Libertarians & Centrists - What is your hot issue?

This isn't about abortion, healthcare, bathrooms or cakes. This is about what is truly wrong with the federal government, not the silly wedge issues the Congress Criminals use to keep us divided.

Someone suggested earlier that my primary issue was healthcare. I indicated it wasn't even in the top 10. The poll is my top 10 list of what's wrong with government.

I'm interested in having a discussion about what is truly wrong with our government today. You can select as many as you like.

 

I'd say the biggest change in DC would come about if Fed.gov abandoned its 'War on Drugs.'

Just like the "War on Poverty" that wasted trillions of taxpayer dollars, the federal fight against drugs has resulted in millions of deaths and trillions of taxpayer dollars pissed away.

If I could wave a magic wand and make ALL drugs legal, the immediate effect would be amazing:

Violence would immediately be drastically reduced. You could eliminate most police officers, courtrooms, prisons and all the other 'criminal justice' apparatus.

Gangs would lose their ability to self-fund.

A downside?

The first couple years would result in a darwinian reduction of drug users, probably a few million the first year alone. But then, the issue would become self-correcting, much as alcohol is today in our society. You'd always have that eight to ten percent that would abuse the product, whatever it might be (weed, booze, cocaine, opiates etc) but the amount of taxpayer savings would be well worth it.

In fact, if just .003 percent of the enforcement tax dollars were used on rehabilitation, we could have 'free' (taxpayer-supported) rehab clinics for whoever desired to become sober.

It would be a drastic step, but in the long run we'd have a freer society and our national debut would be all but eliminated...

 

I ticked them all but my main concern with US politics is the money needed to stand for election.
Amassing the required cash leaves candidates open to corruption and excludes many good people from entering the race.
The UK has strict limits on how much a candidate can spend and TV adverts are not allowed. Party political broadcasts are granted based on the share of the vote each party attained in the previous election.
While not a perfect system, as it rewards the established parties and penalises new parties, it prioritizes the policies rather than the bank balances.

 

I agree with all your points on this. We went to Colorado recently and the dispensaries are awesome! Everyone is so nice in Colorado, too. I think my primary is the corruption, which begets all the other issues, IMO.

Yes, your political season is of reasonable length. I'm not sure how we fix that, though. SCOTUS has ruled that money is speech. We would need campaign reform, which won't happen until we do away with corruption.

 

It is all about how much the government is involved with a the average persons life. Over reach, lack of transparency, and poor resource management. I should not even notice the federal government in my day to day life.

 

Dude legal drugs now kill more people than illegal Drugs...

 

This is true.

But I can't think of a time when one thug opened fire on another thug slinging blood pressure medication on a disputed corner, hitting a family that happened to be driving by...

 

If you think that will stop anything you're kidding your self. It won't. There are always going to be things people want and other people are willing to sell. If nothing they'll be yelling this is better stuff than that weak legal ****. And there will always be people willing to believe it. And they are selling illicit Oxycontin.

 

I don't think they have any chance of stopping it, which is why I think all drug use should be decriminalized...

 

Most of the above, plus immigration reform

 

1. The slaughter of the innocents. Abortion

2. The Federal government not being limited to it's specifically enumerated powers in the Constitution. If every single American were taxed at the same rate and the Federal government had zero regulatory authority, then there would be no tax or regulation favors to be doled out for money or votes.

 

1. This thread is about what's wrong with government - not wedge issues
2. Government overreach has gotten the most votes so far. I think if we fix corruption, we fix all the other issues on the list. Government has to get back to the business of defending the constitution and not do anything outside of their scope.

 

Make this my #11. Agreed we need to get this under control.

 

1. There is no greater wrong that a government can do than to carry out or condone the extrajudicial execution of it's citizens without due process.

2. Complete agreement.

 

I'm from the UK, my core issue is democratic accountability/ political corruption.
As seen through the prism of illegitimate EU membership.

People vs power.

 

This thread is not about wedge issues. There are plenty of threads to debate the things politicians use to divide us. Above list is comprised of things where most Americans would agree.We have one party, the party of corruption. Everything else is just red meat for the bases so they can pretend we are a divided people. If the majority of Americans would band together to fix above, we'd be in a lot better shape. Our "leaders" are destroying our relationships with each other, just for the sake of gaining more personal power and money. They loathe us.

 

I suppose I am now centrist (according to the new republicans) so I will very clearly state my big issue is the fundamental attacks of our Constitution and rule of law. Second to this and in some ways tied to it would be the dishonesty on steroids found in governments highest levels.....and our people not only accepting it but promoting it.

 

I voted "Other". My explanation is: All of the above and more. The entire federal government is the problem. Even the stuff its legitimately authorized to do is done incompetently, with massive amounts of waste and fraud, and 90+ percent of what it does is unconstitutional, wasteful and very often injurious to the citizens its supposed to be working for.

 

The FED.

 

I always thought you were a Liberal!

 

Ask any of the TrumpHumpers and I am.

 

Absolutely! The money spent on elections is ridiculous. And the amount of time spent campaigning is even more ridiculous.

 

Well, I checked several things. But from the bird's eye view, the crux of the problem is the total lack of the majority of citizens being represented in DC. Congressional record used by Princeton evidences this in spades. Only a few are being represented, and in that representation, it is devastating the rest of americans. Your politician could not care less. So vote them back in! And insure nothing changes.

 

I chose the following from what was listed:

1. 500+ corrupt, elected officials in DC
   
   
2. Patriot Act
   
   
3. FISA courts
   
   
4. Civil forfeiture
   
   
5. Audit the fed
   
   
6. Partisanship run amok
   
   
7. Government overreach
   
   
8. Government spending

 

As I am best described as a centrist I will chime in.

I find the most troubling issue in this country to be the disregard and even dismissal of law and the agencies/systems than enforce them by the government that created them and is supposed to support them. From the very top down we regularly watch this happen and our highest court is now a political tool for its use.