Political Posts/General thoughts

I am not intending this to be a purely political blog, but it does seem to be where I'm putting my time and energy for the most part. That being said, I should probably state where I stand on general principal. Economically speaking, I'm conservative. Anti-tax, anti-spending, pro-business (generally speaking). I tend to be sceptical of the environmental movement, but like groups (Nature Conservancy is one) that buy land from private landowners to accomplish their goals. I don't mind subsidizing ethanol producers when we also subsidize the gas & oil industry.
I do want to drill for oil off Florida and in Alaska if it is economically viable to do so, and can be done in a safe, responsible manner.

Socially, I'd say I'm pretty moderate. Philosophically against abortion, but not that adamant about it and I think you have to have some legalized abortion. I tend to favor things that discourage or limit it without making it illegal. School prayer, gay marriage/adoption, the whole family values thing doesn't really resonate with me much. I like school choice a great deal, however. If the local public school is hopeless, a parent has to do something to get their child a good education.

Foreign policy-wise, I am a veteran that supports the application of military force to accomplish strategic security aims when diplomacy fails. I am a patriot and I believe that the United States has historically been the greatest force for peace and good in the history of mankind. I would not, however, argue that we are perfect in every way, indeed, far from it. I will note for the record by brother-in-law is active duty Army and participated in the invasion of Iraq with 101st Airborne. I naturally prefer diplomacy and multi-lateral solutions but national security trumps. I prefer, if you will, to believe in peace through strength. Walk softly and carry a big stick, as TR would say. Walking softly can be a bit of a problem when your the world's sole remaining superpower, in current terms at least.

I think it is a horrible travesty of justice that people fleeing a brutal tyrant in Cuba get returned if they are picked up on the water but allowed to stay if the land on US soil when thousands, indeed millions of other people are allowed to (wink,wink you will, of course, come back for your deportation hearing, won't you?) stay illegally. The border must be controlled better, and employers should face severe penalties for hiring illegals. Can we stop everyone? Can we return everyone back to their home countires? Most likely not, but we can limit the inflow and provide more disincentives for people to come here in the first place.