ENVIRONMENT:
My number 1 issue. We need to enter into the international agreements regarding global warming. We need to take some leadership in this area. The Federal government needs to adopt some cap-and-trade policies for CO2 to create some market incentinves and help buisnesses adapt. It also needs to fund much nmore research and developemnt of alternative energy sources. I think we can create a lot of good jobs for people in this sector if we take leadership, otherwise we'll be buying this stuff from the Chinese when we finally decide we need it. If we can move avway from oil as a main fuel source, we can also avoid some of the geoploitical problems we have with paying huge amounts of money to our enemies for oil. We also need to adopt stronger rules to protect our watersheds from pollution and to prevent the total collapse of our ocean fisheries.

MILITARY:
We need a strong military adapted to fight the kinds of fights we are fighting now.

WAR:
The Iraq war was a huge mistake, but we need to see it through now and need to leave that place stable or we will pay for it for years. Need to stabilize Afgahinstan. In the future, we must avoid pre-emptive wars or "regime change" wars unless we are actually attacked or have actionable intelligence that we actually are going to be attacked. It's not enough that a hostile regime have capability --- mo future Iraqs.

VETERANS: We need to treat our vetrans fairly, give them what was promised, and especially stop screwing over the ones who have stress disorders and brain injuries.

TAXES:
Need to close the loopholes, reduce the number of deductions and simplifiy the code. Income from dividends and capital gains should be taxed at the same rate as wage income --- shouldn't matter how the money is made. If we get rid of the giveaways, we can have a fair rate for everyone. Do not believe in the flat tax and the "fair" tax (sales tax).

BUDGET:
Regardless of how the taxes are restructured, the government needs to balance its budget and start paying off its debt. If we can't bring the money in, then we shouldn't pay it out. If we can't stop our spending, then we need to raise taxxes. On one side or another, or maybe both, we need to balance it out.

FOREIGN RELATIONS:
We need a much more engaged foreign policy than we have had. We can't keep taking our freinds for granted and totally ignoring our enemies. We need a more collaborative approach, but keeping our interests in mind.

IMMIGRATION:
We need better border control. We need to know who is coming and going. For illegal imigrants already here, I think it would be too disruptive to the rest of us to agressively deport them. It's not really fair to anyone to give them all amnesty, especially unfair to those who are going through the process legally, but we have already let them all in and used their cheap labor, so now we have to deal with how depenedent we are on these 12 million workers and get them into the system legally. It's not fair, but we need to deal with it realisiticly and not cut our own throats.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE:
I generally favor FREE trade, but we've negotiated some bad deals for ourselves in recent year,s and we our hurting ourselves and exporting our jobs. We need to go back to some FAIR trade policies and stop letting these cheap labor markets screw us the way they have been. Once they take us seriously, we can renegotiate our FREE trade agreements.

CRIME:
Need to beef up crime ENFORCEMENT, not necessarily the PENALTIES. It is the certainlty of being caught that deters, not the severity of a penalty if you never get caught.

DEATH PENALTY:
Still support the death penalty, but so many have been overturned on DNA evidence recently that it needs to be looked at.

DRUGS:
Legalize and tax, just like alcohol and tobacco.

HEALTH CARE:
Single-payer national system for minimum level of care with private insurance for everytihing above and beyond.

SOCIAL SECURITY & SENIORS:
Social security will be fine with minor adjustments to contributions, the inflation index models, and the age to recieve benefits. Right now retirees get more out than they put in, and that needs to change in order for it to operate long term. Need to gradaully shift to a system where more beneficiaries own their own plans, but probably never a complete shift to solely private plans.

CAMPAIGN & POLITICAL REFORM:
Something must be done to get the corporate money out of this system.

ABORTION:
Womens right to choose.

GAY RIGHTS:
Need to be guaranteed a way to have the legal rights of a spouse --- don't really care if it is called "marriage" or something else.

GUNS:
Banned for felons and those with mental issues. Need a registration system so that responsibiloity for each weapon can be accounted for, just like we account for the responsibility of automobiles.

RIGHT TO DIE:
A person in consultation with their doctor should be able to end their own life.