My name is Joshua. I am 17 years old and reside in Monrovia, California. My interests are many. I am most strongly interested in politics, philosophy (especially theology, morals, economics and ethics), music, history, aviation, and military history and doctrine.
I enjoy a wide range of music. My favorite bands are the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Eagles, and Simon and Garfunkel. Honorable mentions include Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Tom Petty, Asleep at the Wheel, Bruce Springstein, Jackson Brown, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Old and In the Way, Fleetwood Mac, and the Alman Brothers. I enjoy classic rock, some folk, some bluegrass, oldies, and classical.
I am deeply interested in politics. I am best described as a Libertarian, though I disagree with them on many issues. I believe strongly in the Constitution, individual rights, private property, and a small government. Some of the positions I support are the Liberty amendment (repeal of the 16th), an end to government power over private property (i.e. rents{i.e. property tax}, seizure for environmental or commercial projects, et cetera), redundant taxes or fees (paying tax on property resold through private dealings, paying fees, such as registration for cars, over and over again, etc.), and an end to governmental control of business (forcing affirmative action by race quotas, determining who you can and can't hire, what you may or may not do {i.e. the FCC stating that manufacturers can't build analog TV's after 2006, not restrictions on such things as child labor or nuclear devices}).
I am deeply religious and strictly Catholic. My favorite philosophers, in chronological order, are Plato, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, the venerable John Henry Newman, and on issues of economics and government, Ayn Rand (I do reject many of her assertion on metaphysics and reason). My favorite works include The Republic by Plato, The City of God by St. Augustine, Utopia by St. Sir Thomas More, Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton, and Apologia Vita Sua by John Henry Newman. I am also influenced by Scott Hahn, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, St. Anselm, and others.
I currently am in 11th grade and attend Monrovia High School. I generally get good grades, when I am not too lazy (though MHS is so bad academically I get good grades even while lazy). I enjoy reading, hiking, and music. My favorite cartoon of all-time is the Simpsons, my favorite sitcom All in the Family, my favorite comedy is Hogan's Heroes, my favorite comedic movie is Monty Python and the Holy Grail, my favorite non-comedic movie is Patton, my favorite band is the Grateful Dead, my favorite Congressman is J.C. Watts(former Congressman from Ohio), and my favorite video game was Silent Hill 2.