Title says it all. Write about your politics here.
i'll go first. I'll try to be as coherrent as possible, though I may fail.
First, context. Your politics, I think, is mostly influenced by your environment and circumstances, so I'll write about myself a little.
I grew up in a working class family in Suburban San Fernando, Trinidad. My mother owns a village store, or parlour as we called it. My dad wasn't really around, but he worked as a Mason and generally works in construction.
My highest education level now is akin to an associate's degree. Really it's a certificate, but it's at a college.
I'm employed now and I probably classify at the very bottom of Middle Class in Trinidadian Standards.
OK, that's enough personal context.
1. The Person.
At the heart of politics is the person. The individual. Every worker, farmer, businessman, industrialist, etc. That's why I start off with this category.
I have very liberal views on the individual. I believe that everyone should be equipt with the tools to succeed regardless of their ability as it relates to the body, class, gender, race, etc. I also believe people should be free to live their life so long as it's not actively harmful to others, though with some limitation. Like, I'm in favour with the right to self-defense and the right to bare arms, but people shouldn't be moving around with heavy machinery and high powered weapons as an example.
That being said, I am a strong supporter of the death penalty, providing the burden of evidence is high, and only in the most horrible of crimes, for example, rape, murder, etc.
I'm also open to supporting the death penalty in cases of treason. For example, I think Abu Bakr, the man who tried overthrowing Trinidad's government in the 90s should've been publicly executed on Independence Square.
I'm a strong suppporter in the middle and working class. A strong middle class, I think is the important protector of democracy, and keeping the working class comfortable prevents revolution and chaos. The ruling elite should try to be focused on the concerns of both of these groups.
As far as possible, everyone in the society should be reasonably educated. And I don't mean indoctrinated by what the school tells you, people should genuinely be well-read and willing to research things. This is the only way to keep the state strong.
I do believe in the yoeman farmer ideal. In south Trinidad, it's very possible to grow your own vegetables and seasonings, while keeping a chicken coub. It's probably even possible to keep a cow or two. As far as possible, people should live off their land and subsist on what they can. In part because they know what they're eating, and second, because it builds character to work your land and work for your food.
It also encourages community development, because people can share what they don't need.
On Transgenderism, although I personally disagree with it and think that it should be treated like the mental health condition it is, people should be free to transition if they want on their own money. In the same way people are allowed to drink rum and wither away their livers now, people should be open to doing that if they want. My only policy is that absolutely no state funding should be used for that purpose. Also you shouldn't be alowed to make that decision until you're 25.
I'm torn on medically assisted suicide. In theory, I support it, but I'm opposed to doing it because one is depressed but is otherwise fully able-bodied and healthy.
I'm OK with very early abortions in certain cases, like rape or where the life of the child is at risk, though I'll admit my views on that are getting more conservative as time goes on.
Marriage is a religious and sacred thing, and gay marriage should be left up to the particular church or minister, but I don't see why gay couples shouldn't be allowed to express their love for each other and access the benefits associated therewith. I support civil unions, which is basically marriage, but leaves marriage for the specific religious sects. So for example, in Trinidad we have a Hindu Marriage Act, a Muslim Marriage act, etc. There is no Christian Marriage Act because the regular Marriage Act is basically based on Western Christian doctrine, so I'd be open to either amending the wording to be gender non-descript, or introducing a Civil Unions Act.
I think this covers the individual well enough.
2. The Nation and Her People.
A Nation is made up of 3 main components. A united people, who are united by a common culture, and who live in a shared homeland. I'll talk about these one by one.
Note, I'll be using my own Trinidad and Tobago to talk about this.
2.1 A United People
Living in Trinidad, which is a part of the Americas, I might have a slightly different view on this than, say, a European, because the concept of a nation in the Americas is different. Our countries aren't really built on a single race like in Europe. You have Germany for the Germans and Italy for the Italians, but Canada isn't for a Canadian Race, nor is Trinidad populated by a Trinidadian race.
Our countries are made up by a particular group of people who happen to share a common culture.
I think in countries like my own, it's important to recognise that there are foundational people groups who came together to build the core of the nation. That doesn't necessarily mean that the country should hold descendants of those races above everyone else, rather they should be given greater consideration to their sensitivities and anxities.
I think Trinidad has 5 main founding races. These are, in no particular order, Africans, Indians, Britannics, French, and Iberians.
There are other races who played an important role in Trinidad's development, such as the Arabs and Chinese, but these 5 played the biggest role on Trinidadian culture, language, law, politics and history. The country was founded primarily based on the interests, aspirations, concerns and beliefs of these 5, and every other group fundimentally conforms to one of these.
Let's use National holidays as an example. When discussing holidays, these 5 have the lion's share of Trinidadian holidays. The Indians get Divali, Indian Arrival Day, Eid Urfitr and Holi. Africans get Emancipation Day and Shouter Baptist Day. The British get Christmas and Boxing Day, while the French and Iberians get Carnival, Corpus Christi and Easter.
From time to time, this or that group calls for their own holiday. First People's Day. Chinese Arrival Day.
While I'd be cool on the grounds of another holiday, I don't believe these groups are as integral to the core foundation of Trinidad as to warrent their own holiday.
While anyone can be a Trinidadian, as you'll see in a second, these 5 groups, and I'd limit it to African and indian are the main archetype for what a Trinidadian is. Not that they're the exclusive mold, but they're the average.
2.2. A Common Culture
Now that you have these different people groups coming together, they share their culture. First and foremost is language. Trinidad was at first a Spanish colony, but due to massive French emmigration, the island's main language became French. So, settlers to the island conformed to that and spoke French, developing French slang unique to the island. As the British conquered the island during the Napoleonic wars, they attempt enforcing English as the 19TH century progressed, and that became the main language new settlers to the island would have to conform to.
But of course, the Africans who were enslaved and brought here had their own languages at first, and they wouldn't lose it. Even though over time they adopted French, and then English, specific phrases from their ancestors would linger on, and would be shared to the other people groups. When settlers from India arrived, they also brought their own language, and even as they adopted English, they would throw in contributions from the Orient into the llinguistic pot.
These differing people groups would share their foods and even create new ones. They would share stories and, based on their practices in their mother countries, and based on the conditions on the ground, would develop certain cultural norms peculiar to the place.
And over time, these things would be recogniseable as the beliefs, the practices and habits of a certain people. Even though my name is Jaidon Vincent and not Rashid Harrynanan, our diets, our beliefs and practices may be very similar. Of course, each subgroup within the overall people of a nation would have distinct divergences, overall there would be a high degree of simularity.
This is what i mean by a common culture. It doesn't have to be exactly the same, but near enough to where the culture is recogniseably at home.
And I think in a place like Trinidad, culture plays a bigger role than blood or a place of birth. Someone's parents could be Trinidadian, but if you're raised in New York, talk like a New Yorker and have the culture of a Newyorker, then you're not a Trinidadian, at least not yet.
2.3. A Shared Homeland
This should be pretty self-explanatory. Trinidad and Tobago is a twin island state, which makes things easier. Trinidad for the Trinidadians, Tobago for the Tobagonians, and one united, sovereign republic.
That doesn't mean I don't think intermingling should be a thing though. Like Trinidadians should definitely be able to settle in Bago and vice versa.
A key function of the government should be to ensure the territorial integrity of the homeland. In our case, the government should have invested way more on an adequate naval fleet to ensure the country can defend against drug runners and pirates from Venezuela.
The people, too, should also work to defend their homeland. I don't agree with a draft, but I think as best as possible that everyone should volunteer at least for a brief period in military service. Doesn't have to be a combattant role. You can volunteer to be a medic or something.
If I were sighted, I think I"d have joined the Coast Guard in defense of the Homeland.
Immigration should be something controlled and regulated. It's important to have a balance between native net growth and foreign arrivals. Also, the people arriving to a nation should have basic requirements. They should speak the language of that particular place. Right now in Trinidad, it's expected that Venezuelan arrivals be allowed to speak their language, and I think that's ridiculous.
The Trinidad constitution does allow for people to speak their own language when dealing with the state, but that's a provision for the French Speaking and Indic speaking people who were living here already, not for thousands of people who came here illegally.
3. Economics.
Free market economics is the way. The government should keep out of regulation as far as possible, aside for ensuring people's safety. Again, I believe the ideal businessman is the small time owner. The man who owns the shop. The plumber, the farmer, the poltry shop owner, etc. The government should reduce as much red tape to make it possible for these people to thrive and prosper, but at the same time take steps to bring them into the fold. They should pay taxes. They should be able to pay into the National Insurance Scheme, etc.
That being said, I believe that utilities should be government controlled. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be.
I also believe in smaller developing states like my own having the Government involve itself in heavy industry. So, we used to have the Iron and Steel Company of Trinidad and Tobago, and Petrotrin, who drilled and refined petrolium products.
The reason is that because overall the country was so poor due to colonialism, the state is the only erson with the capital to develop these industries. I do believe that these enterprise should have significant private co-ownership however.
As time goes on, private capital will accumilate and allow for other related industries to flow forth.
Free education like i wrote earlier should be a priority of every state. Trinidad does free education up to Secondary School, and will fund many University programmes. I'm in support of such a model for reasons I outlined above.
Welfare as done here in Trinidad needs to be seriously overhalled. I don't think the state should just be handing out money. People on welfare should provide some value overall. So, we had something called URP, Unemployment Relief Programme. This is where you had people go out and cut the grass at the side of the roads and so on. This model was sensible, but it had a lot of waste and these people barely made money to subsist.
State industries would provide greater options for these people to work. In addition, these people can also work on state projects where they can gain actual skills, like paving roads, building infrastructure, vehicle repair, or even in offices.
For people with disabilities, the focus should be on training disabled people and removing barriers to employment.
I do think that disabled people should receive a payout from the state because our lives truly are that much more expensive for reasons out of our control, but there ocmes a point where that's no longer necessary. Where that point is, I don't know yet.
Free trade is good in theory, but the government should take steps to ensure that local industries are protected, but at the same time, should take steps to make sure that local industries don't get lazy. While the local market is important, but there's a huge market beyond.
Tariffs shouldn't be implemented on things that we can't produce ourselves or is essential though. For example a 25% tax on smartphones and computer is suicide in this day and age.
4. Foreign Relations
I'll talk about both my own country and other relations.
Trinidad should be a stronger supporter of Caribbean integration. It's in our benefit, and the benefit for our friends across the seas. We have a massive industrial base which means they can be a captive market for our goods, while we have a lot of excess capital and wealth. we can travel to their countries. We can buy their produce, and if we were to militarise more, as I think we should, we can provide them with protection.
I am aggressive toward the modern state of Israel based on their actions in the Middle East.
What's happening to Ukraine is sad, but I have minor simpathy for them because of their racism and mistreatment of Trinidadian citizens.
I'm also hostile towards Venezuela due to their constant threats on us in Trinidad and Guyana. Also their Navy's kidnapping, torturing and murder of Trinidadian citizens.
Sir-Charlie — Post 1 of 25
All that I survey, I could easily destroy. From time to time, it is important to remind these small creatures of the true extent of my power.