My various beliefs etc

(posted to help give people general idea of where I stand on various issues. please ask questions etc if you like)

I wouldn’t say that’s my only basis for why I identify as a conservative. So I’ll try and outline my general beliefs. I’ll probably also try and copy and paste them to my own blog for easy reference. I don’t use my blog for daily stuff but more for longer papers on general beliefs. (http://kronesblog.blogspot.com/)

1. I favor smaller government and less interference in people’s lives as much as possible (libertarian). But I also realize that government intervention is sometimes necessary when markets or society is not able to provide some necessary good. I’m also in favor of legalization of most drugs etc. IMO it’s a personal choice. And as long as it doesn’t effect others do what you want.

2. I favor continuing the American tradition of being a Christian nation based on Christian values (conservative). But again as noting #1 I don’t think government should normally mandate stuff. For example, I’m fine with Christmas trees, Christmas vacation, and Easter break. I’m also fine with the 10 commandments in the US Supreme court, and prayer in general. I don’t think people should be forced to do stuff though. IE, if other people are praying etc nobody is going to require them to join in. I’m also fine with other faiths in America, but I think just like a Church in Iran is a church in a Muslim nation, so to a Mosque in the US should be a mosque in a Christian nation. Again no coercion but instead a general acknowledgment of where we came from and the basis for society etc.

3. Strong supporter of Gun rights (conservative). I know we were given the second amendment to protect ourselves against crime, and more importantly against the government if needed. The second amendment is not about hunting.

4. I’m a HUGE supporter of building a sustainable and green future (currently considered liberal but that’s changing to some extent). IMO our addiction to fossil fuels is killing our environment, and will kill our economy. We should build our economy on sustainable renewable and clean energy. I also believe we need to seriously address the issues of world over population. They are tough issues but if not resolved will cause future human suffering (read Beyond Growth).

5. If everyone should have access to quality healthcare (which I’m generally in favor of, liberal) then people should have to pay more based on their life style choices (economist). IE, if you want to smoke, drink, do drugs, or be obese etc. Then feel free. But you should have to pay more because of the increased costs. If you can’t afford it then you can’t do it. The poorer you are the healthier you should live because you are not paying for your own healthcare.

6. I think everyone should have access to good education. I think we should have national standards that you MUST pass in order to graduate. Moreover, those standards should be based on what you should learn in the 12^th grade not the 8^th. I think the money should be provided to full fund the education programs, but we should also gut the bureaucracy and brake the teachers unions. No more spending 40%+ on bureaucracy and no more being able to not fire bad teachers.

7. I think we should secure our borders. Once we do we can look at other solutions. I think assimilation is and should be the key to the continued success of our nation. Also English is key to assimilation. A secure border is one of the first responsibilities of the federal government. It’s one that should be taken seriously. Moreover, it’s shameful to keep importing cheap immigrant labor instead of paying Americans a decent wage.

8. Free trade overall is good. But it should be fair. Read through Beyond growth to get a better understanding of this issue. But basically we don’t want to create a race to the bottom in other countries while loosing good jobs here. Goods are supposed to be mobile but capital is not. IE, it’s one thing to trade cars for electronics, but it’s another thing to just shut down all the factories and import stuff. That’s not trade.

That’s most of the stuff I can think of right now, I’ll to my blog if I think of more. IMO nobody is just one thing. I’m liberal on some stuff, conservative on others, and in many places somewhere in the middle. I think anytime people let their party do their thinking for them our whole country looses. Hope that helps :)