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1 - do you support the right for gay couples to legally marry?
I believe that the decision about who to <i>marry</i> should rest solely within the religious institutions that marry people. I believe that the state should recognize the legal equality of GLBT individuals joined in a union. In short, I believe the state shouldn't marry any couple, gay, straight, or otherwise, and that civil unions should be the standard for government with marriage reserved for religions.
2 - do you support the death penalty?
In theory, yes. But in practice I cannot support a system that deals out final judgment and has a potential for error. I can see it, as is now, in only extremely limited circumstances such as confession or undeniable evidence (like a clear video).
3 - do you believe that freedom of speech should be absolute, or are their some limits on what people should be allowed to say?
No, but I believe in maximizing the right and requiring the strictest of standards to justify limitation. Clear and present danger suffices. The Supreme Court can be, and actually is, trusted with the authority to adjudicate issues that arise.
4 - do you believe that part of the role of taxation is to redistribute resources more equally?
No, the purpose of taxation is to build infrastructure, fund armed forces, and, yes, some social programs. I believe in a limited welfare system that technically redistributes some wealth, but the goal should not be to distribute the wealth more equally but to ensure that the poorest can get by.
5 - do you believe that people should be forced to learn the official language of a nation if they want to emigrate to it?
Not outright, but neither should the government have to accommodate those who don't by printing documents in other languages or even being required to hire foreign speakers. So perhaps it can be constructively required, but the more power to someone who wants to get by without.
6 - do you believe that prayer should be prohibited from schools?
Not prohibited, but absolutely never endorsed. You can have student prayer groups as long as there is equal support for secular and other religious groups.
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"The courts that first rode the warhorse of virtual representation into battle on the res judicata front invested their steed with near-magical properties." ~27 F.3d 751
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