# Political beliefs Ross Allan Dahl. 49 positions, in his own words. Lean tags (left, right, neither) and axis scores are approximate codings of how each position is usually framed; the statements are what count. Axis scores run from -2 to +2: economy (market to public), personal liberty (state control to personal freedom), who decides (equal say to merit and expertise), society (traditional to progressive). ## Rights and liberties ### 1. Free speech Speech should be restricted only when it makes a direct threat of death against another person. Lean: Right ### 2. Hate and extremist groups They should be allowed to exist. Hate is not illegal; murder and violent crime are. Lean: Right ### 3. Media Mass media should be bound by rules against misinformation. Because it reaches the public at scale and can indoctrinate, it is not treated like an individual speaker. Lean: Left ### 4. Surveillance Governments should surveil citizens to prevent crime and terrorism. Lean: Right ### 5. Data The state should regulate what companies and platforms do with people’s data. Lean: Left ### 6. Collective consent Collective projects need collective consent. I oppose conscription, national service and mandatory vaccination. Lean: Neither ### 7. Pornography The state should control access to it, with age verification. Lean: Right ### 8. Gambling Private games, such as poker and cards, should be allowed under rules. Casinos, VLTs and other rigged games should be banned. Lean: Neither ### 9. Body and mind enhancement People should be allowed to modify or enhance their bodies and minds with technology. Lean: Neither ## Life, death and the body ### 10. Healthcare Healthcare is a universal right and should be publicly funded. Lean: Left ### 11. Abortion Abortion should be legal, with limits on how late in a pregnancy it can be performed. Lean: Left ### 12. Assisted dying It should be legal and highly regulated, available only to the terminally ill or in cases of extreme compassion. Lean: Left ### 13. Drugs Drugs should be decriminalized and legalized. Consumption should be regulated and tied to a person’s health status, with access controlled and prescribed through clinics and retreats. Lean: Left ### 14. Sex work It should be legal and regulated. Lean: Left ### 15. Food and drink Foods that harm health should be heavily taxed, and the revenue should subsidize the cost of healthy food. Lean: Left ### 16. Gender and medical transition Medical transition should never be available to minors. It should be restricted to people whose frontal cortex is fully developed. People who have transitioned must always identify themselves as having done so, and may not lie about their biological identity on public documents or to members of the public. Lean: Right ### 17. Sentience Sentience extends beyond humanity to other biological life and to synthetic life. Lean: Neither ## Family and society ### 18. Marriage Marriage should be only a label and should have no effect on tax status. Lean: Neither ### 19. Adoption Only heterosexual couples should be allowed to adopt children. Lean: Right ### 20. Childcare Childcare and paid parental leave should be fully funded by the state. Lean: Left ### 21. Education Education should be free for everyone. Lean: Left ### 22. Religion in schools Schools should be free of religion unless it is studied historically or anthropologically. Religious schools should be banned. Lean: Left ### 23. Housing Housing is a basic right and should not be left to the market. Every citizen should have a plot of land they can build on and live on if they choose. Lean: Left ### 24. Building There should be minimal control over building, and free building should be legal. The government may inspect when health and safety are a concern. Lean: Right ### 25. Indigenous peoples The legal system should be harmonized, with universal laws and local bylaw governance. Property, mineral extraction and business rules may differ within Indigenous jurisdictions. Some laws, such as environmental laws, should be harmonized between local and national administration. Lean: Neither ## Justice and security ### 26. Death penalty The death penalty should exist. Lean: Right ### 27. Police Police should be highly trained and well funded. Lean: Right ### 28. Prisons Prisons should focus on rehabilitation. The death penalty applies only where rehabilitation is not an option. Depending on the crime and the criminal’s history, the criminal may choose the death penalty over a life sentence. Lean: Neither ### 29. Guns Everyone should be able to receive free rifle training as part of national defence. The public should be able to own hunting rifles and shotguns. Handguns should be restricted to security personnel, to civilians who need them for defence in special circumstances, and to wilderness protection, such as hiking in bear country. Lean: Neither ### 30. Military A strong military is needed. Lean: Right ## Government, economy and technology ### 31. Voting Voting should be legal for everyone over 25. Younger people would need a licence earned through an aptitude test. On top of this, votes should be weighted by knowledge, expertise and contribution. Lean: Neither ### 32. Head of state A head of state should never be inherited. They should be chosen through a combination of election and merit. Lean: Neither ### 33. Selection for jobs and university places There should be no affirmative action or quotas. Selection should be merit-based and decided by an unbiased AI. Lean: Right ### 34. Religion and the state The state should be based on scientific truth. It should be completely secular, free of influence from any religious group, and should not consult or engage with any religion. Lean: Left ### 35. Key industries Key industries should be publicly owned, with high-level management directed by the public. Innovation and new technology, such as new mineral extraction methods, should be developed by the private sector with public grants. Lean: Left ### 36. Ownership limits The state should limit how much a person or company can own. Lean: Left ### 37. Wealth taxes I am undecided. AI is changing the economy so quickly that economic policy may be better decided by complex algorithms than by fixed positions. Lean: Neither ### 38. Universal basic income Everyone should receive one. I see it as an inevitable necessity as AI automates work. Lean: Left ### 39. AI regulation AI development is of national importance. Government regulatory systems are too slow and would only hinder it, so it should be regulated by experts in the field, who work in private industry. Lean: Right ### 40. Space and science The state should fund space exploration and large-scale scientific research, even without an immediate economic return. Lean: Neither ### 41. Arts and culture The state should not subsidize the arts, culture or public broadcasting. Lean: Right ## Environment ### 42. Climate A carbon tax is acceptable only if every dollar collected goes directly to mitigating climate change, for example atmospheric scrubbers or direct research. Lean: Neither ### 43. Nuclear power It should be expanded, though it need not be the main energy source. Lean: Neither ### 44. Environmental protection The state should enforce protection of the environment, even against private property rights. Lean: Left ## The wider world ### 45. Borders Borders should not be open. Open borders would be ideal, but we do not live in a perfect world. Lean: Right ### 46. Refugees Refugee intake should be balanced. Countries should accept refugees in extreme conditions, on the agreement that they return to their home countries within an appropriate time. Lean: Right ### 47. Citizenship Citizenship should be tied to birth and residence. Lean: Neither ### 48. Foreign aid Aid should take the form of engineering expertise and infrastructure projects, such as universities, hospitals and roads, and not blank cheques. Financial payments to other countries should be banned. Lean: Right ### 49. Global institutions There should be a balance of power between nations and global institutions. Lean: Neither