I’m Without A Presidential Candidate — Part 3
This is part three of my personal platform, a process that was birthed because none of the major candidates represent anything close to my point of view. For the introduction and explanation, and to start from the beginning, see Part 1.
11. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on BUSINESS & LABOR?
I find myself in the odd position of being pro-labor and pro-business. It is shameful that we have turned these two camps into competitors. The truth is that the best leadership recognizes the strengths of each, and works toward a positive collaboration. As Bob Goudzwaard pointed out, even a business owner never owns the business–he or she may own some of the capital, but what makes the business work is the efforts of people who have joined together in willing, voluntary association. It’s time we tear down the silos and work together.
And, no, this is not idealistic, as Canada’s Work Research Foundation has demonstrated.
12. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on ABORTION?
While I am unapologetically pro-life, I am not unsympathetic to the arguments from the pro-choice side. In fact, I have a request: Let’s reconsider the abortion discussion using today’s technology and medical science, rather than relying on the science of 1973. Honestly, our understanding of the pre-natal world has changed significantly, and I think we need to take that into consideration as we move forward in this discussion.
I believe we have a responsibility to honor and respect those involved–the unborn child, the mother, and even the father. Even so, I do not hold to the idea of “the sanctity of human life” — instead, I believe that we need to understand life as a gift of God: Not sacred in and of itself, but valued because of the giver of that gift.
13. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on CAPITAL PUNISHMENT?
I live in a state where two young women have been killed over the past 10 years in high-profile cases. It is difficult for me to defend the lives of the two killers involved. I believe that capital punishment ought to be more rare than it is, but I am hesitant to eliminate it completely.
For someone whose mind is so broken as to commit such heinous crimes, it may be that the death penalty is the merciful thing. Again, this goes back to my assertion that life is not, in-and-of-itself, something sacred.
14. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on MARIJUANA laws?
I would be opposed to any change in marijuana laws until there is a reliable test for driving under the influence. Even then, I’m unconvinced that there are good reasons for decriminalization. I have no axe to grind in this discussion, and therefore, no hard stance.
I oppose use of marijuana for the same reason that I do not smoke, and drink only rarely. In Biblical terms, everything may be permissible, but not everything is beneficial.
15. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on GUN CONTROL?
Most people forget that the point of the “Right to Bear Arms” was so that we, as citizens, had the firepower to overthrow the government should that become necessary. In general, I do not think we should cede that right back. I don’t see any need for revolution, but that was the point.
I do believe, however, that guns should be more aggressively licensed. In at least one of the high-profile murder cases cited above, the killer was a convicted felon, and yet had a number of assault rifles in his posession, one of which was used for the murder. Convicted criminals must lose this right, along with the other constitutional privileges they lose.