Where I Stand
I don't fit neatly into either party. These are my actual positions — evidence-driven, pragmatic, and subject to change when I learn something new.
political identity
Pragmatic Centrist / Technocratic Utilitarian
I prioritize competence over ideology. I trust institutions that work and distrust ones that don't. I form positions from evidence, not team loyalty. I sit to the right on criminal justice and immigration levels, to the left on healthcare and climate, and libertarian on speech and guns. Neither party fits.
international equivalents → Emmanuel Macron (France), Dutch-style liberal democracy
philosophical tradition → John Stuart Mill — harm principle, evidence-based governance
philosophical tradition → John Stuart Mill — harm principle, evidence-based governance
issues & positions
Government
I want a large, competent, expert-led government. Congress should be filled with domain experts and retired faculty, not career politicians. Size matters less than effectiveness.
competence over ideology
Healthcare
Healthcare is a public good, not a private service. The market has failed at it. I lean toward government-run or heavily regulated universal coverage.
market failure demands public intervention
Economy
The real issue is affordability and purchasing power, not inequality per se. I'm open to UBI, especially as AI reshapes labor markets. Safety nets should be protected and expanded preemptively.
AI disruption is structural — get ahead of it
Immigration
Immigration is good and economically valuable. Current levels are too high and the system is too family-based. I'd shift to a skills-based model like Canada or Australia, and support a path to citizenship for undocumented people already here.
skills over family chains at scale
Criminal Justice
Repeat, high-recidivism offenders should face longer sentences. Soft prosecutorial discretion in cities like LA has been a mistake. Rehabilitation works in specific cases and should be identified and pursued — but not assumed.
recidivism data should drive sentencing, not ideology
Policing
Qualified immunity is overextended. Officers should face real legal consequences for misconduct. Police brutality creates a distrust feedback loop that makes everyone less safe. Systemic bias is real but operates within genuinely high-risk environments.
distrust feedback loops cost lives on both sides
Guns
Legal gun owners aren't the problem. The Second Amendment's original tyranny-prevention justification is practically obsolete against modern military force. I'd support stricter checks and red flag laws. Safety beats abstract rights here.
empirical safety over theoretical rights
Drugs
Policy should be driven by societal harm, not morality. Hard opioids like heroin and fentanyl should remain illegal. Marijuana and psychedelics are in a gray zone — potentially prescribable and regulated rather than criminalized outright.
harm reduction, not moral enforcement