Mike Gravel

[MiloMinderbinder]

Why no love on this site for Mike Gravel?

Here's a few things I've learned in the last day researching more about him after reading an article in Death and Taxes*:

-- No draft. In fact, he single-handedly prevented the Nixon administration from reinstating it when he was in Congress in early 70s.

-- Legalize and regulate all drugs. Treating drug abuse as a medical not criminal matter.

-- Eliminate the IRS and institute a fair tax (sales tax) instead of an income tax and corporate taxes.

-- Pro-choice.

-- Supports constitutional amendments for more direct democracy, allowing some issues to be proposed and voted on like state ballot initiatives to curb special interests control of Congress.

-- In favor of recognizing gay civil unions, to be treated similarly to heterosexual marriages under the law.

-- For a national health care system allowing choice of doctor. Phase out Medicare/Medicaid.

-- A new foreign policy replacing intervention with participation. Get troops home. Stop being the world's unilateral police and subsidizing the rest of the world's defense.

-- Terrorism is not a war. Treat through better defense and dogged global police work and prosecute perpetrators within the law. Fear sustains our military-industrial complex. Cut nuke arsenal from ~10,000 to a couple hundred as strictly a last resort deterrent. A nebulous "war on terror" (which is a tactic, not an enemy) will surely fail as badly as the wars on drugs and poverty. Iraq is a disaster that will end eventually no better than it is today, so get out rather than squander more blood and treasure.

-- Eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing laws. And stop punishment of non-violent, victim-less crimes like drugs, sex, and gambling.

-- Stop using immigration issue as national scapegoating. Make English the official language of the US.

-- Social security solvency, and let beneficiaries leave unused funds to their heirs not to the govt.

-- Promote conservation and energy independence.

-- For constitutional amendments to repeal the electoral college and place congressional term limits.

* The article didn't say he was a Dem and by his positions I was initially surprised when I realized. Like Paul, he transcends his party and is in some ways closer to a libertarian than either a Dem or Repub. Also like Paul, he won't win but more of his message should be heard anyway if we are going to progress, even if you don't agree 100% with his platform. His actions in the Senate in the '70s show he has the character to put his words into deed, as he personally forced the release of the Pentagon Papers and often took positions as an Alaskan Senator which were at odds with Alaskan interests (like commercial fishing) if he felt it was the right thing to do (like block efforts to declare 200 mile off-shore of Alaska as our territorial waters).

Google your own links, there are many.