My Political Affiliations

After I voted today I was thinking about it and I really have no idea what my political affiliations are. My policy beliefs are all over the map. I think (and I’m not even sure) that I tend to have conservative values in terms of economic policy. But I’m super against the Republican Party’s stand on many economic issues. Like, and I’ve said this hundreds of times, but I’m super against Prop 13. It was a response to a bad situation, taxes out of control, but was the wrong solution. And the CA Republican Party’s staunch support of this awful policy drives me crazy.

Also against the Bush Administration’s weak stance on Microsoft. Just, I believe strongly in the power of free markets. I dunno, isn’t that a conservative belief? Thought so, but no clue. So yeah, competition is important I think, and the DOJ should have taken a stronger stand against Microsoft. Microsoft has every right to fairly become a monopoly, make as much money as they want. They just can’t break the rules. And wussing out on this hurts everyone, I think.

Personally, I’m against the timing of the tax cuts also. I dunno, I thought being against deficit spending was a traditional conservative value. I’m generally in favor of smaller government and more privatization, but the timing of the tax cuts, the deficits it incurs, and the dangerous way it’s being done – it’s not really shrinking government, it’s shifting responsibilities to state and local governments – bothers me. But I dunno, I know too little about this to have super strong opinions.

I’m in favor of much higher gas taxes. It makes a lot of long-term sense, I think. Of course it will never happen. Liberals insist on conservation and cheap gas, two things that are opposing forces. Conservatives want less dependence on foreign oil and cheap gas, also opposing forces. Forget the pipe dream. Add a $1 tax to gas, and you’ll naturally get more conservation and less dependence on foreign oil. But it will never happen.

Whatever, no point, just, I have no idea what my political affiliations are. And I know that I know nothing.