My political leanings, as I may have mentioned, are pretty lefty. I support socialized medicine (a.k.a. single-payer universal not-for-profit health coverage), alternative energy and mass transit, equal rights (regardless of gender, race, religion, physical ability, height, weight, or any other distinction of person or belief), and protection of the Constitution from the bottom up. When it comes to gay marriage, I think either *anybody* should be able to get married....or everybody should get to have civil unions. I think abortion should be legal, safe, and rare...and that there should be compassionate safeguards in place to help women under 18 cope with pregnancy - with the supportof their parents whenever that's possible. I think there are times when sending our armed forces into battle is necessary....I think George W. Bush doesn't have a clue what those times look like. I think religion is a private matter, and the values that stem from religious beliefs should be kept just as private (and not imposed on anyone else).
I believe that outside the United States and some parts of Europe, most of the world barely scrapes by without fair wages, access to medical care or reliable food or potable water. I believe that unconscionable manufacturing processes (i.e., "sweat shops") allow me to buy cheap goods, while those who create them suffer daily in unbearable living conditions. I believe that organized labor should be a worldwide practice, and I believe that "Fair Trade" legislation is only fair to the corporations and executives that lobby for it.
I believe in an oppressive patriarchy that serves to keep women and minorities subservient to the wishes of the dominant culture - which is why more women are trying to lose thirty pounds than ever run for office or seek out positions of leadership. I believe that marketing is the biggest modern evil, and I think greed is the Achilles heel of the human race. I think nuclear power is dangerous, overmedication is epidemic, and that corporations cannot be "citizens."
I believe that an educated populace is one that cannot be controlled by greedy people; I think it's important to check the voting records of my representatives, to let them know what I think about the issues being presented to them, and to hold them accountable both by writing regularly and with my vote. I believe that democracy is the crappiest form of government anywhere....except all the other kinds. I think voting is the least I can do in gratitude for the sacrifices made by the Founding Fathers and the generations since.
