Where I stand on the issues

2008-09-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

From the mixed bag of positions below, you may be able to see why I have a hard time deciding which candidate to support. I am peregrinus perpetuus, a perpetual foreigner; too conservative for liberals and too liberal for conservatives.

Abortion. It is not my business to tell a woman what to do with her own body.

Assisted suicide. It is not my business to tell someone when he can die.

Climate change. Though a layman on this subject, everything that I have read over the past year has convinced me that most scientists do not dispute that the earth is warming and that human activity has influenced this warming. I trust scientists on this subject much more than I trust politicians. What precisely the government ought or ought not to do about this is something that I think is much more open to debate.

Economy. All things being equal, I support the free market, low taxes, etc. That having been said, I don't think that the Republican party is particularly loyal to this concept, what with "corporate welfare" and agricultural subsidies.

Education. While I may lean Libertarian on many subjects, this is one important subject where I must agree more with the Democrats. Good, mandatory public education for all citizens of the United States is, I believe, absolutely necessary in order for this country to have a future. The suggestion - which is seriously put forward by some - that the Department of Education be weakened or even abolished, would only create a slave class in three generations. I do not disagree with parents' rights to put their children in whatever private- or home- schooling programs that they wish, but these children should not be the only ones in the country that are getting an education.

Energy. I think that we need a president who will seriously address the energy crisis and encourage both the government and the market to seek viable new sources of energy. I think that drilling in American lands and waters may be a good intermediate step on the way to a better permanent solution.

Entitlement. There may be a place for welfare in cases where the well-being of children is at stake. But in general I don't support the idea that working adults should support non-working adults.

Faith. I am not a Christian and I am worried by the ascension of the Religious Right to control of the Republican party. I support strict separation of church and state, and I do not believe that creationism should be taught in science classrooms.

Foreign Intervention. Here the purpose of the intervention is most important to my judgment of it. If there is a clear degree to which intervening in ___ will make Americans safer, then that is a purpose that I can support, as I can also support the defense of a nation that protects civil liberties from a more authoritarian nation or from terrorists. But I don't think that the U.S. is obligated to be the world's policeman.

Health Care. I don't think that socializing medicine is the answer, but I am open to a reasonable plan for reducing the costs to poorer Americans.

Immigration. We are a nation of immigrants and have no place turning away those who come to this country looking for a better life. There are many problems with the immigration system, but I do not believe in the building of a fence along the border, nor in dramatically restricting immigration.

Iraq. I didn't think that the choice of invading Iraq was a necessary step in the effort to make America safer, but I do support an assertive (if not aggressive) foreign policy, and I think that the mission, now embarked upon, ought to be seen through till Iraq has a stable sovereign government of its own.

Marriage. It is not my business if two homosexuals want to get married, and I think that their marriage ought to have the same rights and responsibilities as a heterosexual marriage. I myself am in an "interracial" relationship, which only decades ago was illegal in many Southern states. No one should be able to tell someone else that he cannot marry another consenting adult.

National service. My life is mine and I oppose anything like a draft, for military or peaceful purposes.

Privacy. I think that the government should have reasonable powers for tracking down criminals and terrorists, but not at the expense of treating everyday citizens as potential criminals and terrorists. I am also suspicious of profiling.

Property. Eminent domain has been abused, and unfortunately some of the abusers have been on the Right, the side that hypothetically supports property rights.

Science. The government ought to support science education and scientific research, including the space program. Falling behind in these fields will harm the future of this country.

Second amendment. The United States is not an island, and outlawing personal possession of firearms will not hinder the acquisition of firearms by criminals. It ought to be legal for citizens to own handguns for their personal protection (but when I say "handguns," I am thinking of semi-automatic pistols and bolt-action rifles, not submachine guns and grenade launchers).

Social security. While the system is broken in many ways, the government has made an obligation to millions of Americans that it ought to keep, without burdening younger generations excessively. I'd like to see a candidate with a reasonable plan for how to do this.

Veterans. America needs to fulfill its obligations to its veterans, including and especially health care.

So, the question that will be on my mind for the next fifty-one days is, Which candidate should I vote for? What do you think?