- COVID-19: one size fits all is a bad idea. Empower the state govs to handle and the Federal assist where needed.
- Economics: free market capitalism is my preferred system.
Me too, except I believe corporations need regulations for things like workplace safety and environmental standards.
- I'm against government spending in general. I believe in most cases the free market functions better.
Wasteful spending needs reined in, but government spending on some things is sometimes necessary.
- I do not support bail outs or stimulus money of any kind, for corporations or private citizens.
Disagree. The government allowing the banks and auto industries to fail wouldn't have helped anyone, and stimulus money is desperately needed in the current circumstances. A government should have a responsibility to take care of its citizens during an emergency which we are currently in on a national scale.
- I believe freedom is the highest value for humanity and the one that attains and promotes the human race to its best ability.
In principle, I agree, but sometimes people need.....a little regulation.
- I'm okay with universal healthcare being available, but I believe individuals should be able to opt out of it and pay for their own private option, or no option, if they choose.
Agreed.
- The United States should be neutral in regards to foreign policy and not push our political ideals onto other countries.
In general, I believe we should look out for our own interests first and foremost, but working with an alliance of other nations to promote democratic ideals and stand as a bulwark against dictatorships like Russia and North Korea
is in our own interests. I also believe we should use our global power to push things like LGBT rights, initiatives on climate change, etc.
- I believe in having the smallest government possible that works and is functional, which supports the freedom of the individual.
I agree, though I think my idea of "the smallest government possible" is bigger than yours.
- I remain unconvinced about climate change. I don't think we know everything we need to know about it, but I don't begrudge anyone's rights to work towards environmental responsibility. As long as all nations are held to account, I have no issue.
Climate change is the greatest existential threat to the very world we live on, and we should be doing everything we can both home and abroad to address it, including immediately rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and working to transition to clean renewable energy, both domestically and in concert with other countries.
- Equal protection under the law, two thumbs up. All aboard for equal pay for equal work. And all people should have an equal opportunity to pursue whatever makes them happy. However, I do not buy into the notion that people are equal. People are wildly and vastly different across the world. As the great Thomas Sowell once said..."a man isn't equal to himself on different days."
Agree with all of the above.
- I'm okay with private unions. I'm against government unions and firmly believe they create a political conundrum.
IMO unions need to exist, but many of them have become politically corrupted and sometimes wield too much power. I'm thinking specifically of the police unions that actively shield bad cops from consequences of their actions.
- I think the US Military needs to be the strongest in the world by tenfold.
I agree that we need a strong military as a deterrent and to maintain our global power, but I think frankly our military spending is out of control and wildly disproportionate. We already spend more on our military than any other country outside of militaristic dictatorships like North Korea to the neglect of everything else. Especially when the Pentagon can't even account for where alarmingly huge chunks of money go, while meanwhile our troops overseas sometimes go without the most modern of armor and equipment. I agree with maintaining a strong and up-to-date military, but we don't need to spend as much of our budget on it as we are currently. Rein in the wasteful spending, have more transparency and civilian oversight, and focus the budget where it's needed.
- I believe the Electoral College would be less important if states' rights were stronger.
I'm not ready to go all-in on abolishing the Electoral College, but I do think it needs discussed.
- I believe the voting franchise should be restricted. Too many people voting have nothing to lose from the laws they promote and enact. For instance, 43% of voters don't pay federal income tax, yet these folks vote for the laws and lawmakers that determine how much I should pay in tax. That's a problem.
Wholly disagree. Voting should be the inherent right of every American, and we need more people engaged, not fewer.
- Illegal immigration has one viable solution: move all manufacturing out of China and into Mexico. Its would create great jobs down in Mexico and slow down the illegal immigration into the US. Its too obvious of a solution but no one is willing to make that call.
I think China has too much a grip on the global economy to make this a viable solution, or at least as easy as you make it sound. Though I do agree that investing in the economies of Mexico and Central/South America would help slow down the illegal immigration into the US.
- I also do not agree with any the regulation of social media, while at the same time I believe social media companies tiptoe along the borders of section 230 protections. "Publisher or platform" needs to be revisited and reviewed in my opinion.
I don't support regulation of social media either. To me it's a slippery slope.
- I believe the right to bear arms is probably the most important amendment and needs to be protected at all costs.
I support right to bear arms. But I don't think it means civilians need military-grade weaponry for "home defense". People use "right to bear arms" to claim rights to things it needn't apply to, IMO.
- I believe police officers need more money, not less. We should have fully funded SWAT teams. The job of an officer is far more nuanced and complicated than most will ever realize.
I agree their jobs are more complicated than a lot of people realize, and some incidents have had more nuance than has been acknowledged, but I don't support this worship of law enforcement or a police state. We need a uniform national policy for police forces, not the piecemeal we have now where every individual town is doing its own thing. Active body cams should be mandatory, and there should be transparency about cops' records and complaints against them.
- I believe deeply in Congressional term limits and feel those would solve a lot of the problems in Washington.
Agreed. We don't need aspects of our lives being decided on by Senators with Alzheimer's who've been there for sixty years.
- A third, viable political party needs to emerge soon.
Ideally we'd have multiple political parties like most other countries do. But I fear in practice it would splinter the Democrats and make the Republicans stronger.
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