My Own Platform

This is an evolving posting and is thus backdated to be contained within the archives. This is my "platform" on issues. It is not exhaustive and for the most part is the general overriding principles I hold on these issues. Most, if not all, are guided by my conservative-federalist-libertarian beliefs (which to be accurate are probably best classified as classical liberal like Thomas Jefferson).

Abortion
I do not know where life actually begins. In all reality it is somewhere between conception (maybe even the moment of) and birth. That pinpointing relies on religious affiliations and beliefs (or lack thereof) and as such there must be a different way of defining life when it comes to making laws. As a diest I still think that life likely starts at conception. But "likely" is not good enough for law.

I believe that life, for the purposes of the government involvement, begins at the point of viability. Any procedure before that point may be legal and it is up to the states to decide. Any procedure after that point must be illegal.

It is under these beliefs that I think Roe v. Wade should be overturned. It does not allow for the change in measurable viability and also federalizes something that should be left for the states to decide.

Affirmative Action
Maybe, just maybe, affirmative action was needed long ago. But the results are horrific. Any minority hired will be have doubt surrounding them ("were they the best person for the job or did they have the magic demographic that we needed"). There is no reason to believe that simply because of a person's race or sex their ability to perform is different than anyone else (with a few exepctions between the average man and the average woman). I also hate being in the position of deciding to let my merits speak for themselves thus needing to lie about my own demographics or be honest by checking the "Hispanic" box, but then I'm left to wonder if I got the job because of my blood rather than my resume.

Society in the long run is also hurt by Affirmative Action. (See this post to understand how.) Therefore I believe that two things have to happen in order to prevent these calamaties from continuing. (1) All affirmative action, bonus points for demographics, etc must end. (2) All "data collection" of demographics must end, at least as far as the application process is concerned. One standard and everyone gets treated equally.

In this day and age within this country it is impossible for a private company to succeed while engaging in discrimination. How long do you think a restaurant (let's call them Lenny's) could last if they turned a particular race away? Not long. How long before word got out about their discriminatory hiring or promotion practices? Not long. If they WANT to do it, fine, but it is a self-defeating course. There are too many people that would boycott such a business (as I would). And they would also be preventing themselves from having access to some of the best candidates for their jobs.

Affirmative action is unnecessary and even harmful for employers, minorities and society as a whole...actually harmful to EVERYONE. End it now.

Race Relations

Taxes
The lower the better. Lowering taxes is proven to stimulate an economy for long-term growth. Fees that are optional (like hunting permits) are NOT taxes, but also should be lowered. Fees should be 100% dedicated to the agency that collects them. Taxes should always be sunset and require a re-passing.

Income taxes are a horrible thing...but they are legal per Constitutional Amendment. So the best system is a flat tax...everyone pays the same percentage.

Even better than that would be a national sales tax (removing all other taxes). Yeah, it might be somewhere between 10%-15%, but that is far less than the average WORKING person pays overall. Then you would also capture the taxes from societal leeches: drug lords, people paid under the table, illegal aliens, etc.

And that would NOT include taxing internet sales. I believe in 100% hands off of the internet.