Gun Permit Info

It seems that one of the common tenets beheld by Tea Party supporters is that Obama’s presidency marks a shift towards socialism and, by extension, a repression of liberty. So where do you stand on these issues?

Legalization of marijuana? Marijuana has been shown to be less harmful than both tobacco and alcohol.

Euthanasia? Why shouldn’t one be allowed to end his own life? Recently, Glenn Beck attacked the campaign in Canada to legalize euthanasia by comparing it to Nazism. Clip can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFWOLSIhYMg

Compulsory education? One of the more controversial aspects of the health care bill was a mandate requiring people to purchase health insurance. Conservatives attacked this, saying a tax levied upon inactivity is a breach of liberty, which is tantamount to socialism/fascism/whatever. However, in every state if you don’t send your children to school you can fined or in some states even jailed–and as anyone with a school-aged child knows, public education isn’t free. But I’ve never seen Tea Partyers address this putative breach of liberty, let alone deem it "socialist."

Patriot Act? Yeah, I know, Obama didn’t repeal it (and trust me, as a liberal I’m not happy about that), but I’m curious where YOU stand. Support it? It does seem like a much more egregious violation of liberty than taxes.

Gay marriage? In California a judged overturned proposition 8, claiming there was no rational basis to deny gays/lesbians the right to marry. Sure, it was democratic (70% supported Prop 8), but so were bans on interracial marriage in the South.

Travel restrictions to people infected with HIV? Upon entering the Oval Office, Obama ended restrictions of travel to those who are HIV-positive. This is a classic case of individual rights/liberty vs. the common good. Where do you stand?

I won’t ask about abortion. Although I’m pro-choice, I think it’s unfair to frame it as an issue of liberty, because it is plausible to view the matter as one of life and death. On a tangential note, I’m with you when it comes to firearms.

But I’ve got one more for you: taxes and the debt. Tea Partyers are very adamant about reducing the debt. They’re also vocal about decreasing taxes. While the Laffer Curve does predict that it is feasible to reduce taxes and reduce revenue if taxes, it was shown during the Reagan administration that this was not the case. Reagan cut the top marginal tax rate from 70% to 28%. To offset it, he dipped into social security; nevertheless, his fiscal policy caused the national debt to triple. So my question to you is, how do you reconcile tax cuts with reducing the deficit? I understand you want to reduce government spending, but only 40% of the spending is discretionary (the rest includes things like interest on the debt, social security, etc.), and even if you cut ALL discretionary (including eliminating the military), we’ll still be adding to the debt.
@ Casey

"you seem to not know the difference between republicans, and conservatives"

I don’t see how you come to that conclusion, considering I didn’t use the word "republican" once. Please stop dodging my question. If you consider yourself a small government conservative, this question applies to you. Thanks and hope you revise your answer.