This thread actually isn't for debate, it's just for you to clearly state where you lie on certain issues. Ready? Go.
ABORTION: Pro-choice, but only for the first trimester. I'm not a religious person, so to me, life begins sometime during the second trimester. During the first trimester, we're talking about a lifeless clump of cells. Abortion in the third trimester is murder, period. In addition, a girl who has had three abortions should be given mandatory counseling.
DEATH PENALTY: I'm for it, as long as it's 100% definite that the person accused of the crime actually commited it. If there's even a tiny possibility that the person didn't commit the crime, then no. To me, some people deserve death. However, a single innocent person wrongly executed is one person too many.
STEM CELL RESEARCH/STEM CELL THERAPY: There isn't a single issue I'm more passionate about. Stem cell therapy could be the next medical miracle. Our government should be pouring as much money as possible into the research.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: Government and religion MUST remain separate. I'm not saying that we need to remove "under God" from The Pledge of Allegiance, nor do I think "In God We Trust" needs to be taken off of our money. It doesn't hurt to have that stuff, so I'm fine with it. However, when it interferes with the rights of people who aren't religious, we have a problem. Prayer in public schools is wrong, as is NOT teaching the theory of evolution. The founding fathers may have been Christian, but as soon as they wrote about Freedom of Religion, their religion became irrelevant. And they knew that.
WELFARE: I'm for the concept (as temporary assistance), but against the execution. It think it's a good idea for the short-term, but when you have people depending on it and feeling entitled to it, there's a problem. It's meant to be temporary assistance, but many treat it like a paycheck. Instead of simply handing out money, give recipients a maximum of one year, and during that year, offer REAL assistance by helping that person find a job. Sure, a single mother with three kids, no car, and nowhere near a place with employment opportunity may have a hard time finding a job, but I think the government should figure out how she can get a job despite that rather than the easy solution of giving her a check. Like the old saying goes, give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: I'm against it. In a perfect world, affirmative action would be a moot point. Unfortunately, you have some racist jerkoffs who will refuse to hire a qualified black person because of the color of his/her skin. However, I don't believe that affirmative action is the answer. All it does is fuel more racism. A white applicant who is passed over for a black applicant may immediately assume that the black person got hired because of affirmative action. And it's possible that the employer really DID hire the black applicant for that reason. Or maybe not. Either way, it just creates more hostility. I wish there was a better solution to the problem, but affirmative action ain't it.
GAY MARRIAGE: I have no problem with this. The argument presented by right wingers is that marriage is the union between a man and a woman, as the dictionary says. But then I say, why follow the dictionary if you aren't gonna follow the Constitution? Some people say that it ruins the institution of marriage. If you ask me, straight couples have pissed on the institution of marriage for years.