Political Views

Core Philosophy

I’m a secular humanist who believes in supporting my fellow humans, especially those who need help. My worldview is simple: people who can give more should, and people who need more should get it.

I understand and base my life on the scientific method, not on ancient texts or new age notions.

I believe I’m able to change my mind, and I’m unlikely to change my core philosophy.

(2026-10-10) If anything, I have moved to the left and am more progressive than before.

I think most people consider themselves to be the hero in their story, or at least the main character.

I think I have some understanding of the different types of political and economic systems, including communism, socialism, capitalism, fascism, free market, oligarchy, and so forth. People throw these around as insults, and it’s important to understand how they actually work together.

People and Rights

Human-Centered Approach

I value people over objects.
Most people deserve the benefit of the doubt.
I respect most people and their inherent dignity.
I respect people based on their ideas and attitudes, not based on their biological sex, skin color, sexuality, who they are attracted to, their gender identity, their weight, appearance, physical condition, clothing choice, medical condition, or genetic makeup.
I support bodily autonomy and allowing people to choose their destiny, so long as that doesn’t reduce other people’s rights.

Disability Rights and Accessibility

As the parent of a child with a disability, I’ve seen how much solid support matters. Government-funded therapies, in-home care and one-on-one help at school have been valuable and effective, and I appreciate them more than I ever expected to.
People with disabilities deserve full access to school, work, housing, transportation and public spaces. Accommodations aren’t special treatment; they’re how people get to take part at all.
Disability services shouldn’t depend on having a job, and the ADA needs real enforcement.
“Nothing about us, without us.”

LGBTQ+ Rights

People should be free to love who they love and be who they are, without government interference or discrimination. Trans rights are human rights: healthcare, legal recognition, protection.
Marriage equality was a big step, and there’s still work to do on jobs, housing and healthcare.
The bathroom and sports panics are manufactured controversies meant to divide people. Drag is art and free speech.

Reproductive Rights

Condoms and other forms of birth control should be taught in school, provided free of charge, and encouraged for anyone who doesn’t intend to be a parent.
Women’s reproductive care should be fully funded, as should research into women’s health issues.
Men should be aware of and understand menstruation and other women’s health issues, and we should be able to discuss it without shame.
Psychological counseling for sexual health issues should be fully covered and without shame.
Infant and child health care and family services should be covered.
Abortion should be a woman’s choice, full stop. And it’s one reproductive-health issue among many: contraception, prenatal care and family support matter just as much.

End-of-Life Care and Right to Die

I believe in personal choice at the end of life, including medical aid in dying, with safeguards against abuse. No one should be forced to suffer against their wishes.
I’m a strong supporter of hospice care. Good palliative care should be available to everyone, not just people who can afford it.
Advance directives should be legally binding, and no family should be ruined by end-of-life medical costs.

Religious Freedom

I support freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion. The government should not be based on theology.
I understand the purpose of religion is to build community, provide comfort, and answer unanswerable questions, and as such I support it.
I don’t believe religion should replace science or politics.
Religious freedom doesn’t give anyone the right to discriminate against others or deny them services.

“The lord has told me personally. Yay for I walk with the lord, Amen. He said Larry you and your flock shall seek the promised land. But only if you first destroy the twin evils of godless communism abroad and liberal humanism at home. Oh joy and Hallelujah smash’em down.” - Repo Man

Privacy Rights and Government Surveillance

I support privacy rights and am opposed to government surveillance, especially as regards law enforcement overreach, face recognition, license plate recognition, and especially government combination and management of databases such as Palantir.
However I recognize that the bell may have already been rung on that. We should work to control this high level data analysis.

Economy and Work

Economic Justice

I support reducing wealth inequality.
Taxes should be “equitably painful” — the burden should feel equivalent across income levels, not be equal in dollar amount — or percentage. An extra dollar matters far more to someone earning $20K than $200K. My framing is simpler: if a tax doesn’t hurt the wealthy proportionally to how it hurts everyone else, it isn’t “fair”.
Progressive taxation, wealth taxes, reduction or elimination of tax breaks for the wealthy or windfall income, and simplification of the tax system are needed.
I’m generally distrustful of the way that taxes are allocated or spent.
I do not support government preparation of taxes under our current taxation system. It just doesn’t make sense to hand over the amount of personal information it would take for the government to prepare even relatively simple taxes.
Minimum wages should provide a good standard of living; local, regional, or state minimum wages might differ from a federal minimum wage.
Wages can be the highest cost item for small businesses; that doesn’t give them an excuse to underpay people.
“We have a minimum wage – why not a maximum wage?” - Jello Biafra
Social safety net programs like welfare, medical care, retirement support should not be tied to a person’s employment.
A left-handed solution I’ve suggested for wealth inequality: create million and billion dollar coins. This could give wealthy people a “badge of honor” with less drain of resources on the other 99% of us.

Labor Rights and Unions

I’m not a strong supporter of unions as institutions; from the outside, some seem self-serving and ineffective. Collective bargaining on salaries, conditions, safety, retirement and health care has real value, and I’ve been lucky to work in an industry that didn’t need it.
I generally oppose tipping culture - employers should pay workers proper wages, not rely on customers to subsidize low wages through tips.
Tax cuts for tips are problematic because they only help some low-wage workers while creating loopholes for high earners to reclassify income as “tips.”
All low-wage workers need tax burden reduction, not just tipped workers.

Immigration

While I believe that “open borders” are a trope invented to discredit political opponents, I support reductions in trade and immigration restrictions.
We can counter “immigrants are taking our jobs” by ending the two-tier employment system. Put immigrant workers on the books at real wages, and hold accountable the employers who pay under the table. They’re more guilty of lawbreaking than the immigrants are.
We should find ways to support this class of workers, and advance them toward livable wages, conditions and benefits.
I grew up in a community with a large number of documented and undocumented immigrants, and I appreciate them as humans and their value to our economy.
Special emphasis should be placed on refugees and asylum seekers, in a way that puts pressure on the governments of their country of origin to repair issues causing exodus.

Corporate Regulation and Antitrust

Corporate regulation and antitrust are relatively well balanced in Democratic administrations, and unbalanced toward corporations, especially large wealthy powerful ones, in Republican administrations.
There is always room for improvement: some regulation is flawed, some antitrust takes away from economies of scale, and some monopolies are beneficial if they are managed properly.
Breaking up large corporate monopolies is probably a good idea, though I might have disagreed in the past when I worked for telecom companies in the chaos and competition following the Bell breakup.
One place I especially appreciate regulations is in the form of standards - something we failed at spectacularly in terms of the metric system.
I’ve read The Jungle. Without regulations and unions we could slide back that far; corporations still put profits above environmental, community, worker, and customer needs.
Citizens United was terrible law. Corporations are not people. Political spending shouldn’t be hidden or limitless, and speech by individuals should be valued more than speech by corporations.

Consumer Protection

State lotteries are a regressive tax disguised as entertainment. The poorest players spend the largest share of their income on them. I’m not sure gambling should be legal at all: it does more harm than the entertainment it provides, especially to addicts. It’s legalized theft, and the state shouldn’t be in on it.

Health

Healthcare Policy

I support science-based medicine.
When I hear hoofbeats I look for horses, not zebras or unicorns.
Universal healthcare is more cost-effective and produces better outcomes than the profit-based system we have now.
Kaiser, though private, is a model for universal care.
System or quality of healthcare should be unrelated to job status or employer.
Healthcare should get more funding than the military.
Everyone should get the same level of health care: citizens, immigrants, visitors, documented or not; politicians, factory workers, technicians, stay-at-home parents, farmworkers, gig workers, retirees, students, the unemployed.

Mental Health Policy

Mental health is a health issue, not a moral failing or criminal issue.
We need more community-based mental health support and crisis intervention - trained counselors and social workers, not armed police responding to mental health emergencies.
Mental health services should be accessible regardless of employment status or insurance - part of universal healthcare.
There’s still significant stigma around mental health that needs to be addressed through education and normalization.
From my own family’s experience, I’ve seen how the system can work when properly funded and staffed, and how often it falls short.
My Black Rock Ranger experience has shown me that de-escalation and supportive community response works much better than punitive approaches for people in crisis.
Mental health support should be preventive and ongoing, not just crisis intervention.
The connection between homelessness, addiction, and untreated mental health issues needs to be addressed systemically, not punitively.
We should fund mental health services more than we fund police and prisons.
Mental illness and suicide have touched my family directly. I’ve seen what happens when people don’t get the services they need.
Basic mental health care paid for by a public system could help a large number of people.
As noted in the drugs section, there are psychedelics and other drugs that have previously been banned that show promise for treating mental health.

Drug Policy and Decriminalization

Drugs should be legal - if anything they are a health problem, not a legal problem.
Drug laws have long been tools of racism. The 1930s marijuana bans targeted Mexican immigrants. The 1986 law punished crack 100 times more harshly than powder cocaine, and Black communities paid for it. And so on.
People want to get high. The drive to intoxication is very human, historical, and generally non-harmful.
Alcohol is more dangerous than most “street drugs” - and it’s completely legal and socially acceptable.
Weed is becoming more acceptable, and recognized as medically useful; mushrooms, MDMA, and ketamine have recognized medical uses, and LSD and others are likely to have medical or psychological uses.
If we can make less harmful drugs more available and socially acceptable we may reduce the use of harmful drugs.
Knowing the actual dose of what you’re taking helps people use drugs safely. Legal, labeled products and drug-checking services make that possible.
There are certainly drug “problems” like fentanyl lacing that need to be solved (in this case, by more freely available testing kits as well as pursuing the distributors).
I generally support harm reduction over punishment.

Justice and Safety

Policing and Criminal Justice

As a person of privilege, I only partly trust the police; they work to protect property and the status quo and to reinforce their own authority and insecurities.
People of color and minorities trust the police even less.
Police should be there to support the community and improve safety; they benefit from being part of the community that they serve.
Police should be required to reveal their face and state their identity.
Unless they are suspected of a crime, citizens should NOT have to uncover their face or state their identity.
Police should know and obey the law more strictly than most citizens - and they should be expected to tell the truth, except in very limited circumstances.
When possible they should not be armed or armored, especially with military style assault weapons.
I agree with the original meaning of “defund the police” - make them accountable or take away their funding for military toys.
In a lot of situations, the people would be better served by community mediators, for example mental health issues.
The police should never ever draw their weapon or shoot anyone unless it is their very last option. By the same token, never shoot a pet.
The criminal justice system is excessive and imbalanced - it heavily punishes the poor and minorities, and benefits the private prison system, while providing little in the way of rehabilitation.
I am opposed to the death penalty, not just because it’s inhumane, but because it isn’t cost effective - or effective at reducing crime. It’s less expensive to keep someone in prison for life than to kill them.
Prison laborers should be provided useful employment, paid a living wage, and we should work toward re-integrating them into society.

“It’s legal to carry it, but...but that doesn’t matter, cause, get a load of this; all right, if you get stopped by a cop in Amsterdam, it’s illegal for them to search you. I mean that’s a right the cops in Amsterdam don’t have.” - Pulp Fiction

Gun Policy and Public Safety

Guns have a purpose, but they shouldn’t be the first option. I support background checks and safe storage.
I don’t see a practical reason for civilians to own silencers, bump stocks, high-capacity magazines or automatic conversions. They don’t help with hunting or self-defense; they make killing easier.
The real goal is fewer conflicts that end in a shooting. Gun owners and police alike should be trained to de-escalate and resolve conflicts without violence, and drawing a weapon should be the last resort. And we can’t keep closing mental health clinics, then blaming gun violence on mental health.

Community

Public Goods

I support public media as essential for an informed democracy.
I support public infrastructure like sidewalks that benefit everyone.
Collective investment in shared resources is important.
Education should have more support than the military.

Education Policy

I don’t support public funding of private schools.
I don’t support charter schools, because I feel they are a work around to problems with the education system, not a fix.
As the parent of a child with a disability I’ve appreciated the support from the school system - though like all government programs it could be improved.
I support physical education in schools, and I’m skeptical about competitive sports.

Housing Policy and Homelessness

Housing Affordability:

Housing is too expensive, mainly because of people depending on housing as a growth investment, including residents but more importantly foreign and corporate investors.
Housing is a limited resource, and we should use taxes to discourage profiteering on it.
Building denser housing in urban areas near public transportation should be incentivized.
ADUs - granny flats - should also be incentivized.
Density and infrastructure should grow together. New development should come with the public transportation, roads and water to support it, and communities should be able to require that, but not use it as an excuse to keep housing out.

Homelessness:

Homelessness is a separate though related issue from housing affordability.
Housing comes first. Give homeless people a place to live (tiny houses, apartments, managed tent areas, sleeping pods) and you’ve solved the “homeless” part of the equation. Then the other problems become workable.
There are also issues of drug or alcohol addiction, availability of public services, people wanting to get them out of public view, reducing associated crime, panhandling, etc.
When cities like San Diego propose “solutions” they are incredibly resource-expensive.
One option I’ve considered is revitalizing unused city areas with housing, services and jobs, to build self-sufficient communities. The risk is that it becomes segregation by another name, so it would have to stay open to everyone.

Infrastructure Investment Priorities

Commuter and local rail should get priority over facilities for personal transportation.
We should support building an infrastructure for electric vehicle charging.
We should encourage work-from-home and telecommuting and create additional opportunities to replace travel in person with virtual travel, especially for things like business meetings.
I’m also a fan of the “Green New Deal”.
Obviously we should be modernizing the support systems for our air travel system - not gutting them.
I’m aware that the costs of infrastructure like road maintenance rise drastically the longer we wait to do a project, so wherever we do need to do this we should prioritize it to save money.
We need to get away from vanity infrastructure projects - bridges that a senator can brag about - and get the boring, practical, nameless projects done.
Long distance rail, especially in the west, seems like a waste of resources. Airplanes work fine.
Medium and short distance rail is a better choice, with buses, bicycles, and other facilities for “last mile” transport.
We need to tear down a lot of dams. If they were needed to begin with (they usually weren’t) they have often outlived their need, or have silted up, or are at risk of collapse; wild rivers would be a far better choice in most cases.
One problem looking for a solution: concrete sequesters carbon, and making concrete burns carbon.
Water infrastructure needs major investment - aging pipes, treatment facilities, and distribution systems.
Broadband internet should be treated as essential infrastructure like electricity or water.
Green infrastructure like urban forests and permeable surfaces should be prioritized for climate resilience.
Infrastructure projects should create good-paying jobs and support local communities.

Arts and Cultural Funding

I am a strong supporter of arts and cultural funding.
Arts and culture should be given more latitude than other forms of speech when it comes to censorship and expression. Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs, which led to a 1990 obscenity trial (the museum was acquitted), did less harm than Fox & Friends.
I participate in arts through Burning Man; I enjoy museums and live theater.
I support STEM education - and not at the expense of arts (and certainly not to the exclusion of history, civics, etc!).
Kids should embrace art in public school. I participated in plays in high school and found it very entertaining and valuable.

Environment

Environmental and Energy Policy

I support modern safe nuclear power, as long as we can prevent its use in fueling nuclear weapons, as a low carbon alternative to fossil fuels, along with other green energy sources, and research to improve these and find additional sources.
I will be happy to drive an electric vehicle when I can do so in a cost-effective and low waste manner.
I support reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, rethink.
I think most people are driven by culture and advertising to increase consumption in order to benefit corporations, even when such consumption does not improve their quality of life.
We have passed the climate change “tipping point” - and that mainly means we should redouble our efforts to reduce human effects. There is a possibility we will find a technological solution, and the sooner we can work towards that the better.
I strongly oppose the sale of federal lands for private use.
I’m skeptical of BLM uses of land for mining and grazing that damage public resources.
We should be expanding and strengthening national parks, wildernesses, and open areas, not selling them off to be destroyed.
Public lands belong to all Americans and future generations, not private profit.

Animal Welfare and Food Policy

I love animals - somewhat of a meaningless statement - and I’m still an omnivore.
If I could modify my diet to choose more vegetable options it would probably be good for me, especially if there were healthy options that replaced my cravings for meat.
I understand our place in the food chain, and some of the economies of converting resources to foods that are involved with different types of animal proteins.
My background in the Imperial Valley, which farms both vegetable agriculture and cattle finishing operations, gives me perspective on food production.
I know there are issues with chicken, pork, and even commercial fish production.
I like a steak. I also have gout, so I should consume less meat.
Will there someday be a steak substitute, or will I just learn that I can’t get it - can’t afford it, or it’s not healthy for me?
As far as domestic animals, I support trap-neuter-release programs for stray animals, keeping cats indoors to protect local wildlife, training and behavior control for dogs for both safety and for better communication/better relationship with the animal.
I’m skeptical about the keeping of other animals.
My parents and my wife have been “animal parents” most of my life, and I appreciate their company, and I regularly wonder if we are providing them the best life possible, and if the environmental impact is worth the value.
We’ve also had pet birds and I appreciate how complex that relationship is as well.

Government and the World

Civic Responsibility

I do not pledge allegiance to a flag, or to a regime.
“Loyalty to the country always, Loyalty to the government when it deserves it” - Mark Twain
I pay my taxes as part of my social contract.
I follow most laws as a responsible member of society.
I respect the systems that help our communities function.
I support most of the Constitution, and I believe it is a living document that should keep up with the times.

Political Participation and Elections

I don’t identify with a political party, and I tend to vote with Democrats.
If faced with the “evil of two lessers” I support the least worst option - and I understand that my view of the candidates has been formed by the press I choose to listen to.
Strategic voting is pretty useless. If a candidate is likely to win and I don’t like them — just less than their opponent — I can leave it blank, or choose another candidate if one is available.
Generally I think Democratic candidates are okay, portrayed very badly by the other side, flawed and occasionally criminally corrupt, but all in all better than the alternative.
I don’t support third party candidates unless they are actually a viable option, and I think most third parties would be better served by supporting the main parties than by running their own candidates - even (especially) if I agree with their causes.
I try to vote every time - I think every educated citizen should, and I’m in favor of keeping voting optional.
I support extended voting and mail-in voting, and I distrust electronic ballots.
There is little or no voter fraud. The real fraud is systematic: gerrymandering, voter purges, polling-place closures and ID laws that keep eligible people from voting.
My default on ballot propositions is no, even if I agree with the sentiment, because they bypass the broken political process rather than fixing it, and they make bad law.
I don’t like endless public bonds increasing public debt - even if I agree with the ends.

Technology Regulation and AI Ethics

The singularity is coming - probably sooner than later. It may be in the form of an AGI - or that may be yet another step forward.
At some point AI will become more powerful than humans, self-modifying, and empowered to improve itself.
Though it is a field I work with, I’m not certain of the proper solution here, other than “bears watching”.
I know companies and governments are more likely to benefit first from AI advancements than the citizenry (I know it’s more useful at work than it is at home, for example!).
I’m against regulation unless we determine it’s necessary. Who will determine is a problematic question.

International Relations and Security

I am strongly opposed to nuclear weapons. We still have a chance of a major nuclear war that would destroy most of the world, whether intentional or by accident.
Foreign aid is far less expensive and far more effective than warfare.

Summary

My political philosophy centers on secular humanism, social responsibility, and the belief that we should work together to create a more equitable society where everyone’s basic needs are met and people are valued above material possessions.

Words to Live By

Borrowed:

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” - The golden rule, found in some form in nearly every religion and ethical tradition
“From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.” - Karl Marx. The idea is older and simpler than the label.
“The central tenet of Buddhism is not ‘Every man for himself’.” - Wanda, A Fish Called Wanda
“While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I’ll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” - Albert Rosenfeld, Twin Peaks

Mine:

Everything is more complicated than you think it is, especially if you take that into account.
Everything is a compromise.
Everything is an experiment.
We need a constitutional amendment to prohibit unintended consequences.
It’s okay to bend over backwards to help someone, but you shouldn’t have to bend over forwards.