I have one question, SS.
What are your own political views?
I am fundamentally in support of government by consent, which to me, means that the people in a nation get the final determination as to what kind of country they live in via democracy.
On particular issues within the democratic state, my beliefs are independent of the party ideologies and issue specific-I do not believe that either of the major political parties represents the majority of Americans, and I think both are fundamentally similar, which serves to deprive of us of the right to vote. In my view, presenting options and structuring the political debate in such a way that
a wide array of arguments are taken seriously and submitted to voters will allow us to develop a politics that fits America and consequently allow Americans to reap the benefits of democracy.
The best description of my views would be a combo of Ron Paul and Ralph Nader-I agree that government welfare for corporations is ruinuous and tends to destroy the otherwise beneficial free market by stacking th deck in favor of the politically connected, and I also believe that people should be able to protect themselves from the externalities of private decisions (which is where Naderesque product regulation and consumer protection comes in.)
The free market is a good idea, but it depends on all interested parties to a transaction being able to negotiate-if you have one deal, say, to set up financial products, that benefits the two parties involved but destroys the credit markets for the rest of the country, that's a de facto tax/forced purchase that the folks who suffer the consequences were unable to negotiate. So, you need the government, via democratic organs, to give people in a say in such transactions as needed.
