The Survey I Wish the Trump Campaign Had Distributed Instead of That Absurd Manipulative One (Becaus
1. What, in your mind, is an American? (Check all that apply.)
a. Only the descendants of people born in the United States.
b. Anyone who lives here.
c. A person who has fulfilled the requirements of immigration law and passed a citizenship test.
d. A person escaping from oppression, hardship, danger or lack of opportunity who has found refuge in the United States.
e. Anyone living, working, studying, or searching for financial and physical security within the borders of the United States.
f. Anyone dedicated to democratic principles with particular skills and capabilities who is or would like to act on that commitment somewhere within the borders of the United States.
2. Now, please rank your checked answers in order of priority, leaving out those you did not check.
3. What, in your mind, is the primary role of the federal government of the United States? (Check all that apply.)
a. To protect the borders of the United States from foreign invasion.
b. To set policy that makes all Americans healthier, safer, and economically secure.
c. To establish a social safety net by which opportunity for education, economic security, physical and psychological well-being is prioritized and equalized.
d. To improve the circumstances, via taxation and deregulation, by which wealth can most easily be accumulated.
e. To establish and maintain rule of law within our borders.
f. To regulate commerce in order to ensure broader mutual benefit.
g. To provide a system whereby elected officials can further their personal agendas.
h. To set policy and create mechanisms whereby future generations can benefit from a stable economy, a healthy environment, and social equality.
i. To act as guardian of American interests worldwide.
j. To export the values of a democratic system to other nations.
k. To support and encourage free-market capitalism nationally and worldwide.
l. To sponsor and encourage the extraction of resources in order to create the highest standard of living for those in a position to benefit.
m. To aggressively pursue ‘greatness’ as a point of national pride.
n. To fulfill the vision of the Constitution.
o. To use the Constitution as a basis for adapting democracy to present circumstances.
p. To contribute to advancing the human condition.
q. To set policy which selectively controls access to benefits and resources and facilitates ‘life, liberty, and happiness’ only for those who have proven their worth to society.
4. Now, please rank your checked answers in order of priority, leaving out those you did not check.
5. What, in your mind, is the role of the individual states? (Check all that apply.)
a. To meet or exceed the standards and practices established by the federal government for safety, economic security, education, and public services.
b.To develop unique policy and practices that will set the state apart from the others and establish its particular identity.
c. To specifically reflect the state’s history and geographic location in its laws and policies.
d. To operate as a separate legal entity with all the power of a sovereign nation but protected by the federal government from foreign invasion and funded by federal taxes.
e. To set policy and provide funding and oversight for local governments to perform civic services such as transportation, education, police and fire services, parks, arts, etc.
f. To maintain public lands and resources within its jurisdiction.
g. To provide training and a springboard for national politicians.
h. To resist the centralized power of the federal government.
i. To create a secondary level of governance in order to enhance citizen welfare.
j. To regulate and consolidate local powers (counties, districts, municipalities, etc.)
6. Now, please rank your checked answers in order of priority, leaving out those you did not check.
7. What, in your mind, is the definition of democracy? (Check all that apply.)
a. A form of majority rule.
b. An electoral system, sometimes with direct voting but usually through the election of representatives to a central government.
c. A set of constitutional rights and regulations, based on a formulating document.
d. A system of government that mandates individual liberty.
e. A set of beliefs that promotes freedom and equality.
f. A system of government based on broad political participation.
g. Universal enfranchisement.
h. A system of government which protects human rights and applies rule of law to all citizens equally.
i. The right and responsibility to oust corrupt or ineffective leaders without recourse to revolution.
j. The right and responsibility of government to preserve and promote capitalism and free-market enterprise.
k. A free-market economy.
l. Separation of powers i.e. a distribution of authority between states and federal government and between executive, congressional and judicial branches of government.
m. Upward control as in the greatest sovereignty at the lowest levels of authority.
n. Freedom of speech (political expression, a free press, voting rights, the internet, etc.) to ensure informed voting, attention to minority interests, and oversight of elected leaders.
o. A set of human, civil, minority, and workers’ rights.
8. Now, please rank your checked answers in order of priority, leaving out those you did not check.
9. Which of the following areas do you believe should be managed and regulated by the government (as public entities) and which do you believe should be operated by and for profit-making corporations?
Rate (1) through (5) with (1) being FOR PROFIT, (3) being FOR PROFIT but with SOME government REGULATION and (5) being PUBLIC
a. K through 12 education:
1 2 3 4 5
b. Higher education (college)
1 2 3 4 5
c. Prisons
1 2 3 4 5
d. Banking/Finance
1 2 3 4 5
e. Health care
1 2 3 4 5
f. Energy
1 2 3 4 5
g. Public service (elected officials)
1 2 3 4 5
h. Infrastructure/transportation (roads, railroads, bridges, emergency management, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
i. Media
1 2 3 4 5
j. Science/research
1 2 3 4 5
k. Military
1 2 3 4 5
l. Law enforcement/courts
1 2 3 4 5
m. Tax collection
1 2 3 4 5
10. Please rank each category in order of importance.
11. What is the relationship, in your mind, between ‘beliefs’ and ‘truth.’
a. Beliefs and truths are the same thing. In other words, I believe what I believe because I know it’s true.
b. Beliefs are usually an attempt at discovering the truth. In other words, I choose my beliefs based on a sense of truth.
c. Beliefs are influenced by many factors, one of which is the desire to establish a sense of ‘truth’. In other words, my beliefs are a function of my experience and my relationship to how I understand the real world.
d. Beliefs and truths may overlap but arise from different sources. Beliefs are based on emotional well-being and truths derive from research, information and discovery.
e. Nothing is inherently true.