manchicken here…

So I got the idea for this post from someone who I actually disagree with on a number of issues, but I agree that she did have a good idea in defining your positions. I don’t like labels, and I don’t know if I would say “liberal” is the right one for me because on some positions I’m still somewhat conservative, and on some issues I’m pretty hard-core liberal. Here goes.

Faith

I am a strong believer in Christ, I believe that everything I do is in one way or another tied to my faith.  I do not believe that faith should run governments, nor do I believe that people of faith should use government to impose their faith on others.  I believe it is the responsibility and right of every individual to decide for themselves which belief system–if any–they wish to adopt (or even create).  As a believer I do believe in absolute truths; I reject pluralism on the basis of faith, but also because I believe when pluralism is present, all possibly represented faiths are watered down and any value that each may have had is reduced greatly.  I do however believe that as a Christian, I should respect the God-given freedom of every person to choose the path of Christ freely, or choose any other possible path freely.  I believe that when we force God upon our neighbor we have stolen any possibility of a genuine faith from them.

The Role of Government

I believe that government is two things: a service that citizens pay for, and an organization that aims to be for people by people.  Many cynics will sneer at this, and I can understand why.  This certainly does not seem to be where government is, and I would agree that it’s never really been there and it may never get there… but I don’t think that this means we should give up fighting for this ideal.  The status quo and cynical remarks like “government is inherently inefficient” are unacceptable for me, as I believe they give the government a free pass to continue bad behavior.

I believe that while it is good for government to help business, the government should first and foremost be focused on serving the people.  This means that when the interest of people collides with the interest of business, the people win and the business has to adapt and change in order to survive.

Sanctity of Life

I believe strongly in the sanctity of life… all life.  I believe all sentient beings–even houseflies–have the right to life, provided their right to life.  I also believe that all beings have a right to defend and sustain themselves as best they, provided they do their best to avoid killing when possible.  This means that I believe that if you have carpenter ants or rats posing a serious health risk, I think that extermination should be the last resort, and behavior engineering (e.g. repellants, etc) should be the first option.

I believe that any true pro-life stance must respect all forms and stages of life, and that means I believe that humans have no right to use animals for food, clothing, furniture upholstery, cosmetics, medication, science experiments, or entertainment… not just an anti-abortion stance.

I believe that abortion should be the absolute last resort, but I do believe that the government has no business robbing a woman of the freedom to do with her body as she wishes.  I do think it is a tragedy of the highest order when a life must end as a result of this choice… I do believe that life begins at conception, and that an unborn child is still a person, and that society should recognize that a life was lost.  I also believe that an anti-abortion stance is hypocritical if it isn’t accompanied with a pro-healthcare stance.

Healthcare

I believe that quality universal healthcare to the best of current scientific capability is a fundamental human right, and not a privilege.  I believe that we should all contribute to our own healthcare costs as best we can, and for those who cannot afford healthcare we would help them with the hope and expectation that they would quickly be capable of contributing as well.  I also believe that reducing healthcare cost with government led reform will help make healthcare more affordable for everybody.  I believe that everybody should have the right not to be discriminated or denied care because of ability to pay or current health conditions.

Animal Rights

I believe that the government should recognize that animals have the right to life and to life free of cruelty of all kinds, up to and including removing all animal products that resulted in death or pain from every product marketed.

Welfare and Caring for the Poor

I believe that the government has a responsibility to help those having a hard time making ends meet lift themselves out of their situation through training programs, education programs, and short-term financial help.  I believe that such help should be provided with the expectation that within a reasonable amount of time the individual would be capable of independently contributing to society once again.  Such help should be transparent, managed, and accountable to reasonable expectations.

Education

I believe it is the responsibility for public schools to educate young people.  I believe that schools have a responsibility to parents and students to accommodate students who are having a hard time with their studies, their attendance, their home-life, and even their behavior.  I believe parents should be working with the schools to make sure their children have their needs met.

I believe science should be valued in the schools, even up to the point of teaching controversial ideas that may offend others, provided that they are taught in an accurate way which points out both the evidence for and any possible evidence against those ideas.  A school should teach a student in facts, a parent and any applicable religious or social organization should teach students in matters of morality, ethics, values, etc.  I believe schools should have comprehensive sexual education programs that include social sexual responsibility that includes both contemporary common social responsibilities as well as modern legal responsibilities attached to human sexuality.

Economics

I believe a global economy is inevitable and profitable, but that employers should pay a fair wage for a fair day’s work.  I believe that companies should be required to treat all employees equal, whether they’re US Citizens or not; I believe this will help increase the standard of living abroad, but it will also help level the playing field domestically.  I believe that workers have a right to organize, but I also believe that workers should have the right to abolish unions and associations that do not meet their needs or serve their interests.

Environment

I believe that companies have a consistent record of looking out for what is best for themselves even at the expense of public health, public safety, and environmental disaster.  For this reason I support a comprehensive environmental control including emission cap and trade systems, subsidies for environmentally beneficial technologies, and government mandates requiring industries stop their bad behavior.  I think off-shore drilling and drilling in Alaskan wildlife reserves would be reckless and irresponsible.

Digital Freedom

I believe that the government now has a uniquely 21st-century responsibility to ensure freedom for the people online and in technological fronts.  This should include a ban on use of digital copy protection as it prevents free use of media.  This includes abolition of copyright law as it applies to consumers and educational institutions, as regulating what consumers can do with their own media and equipment restricts their freedom.  I believe it is the responsibility of companies to figure out how to make money without restricting consumers.  I believe patent law should be temporary and not applicable to software or minor improvements.  Patents should have a cost-effective appeals process.

Freedom and Civil Liberties

I believe that freedom and civil liberties should be protected by the government without question.  This means no warrant-less wire-taps, no online tracking, and no real ID.

Immigration

I believe in permissive immigration policies that allow people to live where they want.  I believe the economy will be capable of adapting to an immigration policy that is fair to all people.

War

I believe that war should be avoided when at all possible, and I believe that doing what is right is more important than doing what makes us look good.  This means that getting out of Iraq because it is right is more important than staying in Iraq in a vain effort to prove that we were somehow right and that we have somehow “won.”  I believe war-mongering is fundamentally wrong and immoral.

I hope this gives you all a nice perspective on where I stand on issues.  Many of you will consider me too liberal, and that’s okay.  Part of my ideal is that you have the freedom to believe as you want, but you do have a responsibility to understand what you believe and justify your beliefs.  You don’t have to agree with me, and I don’t have to agree with you.  I like sharing ideas and ideals, let’s see where we can agree and see how we can grow together. 

Unlike most posts, I may revise this post over time as I do try to keep an open mind and that sometimes results in me changing my position on certain issues.  If you think you can convince me to change my mind on issues (I even welcome theological arguments) you’re more than welcome to argue your point peacefully and respectfully.

For those who don’t like to find common ground and agree and coexist, I do reserve the right to publish, demean, criticize, and otherwise make fun of any and all hate mail and comments, though I do my best not to delete any comments.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 at 20:26 and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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