Lawrence Lessig
Historical Details
Position on Issues
For| Read My Position
Lessig supports eliminating the criminal penalty for many drugs, instead treating addiction as a public health problem.
For| Read My Position
"We need to recognize that among us Americans, there are millions of Americans who are not yet citizens, but should be. I would support the most inclusive and speedy path to citizenship for all but those proven to have engaged in serious crime."
For| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2015
Lessig's primary issue in the 2016 Presidential race is campaign finance reform. He proposes passing the Citizen Equality Act, which includes a public campaign finance system and ballot access reforms.
For| Read My Position
"The science is clear that climate change is happening-in part at least-because of human activity. In light of our values, that part alone should be enough to demand that we do something immediately to respond. ... It is my view that polluters should clean up their pollution or pay the cost for the damage they've done. In this context, that principle translates into a strong demand that carbon emitters pay the price for what they do. I would support a carbon tax, which would force them to internalize the cost of what they're doing, thereby raising the price of dirty energy, and shifting demand to clean alternatives. I would support alternatives to a carbon tax only if I were convinced they could not be gamed to defeat the purpose of this fundamental moral principle."
For| Read My Position
"We must extend protections secured to women, by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, securing support for Planned Parenthood, and expanding the protections against violence against women."
Against| Read My Position
"I therefore support the legalization of marijuana-not because I want my children to use that drug, but because I recognize the limits of government's power in a free society. I would also press the federal government to develop plans to decriminalize other controlled substances-at least when it is clear that the cost of prohibition exceeds any benefit to society."
For| Read My Position
"I would push for an increase in the minimum wage."
For| Read My Position
"We must extend protections secured to women, by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, securing support for Planned Parenthood, and expanding the protections against violence against women."
For| Read My Position
"I would support legislation that would add a public option to the insurance mandate of Obamacare."
Against| Read My Position
"You can have differing views about the death penalty, but you cannot support the death penalty once you see how the system actually works."
Against| Read My Position
"I would stop NSA surveillance on American citizens, wherever they may be. I would block any efforts by the NSA to outsource the violation of the Fourth Amendment to other governments or private contractors. And I would require that any surveillance system be built with both strict legal and technical protections to assure against misuse. Code must complement law, and no individual should have his or her privacy invaded unless the evidence justifying that invasion has been evaluated by a judge."
Against| Read My Position
"Privatizing Social Security is a sure path to insecurity for most.
"Social Security has been weakened over the past 20 years. I would support increasing the benefits it pays. This is in part because private retirement resources have been decimated by the collapse of 2008 (and by the mistaken policy of moving away from defined benefit retirement plans).
"I would also support removing the cap on contributions to Social Security (without necessarily proportionally increasing the benefits paid.)"
For| Read My Position
"I would press for comprehensive reform of mandatory minimum sentences. We send people to prison for way too long, and when they get out, too many have no choice but to return to crime."
Against| Read My Position
"The Affordable Care Act (which out of respect for our President, I will refer to as Obamacare) represents enormous progress towards providing all Americans a security that citizens of other nations take for granted. We should celebrate and defend its provisions."
Other| Read My Position
"I would therefore support a substantial increase in federal subsidies to research and public educational institutions. I would press for policies that would forgive a portion of existing student debt, and permit students to refinance their debt at a low rate. I would support policies that condition federal subsidies for public education on efforts to restrain costs. And I would oppose policies that rely exclusively on students to create market pressure to keep educational costs in check."
Other| Read My Position
"As President, I would vigorously support the agreement with Iran. We must exercise a cautious skepticism of course, but we must also recognize that across history, such is always how peace begins. We have fundamental disagreements with Iran. We cannot tolerate the exporting of terrorism, and we must remain committed to defending the Israeli people. But this first step is an historic achievement. We should celebrate it, and work to make it succeed."
