Copying Kari :)
Nothing like copying
karistan . Who matches my politics best:
67% John McCain
63% Mike Huckabee
63% Mitt Romney
59% Tom Tancredo
59% Fred Thompson
55% Ron Paul
45% Rudy Giuliani
42% Bill Richardson
41% Chris Dodd
40% Hillary Clinton
39% Mike Gravel
36% John Edwards
35% Barack Obama
32% Dennis Kucinich
32% Joe Biden
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Well, at least gun control was on this one; it isn't always. As you can see, even my "matches" aren't very closely matched. I want small government, strong 2A rights, lower taxes, and more of a libertarian approach to social issues (ie, leave me alone!). But, I think we have a role to play in foreign affairs, which leaves me out of the Libertarian Party properly (they're isolationists, as far as I can tell).
I have two large problems with Republicans. One, I'm in huge disagreement over same sex marriage; I actually think the government needs to get out of the marrying business all together. Create a simple contract with a predefined set of priveleges & responsibilities that any two consenting adults can sign. Leave it to your religion, if you have one, to say who can participate in the religious ceremony of marriage. My other problem is the other classic right wing rant on abortion. I think it is a sad event, and I hope it's a last resort. I'm glad we have something like the "morning after pill" and birth control to limit the need. But, there's always the chance that birth control can fail, that someone can't get to the pills in time, etc, etc and I don't see what taking the option away does but create more unwanted children. I completely understand where the anti-abortion types are coming from; they believe life starts at conception, therefor abortion is murder. We can't prove one way or the other. When the fetus is just a blob of cells, I find it hard to consider it "life" of more relevance thanany other petri dish full of cells. At some point, though, yeah, I think you need to really reconsider it. HOWEVER...if we're going to outlaw it, we better be prepared to take care of the women with unwanted pregnancies, including paying their salary if they can't work, all their medical care, care for the life of the child, etc. And, sorry, I'm too much of a libertarian to be happy with that level of government support...Making abortions illegal isn't going to stop them; it's just going to make them more dangerous. Just like with everything else that's outlawed. Never works.
Also, the immigration question, sucks. The only two options are path to citizenship or send them back. I prefer a third idea: make it not worthwhile. Enforce the existing laws, and in general make it more trouble to hire illegals than otherwise. If there's no jobs, there's no reason for them to come here; in fact, as the housing market cools, that's already causing a decrease in jobs for folks in construction. Also, we need to hugely increase and simplify the system for LEGAL workers and folks who WANT to come here. I've run into too many people who would be great assets to our country, but it would be easier for them to come in illegally than legally. That's just messed up.
I may take another look at McCain, but if he can't be trusted on the first amendment, what about the rest of the constitution? Huckabee is way too much like Bush; thanks, no thanks, one's enough. This "compassionate conservative" crap is just the worst of both sides. I'd like to find the best of both parties, thanks. And Romney feels like he's changing his positions to match what party wants, not what he believes. I'm just not hearing enough substance from him, either, and there's several policies & programs in Mass that I don't care for right now (like their health care plan; I'm not sure it's doing anything but losing money). Tancredo's out of the race, and I never knew much about him. I'm tentatively leaning towards Fred Thompson because he's a very strong federalist and small government type, who believes in the whole constitution and isn't overly religious. I kinda like that he's looking at the presidency as a duty not a dream. It should feel like work; that's why the pay is crap (comparatively speaking). I just feel like I know what I'm getting with him. His answers tend to be more than 30 second sound bites, which means he doesn't work well with the media (actually I think they mutually hate him at the moment), but I generally like what he has to say. I just wish he, too, could learn about getting his nose out of ALL of people's personal affairs, even the ones they don't like.
Graft some moderate social opionions on McCain or Thompson and I'd be quite happy.
karistan . Who matches my politics best:
67% John McCain
63% Mike Huckabee
63% Mitt Romney
59% Tom Tancredo
59% Fred Thompson
55% Ron Paul
45% Rudy Giuliani
42% Bill Richardson
41% Chris Dodd
40% Hillary Clinton
39% Mike Gravel
36% John Edwards
35% Barack Obama
32% Dennis Kucinich
32% Joe Biden
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Well, at least gun control was on this one; it isn't always. As you can see, even my "matches" aren't very closely matched. I want small government, strong 2A rights, lower taxes, and more of a libertarian approach to social issues (ie, leave me alone!). But, I think we have a role to play in foreign affairs, which leaves me out of the Libertarian Party properly (they're isolationists, as far as I can tell).
I have two large problems with Republicans. One, I'm in huge disagreement over same sex marriage; I actually think the government needs to get out of the marrying business all together. Create a simple contract with a predefined set of priveleges & responsibilities that any two consenting adults can sign. Leave it to your religion, if you have one, to say who can participate in the religious ceremony of marriage. My other problem is the other classic right wing rant on abortion. I think it is a sad event, and I hope it's a last resort. I'm glad we have something like the "morning after pill" and birth control to limit the need. But, there's always the chance that birth control can fail, that someone can't get to the pills in time, etc, etc and I don't see what taking the option away does but create more unwanted children. I completely understand where the anti-abortion types are coming from; they believe life starts at conception, therefor abortion is murder. We can't prove one way or the other. When the fetus is just a blob of cells, I find it hard to consider it "life" of more relevance thanany other petri dish full of cells. At some point, though, yeah, I think you need to really reconsider it. HOWEVER...if we're going to outlaw it, we better be prepared to take care of the women with unwanted pregnancies, including paying their salary if they can't work, all their medical care, care for the life of the child, etc. And, sorry, I'm too much of a libertarian to be happy with that level of government support...Making abortions illegal isn't going to stop them; it's just going to make them more dangerous. Just like with everything else that's outlawed. Never works.
Also, the immigration question, sucks. The only two options are path to citizenship or send them back. I prefer a third idea: make it not worthwhile. Enforce the existing laws, and in general make it more trouble to hire illegals than otherwise. If there's no jobs, there's no reason for them to come here; in fact, as the housing market cools, that's already causing a decrease in jobs for folks in construction. Also, we need to hugely increase and simplify the system for LEGAL workers and folks who WANT to come here. I've run into too many people who would be great assets to our country, but it would be easier for them to come in illegally than legally. That's just messed up.
I may take another look at McCain, but if he can't be trusted on the first amendment, what about the rest of the constitution? Huckabee is way too much like Bush; thanks, no thanks, one's enough. This "compassionate conservative" crap is just the worst of both sides. I'd like to find the best of both parties, thanks. And Romney feels like he's changing his positions to match what party wants, not what he believes. I'm just not hearing enough substance from him, either, and there's several policies & programs in Mass that I don't care for right now (like their health care plan; I'm not sure it's doing anything but losing money). Tancredo's out of the race, and I never knew much about him. I'm tentatively leaning towards Fred Thompson because he's a very strong federalist and small government type, who believes in the whole constitution and isn't overly religious. I kinda like that he's looking at the presidency as a duty not a dream. It should feel like work; that's why the pay is crap (comparatively speaking). I just feel like I know what I'm getting with him. His answers tend to be more than 30 second sound bites, which means he doesn't work well with the media (actually I think they mutually hate him at the moment), but I generally like what he has to say. I just wish he, too, could learn about getting his nose out of ALL of people's personal affairs, even the ones they don't like.
Graft some moderate social opionions on McCain or Thompson and I'd be quite happy.