My Top Ten Pet Issues

[bluestateguy]

These are these issues that define me. Explanations will come some other time.

(In no particular order)

1. Mandatory Voting
2. Legalize, tax and regulate drugs.
3. No gun control. Support the Second Amendment Right to bear Arms.
4. Legalize, tax and regulate prostitution.
5. Death penalty for white collar criminals.
6. National single payer health care for all.
7. Full civil rights for gays.
8. Living Wage for all.
9. All children who work hard and do well in school should have a
right to the college education that they have earned free from
crushing debt.
10. All Americans have a right to a job.

So there you have it. A little socialism, with a dabble of libertarianism and economic populism thrown in.

[Fitzovich]

1. I Agree

excellent choices. I might re arranged the order a bit. But, you hit the nails on the head!

[Padraig18]

2. 8/10

I can't agree with NO gun control, although I believe we have more gun-control laws than we can possibly justify already. Like you, I won't get into a long explanation at this point.

As regards the death penalty for white-collar criminals, I must say 'no' because I believe the death penalty to be a barbaric remnant of a time when witches were burned and people were hanged, drawn and quartered for stealing loaves of bread. I have NO problem with 'natural life in prsion at hard labor', however, with 'life' meaning life.

[dofus]

3. I likewise have a problem

with no gun control laws whatsoever.

I'm also opposed to the death penalty for anyone, under any circumstances. Oddly enough, all other first world countries manage quite nicely without one.

[Zynx]

4. I didn't know that people other than myself supported mandatory voting.

[onebigbadwulf]

5. Switch 2 things

1. Switch death penalty for white collar criminals to PUBLIC TELEVISED CAININGS of white collar criminals

2. Guns need to be controlled. Of course you can bear arms, it should just take effort to get them. I'm talking about licenses and tests. It should take more training and testing to own a gun than drive a car.



Oh yeah, on a side note... would anyone else like to see a mandatory child care license? Meaning... you can't have kids unless you pass a test and are deemed fit to have children. I don't see why biological parents aren't held to the same standards as foster parents.

[shimmergal]

12. No (to your last question.)

That would be a bad idea. The standards for foster parents must be really bizarre, in view of the high percentage of foster children who are abused.

Plus, unless you enforce mandatory contraception or sterilization (or
mandatory abortion) there would still be people who had children without a license. Do we really want to create a new type of illegitimacy, just when we're getting rid of the stigma of the other kind?

The solution for better parenting is education, and the weakening of the "dominator" model in personality and social structure.

[spooky3]

15. I'm with you on all three, wulf

My mother used to say we should put birth control in the water system and people would have to apply for an antidote. :-) So many societal problems would be lessened with better parenting.

[mermaid]

6. Gee, Thanks For Including TRANSGENDER People!!

How about Full civil rights for gays and TRANSGENDER people!

Goddamn it, we transgender folks are sick and damn tired of sitting at the back of the bus!!

[JasonBerry]

7. Bad Analogy

"Sitting at the back of the bus" is a bad analogy and a slam at the civil rights movement. In no way can you compare the two. With one, you have people of color who were born black. Surely you recognize the difference between obvious skin color and the VERY controversial idea that people of one sex were born into the body of the other. Not to say it's not true! I'm only saying that it's not as clear as skin color that sent blacks to the back of the bus.

[mermaid]

16. Not Bad Analogy

Firstly, there are a number of studies by respected scientists that seem to indicate transgenderism is an immutable birth condition...of course, those who oppose us will NEVER believe this, anyway, because it points a direction different than what they WANT to believe.

Secondly...it is not right to NOT include transgender people...who are the ones that are most in need of these protections.

Would you like to know why?

1. No one keeps any records that you are gay. You can go thru a job interview and the pre-employment process without the issue ever coming up. Not that you should have to hide your sexual orientation BUT YOU CAN!!

2. This is not so for transgender people. There are pre-employment checks, background/criminal history checks, former employer checks, credit file checks...and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure things out when Joe Blow and Jane Blow show up on the same credit report, with the same Social Security number...plus, there is the COMPULSORY divulgence of all former names on most job applications. Therefore, I, as a transgender person...DON'T EVEN HAVE THE OPTION OF HIDING!!
I CAN'T hide!! Not even if I look like Christy Vrinkley...I can't hide! They will find out in the pre-employment process, and can then, in most states legally use that information to discriminate against me.

Like I say...no one keeps a record of it if you're gay. no one needs to know or find out...YOU CAN HIDE!! Not that you should have to...but you CAN!! We CAN'T!!

Get it?

[JasonBerry]

17. You're Right

I honestly had never thought about it like that. Your point makes perfect sense.

[mermaid]

18. Thank You

I suspect you had never thought about it that way before because you haven't LIVED it. I have. And let me tell you it's a tough road to walk! Heels or no heels, it's a tough road. All I want is for the road to be smoothed out a bit for those who follow me.

[Wcross]

8. In agreement on most

1) Mandatory voting- When you file your tax return you vote.
2) Agree- The war on drugs has become an industry. Confiscation of property without due process has become the norm.
3) No new gun control laws, lets see how the ones we passed recently work before we pile on more.
4) Agree- You should be able to sell your body if you wish.
5) Disagree- Harsh penelties, enough so that you will never be in a position to do it again.
6) Agree
7) Agree- civil rights for all Americans.
8) Disagree- but we should be realistic about the minimum wage and the economic differences in regions. 5.50 an hour is a good starting wage in some rural areas, but in New york city or other metro areas it is a joke.
9) Disagree- All students that do well in school should be able to attend college. The payback from a college education is higher income. We should provide MORE grants and loan programs- but anything worth having is worth paying a price for.
10) Agree

[Yupster]

19. Lots of people

especially the older poor, do not file tax returns. I think the Democratic Party would not be thrilled if that group didn't vote.

[LWolf]

9. Ok, I'll play.

1. Mandatory Voting: ??? No. While I want voters to vote, the mandatory thing pushes my own buttons. I don't like to be told what to do.

2. Legalize, tax and regulate drugs. Ok.

3. No gun control. Support the Second Amendment Right to bear Arms. No to first, yes to 2nd. Support regulation of the right. Personally, JMO, I can't figure out a single constructive, productive reason why people need assault weapons. I support the 2nd amendment, and I can see some practical uses for guns in certain circumstances. But...assault weapons? Why would or should americans want to assault people?

4. Legalize, tax and regulate prostitution. Ok. As long as regulation includes automatic notification to spouses of those who use the services.

5. Death penalty for white collar criminals. No death penalty. For anyone. Equal penalties for white collar criminals.

6. National single payer health care for all. Yes

7. Full civil rights for gays. Yes

8. Living Wage for all. Yes

9. All children who work hard and do well in school should have a
right to the college education that they have earned free from
crushing debt. Yes. Old folks, too. I'm 43 and still paying off student loans.

10. All Americans have a right to a job. Yes.

[Throckmorton]

10. Well, some of this is a good idea.

1. Mandatory Voting

No, I believe in freedom of expression. If the exercise of which does not infringe on other individuals right to free expression. That being the case, not voting is free expression.

2. Legalize, tax and regulate drugs.

Sure, but tax the hell out of them, say a 300% surcharge on all non-medically necessary drugs, this should extend to tobacco and alcohol too. There could be exemptions for small amounts of each that the individual produces, provided they do not profit from there manufacture. The taxes would go into a lock box to pay for treatment programs, enforcement, and awareness education.

3. No gun control. Support the Second Amendment Right to bear Arms.

Ok, fine, it’s the third rail anyway.

4. Legalize, tax and regulate prostitution.

Ok, fine, its already legal if you can affort to hide it as entertainment expense.

5. Death penalty for white collar criminals.

No death penalty for anything. Also abolish 3 strikes laws and minimum sentencing laws. Make it illegal to try a juvenile under 17 as an adult. While we are at it, allow 17 year olds to petition the Probate Courts for Adult status.

6. National single payer health care for all.

Yes, with a sliding co-pay and deductible based on income.

7. Full civil rights for gays.

How about full civil rights period.

8. Living Wage for all.

A minimum wage that is corrected for inflation based on the 1968 $1.10 minimum, that would make today’s minimum wage about $13.00 per hour.

9. All children who work hard and do well in school should have a
right to the college education that they have earned free from
crushing debt.

College tuition assistance based on student income and grade point average, with a sliding scale from 100% assistance to 0% assistance. All student incomes, from all sources, would be used to calculate this income, trust funds, scholarships, gifts from all sources, college savings plans, lottery winnings, etc. Students with no income and 4.0 GPA’s, free ride, students with multi-million dollar trust funds and gentleman’s ‘C’s, pay the full freight.

10. All Americans have a right to a job.

Don’t see how this is possible, but I do believe that all American's have a right to basic food, shelter, education, health care, clothing, and transportation.

[John_Shadows_1]

11. The title is misleading...

... I thought I was going to see
1. One shouldn't keep tigers or alligators in their Brooklyn apartment.

[durutti]

13. Disagree on Some

I don't favor mandatory voting. You don't want people who really don't know the issues or the candidates voting. Instead, I think we should put a renewed focus on political education in high school, make elections holidays, publicly finance all elections to national office, and make employers give workes time off (with no loss of pay) to vote. In addition, I think we should institute proportional representation and instant-runoff voting.

Of course, if they did decide to institute mandatory voting, I wouldn't be vigorously opposed to it.

I think only marijuana should be legalized. All other drugs should be decriminalized. Also, there should be clean needle programs; and addicts should be able to get their fix with a prescription.

I don't favor legalizing prostitution. Decriminalize it.

I don't feel strongly either way on gun control.

I'm against the death penalty in all circumstances.

[durutti]

14. My Top 10

In no particular order...

1. Proportional representation.
2. Raise the minimum wage.
3. Single-payer health insurance.
4. Prison reform.
5. Abolish capital punishment.
6. Free tuition at public universities.
7. Cut the military budget.
8. Free Palestine.
9. Legalize marijuana.
10. Fair trade.