Gay Marriage - Democrats want it to pass. The Whigs want this as well. However it is a state issue. Each state can decide on it's own whether and how far to support this issue. I would vote for it.
comprehensive health care reform - Dems want it. Some support single-payer not for profit health care. I think it should be a state issue. At least, not the comprehensive part. I want universal coverage - no exclusion for pre-existing conditions, affordable healthcare, tort reform, maintain the free market mechanism.
increased regulation of financial industries - Not mentioned. Federal issue. I want this too.
foreign policy - less unilateral and macho. Federal issue. I think we should be able to act without approval from the UN. We should only go with support from our allies.
education - reformed so that we have education that is affordable and effective for everyone. I agree with this. State issue. Here is what is said by the Whig Party:
Increased public and private emphasis on fields such as space, oceanic, medical and nanotechnology. Also, providing common-sense solutions to enhance our educational system from pre-school to university-level studies.
political financing reform - Not mentioned. I am for this. Federal issue.
Environmental Protection -
His point:
I agree that we must eliminate our dependence on foreign oil wholeheartedly. However, the notion that clean coal exists is, from a scientific perspective, false. Though the technology exists to decrease the amount of pollution the burning of coal causes, it cannot be eliminated completely. In fact, the clean coal process only eliminates approximately 41% of emissions. With this aside, we also have to take into account the destruction of the environment to obtain the coal. Living in Appalachia myself, I have witnessed first hand the barbaric practice. On one ridge you'll have a beautiful assortment of wildlife surrounded by breathtaking scenery. Top over that ridge and it's as if a nuclear bomb has been dropped. The water is tainted and undrinkable, even after attempted purification; and this water runs directly into citizens' wells and water tables.My response:
Well, to me clean coal means it is cleaner than before, not completely devoid of pollutants. I do realize that coal mining is very destructive, especially to the water table, but once the mining is done, successful replanting of the land is possible.
I regret the absence of nuclear technology, from the Whig platform, for environmental protection and energy.
The reality is that green technologies don't come close to meeting the energy needs of the population or of industry. They don't yield enough energy. The only things that do are: nuclear, oil, coal, natural gas. Coal is with us to stay.
Immigration -
His point:
I don't agree with the suggested path to citizenship. I want to offer amnesty and a path to citizenship that doesn't involve military service.My response:
I feel that way to, but the problem is that it will not stem the tide of illegal immigrants over the border. It is impossible to secure the border.
Church and State Separation -
His point:
I don't feel as if any religious icon should be displayed on or in any government location in the true spirit of secularism and separation from religion.My response:
This country was not founded on secularism. That is not the meaning of separation of church and state. The actual meaning is that the state will stay out of the business of the church, not that the church stays out of the business of the state. So no national religion and no pope. But it is perfectly fine to teach religion in school and displays of faith in a government context is fine.
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6 comments:
Gay marriage: state issue, I'd support it. Some Conservatives think this opens the door for other "types" of marriage such as threesomes and NMBLA relationships. I'm not sure it does, people will draw a line somewhere.
Health Reform: How going into a $1trillion+ more debt is going to "fix" healthcare is beyond me. The gov't and insurance have been in bed together for 50 years. Free market; I don't believe in the public option. Tort reform. Pre-existing conditions are tricky. Some ins. companies require you to pay more becasue of this or there is a waiting period. However, a problem arises when you have serious debilitating diseases and a no exclusion clause. One cancer patient signs up and gets insurance. Company pays for treatment. What happens if 1,000 cancer patients sign up at the same company?
Financial Industry: more specific, please. Various government bodies are intertwines in this. Freddy Mac, Fannie Mae...
Foreign Policy: the US should not have to gain approval from the UN. Less unilateral would be nice, but if no one else is willing to stand with us, then what? We do it ourselves.
Education: our country is too big for a nationalized cirriculum or for having it fall under a single Dept.
Pol. Fin. Reform: McCain/Feingold is a joke. We swapped "soft money" for 527's. What would it all entail? This is always going to be sticky.
Environment: everyone talks about ending the dependancy, but it can't happen without using our own natural resources. I'm all for "greener" tech(whether or not they are viable is a different story), but we can't cut ourselves off at the knees in the meantime. Lessen the red tape on nuclear and oil exploration/processing and those become the shovel ready jobs Obama keeps talking about.
Immigration: I don't like the notion of amnesty, but don't know what else there is. Especially, b/c of the tide that keeps flowing in. Tighten the border, but make legal immigration easier. There has to be some consequence for getting here illegally.
Church/State: religion has played a role in the formation of every democratic government. Freedom is a gift from God. Our current seperation works the way it's suppose to. JS
Hey JS in the house!
Gay Marriage: I am actually in favor of clan marriages. Some state may want to authorize them. In a clan marriage, there are multiple males and multiple females. You share the revenue and build capital. Individuals in the marriage can go off on special projects, like education or travel. Children are raised together and perhaps one adult decides to stay home and care for the kids. It is incorporated and you buy into the marriage and can leave the marriage and pull out your capital. Secual relations is negotiated.
Health Reform: Like I said, this should be a state issue and each state can decide how to cover people. Medicaid and Medicare should be offered by the state and federal funds for those programs would go to the state. If 1,000 cancer patients signed up, the rates would have to go up.
Fin. Industry: not sure.
Foreign Policy: we agree
Education: It's a state issue. Some state will want vouchers and other competition mechanisms.
Pol. Fin. Reform: agree
Environment: we agree
Immigration: they can always join the service and get their citizenship. Read Immigration found here: http://www.modernwhig.org/issues.html
Church/State: we agree
nice one!RW
I remembered this morning that this post was supposed to be about what Democrats believed to be their positions and whether that lines up. Here is my attempt to identify shared issues with the original Democrats.
Gay Marriage: Democrats are for it nationally, I am for it at the state level.
Health Reform: Democrats are for it nationally, I am for it at the state level.
Fin. Industry: we agree. I am not sure of the details.
Foreign Policy: we disagree
Education: Democrats are for it nationally, I am for it at the state level.
Pol. Fin. Reform: we agree
Environment: Democrats want green tech, I want nuclear.
Immigration: we agree to a degree.
Church/State: we disagree
I love taking the health care debate stuff. If the rates go up on the 1,000 cancer patients, isn't that returning to the original problem that the Dem's are talking about: affordability. My worry ( as with many others) is that the public option lowballs insurance to the point that insurance can't compete at all. Governemnt doesn't need to make profit and will always be able to afford their overhead (thank you tax man). An example might be Medicare. How many people over 65 (the age of Medicare eligibility) have their own insurance? Medicare costs a fraction of what a private policy might cost, so what incentive does anyone over 65 have for keeping private insurance?
This also applies to work related group plans. If the punishment tax for not insuring your staff is less than the cost to insure your workers, there's a problem. Even with individual policies, there's no way to tell what prices will do or whether more people will switch to cheaper gov't care, thereby driving cost up to the point where only the really wealthy can afford private policies or the companies start going out of business. The government has been in bed with health insurance for 50 years. HMO's, group plans, have all be a guide to taking people away from individual care (and relationships with medical personnel) towards something more socialised or group oriented. JS
I don't know if you have seen this, but this would be my approach to offering HealthCare, which I would basically leave up to the states to implement but with no exclusions for pre-existing conditions (which I have you know):
1. Necessity: Healthcare is a necessity for a well functioning society, designed along the lines of compulsory education.
2. States Rights: Each state should implement their own healthcare coverage. Some will choose single payer. Others will have a regulated market.
3. Coverage: Everyone is covered - no exclusion for pre-existing conditions.
4. Affordability: No one should have to pay too much - put the high-cost patients in a large enough actuarial group to spread the cost.
5. Choice: You can choose the doctors, specialists and drug companies you do business with.
6. Competition: Protect the free enterprise nature of the industry - not so much the insurance companies, but the drug companies, hospitals, research labs, equipment/device companies.
7. Funding: There is some federal tax dollars given to those states who implement compulsory healthcare. State taxes pay for the rest. One idea is to allot an amount to the insurance card carrier. That person will spend that money. If you need to exceed the amount alloted, your insurance rates will go up to a higher bracket which is also subsidized by state taxes.
8. Medicaid and Medicare: These remain federal programs for those states that do not adopt compulsory healthcare. They become part of the state program for those states that do adopt compulsory healthcare. The federal funds will go to the state, and will be phased out over time as the state collects revenue for these programs.
As far as what you've written, going from direct health-care to individual health insurance and on to group insurance, they have just been spreading the cost and spreading the risk (I'll bet the two are related), bringing down average rates. If we add in the 1,000 cancer patients with pre-existing conditions then the risk/cost will go up for everyone in the group. To keep it affordable, ins companies are going to have to dump their individual plans and put everyone in the same group. If there are 3 insurance companies in a state, then they will have to balance this somehow or it seems that one company will do better than the other two and everyone will signup for the cheapest insurance. Ultimately it seems there will only be one insurance company for everyone. RW
Gay Marriage: I am a bit biased in this respect, being a lesbian. I'm for it at the federal level, but I don't think that this will ever happen. Ideally I'd like for government to stay out of marriage completely. Marriage should be a civil contract with no explicit religious meaning. You can then go have whatever ceremony you like. No religious organization would be required to marry a gay couple.
Health Care: This should be a state issue. Over time I would like government to disappear from the equation all together. Everyone would have to pay their own way, including politicians. Medicare and Social Security should be replaced with more robust and reliable private options. I think that some restructuring of the insurance industry is necessary to make sure that everyone can afford it. I don't buy into the idea that people who can't afford health care just don't work hard enough for it.
Regulation of Financial Industry: I'm undecided on this issue. Preferably government shouldn't interfere too much with the private sector. No more too big to fail.
Foreign Policy: A complicated issue and ultimately one to be resolved at the federal level. I think that we could reduce defense (and I use that term lightly) spending and still have more than enough firepower to protect ourselves. We should only go to war when there is a clear and present threat to our national security. We should also encourage our close allies in Europe and Asia to boost their military capacities so that they don't rely on us to protect them. Ever heard the saying, "An armed society is a polite one"? I think this also applies to geopolitics.
Education: This is another state issue. We need to start focusing on what is really important. No more divisive evolution vs. creation. It's tiresome and trivial. Let's start teaching proper arithmetic, reading, writing, and history again. Our education system is the laughing stock of the civilized world.
Political Finance Reform: Yes
Environmental Protection: The less reliant we are on foreign oil, the safer we will be. First allow for more drilling here. Use government incentives to get private companies to invest in alternative energy. Solar, wind, natural gas and geothermal are the future.
Immigration: Military service is a good option. However, I am sure that we can define more option for those who wish to opt out. Immigrants should be required to enter this country through the proper channels. They must express a wish to integrate into American society and be at least somewhat proficient in the English language.
Church and State Separation: The Constitution provides for a framework in which individuals may choose to express their religious views in the political arena. Neither the fed nor the state should fund or promote any one particular religion. Government spaces should be able to display any religious or secular symbol as long as everyone is allowed equal access. Prayer in schools should be legal, but should not be compulsory.
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