Things are heating up here in the US! Well, except for the economy... apparently Bush has announced the the economy is "uncertain"... DUH! What with everything made in China and billions going to Iraq, what a surprise! Ahem, anyway my original post was actually to get some political discussion going (on a friendly basis). What issues are important to you? Some issues I deem very important are:

*education, in particular science education
*terrorism and how to prevent countries that support terrorism from gaining nuclear material (in my opinion nuclear weapons are still the most dangerous threat)
*the economy, and how to get it going
*human rights, and why isn't anyone doing anything about China? (yeah, other countries too, but we pump so much money into China!)

there are of course others, but those are certainly 4 issues I really look at. Feel free to share your thoughts on any of the candidates, topics, etc... and if you don't live in the US, it would be very interesting to get your perspective.

cheers,

-avatar!

For me, the most important issues are:

1. Education - Seeing the state of many of our young people, it completely floors me at what this next generation is going to be. Many of them can't spell, can't write legibly even on the Internet and don't give two shits about it, are ignorant on social issues and past history (when you're reading anecdotes on students confusing WWII and WWI, that's sad), and think that learning multiple languages is stupid. At this rate, our allies and enemies will overwhelm us and considering China's going to be calling the cards in business in the future, the stupendous lack of thoroughly educated students is going to be our detriment. We're raising up a generation of people without a solid foundation and that frightens me.

2. Safeguarding our backs - This is in regards to terrorism and China. While terrorism does alarm me, the impeding threat of China's rising superpower status is even more frightening. We do funnel a lot of money and military equipment to them, in the name of peace, and all they've proven is that they will be willing to backstab us for their own gain. I'm Chinese-American, so to me, it's a two-fold edge we're facing. They're brazen - at least their government is - and their human rights record and censorship disgusts me. Seeing how they're cracking down on dissidents amidst international furor, their attitude is basically, "We don't care. Say all that you want. So what?" I swear, if China ever, in the future, thinks of attacking us, I'll be the first to join the army and stand up for our nation.

3. Economy - Oil prices, anyone? They've been going up (dropping down a bit in my area recently) and with our goods also being inflated, we're looking at recession. The US has not seen the threat of recession in a long time, so the fact that this is happening irks me. No wonder consumer confidence is dropping in part to inflated goods. I can think of why else: Why buy luxuries when we're having a tough enough time affording our necessities?

Bush: “Our economy is... oh look at the kitty!” Oh and my favorite, "recent economic indicators have been mixed" - NO CRAP!

*education, in particular science education

I have real mixed feelings about education. I like the idea behind Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy but the way it is implemented leaves too much to question. The whole idea of penalizing a school monetarily seems like a fowl idea. I know that's not what you were really asking but I think there are other problems that affect learning outside the classroom that something like a bill cannot address.

*terrorism and how to prevent countries that support terrorism from gaining nuclear material (in my opinion nuclear weapons are still the most dangerous threat)

I think we've somewhat defeated this goal by going it alone in Iraq and losing the support of the international community. Something like this cannot be done by one nation alone, it among other things, requires a unified front.

Still, as dangerous as nuclear weapons are I think the trend of *justifying" anything and everything because of terrorism is just as dangerous.

*the economy, and how to get it going

Honestly, despite congress' attempts I think we're heading for - as the TV anchormen say - the r word. I don't see anyway around it... someone is footing the (monetary) bill to rebuild Iraq as soldiers pay in sweat and blood – and its a task that may (probably) be impossible. That money is not going back into the economy – our economy - to maintain and/or expand it like we need to be (not to sound greedy.) A hole doesn’t get any shallower as you dig it.

Seriously? Seriously man. You know why aren't doing anything with China's human rights issues? Because we don't have the authority. And why are we lacking authority, when we supposedly "pump so much money into China"? That'd be because avatar has it completely backwards.

Our entire economy is floating on billions, possibly trillions of dollars that we've BORROWED from China. Any money we currently invest in China is a joke compared to what they've given us. It's like borrowing a thousand dollars from your dad, buying a PS3 and an Xbox 360 (the weapons of war to use against Iraq!), and then giving back the spare change to your dad. I wouldn't call that "pumping money" into your father's wallet.

We have no say in China's affairs, and they know it. At this point, from an economic standpoint, they control us. So... yeah.

What's important to Ramza?

*abortion and other life ethics issues -- eugenics, assisted suicide, abortion, contraception, cloning, gene therapy, stem cell research. What part does the government play in these issues, if any? What I'd like to see is consistency. That's all I ask for. If pregnant women have the right to terminate a fetus, why don't terminally ill patients have the "right to die"? As a society, we need to either recognize the intrinsic value of individual life, or else consider humans another commodity to grow and trade and study. I think you know where I stand, but I'd be HAPPY with either side. Just ... consistency, please. If any one politician can offer a consistent life/ethics platform, I'll listen.

*economy, specifically the federal reserve -- which is EVIL. The Federal Reserve is f---ing garbage. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid … 3867390173 -- call it conspiracy theory til you're blue in the face; ignoring the truth won't stop our economy from total collapse in the next 30 years. There are two solutions: delay the collapse by borrowing more money, or doing the right (and hard) thing of starting over and demanding our money have some actual standard.

*foreign policy -- World police? No, f---ing, thank you. It's not our business, and it's not meant to be our business. America is the dominant, and in many places, the *only* force in many parts of the world. But we don't have the money for it. I say, pull out.

*environment -- this is the one place where I disagree with my fav candidate, Ron Paul. Substances that are known to have long-term harmful effects on the environment need to be minimized, and we must favor the "greener" solutions that are out there. IMO, it's a moral imperative. I can't say for sure how much of a role the government should have in this, but the least they can do is endorse good practices.

Ramza

This is a pretty interesting comparison... I don't have a real answer, but as we don't want to admit it due to that glorious declaration we were taught in grade school is there any real separation of church and state - anywhere? I mean okay, there is on a basic level but on a deeper level senators, judges, etc. bring these things into the political arena and they play out regardless. In court we swear on the bible and for the most part isn't just about every basic law derived from the 10 commandments? Some of those are no-brainers – thou shall not kill - but still...

...anyway, I have to admit I’m just a little uneasy how religion manages to "look out" for its own interest within the government. Like "big brother" or something...

There is something inherently creepy about that. Then again, religion and I have never gotten along.

As for my political issues, gay rights, the economy and the environment top my list.

Add education and you've got the three that matter most to me.

Domestic poverty and the growing wealth gap... theres something unsettling about CEOs earning hundreds-fold then the workers that support them - wage-slavery again?

Worldwide poverty... Africa, India, and the rest of the third world has been looted in the interest of the affluent West, and now they're used as an industrial backyard in where our toxins are being dumped a la United Chemicals and thier population being exploited... seriously, haven't they had enough?

Cuba... Is still being blockaded, for, no reason.  Really.  Last I checked the Cold War was over.  Theres no fear (at least, not enough that prevents the huge amount of trade) between the US and the PRC's market "Communists," yet all of this effort is expended on a second-world island?  Give me a break.

And speaking of give me a break,

Guantanamo... this is ridiculous and has gone on long enough.

Yeah, come to think of it, Rinoa's description of the current youth generation was downright terrifying. I think I like to live under the delusion that most people are intelligent. But you know what they say about ignorance...

My main political issues are government size and transparency.  In the corporate world, if a program is ineffective or it loses money, the company cuts it back or eliminates it entirely in order to survive.  In the governmental world, if a program is ineffective or loses money, the solution is...to throw more money at it, because obviously the problem was that there just wasn't enough money to solve the problems.  Public education is a great example of this.  The average cost of public education keeps ballooning, with no real improvements in performance.  But so many people believe that if we just threw a LITTLE more money into the program, it would produce noticeable improvements, despite ample past evidence that refutes this.

I also don't like the idea of having a group of people whose sole job is to make new laws, especially when they don't understand what the unintended consequences could be.  As the adage says, "If all you have is a hammer, pretty soon, everything starts looking like a nail."  Legislators feel they have to make new laws all the time to justify their existence, and old laws are very seldom repealed.  Many times, new laws are either the same old laws as before, slightly repackaged to seem relevant (for example, while there have been laws against murder for centuries, maybe there's a new law that specifically forbids bludgeoning someone to death with a frozen halibut).  Other times, there are noble intentions for the laws, but the results don't work out the way the legislators thought.  An example of this is the Americans with Disabilities Act, which (among other things) basically makes it impossible to fire someone due to a disability.  So what has happened?  Now it's much harder for people with disabilities to get work at all.  Employers know that they would be almost impossible to fire if they don't do their jobs, so they just don't hire them in the first place.

It really bothers me that the federal government can declare pretty much whatever it wants to be a matter of national security.  Among more recent items, apparently the U.S. government believes that its ban on internet gambling is a matter of national security, and won't release any information about it.  Many police departments feel that having their actions videotaped by civilians should be illegal, and people have been charged with wiretapping for recording police arrests on their cell phones.  The government is meant to be a service to the people, and should be completely transparent.

I'll say this one thing and then leave.  I hate political discussions.  It seems to bring out the worst in people (read: my mother).

If we spent more time focusing money inwards towards our country and not worrying about having our hands in EVERYONE's pockets, I believe the economy wouldn't be as unstable as it is right now.  Teachers don't get paid enough, neither do policemen(women).  A national language would be nice, as well as some reprocussions for parents who refuse to discipline their kids.  Bring back the death penalty.  What good is someone going to do rotting away in a federal prison for 50 years?  Kill him and be done with it.  It gets rid of some of the overcrowding.  For that matter, bring back "an eye for an eye."  If someone steals, cut off his hand.  If someone murders (MURDERS, not kills in self defense), s/he too will die.  Stop coddling the criminals and persecuting the innocent.  Criminals gave up their rights when they decided to ignore those of innocent people.

*ahem*  I'm so done with this, and I don't anticipate to defend any of my statements.  Those are the issues that are important to me (on the complete right wing) and that's what this thread is about.  Have fun.

I agree, whether I'm a victim, or were I hypothetically the criminal myself, or at least found in breach of law; on either side of the fence, I'd either like it if the criminal died, or if I were the one considered criminal, to be killed instead of suffer.

...

As for being killed by our own (public shootings, etc) I believe in heavier surveillance (especially in schools) as well as mandatory psychological evaluations for everyone.

If you're catching bullies in schools via camera, you wouldn't have to worry about victims retaliating, because you're taking care of the cause, not the symptom. Most places have surveillance, anyway; why not in schools? Most people only commit crimes because they think they're going to get away with them, and while the rest of them don't care, many will be discouraged simply from the fact that they won't be able to escape accountability.

And psychological evaluations would further help point out people who might prove harmful to society as a whole.

Sure, having to go in once a month or so might be a pain, but when there's so many crimes that could be prevented by it, well...such evaluations would prove useful, because for some people, murder is just a nervous tick.

Even if you're sane, I believe such evaluations would also help promote a greater awareness and concern for health.

By far, I'm really not a fan of some ideas expressed, but this one is just unbelievable in its audacity:  Mandatory psychological evaluations?

This thread reminds me of why it is a good thing we rarely discuss politics on this forum.

i always chuckle when the tv news mentions a candidate is "polling their caucus"

No worries, my sister always chuckles when they talk about "penetrating the front line" in football. Her mind isn’t in the gutter as that may lead some to believe but when you think about it's a rather suggestive phrase despite the context.

Well, yes, I'll admit it's extreme, but for those who want a solution for reducing crime, it's a solution. But let's face it: people want to take other people with psychological disorders, and run them out of society. Not saying that's either right or wrong, it's just what I've observed.

Hey Bernhardt, it's called: Waste Of Money.

Mandatory psych evals will catch like 5% of the crazies out there. And there are plenty of sane, sober people who kill in the heat of passion. So psych evals, again, do nothing.

.

But they treat everyone like suspects... why empower the government to be further intrusive into the extremely personal lives of so many people who's done no wrong?

You might be a Republican or a Democrat, but I can't possibly imagine you are a Libertarian.  = P

Mandatory psyche evaluations have huge benefits - to drug companies, who have been campaigning for it for years, especially for children. It's about the money. The side effect is that it would lead to a generation of chemically 'balanced' people, which benefits those who have interests in maintaining the status quo.

That whole mandatory psyche evaluation sounds like something Big Brother would instigate. Scary stuff...

-avatar!

I can tell you what political issues aren't important to me... all this crap about Roger Clemens and the New England Patriots. Just pisses me off they're pissing around with this crap... the whole "to protect our nation's youth" thing is just an excuse to screw around instead of working on matters that matter

"That whole mandatory psyche evaluation sounds like something Big Brother would instigate. Scary stuff..."

Yea, this is my concern too is that it could overstep its bounds.  I know it may be a little bit unrelated, but a reform in the prison system in this country (a correction for the correctional facilities?) in this country might not be a bad idea.  I remember BBC Newsnight did a special on 'best public services in the world', such as healthcare (Cuba), education (UAE??), public transit (I hadn't even heard of Portland, Oregon before that), and so on.  What they said about the Danish prison system seemed pretty inspiring.  Even if you don't agree, its still a good set of programmes to watch: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/n … 342018.stm

EDIT:  My bad, the education is Qatar.  The question marks still apply, though.