I’m Without A Presidential Candidate — Part 4
This is part four (the conclusion–yipee!) 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.
16. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on the MINIMUM WAGE?
A minimum wage is a lose-lose proposition, no matter how you approach it. Either companies cannot afford to hire employees, or employees cannot afford to live at those wages.
I would suggest that we need to ask a different question–we need to consider what responsibility our society holds in the development of individual ability and employability. I’m not sure this would be a government welfare program, but certainly we need to find a way to help people to find meaningful work that provides a livable wage.
17. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on HEALTH CARE?
The government has hopelessly screwed up our health care system, and a universal plan would only make things worse. Let me give you a for-instance. Two hospitals, one in the city, one in a more rural area, perform the same procedure. The costs for both are similar. Under our current plan, the rural hospital gets a lower medicare reimbursement than the city hospital. The city hospital gets the higher reimbursement (not necessarily enough to cover costs) because it does more of the procedure.
We have a societal expectation that we deserve the best health care available, but the reality is that neither insurance companies nor government programs are willing to pay the true cost. With an incredible downward pressure on costs, good luck maintaining quality health care in the future: Expect all the compassion of the Eye-Are-Ess.
Tort reform also plays into this. I know of doctors who have left the practice because they could, literally, no longer afford to pay the necessary malpractice insurance. Not that these doctors had ever been sued–they just felt that six-figures for insurance each year was not worth the cost.
18. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?
I’m a rebel on this, too. Who thought it was a good idea for American citizens to go north to Canada to buy drugs? Has it not occured to anyone that Canada has a state-run health care system? Why do we think we have the right to expect their citizens to help us pay for our prescription drugs?
Drug prices pay for research and development costs. At some point, however, the federal government will have to step in and negotiate across-the-board, fair-market prices for commonly prescribed drugs. This will require doctors to prescribe treatments that are known and proven, and allow experimental drugs to be prescribed, and perhaps subsidized, in cases where those drugs are essential for sustaining life or quality of life.
19. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES?
We have a stewardship responsibility, and earth is not ours to despoil. We have a responsibility to use it and take care of it, and tend the garden.
I agree that it is time to curb our petroleum addiction, but two things need to be considered: 1) The US has become a minor producer of Greenhouse Gasses. You want proof–watch how many athletes struggle to breathe in the Beijing Olympic Games. We can accept responsibility for our part, but not blame for the whole problem. 2) I believe we have to have a clearer understanding of the whole picture of global warming. Though we must take action, we must also understand that England was warm enough to grow good quality wine grapes and Greenland was warm enough for farming in the 1500s and 1600s. The evidence that I have seen suggests that global warming and cooling is a natural, cyclical process.
20. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on LEGAL IMMIGRATION?
We have a long history of excluding people who are not like us from immigration. For many years, this meant that our immigrants were mostly white, European protestants. So the melting pot was not as egalitarian as we were led to believe.
I am in favor of opening the door to “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
21. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION?
I am in favor of amnesty/permanent legalization of illegal aliens, and a meaningful guest worker program for illegal aliens. I fear that if we do not resolve this issue, we will end up with an immigrant under-class who are essentially oppressed–since they have few rights, they have precious few protections. Lets show these people a little dignity.
I am fascinated that the number of people killed by abortion since 1973 is roughly equal to the number of illegal aliens in our country. I suggest that God’s sovereign grace is at work to provide us the people we need to keep our nation going. Perhaps, in these aliens, we have the people who will pay into our Social Security system to keep it solvent. If we refuse them the benefits of legal recognition (and eventual citizenship) we do so to our own peril.
22. What would be your ideal candidate’s position on SLAVERY REPARATIONS? (The specific actions regarding reparations for slavery include the government apologizing to slave descendants for their hardships, and awarding them financial and/or other compensation.)
Slavery reparations would be a disaster for our society on many levels. Not all black Americans are African Americans, not all African Americans are descended from slaves. Such reparations would be divisive and destructive to the black community and to society in general.
This does not mean I am heartless or unsympathetic. Slavery was a great evil, and a blight on our history–there is no excuse for such a system–and we must all work together to ensure that such a thing never happens again.
23. What would be your ideal candidate’s political or PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS? (Select none, any or all)
I believe that we should all support candidates that are not morons. This disqualifies most of the current candidates in both parties.
If I strike you as “just another moron,” then my apologies: I’d like your support anyway.
24. What would be your ideal candidate’s presidential CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCE?
This question reveals the cynicism we hold toward our political process, since it assumes those who have been in politics ought to be disqualified because, well, they have been in politics. Just think about the hidden message behind the question, regardless of which side of the equation you fall on. Be careful of such a dismissive attitude, just do your research and vote for the person who best represents your values.
25. What is the PREFERABLE AGE for your ideal candidate upon assuming office? (Select none, any or all)
A presidential candidate should not be too young, because he/she will lack the maturity to handle the pressures or make the difficult decisions with consistency. The candidate should not be too old, because there are rigors to this job that demand physical, mental, and emotional acuity. The candidate should not be middle-aged because middle-aged people tend to think they are both younger than they are and wiser than they are.
What we want here is Goldilocks: Just Right.
26. Which of these are PREFERABLE MARITAL STATUSES for your ideal candidate? (Select none, any or all)
The specifics do not matter, but I want the person to be either “a one-woman man” or a “one-man woman.” Personal integrity and the willingness to keep a commitment matter.