I voted for everything but amnesty and ending welfare, but even in the things I voted for I'm not necessarily in favor of taking it to the extreme the Libertarian Paty would.
Lassiez Faire Capitalism: Yes, I believe the free market is generally best left untampered with. Government regulation often has unintended consequences. Consequences that are often used as justification for further regulation. That said, certain regulations are needed.
I'm a strong supporter of anti-trust laws, as the free market depends upon robust competition to work at an optimal level and monopolies are a antithesis of competition. I'm for reasonable safety standards since many defects or unsafe issues are easily concealed from the consumer, making it impossible for them to make an informed choice.
I recogonize that pollution has a cost to all of us (aka society, a word so many libertarians seem to hate) and it is not accounted for in the price a company charges. Its called an externality cost and government is well suited to account for that cost through regulations. I recognize the market can fail - imagine the disaster that private roads would be. And government again is the ideal body to step in fill the gap left by those failures.
So while I'm for laissez faire capitalism in general, I'm not opposed to any and all government involvement in the free market.
End Drug Prohibition: Definitely favor the immediate legalization of pot. I've yet to hear an intelligent reason why it should be illegal, but alcohol and tobbacco should be legal. Harder drugs are a little harder for me to get a firm position on. Still most of the research shows that decriminalization and/or legalization has little impact on user rates and it would remove a massive source of revenue from various criminal cartels, while saving us a fortune in government expenditures.
Non-Interventionist Foreign Policy: I don't favor non-interventionism because of some principled opposition to force or initiation of force. When it comes to foreign policy, I fall firmly in the realist camp. America should promote and pursure its interests actively. I happen to believe that our interests are often best served by a non-interventionist approach. That said, certain dire circumstance could warrant intervention (a nuclear Iran for instance) or even pre-emption.
Ending Foreign Aid: Usually it ends up in the pockets of dictators anyway. I know its a tiny portion of the budget, but hey, every million helps and we need to start trimming the budget somewhere. I'm not opposed to humanitarian aid for disaster victims.
End Gun Bans: The right to bear arms is as essential, if not moreso, as the right to free speech. Gun bans don't keep guns out of the hands of criminals, since they are by definition people who have qualms about breaking the law.
Deregulate Health Care: Some tort reform would be nice also.
Amnesty: No. I'd be willing to accept a pathway to citizenship, under certain circumstances, if it came along with truly effective measures to get control of our borders. America is a soveriegn nation and it has every right to control its borders. Our economy cannot handle an unlimited influx of unskilled laborers (which is what most illegal immigrants are). Furthermore, there are legitimate security concerns as well. Open borders a pipe dream that will never happen.
End Welfare: I'm not opposed to offering some government assistance to the truly disabled. History has shown that private charity alone is not sufficient. I'm also not opposed to creating a tempory program designed to help people who have fallen on hard times get back on their feet. I'm strongly opposed to allowing able bodied individuals become long term dependents of the state.
Opting out of Social Security: Please! I want out before this giant pyramid scheme comes crashing down and my generation is the one left holding the bill.
