The World According To Me

Recently I've had a few people accuse me of being on the extreme right side of the political spectrum. I'm not. I think that my political views are pretty mainstream, however, I suspect that most people think their political views are mainstream, regardless of whether they actually are. As a result, I thought I would use the rest of this post to more clearly state my political views and let those who read this blog make their own judgement as to where I stand on the political spectrum. If you disagree (or even if you agree) I welcome your comments and differences of opinion, as long as they're nice.

I doubt anyone wants to read a 10 page thesis on my political beliefs so I tried to keep them succint. They tend to jump around a little and for brevity I wasn't able to fully define my rationale for why I believe certain things or to what extent. However, I think this will give you a good idea of just exactly where I stand.

Foreign Policy and Our Role in the World

The USA is the greatest country ever in the history of the world. We have become great as a result of our emphasis on individual freedom constrained by a Judeo-Christian view of right and wrong. We aren't perfect but compared to the rest of the countries of the world we are the best.

Often we hear people complaining that we don't do things the way they do in Europe or other parts of the world as if that were something bad. I'm glad we don't think and act like many of the other countries in Europe. We wouldn't be a great country if we didn't cherish individual freedom, our belief in God, and our conviction that there is such a thing as objective right and wrong. Our country was founded on the belief that God has endowed all with certain unalienable rights among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I'm one of those people who can be accused of being "jingoistic" at times. Whenever I say the pledge of allegiance or sing the national anthem I get a lump in my throat. I am willing to die for the high ideals embodied by our country. I'm proud that we're the greatest country and we should continue to be the greatest.

As a result of our position as the sole superpower there are some duties we face. I don't believe that the US should be the "policeman for the world", but I do believe we have an obligation to stand against evil wherever it may be. For the most part, we ought to stay out of the internal politics of other countries. However, when a leader or a group of people practice genocide against their countrymen I believe that we have a moral obligation to intervene. I'm ashamed that our country did not intervene in Kosovo sooner than we did. I'm glad we're in Iraq regardless of the absence of WMD because Saddam Hussein was as evil as Hitler and needed to be removed. I think that war should be the last resort, but there are people who say this but use it as camouflage for the fact that they really don't believe war is ever a necessary evil. I'm not one of them.

In an age where a terrorist may transport a WMD across our borders and wipe out millions of people, I think we must pursue a policy consistent with preemptive intervention when there is a clear and present danger to our safety and security. Furthermore, we need to spend enough on our defense so that no nation will ever be in a position to threaten our liberty.

I think the UN is a travesty. The idea that countries who oppress their people should have any moral, ethical or legal standing regarding our country's decisions is repugnant to me. I believe the UN is a tool that Globalists use to advance their aims of a one world government. I believe that the International Criminal Court would sacrifice our nation's sovreignty and that our nations troops should never be under the command of any country but our own. I think we should work with other countries whenever possible but that true peace comes when countries recognize our differences and are able to discuss them rather than seeking a monolithic governing organization that seeks to subsume our differences in favor of the "good of humanity".

The Environment

I think there are times when big business acts against the long-term interests of the citizens of the US and that sometimes government has to step in to protect the environment from business interests. We need to conserve and preserve our natural resources, but we need to do so in a way that balances the needs of people vs natural resources.

Economics

Supply side economics works. With lower taxes and less regulation ultimately all people benefit. Taxing only the rich and seeking to "redistribute" wealth does not work. Whenever possible, private enterprise should be left to it's own devices to regulate supply and demand. However, I think that Microsoft is an illegal monopoly and that there is a real danger of our political system being taken over by wealthy amoral corporations. I believe that one of our biggest areas of vulnerability lies in the potential for corrupt politicians votes to be purchased by whoever is willing to pay the most. We need more citizen politicians than career politicians.

Taxes

High taxes inhibit personal initiative and are an impediment to growth. We need a certain level of taxes in order to provide certain essential services, but I believe that we as a people are overtaxed and over-regulated.

Social Policy

We have way too many people languishing in prison. A vast number of them are there as a result of alcohol and drug addiction. Government needs to address addiction and imprison those who commit non-violent crimes much less. We need to incorporate the idea of retribution by those who commit crimes. For example, a thief should not only face possible jail time but must also forfeit a portion of their income and work to those who have suffered loss. Government should have much less involvement in the education of our children, especially pre-school children. Parents should be the primary caregiver of our children, not big brother.

Compassionate Conservatism

I don't believe in socialism and I don't think health insurance is a basic right for each person, but I believe that in a great country everyone should be able to afford basic health insurance regardless of their employment status. Government does have a role to play in caring for the innocent, the downtrodden, and the needy in partnership with non-profit and religious organizations.

Religion

Relativism is the biggest danger facing our country. Objective right and wrong exists whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. Without a common definition of right and wrong we will be forced to make government so powerful that it will threaten our liberty. We are a great country because we tolerate different religions and views other than our own. We need to continue to practice tolerance but we must have a common definition of right and wrong that transcends any single religion.