General Discussion

Ranked choice voting

I agree. However, I'm curious exactly what type of ranked voting system you would advocate for — Instant Runoff, Single Transferable Vote, etc.

Mandatory Voting

I disagree. The right to vote also encompasses one's right to not vote. Even if one ignores the freedom aspect of it, an argument could be made that mandatory voting would actually have a negative effect: forcing people to vote, who otherwise wouldn't've, will likely cause them to choose whomever they are the most familiar with — essentially, this means that the person who can afford the most advertising is the most likely to win. Furthermore, as pointed out in this comment, there are potential privacy risks associated with tracking voters.

Universal vote by mail

I disagree. There is too much potential for abuse.

Voting day national holiday

I agree.

Legalize marijuana

I agree — granted, I would legalize all drugs. However, I'm of the opinion that selling it to minors should still be illegal. I've also been considering the idea that any entity that wants to engage in the sale of addictive substances must also provide, proportional to their sale volume, rehabilitation centers. There would also need to be strict regulation, such as there is with the sale of food, on their production, and composition.

Legalize prostitution

I agree. Of course, this would then mean that prostitutes would be entitled to the same employee protections, and rights as anyone else.

Revert Citizens United v. FEC

I'm not very familiar with this court case, so my answer isn't thoroughly thought out, but, if I understand it correctly, that ruling overturned a previous ruling that prohibited some forms of election spending. If so, I would agree with such a ruling — I believe that people have the right to spend their money where they see fit. It is the voter's duty to determine whether the person should be elected.

Abolish corporate home ownership

I disagree. I'm not sure I understand your rationale behind this one. Why don't you think this should be allowed? As long as the land-value taxes are being payed, the people are being justly compensated for the ownership of that land.

Abolish the electoral college

I haven't come to a firm decision on this matter. Would you mind elaborating on your rationale?

Abolish gerrymandering

While I agree with the sentiment that gerrymandering is bad, what would you suggest should be done to "abolish" it?

Abolish filibuster

I disagree (I don't disagree with the idea that filibustering is bad. I disagree that it should be prohibited). It is the duty of the voters to hold their representatives to account.

Merge senate into house

I disagree (from the perspective of the U.S. Congress). I would like to know your rationale for why you want them merged. The intent of a bicameral legislature is to act as a sort of "check and balance" on new legislation — it plays an important role in a federation. Do you disagree that this is the case? If so, why?

Remove house rep cap

I've never thought about this. I'm inclined to agree. I can't think of, nor can I find, any good reason for why there is a cap beyond the arbitrary.

Universal healthcare

This a tricky one. I'm not yet convinced that it is as cut and dry as many people make it out to be — there are many caveats. I, at the very least, am strongly inclined to favor a hybrid system. There are also certain circumstances where a free market is simply not compatible (e.g. emergency departments).

Universal basic income

While I understand the rationale that it would effectively cover one's right to life, I have economic concerns. Primarily, I am concerned that it would lead to runaway inflation. I have considered other options like breaking down the necessities for life into categories and apportioning them equally (e.g. foodstamps). I have not yet come to a conclusion on this matter.

Income up to $50k untaxed

I'm more of the thinking that income taxes should be abolished.

Ban tax preparation companies

...why? I suppose there is some lobbying risk, but, beyond that, I don't understand this one. However, even if there was lobbying risk, they are within their rights, imo.

IRS files taxes for citizens

This may only be possible for simple taxes. Anything more complicated than simple income tax would not really be feasible, I think. Also, it is important to note that the IRS does already offer this, to an extent. I could be mistaken, though. In all honesty, I think the solution is to just simply taxes, rather than trying to obfuscate away their unnecessary complexity. This, most likely, will just lead to more bloat, and money wastage.

VAT for luxury items

Generally, I would disagree with the implementation of a VAT. The only tax on products that I would support is one that is in the form of compensation to the public for damages (e.g. environmental taxes).

Supreme court 15 year term limit

I'm not certain on the exact number, but I am in favor of the idea of term limits for non-elected officials.

Increase highest bracket tax (+5%)

Again, I'm more in favor of abolishing income tax.

Collateral for loan is realized gain

I don't understand the rationale for this. Would you mind elaborating?

Abolish PACs and lobbying

This is similar to the point about Citizens United v. FEC. It is the voter's job to hold elected officials accountable.

Politicians banned from stocks

I think this is sort of missing the point. What you're effectively getting at is that insider trading should be illegal, which it is. The real question is why the SEC, or related government agencies in other countries, doesn't seem to go after some people when it seems obvious that they are engaging in insider trading.

Municipalize internet service

Hm. I'm generally against adding any more government bloat unless absolutely necessary. One of the main issues with how ISPs are structured is that they somewhat currently function as an monopoly — due to intrinsic factors. This is the main reason, in my opinion, why prices are high, and why the service is often bad. Intrinsic monopolies are a tough issue to solve. I'm not sure that creating a government run ISP would make the problem any better. If anything, it might actually get worse. A cooperatively owned ISP may work, though.

Abortion constitutional right

This will always be a tricky issue. In my opinion, both sides of the debate have fair arguments. The main question is "whose rights trump whose?" Is it the baby, or the mother? Whichever one that one chooses, I would like to know their rationale. It is not an easy question to answer, imo. It most likely will always lie more in the realm of philosophy than in hard fact, which, of course, doesn't lend itself well to legislation. If I were pushed to side with a group, I would most likely side with the mother.

Ban restaurant tipping

I disagree. That being said, I certainly would like for tipping culture to die. It is not my job to ensure that an employee is payed well — that is between them and their employer.

Free financial education

I'm more in the camp of wholly restructuring how education is done, but that is out of the scope of this comment. I agree that economic literacy is important, but my beliefs on the matter of education go far beyond only that ­— I believe that we need a fundamental restructuring of the education system.