These are the people I am having a harder and harder time respecting. When someone believes in everything their party believes, they are nothing but a zombie. I've personally never understood it. While most know me as a conservative, which I mostly am (re: I am an actual Man), I understand a lot of liberal issues, and I can agree with them. Liberally, I am for: Gay tolerance at any and all levels, though I feel a legal union for tax purposes makes more sense than "marriage." Look, marriage is a religious term. Most libs don't value religion anyway. It makes all parties happy. Abortion. While I am personally pro life, I also know that making abortions illegal would be right on par with prohibition. It is, after all, your child. You choose what to do with it. God will figure that part out. Drugs. I am sick and tired of seeing billions of dollars wasted on this completely unwinnable strategy. To the conservatives who like the war on drugs: That's everyone's tax dollars every year going to lock up an idiot. Believe it or not, I have several other liberal views that I can agree with. What makes me more conservative: I can't even fathom anyone who thinks animals are on par with humans. If you want more humane ways of slaughtering, I can live with that. But anyone who has seen the history of wild pigs and chickens who were just one generation from being domesticated knows that these animals have to have their population kept in check. Or would you like the New York rat infestation to just let animals be? (any New Yorker knows that is impossible. PETA is a joke) Ultimately what makes me stay on the conservative side are ideals, and taxes. How anyone thinks giving handouts to people is a solution is ignorant. People. We had a GREAT Depression a few years back. Most of our grandparents went through it. How was it solved? By giving people JOBS through GOV'T funding to pay for PUBLIC good. How are handouts ever good for anyone? You give me another FDR deal where welfare recipients have to earn it, and I will have no problem. But people TAKING money is BS. Plain and simple. I'm sure people will argue my views, and that is fine. But what I'd rather see in this thread is the obvious right or left people conceeding on something you agree on in regards to the other side. Quite frankly, when people can't do that, I have no sympathy for them. They're obviously too angry to think for themselves. That's my challenge. Let's see who's up to it?
I completely agree with you on straight-ticket voters and people who seem to swallow every idea of one party or the other. They are unthinking robots who are too lazy or too dumb to figure out issues on their own. That's why I'm a flaming, red meat independent. NOT a moderate; an independent. I'm as passionate as the most tutti fruiti left-wing liberal or the most hard core right-wing extremist but I don't agree with either very often.
being a liberal living in a fairly conservative part of houston...i have yet to see a republican i find decent enough to vote for. however if chuck hagel was from around here...i might consider voting for a republican.
The mother of one of my ex-gfs would always show up at the polls to vote, as any responsible citizen would. She would go down the list, and vote for the names that sounded Hispanic. It didn't matter what party they belonged to, what their platform was, or what office they were running for. Just as long as their last names were Hispanic. Is that straight-ticket voting?
Recently I've voted straight ticket Dem not because I support the Democrats but because I'm pretty universally opposed to everything the Republicans stand for at this point in time. I'm generally not opposed to voting for Republicans but right now they unwaveringly follow the party line which I vehmently oppose. John Mcain seems like a level headed guy that doesn't just give party line responses. I'd be more lenient to hearing AND BELEIVING what he has to say. If Condi Rice or Colin Powel ever ran, I'd be open to hearing what they had to say. I'm curious to see what Condi will be like when she doesn't have to report to W. but she would have a long way to go to convince me given her track record. All I want in a politician is somebody who uses reason to make decisions. I don't want a "Yes Man" and I don't want a sell out to special interests. I'm doomed.
What is your opinion on people who form opinions based on little or incorrect information? For instance the majority of welfare goes out to the elderly and to pay for their medical expenses. These aren't folks who are going to work their way out of a situation by having the govt. provide them with a job. It is silly to stay conservative because based on a small percentage of people who are able to work and get govt. welfare. Issues I am conservative on is to a degree the budget issue. I would like to pay down the debt and cut interest payments that go toward nothing. While not necessarily conservative I support the president in his sentiment towards NASA and funding Space exploration.
How about the environment? I'm very liberal, but living in NYC I voted for Giuliani, and I could vote for a Republican it that Republican was a true Republican in the since that they believed in a balanced budget, believed that the government shouldn't be too powerful, and didn't try to use the constitution to explicitly try deny rights to American citizens. They would also have to be incorruptible and support campaign finance reform and understand that with every B2 bomber built there is community that doesn't get better schools, roads, and others civil services. Think Eisenhower.
The easiest way for me to express my politics is like this: Nationally, I'm very conservative. Locally, liberal. When it's time to vote, it depends on what the country is doing: Peace time, I'll vote for a Dem if I like what he's saying (I actually voted for Clinton--don't tell dad). During war time, give me a Republican. In the end though, if I was running for an office, I'd run as a Republican, and keep my liberal wife in my ear. RR
Yeah, people always look at me funny when I go vite because I have a sheet of paper with a list of everyone I am voting for. It seems like a LOT of people are in and out of the booth in 60 seconds flat. Are you saying that liberals who happen to be male aren't ACTUAL men? I agree with you about gay tolerance. I TOTALLY disagree that liberals "don't value religion anyway." The VAST majority of liberals I know are Christians and are very devoted to religion. Where do you get that stuff? While I am personally pro-choice, I also know that it makes sense to have reasonable time limits so that you can't just decide at 30 weeks that you need an abortion. God will eventually figure it out, but 30 weeks is a viable fetus for crying out loud. You know my position on this one already, but IMO, it is (or should be) more of a conservative thing as a result of the ineffectiveness of the massive amounts of money we are spending. This is an issue that should be an anaethma to both liberals and conservatives and I am dumbfounded at how backwards the politicians are on it. PETA is a joke, but there is such a thing as cruelty to animals. It is not PETA's definition, but there is such a thing. I wouldn't be opposed to having welfare recipients work for their money, but you are really talking about a tiny, tiny percentage of the population here. Well, I have certainly been called a liberal enough on this board that I am sure that is where everyone assumes I am, however... I am a staunch fiscal conservative. I am distressed at how much money the government spends, I mean, 2.2 TRILLION dollars?!?!?! That is absolutely insane. I guess I am "conservative" on immigration as I mostly agree with the Bush immigration plan... Strong borders Guest workers A strong system for verifying worker documentation I am for strong states rights and a weak federal government. The states are closer to the people and will govern those people most appropriately in most cases.
I'm not straight ticket by any means, and on domestic affairs I am very liberal...But there is an issue I put in front of all that and that is security. I'm far right on security (I guess by definition), and as related to the second admendment to the people...I believe in a base of needs format as an ideology of assessing needs, and I personally feel security is the most important to a nation's responsibility. As such, I usually lean right...
Bless you mcmark for refusing to let the modern day composer die. Doesn't matter how you vote cause we'll all wind up working in a gas station.
Regardless, congratulations on one of the few threads that have been started where people in the D&D actually think, rather than lashing out at people. Kudos to everyone who posted. I respect everyone one of y'all. And keep them coming! We aren't as different as most people think! At the least, it let's the other side know what you agree about them with. Let this be a cleansing thread.
Funding for medical expenses is truly a double-edged sword. The research profits from our capitalist society gets the products made, and Canada rapes them from us. If you want socialized healthcare (which I would love, as well. That damn payment still comes out of my paycheck), we need to also learn that every great society in the past has fallen. I'd prefer that not to be in my or my son's lifetime. Handouts, to me, are a sure goal that that might happen. I don't hate the poor. I watched this episode of "30 days" last week where we saw an illegal immigrant family working on chips to make ends meet. And then you got to see what their habitation was in Mexico. To me, that is Mexico's fault, and we should possibly bomb them... Or take over their country. After all, they are begging their people to illegally cross the borger for more GNP! Eminent domain is all I'm saying. You didn't respond more on this. But please do.
