Principle Focused Politics supports
Principle Focused Government

Our decisions should be based upon principles

Our government is very complicated. It must address the rights of millions of people. We can never write every law that law enforcement and the courts need to ensure a proper balance between the rights of individuals. For this reason, we must stop bickering about legal interpretations just long enough to reassess our principles. We must start at the very beginning; why do we have a government?

• to safeguard the rights of individuals
• to balance competing rights of individuals

All government policies should follow from these two principles. Policies that don't ultimately support one of these principles should be eliminated. Ultimately, the goal of government is to have a productive and harmonious society. If these principles are followed, that goal will be met.

As with all issues of importance, the details determine whether a policy can be implemented and how effectively. One sticky issue is the definition of rights. One neighbor has a right to play music in her home. The neighbor next door has a right to sleep. How do we find the balance between these rights if they conflict?

Balance and consistency are key

Even when we define our principles, we will have to address when those principles collide. Which principle takes precedence? Is there a compromise position that best meets our needs or is compromise of one position unacceptable? This web site may raise more questions than it provides answers, but it is not intended to be the politician. This web site is intended only to be a guide for how to look at issues in a way that remains internally consistent.

For example, a candidate supports free trade, even with countries that have no child labor laws, supports the death penalty, but opposes abortion in all circumstances. Unless the candidate indicates which principles he is using that underlay these policy choices and how those principles may have collided with each other, it is difficult to determine whether he is being internally consistent. People who are internally inconsistent make poor representatives because you have no sense of how they might make choices on your behalf after they are elected. They can make decisions on a whim, or with inappropriate external influence. By focusing on principles first and then setting policy based upon those principles, we the People will get better representatives.