My political views

I do not believe in the right-left political spectrum – in fact I believe it is the chief mode of control in the world today, and particularly so in the politics of the United States.

When people ask me where I fit on this bizarre spectrum, I tell them that my heart leans to the left, my head leans to the right, and my soul rejects the entire notion.

In general, when the size of governments increase, the level of freedom decreases.  This is exponentially more true for governments who claim authority over larger land masses (ie more true for national government than state, state than local, etc.)

Some words or phrases that describe my political views, and why:

• moderate: I don’t regard any of my views as absolute or universal.
• radical (like the mathematical operation): I believe that the best way to address a problem of public significance is to look for the root of the problem, even if it may be counter-intuitive.  I do not believe that the words “radical” and “extreme” have anything in common, and I think that some radical views are extreme in the context of contemporary political dialogue while others are not.
• pragmatic: A big part of what determines whether I favor a particular solution are these two questions: “Will it work well?” and “Is it fairly simple?”
• republican (not as in GOP, but as in the state as a republic): I favor the specific enumeration of all government powers.  I believe justice requires that all government powers be listed in common-sense language.  The government cannot act outside these powers, even with the support of 99% of the population.  In this context, I figure that a person who favors democracy holds that some segment of the population (usually 51%) can agree to expand the power of government.
• anarchist: I often have trouble distinguishing government from organized crime.
  • aracho-capitalist: If government is materially reduced in size and capacity, which I will work to ensure, I believe that the free trade in goods and services, for a profit, will become universally more ethical and will no longer be to the detriment of an underprivileged class.  I do not see social responsibility and capitalist ingenuity as mutually exclusive except when government interferes.
  • anarcho-socialist: I think that every person has a moral responsibility to care for others.  If government is materially reduced in size and capacity, I believe that people will have a duty to come together to provide the services that government currently provides (and more) for the poor and downtrodden.  I believe this can be done at a tiny, nearly trivial fraction of the cost that our government currently spends.  There is no need for hunger, thirst, or homelessness in our world, and no need to go broke minimizing these conditions.

• wiki (as in the collaborative medium): I like systems of discourse over public policy that are simple and non-hierarchical.
• minarchist: All other things being equal, I trust local communities and families over governments.  When in doubt, less government is better.
• progressive: I often find myself noticing people with different ideas talking past one another, with each not really hearing the perspective of the other.  I like to help these conversation move forward (as in the verb “progress”).  On a deeper level, I regard the progression of technological advancement as important in thinking about what makes sense politically.
• feminist: It is obvious to me that “masculine” and “feminine” are more social than constructs (although, in our patriarchal society, they are also that).  While females can only be impregnated by one male per year, a male can impregnate a huge number of females in that same time period.  I think that these fundamentally different paradigms lead to many differences in thought and understanding of nature.  Furthermore, I think that the feminine perspective is superior at solving many of today’s problems.
• environmentalist: I think that pollution is a tresspass to land and body.  I think that local communities have a right to enjoin the activities of those who pollute their air, water, land, food, etc.
• conservative: I think that conservation, particularly in world-trade, is very important.  I think government debt is morally equivalent to slavery.  I oppose paper money.  I think that communities function best with a general rule (not without exceptions) of people working to provide for themselves and their families.
• civil libertarian: When fundamental civil liberties and the intentions of government conflict, I almost always favor civil liberties.
• skeptic: I take with a grain of salt the claims of all parties.  I think that the simplest explanation is pretty frequently a good one.

What are fundamental rights?

• Thought: To think freely using the available processing power that one rightly owns, especially but not only one’s biological brain.
• Speech: To express one’s views and conclusions, even if they may be offensive to some others.  Also, the right to one’s own rightfully acquired bandwidth, electronic and otherwise.
• Travel: To be free from confinement on the basis of land property.  I don’t believe people have a right to “travel” inside the homes of others, but I do believe we all have a right to traverse, non-destructively, across the land, no matter who claims ownership over it.
• Press: To document any events that one has rightly access to view or hear and to distribute such documentation.
• Assembly: To gather at any place at any time with any number of people for any reason so long as such assembly is peaceful, non-destructive, and non-disruptive.
• Defense: To protect oneself, one’s family, and one’s property against violence or fraud.
• Collaboration / contracts: To enter into agreements with others without pre-authorization of any kind.
• Body & mind: To be the only arbiter of what does and does not enter one’s physical and spiritual being.
• Property: To acquire, preserve, and transport material goods, but not to the exclusion of the rights of others (ie, a “no-trespassing” policy preventing travel across an exclusive easement or access way)