that oppose the constitution (parts of the Patriot Act) need to be nullified.

United Nations: It is too important of an asset for America to leave. For many countries, it is the only way for America to deal with them effectively. Now, I'm against a global state, but that's not even on the UN's agenda and is no threat what-so-ever.

War in Iraq: Going into the war, the United States made a promise to our allies and to Iraq. We told them that after getting rid of Saddam, we would stay and rebuild their nation and its economy. America has a responsibility to rebuild Iraq and it's not going to be easy. The current stragety on rebuilding their economy is going to take about 3 more years. The surge was step 2 (step 1 being the invasion and unseating of the Iraqi government), and it is evidant that the surge is working. The next part is the economy building. That is the phase we are in right now. This is the "long haul" that president Bush warned us about. And if we were to pull out before this was accomplished would spell disaster for our troops and for the good citizens of Iraq. Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy being in a war that distracts us from our ultamate goal of getting Bin Laden, but I believe we have a duty to Iraq to fix the nation we screwed up.


Welfare: A hold-over from FDR that was supposed to be temporary. Too many people take advantage of welfare. If we do away with it, then they will be forced to get jobs and not live off the government through the taxes that you and I pay.

Wiretapping: Not without a warrant.

__________________
~John Locke

Discuss the Issue, Not the Poster

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not everyone is entitled to their own facts"
-Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan

"Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind."
-Teddy Roosevelt

2008 Presidential Candidates: McCain or Obama

Party: Independent, but lean conservative

Abortion: Protected by the 9th amendment up to the point of viability.

Affirmative Action: A useful policy when used correctly, but it has been abused and misunderstood for so long it is better to scrap it.

Alternative fuels: We should impose a carbon tax, and reduce income taxes by an equal amount, to encourage the adoption of alternative energies.

capital Punishment: state issue. I don't care one way or the other.

Censorship: I'm a firm believer in the 1st amendment and believe that any attempts to regulate speech should have to meet nearly impossibly high standards of necessity.

Cuba: No trade with Cuba. We must not subsidize failed systems.

Education: Abolish the Dept. of Education. Education is a state and local issue.

Electoral College: Should be maintained, not because voters are uninformed(I believe voters are much better informed than CW suggests), but because small states need a check against larger states.

Flag Burning: I oppose a flag burning amendment.

Foriegn Policy: Confront enemies, don't pacify them. Sanctions are crueler than war.

Free trade: We should support free trade unconditionally, and impose restrictions only as retaliation for restrictions imposed by other countries.

Gay rights: I fully support gay marriage.

Global warming: I support a carbon tax. I oppose regulations.

Globalization: 100% a good thing.

Gun control: Not opposed to regulations, but in the end, every law abiding citizen has the right to bear arms.

Health care: I support universal health care, but it should be for basic care and not cover the most expensive treatments. People who wish to do so may purchase those treatments and drugs or purchase insurance that covers that.

Illegal immigration: I am in favor of a liberal immigration policy, but we should secure the borders and deport criminals.

Marijuana: legalize it.

Media bias: I refer you to the 1st amendment

School prayer: protected by 1st amendment rights, but no school employee may lead prayer. Children of course, may have prayer whenever they wish.

Social Security: raise the retirement age, impose a means test, reduce benefit to CPI instead of AWI. Allow people to opt out.

Stem cell research: in favor of private efforts. No public money.

United Nations: Demand reform to make it an effective organization or pull out.

War in Iraq: Win it or get out. Enough with the peacekeeping.

Welfare: Welfare reform worked. Let the system stay as it is.

Wiretapping: Must have a warrant.

Taxes: End the income tax. Replace it with a combination of sales taxes, excise taxes, and a carbon tax.

__________________
chicken butt

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.
[/quote]

NEVER

__________________
The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it. ~George Bernard Shaw

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

2008 Presidential Candidates: Ron Paul, Mitt Romney

Party: Republican

Abortion: Roe vs. Wade is a product of activist judges and needs to be over turned. Leave abortion to the states to regulate as they see fit.

Affirmative Action: Should not be practiced by Civil governments as it is discriminatory. Not the governments business to regulate how private companies practice it though.

Alternative Fuels: We should promote renewable fuels by not taxing them at all.

Capital Punishment: For capital crimes, sure

Censorship: Censorship is bad, let parents regulate what their children see and hear on the media.

Cuba: Lift the embargo once Fidel dies.

Current Administration (Bush/Cheney): Don't like them at all. Good thing they'll be gone soon.

Current Congress: Absolutely terrible. inefficient, wrong on the issues, and too cowardly to stand up to Bush on Iraq. They just keep signing spending bills even though they were elected on the premise that they would end the war. They could have done so by not funding it.

Education: Abolish the Federal Department of Education, this is completely a state and local government issue. Let the states run education how they want to.

Electoral College: It's a good system to ensure all states are treated fairly.

Federal Debt: We need to drastically lower spending and start paying off the debt NOW. We spend 25% of the Federal Budget paying the interest on this debt. Paying it off would allow us to be far better off. If we don't pay it off, we'll eventually go bankrupt and huge problems will arise.

Flag Burning: Should be legal, but I think we (the people NOT the government) should socially banish those who do it.

Foreign Policy: Non Interventionism. Have allies, make treaties, allies, and deals with other nations, but do not become involved in the internal affairs of any foreign nation.

Free Trade: I'm torn on this issue. Free trade is the best economc system in that it creates the most total wealth. But if we run a huge trade deficit with free trade stuff goes sour. I propose regulated free trade, where there are no tariffs if we have an equal trade relationship with a nation, but institute a tariff on that nation alone if we run a large trade deficit, to close the gap. Re-evaluate every year.

Gay Rights: Gay marriage is a states issue, which is what this is referring to I think. As for a Gay Civil rights act, absolutely not. It's not the Federal governments business to regulate how people live their lives.

Global Warming: I think it's overly alarmist and completely unproven. I think we should be more environmentally friendly though.

Globalization: As long as we don't let it destroy us.

Gun Control: States issue. Only Federal regulation being that the States should not be allowed to put a blanket ban on owning guns.

Healthcare: Open the market. Get rid of the federal regulations which will lead to lowering costs. Reduce the civil liability of doctors so that their insurance costs drop and all the costs that go along with doctors getting sued 3 times a year each.

Illegal Immigration: Stop it. Send the national guard to the borders. Fine any employer who hires illegals extremely harshly. Fine any land lord who rents to illegals. Deport any illegals caught committing a crime. Require a citizenship check to access any public accommodations to prevent illegals from using any of it.

Marijuana Legalization: Legalize it, let states regulate it as they see fit.

Media Bias: All media companies have a bias. It is immpossible for them not to.

School Prayer: If the kids want to pray at recess, at lunch, or during breaks that's just fine. No prayer during class.

Separation of Church and State: Should be absolute.

Social Security: Needs to be eventually phased out or privatized.

Stem Cell Research: Let the free market fund it. Do not federally ban it, but don't fund it with tax payer's dollars.

The Constitution: We need to follow it more closely. We also need to pass an amendment to get rid of birthright citizenship, and change it to citizenship if you are born in the U.S. or on a U.S> military base, and have at least one citizen parent.

United Nations: We should lower our funding of the U.N. to a more fair level.

War in Iraq: Pull out as soon as possible to do safely.

Welfare: Federal government should not give any welfare. I think it would be great for the states to offer government paid boarding schools for poor children to attend. Do not give any money to poor parents or lazy single adults. This way we help the helpless poor children, and don't help their lazy good for nothing parents. The perfect way to avoid the dual clientèle trap.

Wiretapping: Should only be done on a U.S. citizen with a warrant.

__________________

2008 Presidential Candidates: Barack Obama, if not Obama then John McCain

Party: Democratic (maybe)

Abortion: We need a pragmatic approach. Abortion should be approved in the first trimester and banned thereafter.

Affirmative Action: Should be eliminated.

Alternative Fuels: We need laws and funding to promote it. Global warming is real. High prices at the pump are real. Us paying money to Saudi's who give that money to terrorists is real.

Capital Punishment: Would like to see it used under very high standards of witnesses and DNA proof of guilt.

Censorship: No censorship of government criticism. Pro-terrorism messages should be censored. No bare breasts or private areas on TV.

Cuba: Lift the embargo after Castro dies.

Current Administration (Bush/Cheney): One of the worst presidents in US history.

Current Congress: They cannot do anything due to Bush vetos and partisanship on both sides of the aisle.

Education: Strengthen the DOE and make the quality of public schools equal. No vouchers for private schools.

Electoral College: May as well keep it to keep unity in the country.

Flag Burning: Should not be outlawed.

Foreign Policy: EXTREMELY anti-nuclear weapons proliferation. Interventionist in the case of nuclear weapons proliferation and massive human rights abuses.

Free Trade: I support trade that is more fair. No trade with companies who use sweatshops or slave labor.

Gay Rights: Opposed to gay marriage. In favor of allowing gay couples to receive the same tax benefit as married couples.

Global Warming: It's real and deadly for mankind in the future.

Globalization: Inevitable and a good thing for peace and prosperity.

Gun Control: In favor of it.

Healthcare: Pro-Universal healthcare.

Illegal Immigration: In favor of building the border fence, immediately deporting illegal alien criminals. In favor of McCain-Kennedy immigration reform.

Marijuana Legalization: Absurd

Media Bias: Fox is biased, the rest aren't.

School Prayer: No proselytizing in graduation speeches or any school officials, or allowing people to use the school to proselytize others who have not volunteered to be proselytized. School prayer should vary according to how much local support there is for it.

Separation of Church and State: Should be a barrier between them.

Social Security: (agreed) Needs to be eventually phased out or privatized.

Stem Cell Research: Non-issue. New technology has allowed stem cells to be created without harvesting them.

The Constitution: The constitution was meant to be modified and should be modified. In favor of changing the US electoral system to proportional representation, away from "winner takes all."

United Nations: We should pay what we owe. UN needs reform so that some regimes are not allowed full privileges.

War in Iraq: Win the war.

Welfare: People (especially children) must not be allowed to starve. Favor workfare whenever possible.

Wiretapping: Should be done using an expedited judicial process for terrorism related issues. Lower benchmarks for people suspected of terrorism and non-US citizens.

__________________
"Of course the fact that a person believes in racial equality doesn't prove that he's a communist...but it certainly makes you look twice, doesn't it? You can't get away from the fact that racial equality is part of the communist line." - Joseph McCarthy

Political Forum Diplomacy Game Map (In Progress)
Current Diplomacy thread

2008 Presidential Candidates: Ron Paul, John McCain

Party: Independent

Abortion: Repeal Roe. Regulated by states

Affirmative Action: Should be eliminated.

Alternative Fuels: Dependency on foreign oil is a national security risk and therefore clean alternative fuels should be developed. Furthermore, our own oil resources should be used in the meantime meaning ANWAR and the Pacific and Gulf coasts.

Capital Punishment: We don't use it enough

Censorship: No government censorship

Cuba: Lift the embargo after Castro dies.

Current Administration (Bush/Cheney): Ass clowns

Current Congress: Absolutely useless

Education: Eliminate the Department of Education and leave it strictly to state regulation. No Federal involvement.

Electoral College: Keep it

Flag Burning: Protected under the First Amendment

Foreign Policy: Non interventionist

Free Trade: We're getting screwed by China

Gay Rights: States issue. If some states want to redefine marriage so be it however no state that does not recognize that marriage should be forced to accept it under any of that Commerce Clause bullshit.

Global Warming: I think the climate is changing, but I don't buy into the hype that we are the cause of it.

Globalization: Inevitable

Gun Control: The Second Amendment is what guarantees all others

Healthcare: Why on Earth would any sane person want a bunch of bureaucrats making their health care choices for them?

Illegal Immigration: Arrest the employers and deny illegals any benefits and they will return home on their own. The Federal government needs to actually stand behind our border guards instead of throwing them in jail for protecting our country.

Marijuana Legalization: It is absurd to throw people in jail for smoking a substance that isn't even half as damaging as alcohol.

Media Bias: Yes, the media is biased.

School Prayer: Local issue. If students want to pray that is there right, but nobody should be forced to by the school

Separation of Church and State: Should be a barrier between them.

Social Security: It is a Ponzi Scheme. Privatize or eliminate completely.

Stem Cell Research: New technology has allowed stem cells to be created without harvesting them.

The Constitution: I'm not sure what the question is here.

United Nations: The UN is an anti-American organization and an extremely ineffective organization. We should pull out and throw them out of our country.

War in Iraq: Should have never invaded. Nation needs to be stabilized and we should pull out as soon as possibly feasible. NO PERMANENT BASES!

Welfare: I have no issue with a very limited program that helps people when shit happens. Very limited. And drug addicts and out of wedlock mothers don't qualify because that's not shit happening, that's irresponsibility and idiocy.

Wiretapping: Warrant first

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Carolina Politics Online

Sam

Party : Socialist, Booger Eating, Right Wing Rednecks of New Mexico.


Bring back God in the schools. Tax the rich. Get the fuck out of Iraq. Keep Social Security. Fuck Roe v Wade. Fuck Affirmative Action....can't remember the rest.... so it's probably not important !


Bro

lol, nice one BB. so inspiring

__________________
~John Locke

Discuss the Issue, Not the Poster

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not everyone is entitled to their own facts"
-Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan

"Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind."
-Teddy Roosevelt

I am not sure about doing this because I can't vote but what the hell
BTW I did this lazy and copied J.Locke and with what i agree with him on i kept.

2008 Presidential Candidates: Ron Paul( I just got his autograph and yeah it's real)

Party: Independent

Abortion: I think it's horrible I mean killing a little baby.

Affirmative Action: Affirmative Action is descriminatory. We need to get rid of it.

Alternative Fuels: We have to get off oil. Alternative fuels is a must in order for America to remain a World Power in the 21st century.

Capital Punishment: I don't want to condemn other people like that. So most of the time I don't like the death penalty.

Censorship: There's a lot of different types of censorship. The biggest one is censoring critisizm of the government. I would be against that. But another one is the FCC, I'm okay with it at it's current levels. I don't wanna hear a bunch of profanity or see boobies everytime I turn on the TV.

Cuba: I think the Cuba think should have ended long ago they are not exactly a threat.

Current Administration (Bush/Cheney): They will be remembered as the Fuck up team of all time.

Current Congress: This congress blows. Their approval rating is worse than Bush's. I hope the next go-round is better.

Education: One of the most important issues. Repeal NCLB. It's a failure and takes money away from the schools that need funding the most.

Electoral College: N/A Don't no much about it.

Flag Burning: Freedom of Expression is protected under the 1st ammendment

Foreign Policy: I am with RP we need a humble foreign POlicy

Free Trade: I'm all for free trade, I just don't want the US to be getting the short end of the stick and getting ripped off by other countries.

Gay Rights: I don't approve of homosexuality

Global Warming: I'm not entirely convinced that Humans are the main source of the problems, It is most likely just natural climate change. However, since there is the chance we are behind this, we must do what we can to be good stewards of this planet and leave it no worse, prefferably better than we found it.

Globalization: I'm against it.

Gun Control: 2nd ammendment was there to protect the citizens from oppressive governments and to keep the government (and invading countries) in check. If we take away our gun rights, than warrantless wiretaps and internet monitoring will be nothing compared to the loss of civil liberties we could experiance. It's that bad

Healthcare: Needs reform, but don't even think about socializing it. You think it's expensive now, just wait till big bro is in control of it.

Illegal Immigration: secure BOTH borders. What we have now is harmful to our economy and its effects are already beginning to be felt.

Marijuana Legalization: If people want to get stoned it's fine by me as long as they pay there taxes. and don't break the law.

Media Bias: It's bullshit. Sure, some stations like fox have a conservative bias, while others have a liberal bias, there is ample supply of news sources availble to us here in America. Media bias is no excuse to be "uninformed."

School Prayer: I don't want the government making up some watered down prayer for me. I'd rather just have a moment of silence and people can pray if they want to whichever God they worship

Separation of Church and State: This was implemented to protect the church from being used as a puppet for political leaders. Keep the two entities seperate.

Social Security: Why should I pay into something that I'll most likely never reep the benefits of. Either reform this direlect from the New Deal or get rid of it and save/invest your money the old fashioned way.

Stem Cell Research: All for it as long as we're not destroying life.

The Constitution: Most important political document in the West. It is also the supreme law of the land and any laws made that oppose the constitution (parts of the Patriot Act) need to be nullified.

United Nations: This sounds a little redneck but i don't trust them to much

War in Iraq: Going into the war, the United States made a promise to our allies and to Iraq. We told them that after getting rid of Saddam, we would stay and rebuild their nation and its economy. America has a responsibility to rebuild Iraq and it's not going to be easy. The current stragety on rebuilding their economy is going to take about 3 more years. The surge was step 2 (step 1 being the invasion and unseating of the Iraqi government), and it is evidant that the surge is working. The next part is the economy building. That is the phase we are in right now. This is the "long haul" that president Bush warned us about. And if we were to pull out before this was accomplished would spell disaster for our troops and for the good citizens of Iraq. Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy being in a war that distracts us from our ultamate goal of getting Bin Laden, but I believe we have a duty to Iraq to fix the nation we screwed up.


Welfare: Not a big fan

Wiretapping: As long as the go throu the motions of making it legal.

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The nice thing about being right is that you don't have to change your mind.

(BTW, I just put BINGO wherever I completely agreed with original poster).

Favorite Political Philosopher: John Locke

2008 Presidential Candidates: Leaning towards the Stormin Mormon.

Party: None. Conservative.

Abortion: Against it. Support the woman's right to choose until pregnancy has hit the point where the baby could live outside the womb. Seems like a common sense point to draw the line.

Affirmative Action: Affirmative Action is discriminatory. There's no such thing as reverse discrimination. Get rid of it. Its stupid and has no place in a modern country like ours.

Alternative Fuels: We should use the cheapest fuel available as long as everyone else is. Its stupid for us to switch to more expensive fuels while China and India crank out pollution unless we are going to apply some sort of tariff to foreign companies to compensate for the fact that our industry is at an unfair disadvantage on fuel costs. Would love to see more nuclear energy. If enviroweenies would quit suing the government to stop the use of nuclear energy, we could solve this oil dependency problem in a decade. Believe the plug-in hybrid is the best bet yet to transitioning off of oil to electricity because it allows us to use electric cars for commuting while still keeping the long range of gasoline cars for long trips.

Capital Punishment: I'm in favor of it but have very little faith in the judicial system (*cough* OJ *cough*) to trust it to make life and death decisions.

Censorship: I'd start with Viagra commercials during prime time. A little tired of my kids asking why they should call a doctor if their erection lasts 48 hours.

Cuba: Possibly the most oppressive regime since the fall of the Soviet Union. I would keep embargo's till they join the modern world. I don't care if they have 100% literacy and health care. Their average IQ is 86 and their average life expectancy is 12 years less than the free world so what is it really doing for them? (UN statistics).

Current Administration (Bush/Cheney): They've done a pretty mediocre job but the incessant anti-Bush media campaign has made them look worse than they really are. A lot of the criticisms are for things that their opponents agreed with 10 years ago but now in hind sight conveniently forget that fact. WMD's in Iraq for example. I would be happy to produce pages of quotes from Democrats during Clinton's Administration demanding we take immediate action against Saddam before its too late for example. My biggest problem is they let down conservatives on the very promise that got them elected: curbing out of control spending.

Current Congress: I think reform starts with getting rid of pork. I like the President's recent plan to refuse to fund anything not voted on. WTH has that been the last 7 years?

Education: NCLB (Kennedy's plan) gets mixed reviews from me. My biggest problem with education is this: We spend more on education in this country per student than any country in the world. Yet our teachers don't make that much and the results are mediocre. So where is all the money going? Figure that out and you can start to reform the system. My guess? Bloated administrations with do nothing, high salary, politically appointed positions.

Electoral College: No compelling reason to change it. Our country is a Republic of independents states not a pure democracy. The idea is 50 separate 'experiments in democracy' that allow innovative ideas to be tested and presumably adopted by other states when they work. The current system supports this model. Getting rid of it would make low population states politically meaningless.

Flag Burning: Freedom of Expression is protected under the 1st amendment. But if you burn the flag, you're still a dick in my book. Why not burn the flag of a country that DOESN'T support free speech like Venezuela, Cuba or Iran? Show me you've got a pair!

Foreign Policy: Diplomacy>Sanctions and embargos>war BINGO.

Free Trade: I'm all for free trade, I just don't want the US to be getting the short end of the stick and getting ripped off by other countries. BINGO.

Gay Rights: My biggest problem with gay marriage is that it makes it virtually impossible to make a rational case against polygamy or all sorts of other relationships of convenience. The man - woman - family relationship has been the cornerstone of civilization. I think it should be protected.

Global Warming: I work for a meteorological company and have done extensive research into things like global warming, increases in intensity and numbers of storms, historical temperature readings, etc. My conclusion is this need much more research. Before we just jump in and pass legislation that will cripple America's economy just so environmentalists can feel good about themselves.

Globalization: I like some parts of this and I'm against other parts. BINGO.

Gun Control: I support the right to bare arms. But I draw the line at squad automatic weapons or stingers. Seems a bit much for rabbit hunting!

Healthcare: Needs reform, but don't even think about socializing it. You think it's expensive now, just wait till big bro is in control of it. BINGO. Not to mention standing in line for emergency surgery for a year. If we get nationalized health care, where will Canadians go for surgery?

Illegal Immigration: secure BOTH borders. What we have now is harmful to our economy and its effects are already beginning to be felt. BINGO. And don't try to tell me walls don't work. Ash Hannibal about that. Destroyed the entire Roman army but could never take the City because of the walls. Sure, they won't stop EVERYONE, but they will make it a hell of a lot harder to get in. They are quite simply a force multiplier. Plus they help screen our border agents from Mexican snipers who can shoot at them now with immunity.

Marijuana Legalization: What's the point? Its price has gone up slower than cigarette's over the last 20 years anyway. Most pot smokers I know don't even want it legal. They'd have to pay too much in taxes!

Media Bias: The NYTimes is the paper of record for the Democratic party. The only difference between them and conservative talk radio is conservative talk radio identifies itself as conservative while the times pretends to be objective. Then they run anti Republican stories on the front page for 6 months running up to every election and endorse a Democrat every single bloody time. Yeah, real objective.

School Prayer: That's why we have churches.

Separation of Church and State: This was implemented to protect the church from being used as a puppet for political leaders. Keep the two entities seperate. ULTRA-BINGO.

Social Security: Used to base increases in benefits on cost of living. When Carter changed it to wages which always go up faster than COL he made it impossible to ever grow our way out of the problem. Only solution I see is lowering the rate and raising the ceiling on contributions. Its the most regressive tax this side of the gasoline tax.

Stem Cell Research: All for it as long as we're not destroying life. BINGO.

The Constitution: Most important political document in the West. It is also the supreme law of the land. Whether the Patiot Act violates this or not is a decision for the Supreme Court and not a bunch of self appointed experts.

United Nations: Only reason to stay in the UN is to be able to veto anything France, Russia or China try to do. Just like they do to us. Sickens me that they engaged in the biggest theft in world history (oil for food scam) and no one has been found responsible. Leaving Kofi in for the investigation was like letting Kenneth Ley investigate Enron!

War in Iraq: Whatever your position going in, we have an obligation to make sure Iraq is stable before we leave. People who want us to just draw a line in the sand and leave must not give a hoot about the 10's of thousands of Iraqi's who will suffer in the civil war that follows. See: Vietnam after American withdrawel.

Welfare: A hold-over from FDR that was supposed to be temporary. Too many people take advantage of welfare. If we do away with it, then they will be forced to get jobs and not live off the government through the taxes that you and I pay. BINGO.

Wiretapping: Not without a warrant. Unless from known terrorist. What's the difference anyway? We knew where Bin Laden was at least 5 times before 9-11 and