Why do you view politics the way you do?

When you say downright feel you are one way or another, do you mean innately? I feel like there is absolutely no way that a person is born with politics.

 

I think a person can be born with certain inclinations. For example, a propensity to save much more than they spend or feel like people are entirely responsible for their situation, etc.

 

im 30 now. but i guess maybe around 12 or 13 years old i became very open minded about most things in life. and i think that led me to be more liberal. but i still feel like im open minded about politics as well. i certainly dont think everything democrats do is right.

republicans to me though seem mostly close minded about many things. like race, homosexuals, drugs etc. and seem to be very hypocritical about a lot of things also. i dont even understand what fiscal conservative even means. and i think the super wealthy and elite have had the republican party in there pocket for quite a while now.

democrats and there ideals really is the best for the future for this world as a whole. but they bring what they want too far sometimes, to the point where its not realistic any longer. i guess that is where a middle ground comes in and libertarian and republicans come in to reel back some of that.

 

"Do unto others as you would have them do to you"

That logic is unassailable.

 

What if you like cutting yourself?

 

Beacuse I realize they are all pandering to the sheeple for votes, lying through their teeth for personal gain, and all part of the same problem.

 

I am not always sure I know why i feel the way I do about politics, but I do know why I think the way I do.

It's because I am educated and aware.

 

I grew up in a working class/lower middle class neighborhood in Southeast Houston, mostly vets who bought their homes on the GI Bill, including my father. My parents were progressive and liberal, especially for the time, and Dad used the GI Bill to go to college, discovered he loved to teach, and eventually became a department chair at a young age. He told me that he learned just how wrong discrimination was, and a lot of other things, in the Navy during WWII, when he met guys from across the country. Of course, they both grew up during the Great Depression and had great admiration for FDR. So that was a huge influence, but what really got me excited about politics was Jack Kennedy. I still recall watching the Kennedy/Nixon debate on the TV at home. The whole period of his time in office was terribly exciting in many ways. Guess you had to be there to really "get it."

I got to see him speak in person at Rice Stadium, where he made one of his early (and one of the most famous) speeches about going to the Moon by the end of the decade. I also saw him the day before he was killed, being about 20 feet from him as his motorcade came down Broadway in the same kind of convertible, maybe the convertible he rode in the next day in Dallas. I've never forgotten any of it.

 

I was raised in a fairly liberal family with some who had views that were practically Marxist, although that didn't always extend to social views. As a teenager I was almost reflexively liberal but when I went to college, ironically at UC Berkeley, I became much more skeptical about many things and started moderating my views. Starting in my early 20's I also started traveling throughout SE Asia and a lot of the things I saw there started to shape my opinions about things like free trade, geo-politics and human rights. Also starting and running a small business in architecture has helped to shape some of my views. Finally to some extent my spiritual views regarding Buddhism have helped to shape my views that balance is important in all things including politics.

 

Initially because of the way my parents leaned (conservative), but hypocrisy and stupidity I've witnessed (primarily by way of the religious right) have brought me way closer to the center.

I'm also just a naturally pessimistic person, who does not have a lot of trust the government is acting in the country's best interest (which often has nothing to do with the populists' selfish "best interest").

In effect, I believe the less government manipulation and less government programs the better. Democrats/liberals tend to favor more government programs, and both parties seem equally content to manipulate the markets or design policy that pushes the buck down the line in order to get more votes for the next election. I also feel like the greed and short-sightedness of the older generation (primarily boomers) has pretty much screwed the younger generation.

Yeah, so all of this contributes to a young, right-of-center, distrustful, jaded middle class-er who pays a lot of taxes but doesn't make enough to take advantage of generous tax breaks/loopholes for the rich, or low enough to take advantage of any government programs.

 

I used to be a really strong Republican. TYou know, red white and blue, God loves america more than the others. God bless george bush and mandate prayer and all that bull ****.

Than I actually read the Gospels, and realized none of my political beliefs were in line with Christianity.


Now I'm a communitarian.

 

I am influenced by the philosophies of great thinkers.

Here are some pertinent quotes from some of my current readings:

and if you prefer the classics.....

 

Being the STRONG BLACK WOMAN that I am, it goes without saying that I am a New African Spiritualist.

 

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Because there's only two realistic parties to choose from and they offer nearly the same things (with different execution), my politics shift like a pendulum.

People who I'd vote for:
Reduce corruption beyond lip service
Increase general welfare through domestic policies while being mindful of bureaucratic (California-like)excess.
Improve business opportunities through fairness and transparency.
Recognize externalities rather than the short term number gain.
Shows a commitment to groups who don't usually vote but are an integral part of our nation.
Maintain our civil liberties beyond lip service.

I'll take notice of politicians that I disagree with philosophically who:
Compromise against established their known factions and lobbies.
Willing to articulate their reasons (has to be detailed) and welcomes the challenge of scrutiny.


As for foreign affairs, both parties do nearly the same thing.

 

I came from a very conservative religious family and just don't see things the way they do. I would gladly pay higher taxes to make the Texas education system respectable. My parents are very "take care of our own," to the extent that they get offended if I say I'm in favor of a social program or a tax. They use their fundamentalist religion to dictate many of their views; I don't think holy texts deserve any consideration in policy. My life philosophy strives to reduce suffering whenever I can, and to support causes that aim to reduce suffering in any form. My stances on issues tend to fall on the side of human rights. I agree with most secular humanist perspectives.

 

I like to touch myself.

 

I'm generally libertarian, mostly because I hate poor people.

 

I strongly disagree. While people might not be born as Republicans or Democrats, we are born with certain characteristics and personality traits that tend to push us towards being conservative or liberal. Even if those traits are shaped by our formative years rather than set at birth, it's still something we feel innately by the time we are old enough to think about politics.

There have been studies showing real differences between conservatives and liberals and how they think and feel. I think those differences form the largest part of why we view politics the way we do.

That's a pretty dubious claim (no pun intended). "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them" is a lot closer, in my opinion.