What are your most liberal views?

[mvd]

Mine include:

- National health care coverage that is free for all
- A limited social safety net even for those not working (no one needs to starve IMO)
- 50% income taxes on the richest .5%
- No war unless there's an imminent threat
- No death penalty system at all, even though I do feel anger at the heinous crimes and don't get upset about some executions
- Corporations must pay for all cleanup where the enviornment is concerned
- Much more lenient backruptcy protections
- End our dependence on oil
- Unlimited ability for unions to strike; make sure unions are strong

And even I've been called a moderate before here, so I bet many of you can do better. :-)

[MemphisTiger]

1. No death penalty

No war without imminent threat

[mvd]

27. The death penalty is something that I came around on

I've been opposed since my early 20s. I used to let the child killer cases get to me - and of course they still sicken me - but I believe I must be consistent in opposing. I also got my mom to see my way more on the death penalty.

I have to step out, but I enjoy the posts!

[damntexdem]

2. You may be moderate, but it's a good start.

But the question is when we can do better in Congress and the Presidency.

[longship]

3. I want all of it.. n/t

.

[theboss]

4. Single-payer healthcare system

And and end to the "war on drugs."

That's pretty much it as far as really really left-wing positions, I hold.

[mvd]

9. I support..

ending the drug war on users.. still would target distributers and sellers.

I also support legalizing marijuana, even though I don't use it.

Also, I don't support putting God on anything that's officially from government.

I'm sure I missed some views, but those views probably pale in comparison to my views above.

[Orrex]

5. Mine include

- Abandoning all constraints on consensual sex between competent participants
- Total abolition of the death penalty
- A mainstream press freed from enslavement to shareholder profit interests
- Regarding corporate pollution: the exhaust should pump through the CEO's office, and the CEO should be required to drink, say, one gallon of run-off from the plant's liquid discharge. I guarantee that if these rules were in place, the liquid and gas output by these companies would be squeaky clean
- Health care for all
- Vastly reduced military
- No pre-emptive war

and on and on...

[Michael_Bush]

6. Ban inheritance

I have no problem conceptually with someone building a fortune like Bill Gates. Passing it on to others who did not create the wealth does not reward entrepreneurial effort.

[converted_democrat]

7. Well, MVD that is a great start.............

can I come live in your world when you get it all set up?

[mvd]

11. I wish I could

Right now I'd even settle for a moderate Dem in charge to start. :-)

[Midlodemocrat]

8. Freeper

:evilgrin:

Just kidding. Your list pretty much sums things up for me, especially the safety net.

[mvd]

23. Hi, Midlodemocrat

I got a kick out of your Freeper joke. :hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

26. Well, with a list like that....you just might be a liberal!!!

:hi:

[Career Prole]

10. No war unless attacked.

I've seen now how "imminent threats" can be played.

[mvd]

15. I know what you mean

I'd like to see someone to actually see the planning first through intelligence.

[SmokingJacket]

12. I have a few crazy opinions I'm smart enough not to bring up most of the

time.

Cars banned; replaced with golf carts.

Plastic banned except for use in medical devices, or until we can find a way to make sure it's ALL recycled and NONE gets into the ocean.

No prison for non-violent offenders; community service only.

Homeless people allowed to camp in large public areas set aside for the purpose, provided with toilets and showers and govt surplus food like cheese.

Plus all of yours!

[RandomKoolzip]

13. I used to be into voluntary human extinction back in the day....

Ah, the Green Party. (sigh)

[me b zola]

14. I agree with everything you posted

but I would add: equal protection for GLBT's (yes, marriage), women's right to healthcare (abortion), and seperation of church & State ( no more faith based initiatives etc.)


All of these things I believe are basic traditional Democratic values.

[mvd]

19. Agreed on all of those, too

:thumbsup:

I'd like everything to be a civil union under the law, but since everything is now called marriage (you get a MARRIAGE license,) I'm opposed to using a different term for GLBTs.

[salvorhardin]

16. I'm a big fan

of the Social Credit movement.

[eissa]

17. I'm pretty flexible on most points, except:

Health care coverage for everyone
No war unless absolutely, positively necessary, and avoid it if possible even then.

[Double T]

18. I Promote Your Entire List; The Citizen's Of This Country Should Be Able..

..to live a decent life just as the corporation's have enjoyed "corporate welfare" at the expense of services for the people. No one should have a free ride unless they are truly disabled and can not work. It is unfortunate that there has been such a significant shift in the accumulation of wealth by a few at the expense of everyone else; the result will be devastating to this country going forward.

[mvd]

21. We should definitely end a lot of corporate welfare

That seemed like a pretty mainstream view, though, so I didn't post it. Thanks for the feedback, everyone. :hi:

[Vincardog]

20. How is this?

All taxes on Labor are abolished; The only income to the Government will come from taxes on Business and Capitol.

Public financing of all Federal Elections. When any station is granted a FCC license it agrees to provide free air time to all legitimate candidates. They also agree to air open town hall meetings and real debates among the candidates.

All federal Elections will be conducted using PAPER BALLOTS that are COUNTED by Hand.

Corporations are not allowed Civil Rights They are not People or citizens.

Corporations are forbidden to contribute in any way to any election campaign.

[JAbuchan08]

22. Being able to say whatever the fuck I fucking want to at any fucking time

regardless of whether it offends some stupid fucking nazi. I don't go out of my way to be offensive, but I've always felt that as offensive words occur across the spectrum of languages and cultures that it must be the emotional content of those words that is considered more offensive than the words themselves, and while we shouldn't get into the habit of giving our emotions 100% free rein it's better to err on the side of liberty.

I don't consider any speech to be off limits, but I do think that children need the critical thinking skills to seperate the wheat from the chaff and they're not going to gain that ability by having controversial ideas and speech censored and kept away from them.

[Quixote1818]

24. I think my stance on Affirmative Action and leveling the playing field

I am really big on leveling the playing field as much as possible. If I could steal from the rich and give the poor better health care I would. I am real big on things being "fair" even if that takes freedom away from people who were just plan lucky.

[Kipling]

25. I agree with all that and...

I'd nationalise the energy and train companies.

[Sgent]

35. I'm probably more capitalistc than many here

but still have some fairly strong opinions.

1) All children get a high school education, period. I don't care if its public or private, but it must be comprehensive and modern.

2) All colleges can be attended for a nominal cost. I would recommend a $1000/yr loan payable 5 years out, and everything else being state supported. This would go for state schools, not sure how I feel about private schools. Support would include stipend and dorm with meal plan. This could also be used for trade schools/programs.

3) I don't really believe in "universal" healthcare as many here probably do. I would rather that everyone be required to have health insurance, and if they don't have one, a basic HMO type plan is selected for them by the governemnt. If employers or the individual want to have additional features (alternative care, use of private facilities, etc) then they can "buy up" to a better plan, paying the difference. I would not support a Canadian type system where it is illegal to opt out of the public system.

4) I would legalize pot, and possibly other drugs. Would also end drug war on users.

5) No non-violent offenders in prison unless they have defraued or cost people more than 100,000. Ken Lay needs prison time.

6) Incorporate most ACLU and American's United for Separation of Chruch and State.

7) Death penalty... Still not convinced it isn't appropriate in some areas, but I'm thinking that in the last 10 years, David Koresh, Tim McViegh, and ppl involved with 9/11 are probably the only ones that deserve it.

8) I would require full funding of all pension plans in some sort of external trust, not controlled directly by the company... perhaps a (I know, I know) insurance contract of some sort. In addition, I would require all companies to contribute at least 10% of gross wages to either a pension or 401(k), or other retirement plan.

9) Finally, a saftey net would exist for everyone.... Having said this though, I do think their needs to be some sort of requirement for employment. Perhaps to have better accomidations, etc. (note this would not include those who are disabled).

[livinginphotographs]

28. I think there should be some sort of reparations for slavery.

n/t

[Ariana Celeste]

29. I think absolutely everyone is entitled to privacy.

I'd rather see 10 guilty men go free than 1 innocent man be incarcerated.
I think that in the end domestic issues are far more important than foreign issues.
I think that we should never enter a war unless attacked.
I feel that I would rather see a handful of people abuse the welfare system than see a poor child go hungry.
I believe that we have a right to health care- it is not a privilege for the wealthy.
I think that there should be more money put to wards mass transit.
I think more taxes is a good thing.
I think a lot more should be done to help the homeless and those in poverty.
Basically, in a nutshell, I feel that everyone is entitled to equal rights and that we need to pay a lot more attention to our OWN problems and less attention on everyone else's problems. Help where we can in other countries but quit getting directly involved in everything.


And while I'm not sure that this really fits, I think that monopoly laws should be rewritten. How, I'm not sure, and won't even try to explain how. But, what we see today is corporations getting away with it- only now it is 2 big corporations own damned near everything. For example, Coca Cola versus Pepsi.

On edit: I just realized I didn't say anything about the environment. Oops! I think that we need to strictly take care of what wilderness we have left. I think that logging should be heavily minimized. Brick homes are beautiful, and sturdy.
We need to do a lot more to protect wildlife.
We need to enforce much stricter standards on corporations and industry that pollutes the environment.
We can do a LOT more to save our trees.
We need to look for other sources of energy.

And furthermore- Faith Based Initiatives have to GO.

[gollygee]

30. I'll agree with yours

I'm not sure what the answer is for bankruptcy protection. I think a big part of it is that credit companies shouldn't have mercanary policies, and we should have a national health care system (though I don't like the word "free" as it is just paid in a different way). I would also like dental care to be part of the health care system.

I also think that there should be no laws regarding abortion. None. Not a single law at any point. There are some issues that require laws and there are some that don't. Women who just don't want babies have abortions in the first several weeks. No one gets to 30 weeks without wanting a baby. The only reason someone would have an abortion late in a pregnancy would be because of some crisis situation. We don't need laws regulating this. If a woman feels the crisis is best handled with an abortion then I respect her decision.

I think churches should pay taxes.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Az]

31. Hooo boy

Anti Death penalty
Very pro church/state seperation
Very pro choice
Would like to see justice shift to a more rehabilitative process than vengence based
Believe that corporations need to be brought under control to serve people rather than us serving them
Alternate energy NOW
Protect the environment, its the only one we have
Nationalized health care, the pursuit of life liberty and happiness is not possible without life
Social welfare, its right there in the declaration of this nations independence, to support the general welfare
Advancing progressive morality based on reason and understanding (that means as we learn that things are not as immoral as once believed we rectify the sitution ie homosexual rights)
Tax the rich feed the poor
Free the press, it has been taken hold of by corporate elites, a democracy is dependent on what the press tells it, if it is not unbiased then the democracy cannot function

[bvar22]

32. Impose limits and regulation on Corporations.

In addition to those already mentioned, I would:


*Criminalize Corporate lobbying in government.

*Aggressively prosecute conflict of interests in government

*Re-regulate (and maybe Public Ownership) of Energy, Transportation, & Utilities.

*Criminalize "secret" offshore accounts for Corporations doing business in the US.

*Legislate transparency in Corporate business. Open the books to the public and offer a 10% bounty to any individual that can uncover Corporate Fraud.

*Limit Corporations owning other Corporations. Complete transparency in Corporate ownership.

*Limit Corporate Profits (the 46% RECORD Profit vs. Record Prices for the Major Oil Cos. last quarter should be illegal. Wasn't gouging illegal at one time?

*Limit the size and power of Corporations (ala Teddy Roosevelt)

*Enact legislation that would make it possible for Mom & Pop to compete with Wal-Marts. If Wal-Marts use their size to demand a lower price from suppliers, that supplier MUST make those goods available in the US for EVERY retailer at THE SAME PRICE. Transportation costs for small business would be subsidized to offset the bulk transportation discounts of the HUGE retailers)

*Corporations would be required to commit some profits to education, community charities and infrastructure. Some profits would be required to stay in the neighborhood.

*Withdraw from NAFTA (and all current trade treaties). All international trade treaties would be renegotiated on BI-Lateral basis conditional on Human Rights, Labor Rights, and Environmental Protection (Level Playing Field).

*Universal Education (all levels) for everyone.

*Proportional Representation.

*Instant Run off elections.

*Reduce the Defense Budget 50%, require matching amounts spent on Worldwide Humanitarian Causes.

*Legislate a position on World Health Causes and Education proportional to the size of our GDP.

* Make Clean Alternative Energy a National Priority



Those are just a few. On a couple, I would be open to some compromise.

I don't INSIST that we do ALL of them tomorrow. I DO INSIST that the Party to which I give my time and money be pointed in that general direction.

[SteppingRazor]

33. My MOST leftwing?

Well, I agree with a lot of what's here, but I think my furthest left idea would be advocating revolt should proof of election theft be found, and future election theft be committed.
When you have no vote in the system, you do not live in a democracy. And when you do not live in a representative political system, the only means of change is through revolution.

[Deep13]

34. ownership-based compensation

No, this has nothing to do with Darth Bush's so-called ownership society.

Here it is. People are paid on what they are worth economically to their employers. They are subject to supply and demand. Part of the reason we have a permanent underclass is that employers just don't need them for production. Increasingly, production is more and more automated and the economic value of human hands or even thought is diminishing. The economy goes gangbusters, but the non-rich get poorer because the employers have no need to pay wages.

The solution is two-fold. First, recognize that corporations which shield owners from the logical consequences of their actions are creatures of the state and, therefore, belong implicitly to the citizens. As the economy does well, people get dividend income just for breathing. They no longer must depend on finding a demand for skills that are just not needed.

Second, employees of corporations are implicitly part owners of the companies. In reality that are the company. It is similar to the tird estate of pre-revolution France. They essentially were the country, yet counted as nothing. Again, employees of corporations who do work for a living get a fraction of company profits.

Also, employees get to deduct the cost of doing business from income for tax purposes just like businesses. We are all shareholders of this country. I believe that is the significance of citizenship.

[caty]

36. Everything you want plus

Tax adjustment so that 20% of the population has as much money as the other 80%--instead of 1% having as much money as the other 99%.

Marriage for homosexuals. They are Americans. They pay taxes. Let them get married.

Raise cap on social security taxes to the point where social security will be there for everyone when they need it.

Not letting credit card companies use hidden fees or raise interest rates on people who pay their credit cards off every month.:party:

[leftofthedial]

37. national health care, free for all

national maximum wage (100% tax over $350K)

Extremely strict regulation of corporations

a corporation is not a person and has no individual rights

strict limits (or very high tax) on inherited assets

[XemaSab]

38. The US should be a force for good

both at home and overseas.

All children should be fed, have clean water, and be vaccinated everywhere. The US is the only entity with the power to eradicate major diseases in the world, and it's our duty to do this.

Protecting the environment should be paramount. Sprawl breeds environmental problems for years to come and should be halted. The US should be very aggressive in ending reliance on fossil fuels and in recycling plastics, metals, and paper so no more resources are destroyed. Driving an SUV isn't a right, it's a privilege, and it something we all have to pay for. You can drive a big truck if you live on a farm, but as a status symbol, no way. I think the US should crank down the CAFE standards VERY aggressively, and the automakers will follow suit. The government should also be more pro-active in buying up open space. We've got a lot of "working landscapes" that aren't going to be around forever, and we need to conserve our scenic values NOW whatever the cost.

US subsidies to animal killing operations should be ended. If people want to be part of the suffering and environmental degradation that eating meat entails, they should pay for it.

The US military should close all our bases abroad. Why do we need servicemen stationed in Germany, Japan, and Italy? These are nations who can pay for their own military. Furthermore, it's been 60 years since WW2 ended. If every country that ever did something shitty had the "right" to be occupied by a foreign power for 60 years, we'd all be in deep shit. The US is a global power and we should use our military globally where necessary, but maintaining a permanant overseas empire just breeds hatred.

The government should have full disclosure on everything from Tuskeegee to MLK to 9-11. We're the people and we have a right to know what is being done in our name.

If the schools aren't teaching kids properly, then something needs to be done about it. If, in the inner city, we need to have class sizes of 5 kids in order for learning to occur, so be it. Education should not be funded locally but, at the very least, statewide. It's a shame that California, as well as many other states, has both some of the best schools in the nation and some of the worst schools in the nation.

End the war on drugs. It's just an excuse to warehouse blacks and hippies and maintain a permanant military presence in the western (and increasingly the eastern) hemisphere.

Have different classes of jails. One jail for violent crime, one jail for nonviolent crime, etc. The violent criminals should be locked up for a long, long time. The nonviolent criminals should recieve vocational ed and other learning opportunities to try and break the cycle of poverty.

Junior College should be free for everyone, and State college should be heavily endowed so that anyone with a decent GPA can basically go for free.

No corporate personhood, no corporate subsides.

Jail Hurwitz.

Soak the rich. After they're soaked pretty good in a teriyaki/pineapple marinade, have a big barbecue and bring all your friends.

I'd like to see more local control on issues such as sprawl and the future of small communities (and big ones!). I understand that state's rights and local control are double edged swords, but them's the breaks.

I think two years of public service would be a terrific idea. Either the military, Americorps, or the Peace Corps would teach kids a lot about responsiblity and allow them to see something outside their own experience.

Freedom of speech is an absolute right. Even racist assholes have a right to say what they think, and I have a right in turn to tell them that they're racist assholes.

The rest of the constitution is also inviolate, and I think the founding fathers said what they meant, and meant what they said. I don't like guns, but the second amendment is there so that an unarmed populace cannot be crushed under the heel of an armed government.

Religion has a special place in human society that is seperate from government. If you think sex, or drinking, or homosexuality, or abortion, or cussing are wrong, you're entitled to those beliefs, but don't go making rules for the rest of us... you do what you think is right, and trust the rest of us to do the same.

That's about it. :-)

[welshTerrier2]

39. big money, mega-corporations and democracy

i'm for leaving each citizen with as much freedom as possible ... as long as governments can function in a truly democratic manner, they should be only minimally invasive ...

but big money and greed corrupts absolutely ...

big money must be swept out of the institutions of democracy ... if we can accomplish this with simple laws like campaign finance reforms and restrictions of lobbyists, fine ... but if we can't, and i don't think tinkering around the margins will ever work, we must be prepared to take more and more wealth in an increasingly restrictive way until the super-wealthy are no longer in a position to corrupt our democratic institutions ...

this could mean 100% tax rates on ALL income above some cut-off amount ... and a 100% inheritance tax on estates over some dollar amount ...

the idea is that we define big money as being generally un-democratic ... then we tinker with new laws ... and if that fails, and it always has, then we get tough and take most of the income and assets form the super-wealthy ...

[Javaman]

40. Listen to John Lennon's Imagine and there you have it.

[steve2470]

41. Minimum wage should be hiked to $8/hour for 18+ of age workers and

indexed to inflation yearly.

[Cleita]

42. Quality child care centers for working mothers close

to their work and if in large corporations in their work.

[Bunny]

43. National health care for all. And no one, I mean no one, should

ever go hungry in this country. No death penalty. Full reproductive freedom for women and girls.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

44. Labor law that helps the weak side -- workers. (nt)

[MsTryska]

45. hmmm......

Free Healthcare
Free Secondary Education
Mandatory Voting
Publicly Financed Elections
FULL rights over your own body, including:
-the right to have an abortion
-the right to have an assisted suicide
-the right to use whatever drugs you damn well please
-the right to sell your body if that's what you want to do
Oh Yes - and Domestic partnership as the law of the land. Abolish Marriage!

[Frederik]

46. All of that

And may I add a radically reduced military budget and a downsized military whose mission would be to defend America, not invade faraway countries. Increased Congressional oversight of the intelligence agencies, including those that are under the DoD. Increased oversight over how the Pentagon uses its money. Repeal most of the Patriot Act. Dissolve the Department of Vaterland Security. Close down Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and Baghram prisons. Demand a clear timetable for complete military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Horse with no Name]

47. My perfect system

1. National Healthcare System (cradle to grave)--only I would put a small premium (based on ability to pay) on this to fund research
2. Allow stem cell research.
3. Free daycare for working parents.
4. No death penalty.
5. Tougher environmental laws.
6. Mandatory energy conservation.
7. Uniform workers compensation laws that would include re-training if you were injured on the job.
8. Undo the IRS and just have a flat tax.
9. Remove the caps on social security.
10. Government funded college educations from a 4-year college.
11. Make home equity loans illegal.
12. Legalize all drugs for legal adults but regulate putting clear warning labels on them of what harm they can cause.
13. Government subsidized loans and grants to help it's citizens pay their loans when they find themselves in a bind. I would almost advocate the government forgiving everyone's debt after the * administration.
14. Remove standardized testing from the schools. Remove sports programs from the schools. Support them outside of the school system.

I could go on and on. Not sure where I fit in moderately speaking.

[WLKjr]

48. free education at all levels

no matter ability to pay or not. everyone should have the opportunity to obtain a higher education.

[UdoKier]

49. Those are not all that radical

It's just that what American corporate media defines as the "center" is actually very far to the right in most countries, and far to the right of sanity.

I'm all for single-payer health care and an end to tax breaks for companies that outsource overseas, plenty of public works projects to create jobs and infrastructure, among other things. None of those seem really "left" to me at all.

[terrya]

50. Your list is a good one, mvd. A couple of others:

The enforcement of anti-trust laws. The breakup of corporate media. It is ESSENTIAL that dissolve the ownership of media by a handful of multinational conglomerates.

The end of corporate welfare.

[Sir Jeffrey]

51. The "constitutional option" for our military...

No standing military at all. The national military would operate on a five year renewal period contingent upon meeting any act of aggression/war that is an imminent threat to our citizens/soil.

No more wars of aggression if we did this...

Some other "ultra liberal" views of mine:

Public elections for corporate board membership

Removal of "personhood" for a corporation

Universal healthcare

Construction of a large mass transit system in the US, coupled with an increase in the tax on gas

Local controls on rental housing (a maximum charge allowable)

A complete overhaul of our majoritarian electoral system...go with proportional representation en masse...publicly financed elections...

[Warren DeMontague]

52. Depends on how you define "liberal".

"Liberal" in terms of left-leaning? Probably support of a liveable minimum wage and a SPHC system.

"Liberal" in terms of what, I guess, is considered by some to be socially liberal? Probably my belief that it's none of the government's bidness what consenting adults choose to do with their own bodies, including what chemicals they choose to ingest into them, or if they choose a dignified, pain-free exit from a terminal illness, that sort of thing.. although really I consider that more of a small-l libertarian outlook.

"Liberal" in terms of environmental policy? I don't understand why we can't have a manhattan-style project to end our dependence not only on foreign oil, but on all non-renewable, non-sustainable forms of energy. It would be a far better use for our money than the 400 Billion plus we spend annually on our bloated military-industrial complex.

[MasonJar]

53. Stop polluting my world; stop killing my animals; stop, stop now.