Who do you really want to vote for?

[Frog]

Topics presented with what you favor and how important.
I'll admit I was a bit surprised by my results.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

[Medley]

An independant as the top pick, and the best match had a "disagree" list twice as long as the "agree" one.

About what I expected, really. However, every candidate on the list disagreed with my position on the line item veto. Odd, that.

I'm still waiting for the candidate that makes the statment, "We have achieved success in Iraq. They now have a legislature that is every bit as functional and efficient as our own." But then, that kind of honesty is hard to find in politics.

- Joe U.

[zinbaad]

Very surprised to the results, I guess I better follow the candidates a bit more on the issues, but I will get out there & vote

[walterick]

Thank you for posting this. I was pleased with the results. The one I intend to vote for was my third strongest match, and my top 2 I just haven't researched yet (too early for me). I guess I'm in the right party

[JSPhoto]

lol.... well I guess I'll have to vote for myself because none of them come close.

JS

[mwfanelli2]

lol.... well I guess I'll have to vote for myself because none of them come close.

JS

Same here! Every candidate was almost 50-50 with my positions. It appears that, once again, I will be voting against someone rather than for someone.

[mn shutterbug]

lol.... well I guess I'll have to vote for myself because none of them come close.

JS

You might as well have my vote too. :thumbsup:

[Medley]

Oooh, a write-in campaign! JS for President!

- Joe U.

[Xia_Ke]

Oh good gawd was that scary. Came up with a tie between Kucinich and Guiliani :mad2: JS, you got my vote :thumbsup:

[another view]

Came up with a tie between Kucinich and Guiliani

Interesting, they were near both ends of the list for me. I really haven't paid much attention yet because it hasn't come down to who will be on a ballot. Once we know that, I'll start working on it but that takes a bunch of them off the list.

[JSPhoto]

lol, but you don't my stances on these positions.... I guess I'll have to put my answers here so you can make the right choice

I have actually written my name in twice in presidentail elections because none of them were worth voting for IMO.

JS

[JSPhoto]

My responces to the questions:

1: Iraq - US forces need to stay as long as it takes for Iraqi forces to get control
Too many have given their lives and been wounded to "just pull out" and abandon Iraq. And too many Iraqi's have died, we started it, we need to finish the job and make the country safe for the future.

2: Immigration - I favor stiff fines for employers who hire illegal immigrants, a security fence along the border, and a denial of citizenship to children born here of parents who are in the U.S. illegally. I oppose any form of amnesty - I think all illegals should be rounded up and sent back to their home countries if they are not willing to become US citizens under the present laws with an addition. Taken from France (yeah, France does one thing right): all people wanting to become citizens have two years to pass a test in English in addition to the present requirements. They would not be able to take jobs until they become citizens... make them EARN citizenship, do not GIVE it to them. And English would be the official language. I am not saying they forget their homelands language, just use English in public.

3: Tax cuts - yup... but the way government is run has to change as well. It needs to be like a business and not just spending....

4: Stem cell research - yes

5: Health care plan - if smaller countries can do it then we should be able to as well.

6: Abortion - only in cases of rape or the life of the mother is in jeopardy

7: SS privatization - no, but it definately needs to be run better, and less wastefull

8: Line item veto - no At the same time bills shouldn't have items added either, no special interest items, and no payoffs to get bills introduced or passed

9: Biofuel assistance - NO - they are starting up businesses such as these without federal help now.

10: Marriage - One man one woman ( and I have a gay half brother and sister)

11: Death Penalty : Favor, I also do not think it should take 10 to 30 years to execute someone, especially in cases where there is no doubt who did it.

Well I wonder how many have jumped ship now?

JS

[another view]

Well JS, some things yes and some things no.

1) Didn't the British try something along the lines of what we're doing less than 100 years ago? Look where they were at a few years ago... My thought is that whether we pull out now or years later, the end result will be the same in years to come. Sure, we created a mess there and the honorable thing to do would be to fix it, but where I'm sittin', it ain't fixable.

2) We should have been on this decades ago. Now it's such a huge problem that it seems impossible solve easily. Clamping down on new people coming in would be a good first step but the economy we have - right or wrong - depends on immigrant labor. Like I said, if we as a country wouldn't have let it get out of hand we'd be better off. I don't think just immediately making illegals citizens is the answer - they need to earn the right - but again, no quick and easy answers at this point.

3) With all of the trillions of dollars we wouldn't spend in Iraq if we left, we could afford to spend a few bucks on the long term investment of biofuels. I'd rather run a biodiesel blend for a lot of reasons, one of which is that it's better for the engine. Unfortunately there are only two stations that sell it within 25 miles of my house and they're both well out of my way. Eventually any business and industry needs to stand on it's own two feet but it's still a pretty new thing. The government has pumped money into all kinds of things over the years, but something that would help make us more self sufficient and slow down the flow of money to turbulent nations would seem to be a pretty smart move. Venezuela is a big OPEC nation. Remember what Chavez said at the UN a year or so ago? Right here in our own country. Then there's Saudi Arabia, our ally, where several 9/11 hijackers were citizens...

[Jaedon]

WooHoo... JS .. if you don't win in the US come on up here to Canada and run in the next federal election. Only problem is that the parliamentary method of election sucks. Vote for your local candidate and which ever party gets the most local candidates wins and their leader becomes the Prime minister. Personally I think we should be able to vote for our local candidate as well as who we want for prime minister. Ontario is trying to add something of that sort for the next election 4 years from now with a referendum on this ballot in a few weeks.

[Sushigaijin]

I was really surprised that a major party candidate coincided 100% with my views - that hasn't happened in, well, ever. Usually I vote for a third party. Now if only we could reform the electoral system and the legislative system. Even if the major party candidate agrees with me now, the chance that any of the legislation would have teeth is very small.

My primary voting issue is STILL soft money and campaign finance, seems that most people have all but forgotten about that stuff.

[Frog]

I'm seriously considering JS now. I agree with him on everything but number 11.

[mn shutterbug]

I have to go along with another view, on #1. I agree with his reasoning and the war is going to bankrupt our country. I don't believe we will ever recover from from the debts we owe.

[Medley]

Well JS, we only agreed on six of eleven issues, but that's still two more than any of the actual candidates, so you're still the front-runner on my ballot.

- Joe U.

[JSPhoto]

Hmmm, well I didn't loose too many there and could possibly keep one and gain one with this reply


Anotherview: I agree Iraq is a mess, but we DID create that mess, and WE need to fix it, but not the way the present administration has done, or prior administrations, hey, we are STILL in Kosovo too and were supposed to have been out long ago. I have ideas on Iraq and Kosovo that could get us out in two years and leave us a base for each the army, air force and navy at the most in Iraq, but only to have the bases, not to control the government. The bases would be to keep Iran in check. As long as were in the vicinity they won't try and attack Iraq. At this point if we just pulled out Iran would jump right in, and that is way to risky.
As for the money, Iraq should be footing most of the bill, not the US and they have the oil to pay for it, and there is plenty of gold in those palaces of Saddams....

On immigrants, I am all for them becoming citizens, BUT they must pass the English test and go through the present requirements for citizenship AND stay out of legal trouble, something many do not do. We know where millions of them are because we support them with welfare. Many just come here and live off the states and federal government programs. One lady I know of laughs about being a welfare grandmother and being on welfare since coming here 23 years ago while she and her husband worked for money under the table so they could keep collecting welfare... thats fraud and they should be jailed, but then we are supporting them again in jail... no lose situation, and as long as they are not citizens all we could do is send them back, and in a few weeks they'd be back under different names doing the same things.
On fuel: The fuel companies are doing big dollar business, they should be funding these programs themselves and paying less to their company heads and investors who get rich while expecting the middle class and poor to pay their way in research, why should Americans pay twice for what the oil companies should have been doing all along since the 70's. while the big wigs sit back and enjoy their money?

Jaedon.... it's too cold up there and the taxes are way too high just kidding (although true) but I can't speak French... and too old and onry to learn I guess I do have French Canadian blood though, one of my grandmothers families were French Canadian

Frog, and MN Shutterbug.... what costs this country more than the war in Iraq? Housing inmates. Every year we lock up more people than any other country, there are a lot of reasons for it, but we could save several billion dollars a year by not holding those convicted to death row for 10 to 30 years. The death penalty is a neccesary evil unfortunately, and it is the only thing that keeps some from going out and killing people, because they do not want to die themselves, just their victims. Unfortunately the entire US prison system needs overhauled because for way too many people they would rather be on the inside than have to get and go to work, they would rather get three hots and a cot than worry about raising their kids or going to work. They get out and go right back in because prison has become a hotel to them. Make prison a really boring place, no TV for one.
The problem starts when they are kids. I scared a buddies daughter straight and she never has stolen anything since, she was 9 then, now she's married got kids of her own, and she wants a repeat performance for one of her kids.... that lesson never left her mind! So after my football season is done I'm heading up there to take care of that one for her. Deal with them as kids the right way and they won't ever want to go to jail. Lower the poverty and it will help too, quit sending jobs over seas, get drugs off the streets. Crime, housing inmates and the damage that crime causes in this country is much more likely to bankrupt the US....unfortunately war does create thousands of jobs. The biggest employer in Indiana after the state is the US military abd the many companies like Allison engine plant, Hummer, and 200 other companies involved with miltary contracts here.

Sushigaijin - I didn't forget you but this is something that wasn't on the list, and if it were I'd be dead set against it, and all the lobbying that goes on for special intrest groups. The money spent (I should say WASTED) for elections in this country is astounding. The amount spent in an election at an average size county can be more than the GNP of many countries. That money could be put to much better uses, like HEALTH care. Limits need to be put on elections, even at the local level. Only the rich get to go to $1500 a plate dinners, and thats just showing the not so rich they do not matter. The problem is that our "system" caters to the rich and not the average person.
JS

[JSPhoto]

Well JS, we only agreed on six of eleven issues, but that's still two more than any of the actual candidates, so you're still the front-runner on my ballot.

- Joe U.

I tried

John

[mwfanelli2]

OK, some comments (is anyone surprised?):

1: Iraq - US forces need to stay as long as it takes for Iraqi forces to get control
Too many have given their lives and been wounded to "just pull out" and abandon Iraq. And too many Iraqi's have died, we started it, we need to finish the job and make the country safe for the future.

This is the exact argument used to keep us in Vietnam. I hated the argument then, I hate it now. The only result was the death of many more of our soldiers and a ragtag withdrawal. We can not save the world. It was stupid to go in and even more ridiculous to keep throwing more live bodies into the pit. This had absolutely nothing to do with us. Bush created terrorism in the country and instability in the region thanks to his compulsive lies and raw stupidity. More killing to try and save face is wrong. We gain nothing by staying nor do the people of Iraq.

2: Immigration - I favor stiff fines for employers who hire illegal immigrants, a security fence along the border, and a denial of citizenship to children born here of parents who are in the U.S. illegally....

The laws already do most of this. They just aren't enforced.

3: Tax cuts - yup... but the way government is run has to change as well. It needs to be like a business and not just spending....

Politicians live to tax and spend. The Republican's "tax break" was a farce that moved spending into the deficit column that we will have to pay anyway. Get rid of waste and pork and mindless wars and we wouldn't be in this situation. I don't really know if there is any real way to reel in these federal politicians, it may be too late.

4: Stem cell research - yes
5: Health care plan - if smaller countries can do it then we should be able to as well.
7: SS privatization - no, but it definately needs to be run better, and less wastefull
8: Line item veto - no At the same time bills shouldn't have items added either, no special interest items, and no payoffs to get bills introduced or passed

Yep.

tion - only in cases of rape or the life of the mother is in jeopardy

I personally do not like abortion but I do not see "government as nanny" as a good thing. Education has done more to reduce abortion rates than anything else. Teach kids about real-life options of birth control (other than "abstinence") and abortion will be come a non-issue for most cases.

9: Biofuel assistance - NO - they are starting up businesses such as these without federal help now.

Agree but for a different reason. Biofuels are really no better than petroleum if you take the entire start-to-finish process into account for both. Plus, it takes a good chunk of the food supply away.

10: Marriage - One man one woman ( and I have a gay half brother and sister)

Government has no business whatsoever in marriage of any kind. Standard contract law already exists for the legal stuff. Give back marriages to the private sector, let each organization make any rules they want.

It is also NOT the government's role to dictate religious versions of morality.

11: Death Penalty : Favor, I also do not think it should take 10 to 30 years to execute someone, especially in cases where there is no doubt who did it.

"No doubt who did it" is the very reason we take so long! I have no problem at all with the time it takes. If we can prove beyond any doubt at all, rather than relying on a "feeling", that a person is guilty, then go for it. That is the ONLY way to insure the right person is being killed.

[JETA]

I loved this. I thought I'd score out way more liberal then I am, but did not. How very interesting. There was one topic I knew nothing about so didn't vote. Lots of food for thought.

[another view]

I have ideas on Iraq and Kosovo that could get us out in two years

Nixon had a "secret plan" to get us out of Vietnam when he was running for office, but it didn't work obviously. Why not tell us about the plan so that voters (assuming you're going to run ) can decide for themselves if it will work or not, based on a lot of debate by the "experts". Otherwise we don't know what the story is...

...being on welfare since coming here 23 years ago while she and her husband worked for money under the table so they could keep collecting welfare...

This doesn't just happen with illegal immigrants, not by a long shot. I agree with Michael that the existing laws need to be enforced, starting about a generation or so ago. The whole welfare thing is a different subject, and it burns my you-know-what to see the woman two doors down who just doesn't want to work. She's a citizen by birth, etc. And we're all paying for it. I've been working full time since I was 18 and never taken a dime of welfare. I'm glad that I'm able to do that and I understand that's not the case with everyone but those who are able and just don't feel like working shouldn't be on welfare. Sorry for the sidetrack rant...

On fuel:

I know that BP, Shell and others have slick commercials talking about what they're doing to save the world but the names I see on the plants producing biofuels are ones that most people have never heard of. It's a different world, but it would be nice to see it at the same pumps right along side - or in place of - 100% petroleum products. I don't know much about ethanol, but I do know a guy who is pretty involved with biodiesel and he doesn't think that ethanol is the real answer to the problem (maybe there's something else that could use some research money?). BioD on the other hand fares much better compared to petroleum diesel fuel than ethanol (E85 blend, 85% ethanol; 15% gasoline) to gasoline. Using a higher percentage of biodiesel than about 12% in the winter can cause troubles on the coldest days here (roughly the same climate as you) but I know of guys using B98 and straight waste vegetable oil in the summer with absolutely no problems. There are some modifications needed to use WVO in a diesel car, but it's nothing too involved. If I had a good source for it, I might be interested myself...

[SmartWombat]

1: Iraq -
Should never have gone there in the first place. Pull out ASAP, seal the borders and let them get on with it. The US is not the world's policeman, just the biggest kid on the block.
6: Abortion - disagree
11: Death Penalty - no, you can never be absolutely sure, even DNA evidence is not 100%

2: Immigration - yes
Add points-based system like Australia operates for skill selection
3: Tax cuts - go simple
Flat rate of tax, no exceptions, no exemptions, not for anyone.
Gets rid of lots of government tax officers, tax lawyers, etc - they can go do useful work.
4: Stem cell research - yes
5: Health care plan - yes
7: SS privatization - agree, government waste is astounding
8: Line item veto - agree, end pork barrel politics
9: Biofuel assistance - agree
10: Marriage - agree

[photophorous]

Well JS, some things yes and some things no.

1) Didn't the British try something along the lines of what we're doing less than 100 years ago? Look where they were at a few years ago... My thought is that whether we pull out now or years later, the end result will be the same in years to come. Sure, we created a mess there and the honorable thing to do would be to fix it, but where I'm sittin', it ain't fixable.

2) We should have been on this decades ago. Now it's such a huge problem that it seems impossible solve easily. Clamping down on new people coming in would be a good first step but the economy we have - right or wrong - depends on immigrant labor. Like I said, if we as a country wouldn't have let it get out of hand we'd be better off. I don't think just immediately making illegals citizens is the answer - they need to earn the right - but again, no quick and easy answers at this point.

3) With all of the trillions of dollars we wouldn't spend in Iraq if we left, we could afford to spend a few bucks on the long term investment of biofuels. I'd rather run a biodiesel blend for a lot of reasons, one of which is that it's better for the engine. Unfortunately there are only two stations that sell it within 25 miles of my house and they're both well out of my way. Eventually any business and industry needs to stand on it's own two feet but it's still a pretty new thing. The government has pumped money into all kinds of things over the years, but something that would help make us more self sufficient and slow down the flow of money to turbulent nations would seem to be a pretty smart move. Venezuela is a big OPEC nation. Remember what Chavez said at the UN a year or so ago? Right here in our own country. Then there's Saudi Arabia, our ally, where several 9/11 hijackers were citizens...

Steve For President.

I think we could use Another View.