lenny's Politics

Im going to break this down by category

Abortion:

This has always been a difficult topic in the United States. I personally see no issue with the decision made in Roe v. Wade in which states must allow abortions during the first trimester, they can regulate in the second trimester to protect a woman's health, and then they have the power to ban it in the third trimester. If a woman is having an abortion during the third trimester then i see that a serious offense to humanity(unless it is to protect the woman.)

Affirmative Action:

I believe that minorities and women should be given a fair chance in the workplace. However, i do not like to see when a company is being blamed for not having enough minorities in certain situations. For example, a company should not hire an African American simply because he is African American. People should be hired based on what they can produce at the workplace, and seeing how the majority of America is still white, it would make sense seeing the majority of employees at a workplace being white. Of course, there are exceptions to this. If a company is receiving many qualified African Americans and simply rejecting them for race, then that is a problem.

Animal Rights:

We eat them. How can you expect them to have many rights? However, i will not deny that animals have feelings and in no circumstance i believe should an animal have to endure pain and suffering. Chop its head off, give it pain reliever, or whatever it is. Just don't make them endure pain.

Climate Change:

This IS a thing. If nearly every single scientist in the world is providing evidence of this, why would you try denying it? It is not as if every single scientist is a democrat so there must be some truth to this. Again this is one of those issues i feel shouldn't be an issue it is something both parties should be working together on behind the cameras. How do we fix the issue? You use alternative fuels first of all. Oil, Gas and Coal are not going to last forever AND they pollute the environment. If the potential is there to replace them with energy sources that dont pollute AND will not run out, then why not do so? Will the big oil and gas companies lose business and workers? Yes. But they will move to alternative fuel businesses.

Death Penalty:

I don't think we should stoop to their level. I would rather see them suffer and rot in prison the rest of their life than get a quick way to just end their life and no longer have to deal with what they did. The argument to this is of course that they will not learn their lesson in prison because prisons are supposed to be more like rehab centers than punishment centers. My quick fix to that is to make more prisons that aren't meant to serve that purpose. You build a prison with literally the purpose of making them pay for what they've done.

Drugs:

Just because it's a plant, doesn't mean it's good for you(Poison Ivy for example). Anything that distorts your mind for non-medical reasons(Yes, this means i support marijuana use for medical purposes), should not be legal. Anything that is not air or albuterol(used for asthma) should not be legal to enter your lungs. I have no issue with marijuana being decriminalized(meaning not requiring jail time for use), but i believe the fines for using it, and other illegal drugs should be substantially higher. Money talks. And if you take away their money, they will stop using it eventually. I also believe we should be focusing more on rehab than building prisons for drug users.

Economy:

It pisses me off to see Republicans still arguing that the economy is failing under President Obama. Sure, that would have been a good argument to have in 2010-2011, but in 2014 i mean c'mon. Im not saying the economy is now perfect, but it IS in far better shape than it was when Obama inherited the crisis. I would drop the argument because arguing isn't fixing anything. If anything Republicans are starting to look like they DONT want the economy to recover. Also, trickle down economics don't work.. go back to school for a refresher course.

Education:

Some people say common core does not work. Some people say the federal government has no business entering education across the country. Both of these are true. Although the federal government has no business entering education, it is not a bad thing that it does. The extra money is needed and it makes sense the country should have a standard when it comes to education. This brings up common core, which is evidently not working out well. I support the IDEA of the Common Core. But the system that was brought up and is being implemented is not working. This is typically due to states not complying appropriately and there being a misunderstanding of the concept. I also believe the standards are being risen to rapidly. Americans(for the most part) are dumb. Especially when compared to Asian and Scandinavian countries. But you cant expect them to brighten up overnight. Take it slow, this isnt a concept everybody will like right away and its not something that will show results right away.

Foreign Affairs:

The cold war never ended, China surpassing us in economic strength is embarrassing, Iraq war was a failure and should never have happened, Afghanistan is a failure, we need to push a two state solution to Israel(especially if we are paying for their Iron Dome system and 20% of their defense budget, NATO is our best friend, Iran and North Korea must not get nukes(obviously), and Africa should be a HUGE area of interest(in terms of national security threats and investment). Just remember though, that there is a United Nations and there is a NATO. We are not the world's police.

Guns:

The idea that Democrats are trying to take away people's guns is ridiculous. But some democrats do wish to abolish the second amendment, and that is also ridiculous. Americans have the right to own guns. Republicans like to say "Guns dont kill people, people kill people." if thats the case, then why the fuck would you give some of these people guns in the first place?? I do believe people have the right to own guns. I plan on owning a firearm in the near future. But obtaining a firearm is NOT supposed to be easy. Eventually, yes, if a person wants a gun, he or she should be able to get it within a reasonable amount of time(meaning after extensive background checks and paying several fees) but for you to have gun shows where people can just walk in and leave with an AR in 15 minutes is absolutely ridiculous. Bottom line, the second amendment stays, but it shouldn't be easy to obtain a gun.

Healthcare:

ObamaCare isnt perfect. But it's better than what we had before. Its time to catch up to the rest of the world and adapt to Universal Healthcare.

Homeland Security:

If it weren't for the Patriot Act and NSA, there is a good chance you would be dead right now. Both of these go a bit too far i will agree and THAT is what should be the topic of debate. If you haven't done anything wrong and don't raise any flags you shouldn't be concerned. If you are concerned, then you are probably a red flag and in that case i hope the FBI comes crashing through your front door. Again, its a delicate situation. If they start putting cameras in peoples homes then yeah, i'd be concerned.. but they're not. Also, ISIS threat is pretty serious and should be taken as that. But ISIS is an Iraqi and Syrian enemy more than anything else, and they should be the ones who get to fight on the ground, not us. The greatest threat we face though is cyber crime, the White House should not be capable of being hacked.

Immigration:

I liked the DREAM act. It said kids who were brought here against their will when they were young could stay. I can't understand what is the problem with that. All they can do is help America. These are people who generally do better in school, have higher morals and family values, and can likely contribute tremendously to our country's success. You have a problem with the fact that they aren't American? MAKE THEM AMERICAN.... problem solved. Adult immigrants are another story. To be honest, i think all illegal immigrants currently here should be given an opportunity to stay. Dont make it easy for them, but give them a chance. Make them pay enormous fees, wait in the back of the line, etc. If anything, its our fault for allowing them to get here. In other words, i think our immigration system needs a "restart". The ones here should be able to prove themselves(because honestly, are you really going to deport 11 million people currently in America?) and then you toughen the border and send the signal that from this point forward, anyone who crosses will be sent back.

LGBTQ:

They are people too. I do not approve of what they do necessarily since i am not gay and am catholic. However, this doesn't suddenly mean they are objects. They are just as American as anybody else and contribute just as much. Who are you to judge them and tell them who they do or do not love. They should be able to marry. Let THEM deal with God. My only issue is how they receive a form of "hype" in the media. For example, Apple's CEO recently announcing he is gay... WHY DO WE CARE? WHY IS THIS NEWS? SO WHAT? I know they make these big announcements to help empower others to step out the closet, but it should not even be an announcement. If you are gay, that is your business. The majority of people do not accept this concept, and for legit reasons. You cannot just force this upon people. If a man is on the street making out with another man, people are going to cringe. Accept it, and deal with it until it is no longer a thing.

Social Security:

You grow old and find out you're not getting any money and see how you react. It is something that is necessary but not easy to have, especially when there are more old people than youth. By 65-67 a person should receive their social security. Where it comes from is up in the air. I hear some rich people make more money than they will ever use in 10 lifetimes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

tl;dr

Nothing wrong with Roe v. Wade
Minorities and women should be given fair chance in work place. But don't get mad if there aren't enough qualified minorities.
Animals have feelings too.
Climate Change is real
We shouldn't stoop to their level with the death penalty
Just because its a plant, doesn't mean its good for you
Economy IS recovering.. trickle down economics don't work
Common Core is a good idea but current system needs overhaul
Cold War never ended, China surpassing us is embarrassing, Iraq and Afghan Wars were failures, Two-State solution is best and Israel better agree if they want our money, and America is not world police.
People have the right to own guns, but it should not be easy.
We have universal healthcare like the rest of the world. Get over it and work on perfecting it.
NSA and Patriot Act are helping protect us. Focus more on accountability in those agencies rather than complaining about their existence. If you have a problem with current big brother, YOU have a problem and i hope they break down your front door.
You can't blame children for being brought here against their will when they were kids. They can contribute great things to America and should be given citizenship. You can't deport 11 million immigrants without hurting our economy. Give them a chance to prove themselves and fine them. Strengthen the damn border so 11 million doesn't turn into 50
LGBTQ people are humans too. They are Americans who deserve all the rights of other Americans, including right to marry. They will deal with God when the time comes.
Social Security is needed. Take some money from those ultra rich people who have money to survive 10 lifetimes.

Thanks for reading if you did. Even if it was just the tl;dr section

If a citizen is capable of passing extensive screening and checks, why should they also have "several fees" heaped upon them? Do lower income individuals and families not have a right to be able to defend themselves?

Well it costs money to buy the gun, and if you are going to use government resources(the time it takes for the extensive background check) i believe you should coff up at least something. Im not saying the fee should be expensive because like you said, everybody should be able to own a gun. But i do believe there should be some kind of fee.

Your assertion about big brother is pretty absurd. If there isn't evidence that I have done something wrong, then I have a right to privacy which trumps anything any government agency wants. People have a right to hide things and it is no one's damn business why they choose to do so until some evidence surfaces to show that they have criminal intentions. If that evidence surfaces through unethical means which violate the privacy of a citizen, then shame on the agency and they should be held responsible for letting that person off the hook because that evidence ought not be admissible. That responsibility should motivate the agencies to hold their work to a standard befitting of the station to which they have been entrusted.

Like i said, the accountability should be under question. These things SHOULD exist in my opinion. But as i said in the longer version of that position, the Patriot Act and NSA both go to extremes at times. And THAT should be the debate. I feel as if people become a bit panicked when it comes to these agencies. They are not searching every single person for no good reason. If they are looking at you, it is likely for a good reason and in that case i would prefer they looked at you because in this day and age, you never know who the lone wolf is. If you are just any ordinary citizen going on with his or her life, then you are likely not being watched and should have nothing to worry about. If you are worried then it means you likely have something serious to hide. Everybody has secrets but if these agencies are looking at yours, then again, it is likely for good reason