Personal Stances on Major IssuesFiled Under: Announcements, Political, Social

As promised, here is the blog outlining my stances, (and why I believe what I do) on the various major issues that confront us Americans.

Stem Cell Research:
I begin with stem cells because I feel most strongly regarding this issue. Religious nonsense has retarded and plagued our societies for way too long, and it is time we put an end to it. The entire argument against the use and research of stem cells comes from the “religious right” (a contradiction in terms). Stem cell research is probably the most promising field in all of biology. It could actually put an end to much of the suffering currently taking place. However, due to the power of religious lobbies, Washington has chosen not to federally fund it. The religious argue on the basis of faith, or in other words, without any evidence…and if we wish to progress as a society, and make breakthroughs in the field of science. We must let go of these stone age myths.

Abortion:
Why, in modern times is this even an issue? Of course females should be given the right to make decisions with regards to their body. It is their body, and their child (if you could even call it that). How can one possibly be against abortion, I could understand if you personally disagree with abortion…but thats just it! That is YOUR decision, and your judgment. What people do with their body is none of your business unless it harms other citizens. The common argument that the “pro-life” folk take is, “you can’t kill life”…well just what do we define as “life”…surely life is an ambiguous term. By scratching your arm you kill millions of epidermis cells which will never see the light of the again. The male masturbator is a genocidal maniac under the same terms. We can see such is unreasonable, and simply this is not an issue that should be even debated, as the government shouldn’t be making such a decision for its citizens.

Civil Rights/Same-Sex Marriages:
Again, we have another non-issue in the forefront. This election season a major discussion will take place on gay rights, and their right to marry. Similar to the abortion issue, what difference does it make to you personally that your neighbor is gay, or gay and married. Since the 80’s, our society has become increasingly tolerant to the gay society, and well it should be. Continuing on the same note as the last issue, the government simply does not, or atleast should not have the power to make such decisions for its citizens.

Drugs:
Forgive me if I sound too much like Mike Gravel…but this war on drugs is absolute non-sense. I personally will agree that drugs that obviously lead to an individual harming another should be outlawed. However, drugs such as marijuana simply do not fall under that kind of category. We are wasting billions of tax dollars and not achieving a single thing in the war on drugs. Actually, the only thing we are doing is making criminals out of those who aren’t. Three “non-issues” in a row…the government simply shouldn’t have a role in making these kind of decisions for its citizens…and if they are going to…outlaw cigarettes and alcohol while our at it.

Iraq War:
I don’t support the immediate withdrawal whatsoever. I believe we should cut down on troops, but maintain a certain presence to assist in creating a two state solution, Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq. Oil should be shared between the two, based on population. If we leave Iraq purely because of public dissent and disagreement we will completely destroy any progress or possible progress that will be made in Iraq. Also, we will betray those who trusted us with their lives…and those American supporters would be swiftly executed. Don’t forget the business interests and our own oil interests…I don’t care what people say…we must make sure Iraq doesn’t fall into the hands of some sort of religious fundamentalist…like it or not, we rely heavily on oil, and the possibility of such riches in oil being going to the wrong hands is unthinkable…and if you think oil is expensive now, just think about what it will be when a country like Iraq falls into utter chaos (we provide the little stability they have).

Immigration:
This is possibly the most pointless issue in this entire election season and quite possibly the most stupid. Capitalism relies on exploitation, this is a simple fact. Mexican labor is cheap labor, and thus easily exploited. This is not to say you wouldn’t have those things you love most for cheap prices, but it would cost a decent amount more for them. While this may sound heartless, you can’t have it a la carte. We thrive on exploitation of others, and while it may be unfortunate, it is a fact of life. Many will not agree with me on this issue, but just about all of us are some shade of materialist. Cheap labor Mexicans taking the jobs that no one else will want to do is great for the economy in quite a few ways, and does effect your day to day life. America is a nation built on immigration, (in other words exploitation) and so it will be if it wishes to thrive.

Universal Health Care:
Health Care reform is one of the more (if not the most) important issues currently facing America. I believe just about everyone agrees that the current health care system is indeed a failure. I am not certain but I am pretty sure just about every potential candidate supported some sort of reform, some obviously more liberal and well thought out than others. If, you believe that the Health Care system in America is not broken, I would ask you watch SICKO by Michael Moore. Moore exposes in true journalistic form, the injustice of the current system. What he does however do is address two major issues, otherwise it is a great documentary and I highly recommend it. One, the difference in population from America to Canada and the Western European nations, and two, how exactly should we (no solution works universally) reform our system. With that settled lets continue onto the injustice aspect. My father a few years back had a little accident while doing some working outside, and essentially chopped off a good deal of the tip of his finger. Now, the doctors did do a great job and his finger is more or less in the same condition as before the accident. What did it cost him? $8000. That covered give or take an hour stay at the hospital, one or two visits to a specialist and nothing else. We have insurance, and also have the ability to pay for it…but what about the other America. The America where $8000 is almost one fourth of an average annual salary, and most are in tens of thousands of dollars in debt. This system works perfectly for the “haves” and not at all for the “have-nots.” The problem, as previously stated, with instituting a universal health care system is the major population difference. All of the countries which have a functional universal system, also have a population at the very least well under a third of our population and on average quite a lot more of a difference. What I currently support for Health Care Reform is HR676, I believe that it addresses the problems I have highlighted and would be a great Health Care System.