Horror of horrors right? Well, I am just at my wits end and I am not sure what to do.
Mondak - I never knew you were a Pinko bleeding heart wus!
For those of you who do not know me, I am a person who votes fiscal policy. I believe our government is asking to much of us today and I feel that we are being governed from far away both geographically and philosophically. Paticularly in light of our capabilities to communicate in the modern world, I feel that the federal government oversees areas that should only be handled locally if they should be handled by a government at all. My view on the federal government is that it should only be stepping in on issues that are needed to address a true public good that could not be handled by private parties / the market itself and cannot be addressed locally. In addition, my view on the definition of a public good is very limited in comparison to most folks.
That being said, I have not spent a lot of time with the ACLU folks. My focus has always been on areas of our country that will help grow the economy and allow business people to operate and see a return on their risk. While there is still a lot the ACLU is behind that I really don't jive with, there are a few things that I have to take another look at. In general, I don't like ACLU views that call for new programs, more money to be spent on things or areas that the government should fund programs. This may not be on any program's individual merit, I just don't like the government involved in any of that. A couple areas that they did not seem to far off on:
Criminal Justice (paticularly as it related to privacy)
Disability Rights
Drug Policy
Free Speech
HIV/AIDS
Lesbian & Gay Rights
Privacy & Technology
Racial Equality
Religious Liberty
Reproductive Rights
Voting Rights
Women's Rights
Not that they are perfect on these things, but certainly interesting. I suppose I would like the thoughts of some TFP members on the ACLU. While I want to hear from everyone, I would be particularly interested in folks who view themselves as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. I don't really feel like there are Legislators or organizations out there who represent folks like me and would like to hear about any that are out there.
http://www.aclu.org/