Here is a simple breakdown on where I stand on a broad range of issues. There are certainly some that have not been included, and I plan on making some further posts to include more. This should be considered a basic platform outline, which may omit some of the finer details, which will need to be fleshed out later.
Central Issues:
Energy - A very central issue to me. My take is far from what has become the mainstream. I am pro-energy production, usage and development. Energy is like wealth, you can’t have enough of it and the more you have the better off you are. We should develop domestic energy sources to the maximum and transition to an energy strategy that uses nuclear fission as our primary foundational energy source. Other important areas for energy development include greater use of electricity for heating, industrial processes and transportation and the use of synthetic fuels. Ultimately this is the future of prosperous, bountiful energy.
One of my number one issues with regards to moving the US forward in energy policy will be the disbandment of the NRC and the creation of pro-energy nuclear regulatory bodies within the US Department of Energy.
The Environment – Environmental policy is another central issue and one that every government should keep front and center. While there are many aspects to environmental policy, there is one problem which stands out as the biggest environmental issue of our time: The use of coal as a fuel for power generation. Coal is devastating at every level. Mining it destroys vast areas of pristine land. The exhaust from coal burners kills tens of thousands per year and is the single largest contributor to US greenhouse emissions. Coal ash is a toxic product which is not being properly regulated for storage and disposal. Our number one environmental goal should be to reduce coal usage, while at the same time being wary of becoming dependent on gas, which has high price volatility and limited domestic supplies.
Government Scientific Research – While there is a need to cut Federal spending, this is not the place to do it. Our science programs, such as national laboratories, the space program and government research institutes took decades and billions of dollars to develop. They are national treasures and the cost of their upkeep is miniscule compared to the benefits they offer.
I strongly support expansion of domestic science capacity, including construction of more research and isotope reactors, establishment of a long-term manned space strategy and providing secure long term funding to government science institutions.
At the same time we must stop wasting money on things like the National Institutes For Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, which is a national embarrassment.
Spending and Taxation – Spending within the US government must be reduced dramatically. This can be achieved by cutting questionable infrastructure programs, such as commuter rail in areas that are unlikely to utilize it and through the consolidation of social programs, reducing waste and redundancy. We must also spend more carefully on homeland security, ending ineffective programs. Mushrooming social spending must be addressed. Cuts should be focused on mandatory spending programs and reducing debt accumulation.
Increasing taxes is never desirable, but increasing taxation on upper brackets to pre-2000 levels will be necessary to pay off the enormous burden of debt that the US has acquired. We are also losing enormous amounts of money by making mortgage interest tax-deductable. This program was intended to help small time homebuyers but has been used extensively by the highest economic classes. At this point it is likely necessary to the viability of the American realestate system. Therefore, I would not suggest repealing it completely, but rather capping the write-off.
Homeland Security – I strongly support comprehensive and robust homeland security programs that can protect the US from a wide variety of threats. These include both early intervention and last line of defense measures. Programs need to involve both military and civilian agencies. I strongly support a comprehensive and effective national airspace defense program to assure that any threat from aircraft or missiles can be neutralized. I also support increasing the focus on the survivability and response capacity of government functions.
In contrast, ineffective programs and agencies such as the Transportation Security Agency and the use of radiation scanners at ports must be terminated. These are expensive and useless or worse.
Foreign Policy – The US must regain a leadership role in the world and take measures to improve its international presence. While strengthening ties with allies, we must not kowtow to any and never cave to apologetic or shame for our ideals. I am a supporter of “big stick diplomacy.” While military engagements should only be used as a last resort, we cannot show a lack of willingness to use whatever means are necessary to defend the interests of the United States. With certain regimes we must be more forceful.
At the same time, conflicts we are engaged in like Afghanistan need to be reassessed. It is pointless to be in such an engagement unless we have a clear idea what the objective is. We must show greater restraint in becoming involved in conflicts that do not directly impact US interests.
Financial Regulations – We don’t need more financial regulations, we need better financial regulations, and if you don’t understand the difference, you’re probably a politician. Better enforcement can be achieved through focusing on the most important and fundamental regulations and closing loopholes.
We also really need to stop all subsidies to sub-prime lending. While that may make it easier for low income first time buyers to own a home, it also is largely what got us into the mess we are currently in.
Intellectual Property Law - It needs to be completely overhauled. Current trends threaten expression and freedom of information. At the same time, new legislation must be enacted to address new areas of intellectual property such as genetic engineering. The laws need to be revamped and done in a manner that does not have a chilling effect on free speech and information exchange. As a general rule I believe we need less restrictive IP law that grants greater “fair use” rights. Above all else, such laws must not be crafted primarily by special interests.
Crime and Punishment – I am appalled by the fact that someone can commit murder and often get paroled within a few years. In general, I believe the punishments for violent crime are both inconsistent and far too lenient. I draw a huge line between property crime and violent crime. Causing harm to another human being directly crosses a line and it is something that can’t be undone. Murder takes a life and therefore is a debt that can never be repaid. Nobody who commits murder should ever see the light of freedom again. Anyone who assaults and causes severe harm to another should be punished very severely with many many years in prison. Violent sexual predators should be locked away for life with no exception. It’s ridiculous to let these people out and then require tracking and registration. If we know they are that dangerous to the community why let them out at all?
Of course, the prisons are not big enough to do this. They would be, though, if we didn’t prosecute minor drug offenses the way we do, which is likewise ridiculous. We don’t have enough room for murderers because too many inmates are only there because they had a little cocaine or even marijuana.
I am sure I will be asked what to do with the white-collar schemers who may not be violent but who stole billions. Of course, they should be prosecuted aggressively too, as should anyone whose negligence in overseeing safety willfully resulted in conditions that cost life or limb. However, this would be less of a problem if regulations were better enforced. In a more open market with simpler, more easily enforced regulations, we’d catch them when they stole thousands, long before they could steal millions or billions.
Immigration – Our current immigration policy is absurd and is an affront to the legitimacy of the justice system. Basically, we have made it a felony to enter and stay in the US without documentation, but we refuse to enforce that law, at least most of the time. We have neither the political will to change it nor to enforce it. It’s a situation that is intolerable because it erodes confidence in the law and results in millions entering the country illegally and without documentation. The vast majority are perfectly honest and hard working, but amongst them are criminals, and since they all come in with no oversight, we can’t tell who is who nor can we provide basic protection to those undocumented entries. Many industries also rely on this population for labor.
The solution must be two pronged. First, we need to enforce the law. Those who enter illegally must be deported. If we know where they are, we can’t turn a blind eye. This includes local law enforcement. However, at the same time we must provide legal, reasonable methods of entering the country officially in order to pursue work. Guest worker visas would allow for those outside the US to enter for the purpose of working and assure they are documented and that they are also protected from predatory hiring processes.
As for those already here, we may have to consider some sort of amnesty, since it’s not their fault that the system is so ridiculously broken. However, it should also involve screening and documentation.
Illegal Drugs - Philosophically, I believe that a person can put anything they want into their body. However, I’m not sure our society can really deal with such a way of life, especially given that it has had so many substances controlled for so long. It is probably necessary to keep the strongest and most problematic drugs illegal as well as those that must be controlled for the greater good, such as antibiotics, which if completely self-administered would cause great problems such as increased resistance. So while I accept that some drugs must be controlled, it makes no sense at all to expend so many resources in the failing effort to stop those of the least consequence and greatest prevalence, such as marijuana. Those which are illegal should be policed by going primarily after the distributors and not the end users.
Abortion – (this will upset the more conservative types) – It has to be legal for practical reasons and it should be legal. Not all pregnancies result in birth, many result in miscarriage and when they do, we don’t go blaming the woman for not taking perfect care of her health. That’s because it’s her personal responsibility to decide how to deal with the pregnancy and that includes taking action to end it should she so choose.
Gun Control – (this will anger many conservatives and libertarians) – I have no fear of guns in general and I don’t believe they are inherently evil, but the fact of the matter is that guns make it very easy to kill and are extremely dangerous when handled irresponsibly. Certainly more gun owners are responsible, but all illegal guns out there were generally legal guns that someone illegally sold, had stolen or otherwise ended up in the hands of criminals. If greater responsibility were exercised, this would not be a problem.
The problem I have is that it requires much greater training, verification and licensing to own and operate a forklift than a firearm and more still to own and operate an automobile. I’m only allowed to drive my car because I have a license and I had a test and vision exam, I have insurance and I had the car inspected and registered. Regulations should require at least the same for firearms and should be difficult enough to dissuade casual users who don’t know what they’re doing and don’t care from obtaining them.
However, such regulations do not need to be imposed on all guns equally. Full-sized bolt-action rifles are rarely used in crimes and rarely stolen. They are too unwieldy to be used in most violent acts and are generally less prone to accidental firing. However handguns should be difficult enough to obtain to stop those who don’t have a legitimate reason to get one from doing so.
Same-Sex Marriage – Ultimately this is a state-level issue, but I see no reasonable argument against it. In truth, I’d be in favor of secularizing the entire marriage process by offering all couples a non-denominational “civil union” or “domestic union” which removes all religious connotations from the act. If they want to call it marriage and have it blessed by a clergy-person, that’s up to them.
Healthcare - My general preference is to stay away from a complete government-run system. I’d prefer to try to make it more affordable for individuals to buy through reforms like reforming the malpractice system and allowing for a greater variety of care facilities. I would want to increase private insurance coverage by making it tax deductible and also providing incentives to employers who provide insurance. Direct payment for coverage can continue but be reserved for those far too poor to pay for the cheaper coverage themselves. This topic is too broad to discuss completely here.
Entitlements – I generally believe entitlements should be as limited as possible to keep them from becoming a “cradle-to-grave” system that is a huge burden on the government. Welfare should be tied to requirements for seeking work and for maintaining good legal standing. Also, entitlements need to be consolidated. The current system is fragmented, inefficient and difficult to navigate. Heating oil subsidies from the Department of Energy, Food Stamps from the Department of Agriculture, medical insurance from Medicare, Social Security payments from the Social Security Administration. This is too messy, prone to abuse and difficult for those who really need it to figure out.
Education – This is really a state issue, but we need to maintain high and consistent standards in general and especially with science and technology. Education should be intensive and well-funded. I would like to see a greater involvement of industry in education, with companies having input on what they need in future workers. Also, I’d like to see more involvement from those who are not career teachers in bringing their skills to the educational system.
One area that is extremely problematic is higher education. It’s so expensive it prices out an entire class of citizens and makes it hard for even the middle class to afford a college degree. The current system is also not inviting for everyone and is too rooted in a system originally intended to educate an elite few. What we need is more avenues for students to pursue their degrees. Part time schools and online programs are helping to fill this to some extent, but not enough. I’d suggest we should focus a great deal more on allowing students to get credit for non-traditional learning such as work-study programs, apprenticeships and other programs that allow them to learn while supporting themselves and working.
Job-Creation – The government ultimately does not create jobs and any politician who says they have “created jobs” is lying. The government, however, does get in the way of job creation. Expanding employment will require a few things. First, the government needs to establish a monetary policy that inspires confidence. It also must have policies that encourage cheap and plentiful energy.
Finally, we must get out of the way of employers when it comes to hiring. Hiring a new employee is amazingly difficult. Just taking on a new worker requires income tax forms, social security forms, payroll taxes, wage documentation, hour documentation, OSHA compliance, ADA compliance, state taxes, medicare, workers compensation paperwork. Large institutions can afford to have an entire human resources and payroll department dedicated to dealing with this mountain of regulation, but for small businesses it’s impossible. This is also why many workers end up being paid “under the table,” which costs tax revenue. We need to consolidate and simplify these regulations as much as possible. That will result in job creation.
In 1946, 
With the recent death of Kevorkian, there has been a lot of talk about his life and accomplishments. A large number of individuals who identify with atheism, humanism, libertarianism and other related movements have been quick to praise Kevorkian. Those who believe that a person should have the right to die often cast him as a hero, fighting for a basic human liberty and for the merciful release from pain and suffering. This is not new. During his life, Kevorkian was portrayed as a hero by a number of groups and activists. In 2010, Al Pacino portrayed Kevorkian in the television movie 
Her sentiment seems to have been touched off in part by the state of Texas adding the HPV vaccine to the required immunizations for school admission for girls. This was done by another Republican presidential candidate, Rick Perry. Some have accused Perry of taking pharmaceutical money for this policy, it really does not change the fact that it’s a good idea to have girls vaccinated. If he did do so because he was paid off, then all he can be accused of is doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
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