Alright, let's "blow some minds" since there are quite a few folks on both the left and the right who live in this zero-sum world driven by "purity" standards, where everything they believe has to be all or nothing:
I believe in a secure border, but I don't believe we have to vilify immigrants in order to build an immigration policy. I'm also in favor of deporting those who are here illegally while giving a path to citizenship to those in good standing who meet certain criteria. We should also streamline legal immigration to deter people from trying to come here illegally.
I support Israel and Palestine, but I strongly oppose Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas.
I think we need to be tough on crime and prosecute those who commit crimes. However, I also think we need to address what drives crime, and just because someone breaks the law doesn't automatically make them a "criminal." Some people simply make bad decisions, and we could do a much better job lowering crime by investing in the right kinds of programs to help people who need guidance rather than treating everyone who breaks the law the same way — often ruining their lives and sending them down a darker path that only leads to more crime and more criminals.
Oh, and we need to ban private prisons. No one should be profiting from locking people up... that's insane.
I'm okay with giving corporations tax breaks, as long as they can prove that a sizable portion of those tax savings was invested in better benefits, higher wages, and more jobs for their employees — not simply put into the pockets of shareholders and executives.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with having faith — just keep it in the appropriate places, such as churches and faith-based groups. Considering even Christians can't agree on what is or isn't a "Christian value," it makes absolutely no sense to inject aspects of faith into our laws or social norms. Enjoy your faith as much as you want, as long as you're not trying to force it on other people.
I'm a huge supporter of law enforcement. I understand they have an incredibly difficult job and deal with an unimaginable amount of stress and danger every single day. That said, the risks of the job do not give any member of law enforcement the right to break the law or violate the Constitution. It shouldn't be a partisan issue to say that we should support our law enforcement officers while also demanding that those who act illegally or unethically be held accountable — both by citizens and by their fellow officers.
Yes, we need tax policies that ensure the wealthiest among us pay their fair share and close many of the loopholes used to avoid paying taxes. Obviously, trickle-down economics has been a massive scam. That said, simply saying "tax the rich" is an overly simplistic, bumper-sticker-politics solution to our problems. There's a lot more complexity to it, and we shouldn't vilify wealthy people simply for being wealthy, though some clearly deserve to be criticized. A fairer tax structure is a start, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.
We should absolutely root out fraud in every aspect of our social programs. Anyone abusing or defrauding SNAP, Medicaid, or any other program should face serious criminal consequences for fraud. That said, we also need to invest more in oversight for these programs to help people who legitimately need assistance gain access to it while also reducing fraud and increasing savings by removing those who are truly abusing the system. The answer to "How do we save money and reduce costs?" when it comes to programs that help the neediest among us shouldn't simply be cutting funding. That's an ignorant and cruel approach to a correctable problem that requires better, more effective oversight and monitoring.
I'm all for requiring an ID in order to vote. That said, along with that requirement, we also need automatic voter registration and programs that make it easy — and free — for every American to obtain an ID. Requiring fees of any kind in order for someone to vote, including fees associated with obtaining identification, effectively amounts to a poll tax, which is unconstitutional. Additionally, if we can automatically register males of certain ages for the military draft, then we can do the same thing for every American when it comes to voting.
Alright, that's enough for now. I'm curious what other ideas people have. I don't expect everyone to agree with everything I've said here, and I never do. The point of posts like this is hopefully to get people talking, thinking, and maybe even seeing things a little differently.
