So, I'm not exaclty a big fan of Atrios, though Mr. Black certainly is a better writer (and has better readers) than Kos and his ilk.
Anyway, Atrios wrote up this little litmus test of sorts to ask folks who may not see themselves as on the left side of things, if maybe they should re-evaluate their current positions.
The idea is to "score" yourself with how many of the items you agree with. 0 for disagreement, 1 for total agreement, .5 for partial agreement or minor disagreement.
Lets try this shall we?
- Undo the bankruptcy bill enacted by this administration
Undo it? No. At least not in the way I think they mean. It is way too easy to get bankruptcy protection in this country, even under the new laws. In the long run the new laws, while still not very good, are better for everyone, consumer and banks alike; so lon as the consumers make good decisions.
The one revision to general banking and credit laws I WOULD strongly support, would be to disallow companies changing the terms of your loan or credit agreement without your consent. If they want to change the terms of your agreement, including the rate if the rate you agreed to wasn't adjustable, they should have to ask your permission. If you dont give it, they shouldnt be able to change your deal.
As it stands now, a credit card company can simply decide that you are no longer a good customer, and change your rate and terms to ridiculous numbers and apply those new rates and terms to previous balances. Those balances were earned under previous terms, and you did not agree to a change in those terms. If you knew the change was coming, you may not have incurred those existing balances.
This is in effect theft, and should be illegal.
Score = 0
- Repeal the estate tax repeal
Not a chance in hell. Estate taxes are evil. I mean this quite literally, no hyperbole. Estate taxes are nothing but socialist theft.
Score = 0
- Increase the minimum wage and index it to the CPI
Nope, there should be NO legally enforced minimum wage, and even if there must be for political reasons indexing to the CPI is circular logic because it would make the cost of everything go up which would drive wages up etc.. etc...
Score = 0
- Universal health care (obviously the devil is in the details on this one)
Nope. Not ever. No way, no how, not now, not ever.
Score = 0
- Increase CAFE standards. Some other environment-related regulation
Market forces are jsut fin thank you. Maybe we can let prius owners know that their car is a net energy loser, and does a net harm to the environment as well just so we can see their outraged morally superior self rightiousness get crushed.
Score = 0
- Pro-reproductive rights, getting rid of abstinence-only education, improving education about and access to contraception including the morning after pill, and supporting choice. On the last one there's probably some disagreement around the edges (parental notification, for example), but otherwise.
I believe that abortion is almost always morally wrong, but that it isn't the business of state regulation under many if not most circumstances. I believe nayone SHOULD have access to whatever contraceptice they wish, but that it should never be paid for by any government. I beleive that sex education is the responsiblity of the parents, not the schools.
Score = 0
- Simplify and increase the progressivity of the tax code
Simplify yes, increase progressivity hell no. Progressive taxation is jsut a clever way of sayin "conduct socialist class warfare theft".
Score = 0
- Kill faith-based funding. Certainly kill federal funding of anything that engages in religious discrimination.
Kill ALL federal funding for ALL social programs. If the fedgov and stategov werent so busy taking our money to give to other people, there wouldnt be nearly as much need for social progams to exist. Private charities would be able to pick up the slack
Score = 0
- Reduce corporate giveaways
I beleive that many of the protections of the corporate veil should be eliminated, and corporations should not have the rights recognized and accorded to individuals. That said, what they really mean here is "stick it to coporations as hard as you can".
Score = 0
- Have Medicare run the Medicare drug plan
Remember that no universal healthcare thing? Yeah same here. Medicare, Medicade... nope shouldn't exist as they are. I DO support a limited public health infrastructure for those who are too old, or too sick, to pay for their own healthcare.
Score = 0
- Force companies to stop underfunding their pensions. Change corporate bankruptcy law to put workers and retirees at the head of the line with respect to their pensions.
Sorry folks, the only thing that I support here is legally enforicng contracts. If a contract is made, it must be honored. If it's badly written, then you are SOL. You shouldnt have agreed to the contract.
- Leave the states alone on issues like medical marijuana. Generally move towards "more decriminalization" of drugs, though the details complicated there too.
Absolutely.
Score = 1
Only upon request. There is no problem with electronic voting. There is no massive election fraud in this country. The purpose of this would seem to be to ensure that lawyers have a means of contesting elections forever and ever.
Score = 0
- Improve access to daycare and other pro-family policies. Obiously details matter.
Nope, no federal or state funding for childcare. Then again, with everyone making more money, more jobs to be had, and no welfare, there wouldnt nearly be as much nead for it. WIwth far fewer fedreal regulations, it wouldnt be nearly as expensive either.
Score = 0
- Marriage rights for all, which includes "gay marriage" and quicker transition to citizenship for the foreign spouses of citizens.
Get the state out of "marriage" entirely. Marriage is a social and religious institution not a civil one. No automatic citizenship without a fll naturalization process, though I agree our current immigration laws are stupid and harmful and need to be fixed
Score = 0
- Raise the cap on wages covered by FICA taxes.
FICA is evil socialist redistributionist theft. There should be no mandatory forced retirement accounts. By extension however, neither should we as the public pay for anyones retirement, unless they are too ill or too old to work. With everyone working more and making more money, there will be a lot more incentive to invest. If you are too stupid to do so, that's not my problem.
Score = 0
So, one out of 16 (maybe a couple 1/2s but not really), about 6.2% ... yeah I don't think I'll be voting left anytime soon.
