My world view is from an “Agnostic Humanist” point of view, which is defined at ReligiousTolerance.org
“Agnostic Humanists. These individuals are undecided about the existence of God. Further, they do not really consider the question to be particularly important. They have derived their moral and behavioral codes from secular considerations. Their ethical behavior would not be altered if a deity were proven to exist.”
I’m not a Christian but I’m going to appropriate Galatians 5: 22-23 as good standards to try and live up to.
22 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
When I read Spirit in that context, I interpret it as the “Human Spirit”. But I join with Christians or anyone else who truly try to live up to that standard. [credit to Alaskan Librarian for the inspiration]
I was a registered Republican up until the “Moral Majority” took over the party. I still agree with some of the fiscal conservatives points of view on many issues. However when they start off with the attitude that everyone is guilty of trying to rip off the system is where they lose me. I also value my right to privacy which doesn’t seem to be a high priority with the GOP. I’m now an “undeclared” voter.
1) I’m Pro Life. I just don’t believe the government should have the right to force a woman to give birth if that isn’t her choice. I think we need to do everything possible to prevent unwanted pregnancies. That includes full sex education. How to use a prophylactic correctly, even giving them away and making birth control pills easily accessible. I think abstinence needs to be a big part the education as well. It’s best to wait until they are willing and able to be responsible for a child, or are willing to give up the baby for adoption.
2) There may or may not be a God. I know too many horrible things, over thousands of years have been done in God’s name. I believe religion to be one of the most dangerous influences in the world in all the history of man kind, including today. I don’t believe the Bible, Koran, or Torah is the word of God or even inspired by God.
3) There is evil in the world. Everywhere, in many of our homes and all around the globe. Nobody or no entity has a monopoly on evil. We are guilty of doing evil things with the best of intentions. It’s always been so and always will. That doesn’t mean we have to accept it and not try to change or challenge it.
4) There is an absolute right and wrong when it comes to how we interact with one another. That is the place for government and laws, to protect us from each other, but not to protect us from ourselves.
5) The US Constitution is a remarkable document that may be unparalleled in the history of the world. What makes it so remarkable is that the basic principles can be applied to our current political, social and economic environment. Even though there is no way that our founders could foresee many of the challenges facing us, we can only try to understand how they would react. Sometimes we get it wrong and we correct it later, like slavery.
6) I believe in “sufficient government”. Large enough to handle it’s duties but not so large that it smothers us with laws, rules and regulation. I believe that we, as a whole, have a moral obligation to care for those that are unable to or struggling to care for themselves. I also believe that there should be “strings” attached to our help, namely to move them to as much self sufficiency as possible as quickly as possible. I believe there is a tremendous waste in government due to redundancy and overlaps. There are some things that I believe government should not be involved with at any level.
7) I believe in a smart military. We need to recruit, train and equip all of our military to respond to threats from terrorists and rogue nations. We need to invest in technology and hardware that are forward looking to address those growing threats to us and our allies. Our military men and women serving all around the world should have the very best care, training, equipment, support, and clear objectives for their mission.
8) We need to get away from our petroleum addiction. At the same time we need to safely keep drilling and developing oil and gas deposits while we work towards less dependence on foreign sources and a depleting natural resource. The first step should be the legalization of Hemp which has the most promise to replace many of the uses of petroleum and is legal in most industrialized countries other than the U.S.A.
9) We need to get the budget under control. However we need to spend what is necessary to protect us from a total collapse. Doing nothing is not an option. I don’t like bail outs. My first inclination is to say, “let ‘em fail”. But then I think of the employees, then I think about the small businesses that those employees support. Changes must be made for sure, I can only hope that the changes being made are the one ones that will save us.
10) I’m a firm defender of the Freedom of Speech. I think without that, none of the other freedoms would be possible. The Fairness Doctrine is based on scarcity of frequencies. Radio is a dying industry that will follow the same path as Newspapers. Regardless, I don’t agree with the philosophy that because some people have something means that everyone should be given that thing. They should have the opportunity to earn it and that they shouldn’t be shut out based on bigotry or prejudice.
11) We hate too much. There are all types of factors where “aggravating circumstances” make the crime more serious. Pure and simple “Hate” should be one of those factors. If our speech leads to a crime being committed should we be held accountable for that? I don’t know.
12) Personal responsibility should be the standard in our culture. We should do everything possible to help people attain and maintain that standard. Churches and other non-profits can be part of that, but our government has an obligation to “promote the general welfare”. We need to revolutionize the welfare system, but that doesn’t mean that the government shouldn’t be a major part of that. Nobody should be reduced to begging on the streets, to the church, their neighbors, or other organizations for assistance. Those institutions are already overwhelmed and many of them receive government grants as well. I would rather my tax dollars go to helping people than 1% for the arts that usually produces the most hideous piece of crap imaginable.
13) Good health and a good education are the two most important factors of a good workforce and society. It’s in all of our best interests to do what we can do to ensure good health and good education, because that is what drives our economy. The affordable availability of education and health insurance to every citizen should be a priority.
14) Capitalism is great. The more the better. The more we can get people involved and engaged in it the better. However, we’ve seen what the lack of oversight, regulations, laws and controls produces.
15) I don’t vote for stupid people. I don’t care what party they are from or how much experience they may have, if they are stupid (by my definition) I don’t vote for them. If they are an idiot, they will select other idiots and sycophants to surround themselves with. A real leader will surround themselves with people who are also smart and don’t always agree with the leader.
16) I believe in the separation of Church and State even though those words are not in the Constitution.
17) I think the use of force should be the last resort. Whether it’s in our homes, our streets, the neighborhood cop or a military unit on the other side of the world.
18) Undocumented immigrants have “Unalienable Rights” too.
19) “All men are created equal” means gay men and women as well.
20) “State Rights” is code for taking away the rights of individuals.
21) I believe in science over fiction about the origin of life.
22) Government should get out of the marriage business.
23) We need to stop the “War on Drugs”.
24) Even if Global Climate Change isn’t caused by man, “recycle, reuse, and reduce” is still a good idea.
25) I believe in the right to keep and bear arms. However gun owners should be required to register them, and be held accountable for their use.
26) I believe in a flat tax. No deductions, no exclusions, every dollar first to last. Eliminate filing returns by anyone receiving a W2 or 1099. Government should not use tax law to reward, encourage or punish taxpayers.
27) I believe we need radical changes to our laws on campaign finance and elections.
28) I believe we need radical changes to our education delivery system, including school vouchers for even religious schools.
29) I believe in tolerance and respect of all cultures with the only exceptions being those that are our sworn enemies.
30) I don’t believe that the U.S. should be the worlds police force. But we should be vigilant and unrelenting in our pursuit of those that would attack us or our friends.
31) We need to change how we view Child Support. We need to encourage non-custodial parents to stay involved in the raising of their children. Unless there is a history of abuse, the non-custodial parent is a vital part of raising children to be well adjusted and productive adults. A few things that can help.
- Make child support tax deductible.
- Authorize the Child Support agency to enforce visitations.
- If the state is enforcing a child support order through the courts, then the non-custodial parent should be eligible for a court appointed attorney if they can’t afford their own.
- The Child Support agency should have a non-custodial parent advocate within the department to make sure that the rights of the non-custodial parent are protected, is treated fairly, and assist completing requested forms, and providing necessary documentation.
- The Child Support agency should be part of the Family Services division, not the department of revenue. Child support should be about the child first, not just the money
- All financial documents filed with the Child Support agency or Courts shall be confidential.
