Mike Huckabee on the issue of Personal Values

Hot button issues abound in America these days.  The subject of whether or not federal civil rights laws should include sexual orientation as a protected class is certainly one that can be classified as "hot-button."  Mike Huckabee is clearcut in where he is coming from on this issue.  Mike begins addressing the issue when he says, "While I respect people having a right to be different and even engage privately in conduct I find unbecoming or even abnormal, I oppose sexual orientation being afforded status as a protected class in the same manner as race, religion, or creed." 

Mike Huckabee is equally aware that there are those in this country who use crimes of hate in attempting to hold others down.  He calls hate crimes, crimes against people of color or faith, despicable.  However, according to Mike Huckabee, "The difficulty lies in defining what constitutes a crime of hate versus a crime inflicting harm upon another. One should not be punished for his or her thoughts, but rather for his or her actions against another."

Enforcement of federal obscenity laws is another tough issue to address.  Mike Huckabee again doesn't back down from letting you know where he stands.  According to Mike, "Federal obscenity laws most certainly must be enforced. In light of the proliferation of sexual crimes against children due to sexual predators cruising Internet chat rooms, there must be efforts made to protect innocent children from those who would rob their childhood, their innocence, and their lives."  Mike Huckabee recognizes that access to adult material through closed systems, such as subscriber-based cable, is a protected form of free speech, provided it does not violate common sense and clearly-defined obscenity laws. Mike Huckabee believes the use of public airways is an entirely different matter in that they are owned by the general public and as such must be maintained with the same tenacity toward decency as we would maintain our city streets. 

Another area where calls for reform are heard from time to time is the policies and direction of the National Endowment for the Arts.  As a strong proponent for arts instruction in our public schools, Mike Huckabee is solid in his stand on this issue.  According to Mike Huckabee, "I strongly support a music and art program for every student in our public school system. To the degree in which the National Endowment of the Arts encourages and enhances those opportunities, I support their efforts. I respect art as an important reflection of a culture and public interest should lie within the community’s accessibility to art rather than the personal subsidy of particular artist. I feel in the latter instance, government essentially engages in a form of censorship by choosing some artist over others."