Is there no end to this bestiary?
Do you support an increase in the minimum wage or do you think it may cause many people to lose their jobs?
I think it will cause a nonzero number of job losses, and think it's a good idea.
Do you support taxcuts for the wealthy as a way to stimulate the economy or do you support government spending on programs?
No, though I'd prefer we just call it a surtax rather than a progressive tax.
Are you for free trade as defined by recent trade treaties or do you think we now live in a global economy and there isn't much we can do about it?
I'm not seeing the distinction there; I think trade overall has been a good thing though I don't like all provisions of all trade agreements.
Do you think we need to keep defense spending just about where it is because we have real enemies and we cannot disarm?
I'd like more on personnel and training, less on weapons systems that were first on the drawing board when the Soviet Union existed. More littoral less bluewater capability. I'd probably cut the Defense budget by about 25%.
Do you think Social Security spending is a problem as far as our deficit and debt is concerned?
It won't affect overall debt but will affect year-to-year deficits going forward (more borrowing will have to happen, increasing the deficit, but it will be to redeem existing bonds, leaving the debt unaffected). That said I don't particularly care about the debt or deficit at this point. I'm not opposed to additional means-testing in return for something.
Do you support NSA spying in all its forms because there is really nothing we can do about it?
No, and "we can't do anything about it" isn't why I support the parts I do. Early in the story I was on the "pro-NSA" side because the fact that they were doing their own gathering rather than reading the FBI's data wasn't publicized until fairly recently.
Overall, I think anonymously monitoring patterns in communication is part of their mission to secure the US communications systems, but that their being involved in counterterrorism is a dangerous bit of mission creep (it's not what we have an NSA for). I also worry that weakening the NSA makes the CIA stronger, which is still the main source of my skepticism about Snowden himself (his time at the CIA having apparently gone down the memory hole now).
Do you think jobs programs for the unemployed is an obsolete idea and is only part of a left-over New Deal idealism?
No but I think people overestimate how effective it is; the WPA and CCC didn't get unemployment down below 15% or so. I'd rather just establish a minimum income.
Do you think if we raise the top tax rates to 50%, we will be unable to compete in the global marketplace?
Yes, but not because of the tax. Just because we would lose the next several elections and Republicans would further destroy the economy, leaving us unable to compete in the global marketplace.
Do you believe that everything must be compromised to reach common ground?
No, but I believe that a bad plan today is in many cases better than a good plan tomorrow. The trick is knowing when...
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