I basically advocate a liberal political platform with an emphasis on health care and education. Unlike some of the other candidates, I feel taxes are important and necessary. But I think if we redirect our spending of taxes away from the military and agricultural subsidies, we can improve the overall welfare of Americans without imposing an undue tax burden on individuals or businesses.

I believe women should have the right to an abortion if they want one. Obviously sex education is important too, so that women can avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place. I do think this is a tough issue, because I believe life begins at conception. So I know a lot of people would say I'm a murderer if I condone the killing that life. But I think women should have control over their bodies, and I don't want to see poor women endangered because they can't obtain safe, legal abortions.

I have not decided my position on this issue.

We should spend more money on primary and secondary education, in particular in low-income and inner-city schools. We should pay people well for teaching in these schools. But college should revert to the way it was in the past: a step only for a select few. Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate the elitist admissions systems of the 1920s, where applicants had to come from certain families or religious backgrounds to be accepted. College acceptances should be based on a meritocratic system. But having such a huge percentage of the population go to college seems costly and unnecessary, especially when many students spend their time partying and indulging themselves on a daily basis. So cut the state colleges by about a third, and redirect that money to struggling elementary and middle schools.

Here's one area where subsidies can really help us -- if we subsidize alternative energy industries, while taxing (or at least not subsidizing) the oil and gas industry, we'll be on our way to a brighter future.

- Ratify the Kyoto Protocol
- Work with developing countries like China to improve the cost efficiency of environmental energy sources
- Tax gasoline at a higher rate, to discourage people from driving and flying
- Improve public transportation so it's cheaper and faster
- Keep ANWR protected
- Rectify our current property rights system, so we don't have different people owning surface and subsurface land rights

It would be great to reinvest in the United Nations. In theory, the U.N. offers the perfect solution for all sorts of foreign policy issues: Iraq, Darfur, China & coal burning, etc. The United States should set the lead by appointing better, more respectful and respected U.N. ambassadors and working to fix the system.

Should be allowed.

We should nationalize our health care system so that all Americans are covered, regardless of their employment status. We could look to Canada or Scandanavia as models in this regard. As much as we can afford to, we should also subsidize health care initiatives for developing countries. Yes, this will be expensive. But it will be affordable if we do a few other things: stop building luxury hospitals (I was just a patient in one that could have been used for wedding receptions) and cut off paid benefits at a certain amount for everyone.

Give immigrants a certain number of benefits so that while they're busy cleaning our houses and mowing our lawns, their children can go to school, and they can drive and get necessary medical care.

Any question about immigration is in many ways ignoring the real issue, which are the stupendous income inequalities in the world. If the United States works to alleviate global poverty, fewer people will want to immigrate here.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this one. I protested our instigation of the war when it started, but now that we're in Iraq, I don't think we can just pull our troops out and go away. I'd recommend a gradual withdrawal, with U.S. amnesty for Iraqi allies that have helped us. I'd hate to see a redux of the Bush Sr. gulf war, where many one-time U.S. allies (mostly Kurds, I think) were killed when America withdrew.

National Security is an issue; history has repeatedly proved that the U.S. is susceptible to surprise attacks. But I think recently we've become too focused on national security. The extensive airport security checks, the atrocities at Guantanamo Bay, the rhetoric about the Axis of Evil -- they've cost us a lot in both money and reputation. I recommend reducing the military and focusing more on diplomacy.

By instituting an estate tax and taxing the wealthiest people at a higher percentage, we can accomplish two things at once: provide funds for important health care and education programs, and reduce the America's unfair wealth disparities. Over the last decades the rich have gotten richer and the poor poorer, and this needs to change.

Although privatizing social security has many advantages, I'm for keeping a government-run system. Otherwise people who invest in the wrong plans will still end up broke and in need of government assistance.

I have not decided my position on this issue.