Should prisoners of war from other countries be tried in the United States, when trying to close Guantanamo Bay?

No they should not be tried in the United States. Well first of all i don't even think that Guantanamo Bay should be closing. I feel like we will not know where to put the prisoners and i know i wouldn't feel comfortable with them in the United States, especially if they are from a different country they should go to a prison back at their home. If they are from a different country they should have trial where they are from so that their rights apply to them, they should not have the same rights as Americans.

Do the Afghanistan people want us to help them?

I think that Afghanistan people want us to help keep them safe. The terrorist groups dont want us in the their because they want to take control. I think it is good that we are helping make Afghanistan more organized and safe for the people. However i think that more countries should help and we shouldnt do it by ourselves because it is dangerous for just the United States to do alone.

#11

Should race affect the court and look at the law differently?

No, race should not affect the courts decisions, I think it is good to have a variety of people with different backgrounds and races. They can look from all aspects and really analyze the situation. If it was all just one race, and they grew up the same all the people would not have a discussion and see all the possibilities of what could happen.

#10

Hate Crime...

I think that it is a good idea that transgenders and homosexual people are protected in some way against the hate crime act. Even though race and religion our now being looked at more closely i think that it is a very good law, because people should not be made fun of so much about their race, or the type of person they are. The person can not help the way he or she is and should not be treated wrongly because of that. If there was no hate crime act, people would get away with doing horrible things to people that they dont deserve.

#9

Eminent Domain

Eminent domain is the power of the state to take private property for public use with the payment of compensation to the owner. i would normally say that eminent domain is a good thing. however, the government now twists the situation, to help provide more for them, and less for the people. i would say the state has the right to take someones house for the good of a school, highway or library, but a car dealership, i don't think that is right. i think that before they are going to knock a building down, the towns people should be able to vote on it if the owner can not come up with an agreement with the state. if the votes are not high enough the state should brainstorm another idea or a different route where everyone would be happy in the long run.

#8

What do you think of presidential term limits?
I think that the way we have our term limits set up right now is very good. If the president is not doing so well, we can elect someone else, or we can elect him again for his second term if we like what he is doing for us. If it was not set up this way and the president was not doing a good job, and his term was for like 5 or 6 years, that would put the united states in danger. So, i think that the way we have it is good just in case the president is doing a horrible job.

#7

Should there be people in the congress if they did not go to college?

yes, i think there should be people in congress even if they did not go to college. there are many successful people that did not attend college and they are doing very very well. i think that learning about government and stuff is something that you don't need to go to college to learn. if they know what they are doing very well i think that it is fine that they did not go to college.

Should a councilmen have to live in the same district he/she represents?

i think that the person who represents a district should live in the same location that he or she represents. they may know more people, like have a better, closer relationship with with more people. Also they may know what the people think about what is good or changes that need to be made. for example people know more about the town they live in verse people that come and visit.

#5

Should the government be able to keep secrets and hide them from the people?

i don't think the idea of hiding whats going on in the world is good, but i think it should be done in order to keep the people safe and keep them from going crazy. For example, if we find out a "secret" and we don't like what the government is doing, people will protest and make a huge deal about it. Like over in Iraq, if the united states people did not know that there was fighting over there, we would feel betrayed. Also, there are the people that are totally against fighting and there's the people that think violence will make them more structured. Keeping the info away from the people would just make them upset and if they find out, it will make them more upset.

#4

Are political parties good or bad for our democracy?

i think that political parties are good for our democracy. they give a category for the people to fit their beliefs with. i think its dumb that people argue about which party is better because a belief is just what you think and everyone has different opinions.

Is requiring voter registration a good or bad thing?

I think that requiring voter registration is a good idea because it is a good way for the government to be organized and keep track of who is is voting. however, i think more people would vote if they could just go to the poll place and say their name and birthday and show id and somehow it could go to all computers at the poll boxes across the world so they could not vote again. i think it would just be an easier, more productive way.

"Do you identify with one party or the other?"

I'm not complitly sure if i would consider myself a democrat or republican. im not sure their exact views on everything, but i know i have some agreeing with each party, so im not really sure what i would "be". I know i want to learn a lot more about each party.. just like an overview..

1. listening to my moms fiance talk every morning about his political attitudes affects the way i look at politics. his opinions are very very strong.

2. the place i live has had the greatest effect on my political views. i think this because one person i live with, his views on the government and politics are very set in stone.

should all Americans receive free health care of is it too expensive?
i think a certain percent should receive free health care, like if you have a job. but then again im not sure because i think the homeless should have free health care but then again they should have pushed themselves to work and be responsible enough to get a good job in order to have a good future. i think the people that try and work hard should get rewarded by the government.