What Values/Issues are most important to you?

I am curious about this. What are your top ten values/pet issues? Civil Rights? Environmental preservation? Small business support and growth? More localized government? Separation of Church and State?

I am curious to how I compare to fellow DUers. List your top ten values/pet issues from most valued (the one that could make or break a Candidate for you) to your least valued (still REALLY important but you might be willing to compromise if other parts of the package are good).

Here are mine:

1. Civil Rights (includes: Sexual Orientation, Race, and Women)
2. Separation of Church and State (almost as important as the first)
3. Health Care (for everyone or as many people as possible)
4. Balanced Economy
5. Small business support and growth
6. More localized government (with obvious exceptions such as civil rights, separation of church and state, etc.)
7. Environmental Preservation
8. Improvement of Public Education
9. Improving relations with allies and image around the world
10. Closing of Corporate loopholes

Those are my values/pet issues. Those are the issues by which I judge any candidates running for elected office.

Here's mine:

1. Open & Transparent Govt by the people, not corporations
2. Balanced Budget...no more pork spending
3. A strong & effective military to defend America...not to attack
others.
4. Environment
5. Education needs to be vastly improved & keep religion out.
6. Increased concentration on science & research for the future.
7. A fair safety net for the most vulnerable
8. More emphasis on working with allies
9. End of free trade, outsourcing, & illegal immigration;creation of jobs at home.
10.A health system accessible to all, but not run by govt

Not necessarily in that order.

And #11...if the politicians don't start representing the people rather than the powerful, I would propose term limits to install a citizen govt, rather than lifetime professionals.

Sorry, I have to add 1 more:
12. Equal rights for all, including gays.

Your number 10 intrigued me. I agree that a health care system needs to be implemented that is accessible to all, but I am not sure how one would exist without being run by the government. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions?

Where people could buy in to affordable health insurance...the same choice of plans that Reps & Senators have.

The US leads the world in top of the line health care...problem is we don't all have access.

I was once a part of govt run military health care & it was abominable, so I'd like to keep it private, but accessible to all.

For those who can't afford any insurance, if the govt pooled people, they could afford to insure everyone.

1.Universal Health Care
2.Public Education improvement
3.Foreign Policy re-evaluation
4.Civil Rights
5.Environmental issues/protection
6.Small business support
7.Economy balanced
8.Energy use/conservation/technology
9.Corporate responsibility
10.Smart Growth/Sprawl issues

Not to say the other 10 issues are not important, just curious about the omission.

1. Reindustrializing America.
2. National security/foreign affairs/defense generally
3. I'm suspicious of opening agricultural markets--I fear the potential of a blockade type starvation in a prolonged war
4. Health care/government aid generally for middle class on down--ending poverty isn't just a moral issue, it's a an economic issue...poverty reduces the potential growth and wealth of the country
5. Free speech--I'm almost an absolutist on this issue (practical exceptions such as yelling fire, advocating armed overthrow of the govt, etc)
6. Real states' rights--when the states clear up their antiquated taxation systems and end their own corrupt practices, they get to complain about 'unfunded mandates'--too many states are just sucking at the public teat and have no incentive to change that
7. Raising the proportion of federal revenue from corporations--it was about 1/3 of all receipts under Ike
8. Education changes--on primary, secondary, and tertiary levels--for college, wielding the big stick of federal funding to reduce tuitions while providing federal education vouchers for colleges
9. Upping the union percentage of the workforce
10. National holiday for federal elections

1)poverty
2)living wage/ workers rights
3)disability rights
4)Civil Rights
5)reform of the criminal justice system
6)Peace
7) health care
8) environmental preservation
9) corporate crime/ consumer protection
10) election reform

It's difficult to say that any one of these is more important than the other, but this is the best I could do without some real serious thought.

Excellent choices

I was hoping for more people to add their choices. :shrug:

Back later with my list.

Great idea & challenging question.

:hi: :thumbsup: :kick:

I cannot think of anything else to add :D

Why, specifically? Because it makes the platforms of the left a hodgepodge of individual issues (and interest groups) rather than a singularly coherent worldview.

I believe in the ideals of egalitarianism, compassion, decency between human beings, cooperation, and critical thought. I don't try to explain my views through a series of issues -- I look to how I should feel about specific issues based on my overarching worldview.

I find it interesting to see how other people prioritize things and where their passions lie.

1. Bringing back free, fair and open elections/reinstatement of the fairness doctrine, breaking the corporate monopoly on media. Without them, nothing else can ever happen.


2. Closing the rich/poor income gap by increasing the minimum wage, then pegging it to inflation, and increasing the progressivity of the income tax.

2. Separation of Church and State

3. Health Care for everyone, with NO qualifiers. Single-payer all the way.

4. Changing tax policies to punish companies who outsource overseas and reward those that hire in the US.

5. Environmental Preservation

6. Department of Peace as proposed by Dennis Kucinich. It may need a better name to appeal to more hawkish people, but a foreign policy body independent of the military-industrial complex that would work to resolve problems through peaceful means before going to war is a good idea. War has become the first resort, and that is un-American.

7. Fully fund and constitutionally guarantee public education. Voucher schemes should be BANNED.

8. Closing of Corporate loopholes/no more free ride for corporations

9. Maintaining and improving civil rights.

10. Building a nationwide urban mass transit system/systematic reform of broken suburban-model communities, and gradual reconstruction of said communities into functional ones.

2. Separation of Church/State
3. Gay rights
4. Equal pay for comparable work
5. Reigning in corporate power
6. Freedom of speech/expression
7. Welfare programs (housing, health care, etc.)
8. Internationalism
9. Labor protection
10. Alleviating the national debt

1. Fairness Doctrine, Government Transparency and Full Disclosure
2. Energy Independence, as a tool for:
a. Economic growth
b. Foreign Relations
3. Benefits equity, as it relates to:
a. Employees (ie walmart and healthcare, pension plans, etc)
b. Gay Partners
4. Social Security Trust Fund re-shored up, and definitely lock-boxed.
5. Enviornmental regulation (above and beyond Energy Independence)
6. A Firmer separation between Chruch And State
7. A more Fedaralist approach to governance
8. Campaign Finance Reform
9. Corporate Taxation restructured to close loopholes, and increase tax revenue.
10. Public Education

1. Total seperation of church/state. Any violations would result in permanant loss of tax exempt status.

2. Rebuilding foreign policy and foreign relations. Getting our troops out of Iraq. Building a real coalition of non-combatant personell to bring real rebuilding to Iraq and its people. Oversee the institution of a new governing body, and assist in whatever needs they have until the country is stabilized.

3. Election Reform thru a independant and transparent comittee. Full, open to the public, investigations into all aspects of the 2000 and 2004 elections. Criminal charges against anyone involved in any way with any forms of election fraud or voter disenfranchisement.

4. Economic overhaul including debt reduction, balancing the budget, prioritizing of essential social programs over corporate intrest programs. Also including the repeal of laws that heavily favor protecting companies over consumers.

5. Tax reform. Let the rich pay their share, closing tax loopholes that allow for excessive exemptions. Exemption caps. NO TAX MEDIAN for anyone making under a state median income line, becomming tax exempt.

6. Reinvesting in public education, especially in public schools in inner-cities. Drastic increases in pay and benifits for teachers, on a scale based on credentials, performance, and of annual reviews, regular off-session retraining to keep teachers up to date. Requiring political awareness as part of the high-school cirriculum.

7. National Health Care. No American should be without health and dental care.

8. Refocusing on Civil Rights issues, developing national tolerance programs, understanding and appreciating our infinately diverse culture.

9. Environmental Protection Finality. Strong push towards alternative fuel sources, actively reducing all forms of waste and pollution, making any currently protected natural environment IRREVOKABLY PERMANANT! Tax credits to companies and consumers who adhere to and work towards better, cleaner, safer envirmental impacts.

10. Media Reform. Guidelines and regulations to ensure disclosure of sources, accountability for unverified broadcasts, and clear seperation of opinion and fact reporting. Limits placed on opinion reporting on broadcasts deemed as newscasts.