Author Topic: Stop the Hate  (Read 18697 times)

garycottle

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Stop the Hate
« on: March 02, 2009, 07:21:35 pm »
« Last Edit: November 23, 2009, 03:07:18 am by garycottle »

Offline louisev

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2009, 07:47:08 pm »
I am extremely liberal.  I believe in progressive taxation, market regulation, support for universal health care, anti-discrimination and universal civil rights, anti-poverty measures and universal education policy, against aggressive military postures except where the US or its allies are directly threatened, pro choice, pro-gay rights and gay marriage, and absolutely against the death penalty.
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Offline ifyoucantfixit

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2009, 08:04:43 pm »
   

     I am very extremely liberal.  I believe that the least amount of prohibitions we have by law, the more free we are.  I don't
believe in any discriminatory acts, other than those that do direct harm to others.  I am not even in favor of drug laws that
keep people from pot, cocaine or any other form of recreational use that doesnt harm others.  I believe that the more we
try to condemn and restrict others rights, the more we lose our own.
     I believe in free enterprise also as long as it also is kept from harming others by the practices that inhibit the workers and
the rest of society from being used unfairly and against their own choices.  I guess you could say I am so far left, that I am
tending toward the communist side in some issues.  I believe that medical care should be provided to all.  Not just those that
happen to be rich enough to afford it.  I believe that we should all have the same rights as well to education, and the
abilities to learn a trade or profession that will not only help us to provide a decent living for ourselves and our families, but
also to strengthen the country as a whole.  Without a well educated populace, then this country will always be at the
mercy of those that do provide a better education to its people...



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Offline delalluvia

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2009, 08:53:57 pm »
I'm a conservative liberal.

I had to think a long time, wondering if I was actually a liberal conservative, but I finally came down on the side of conservative liberal.

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2009, 09:56:41 pm »


I had to think a long time, wondering if I was actually a liberal conservative, but I finally came down on the side of conservative liberal.


Liberal liberal for me, please--mit schlag.    ;D
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Offline brokeplex

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2009, 10:27:08 pm »
my political philosophy? :laugh:

well, I do know a few people that are further to the right than me. 

Offline Lynne

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2009, 11:50:03 pm »
I am extremely liberal politically.

I think that the purpose of a government is to serve its citizens.  The Preamble was referred to in a different thread...

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I had a serious junior high school civics teacher who drilled The Constitution and the Bill of Rights into my brain at a tender age of about 13.  I take both documents extremely seriously.

Back before the religious right had such a dominant role in the Republican party, I could differentiate the two parties on a few philosophical grounds...To oversimplify, the Republicans were for smaller government, except in the case of national defense, less regulation of the free market, less interference in individual lives, and a greater deal of fiscal responsibility.  In contrast, the Democrats typically wanted to expand social programs, especially aid to poor families, health, and education, wanted more regulation in the free market, and tended to be perceived as less fiscally responsible.

Back then, I could make sound arguments for either case.  Now, I'm at a loss to explain how the conservative party went so far afield, but as best I can tell they do not have anything to offer me.  And that feeling has only intensified since they've embraced the religious right.  I don't get what part of 'separation of church and state' they don't understand.  (And yes, I feel the same way about President Obama continuing the faith-based initiatives, for now).

I worked for our national defense for 18 years, developing imaging technology, and then assisting with their financial transactions.  I know all about how government does and does not work.

I want my tax dollars to be spent making sure that every American citizen has equal rights and equal opportunities for 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'  It's not enough that the laws are on the books; they have to be enforced.  This means equality in education, job opportunities, civil liberties (and yes, I include gay marriage here).

This means enforcing the gun control laws we do have; giving our policemen and social workers more training and putting more of them on the streets where they can do the most good.

I want my money spent on education so that our children are at minimum the equal of any other nation in the world.  And I mean all the children, not just the ones whose parents can afford to educate privately or homeschool.  Anything else is both foolish and short-sided, and I'm constantly being Cassandra on this issue, but if we don't act yesterday, we are dooming our future generations to working second and third class jobs because they don't have even rudimentary math and reading skills, never mind advanced math, physics, calculus, engineering, technology.  It's a disgrace.  Hell, I doubt we'll have poets, psychologists, philosophers, or economists in the future either.

And while they're in school, we can teach science in science classes and mythology in literature classes.  And the science classes will include the mechanics of reproduction and birth control.  Clearly, their parents aren't doing it.

To me it is absolutely inexcusable that every American citizen does not have basic health care.  I think the 'free market' has run amok letting the AMA and pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies define policy instead of the People telling the government and these quasi-governmental and private agencies and their lobby interests what WE as consumers (consumers of government and consumers of health care) have the right to expect.

What else?  There are American citizens sleeping on the streets tonight because there is not a workable safety net in place for people who fall through the cracks in our society.

I won't wiki the number, but an disproportionate number of the homeless are veterans of <insert war here>.  The way we take care of our veterans is shameful.  We are happy to trot the troops out in all their glory, flags flying, hands over hearts while we stand for the National Anthem - it's only proper - and I respect and honor each and every one of them.  But when they come home unlucky enough to not be dead (meaning missing limbs, or with other horrible injuries including PTSD, have trouble finding work, etc..) there's just not enough funding or political will to take care of them even though they sacrificed their very lives (or the quality thereof) because they were asked to by some bureaucrat behind a desk.

And I'll add here that both the veterans' and the homeless problems are exacerbated by a society that stigmatizes mental illness as different from physical illness.

Which brings me to our elderly, and how they're frequently shuffled off into substandard nursing or rehabilitation homes.  The government may pick up the tab for some, but these places are understaffed and underfunded.  The pay is so poor that only the very selfless or the untrustworthy work in such conditions.  There should be provisions made to make it affordable for families to take care of their elders at home when at all possible.

If you don't believe our values as a nation are completely skewed - compare the salary of a teacher or a nurse or a nurses aide with an actor or sports figure or even news program talking head.

Foreign policy.  We used to be a nation respected world-wide for our ingenuity and integrity and self-reliance.  Those days are over and may or may not be salvageable.  Because we were/are so free with (selling/bartering) our weapons technology, tossing out poli sci concepts like mutual deterrence, many of the governments which I consider to be unstable have weapons as good as ours, up to and including the nuclear weapons.  I love how our nation's collective memory is so short that we don't remember that it was US who trained and armed bin Laden in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in the first place.  (That's irony.)

We live in a global society - a global economy.  We can take that seriously, consider the concerns of the rest of the world soberly and try to get along with our allies and make allies out of our enemies.  Or not, at our peril.

I think I've said enough for now.  And I doubt there's any gray area where my position isn't pretty clear.

None of these issues have simple answers, but I believe that the Democratic party at least recognizes the problems as the enormous problems they are and want to address them from a standpoint of making the world a better place, and as a consequence the lives of American citizens better.  It took us a long time to get into this mess and it'll likely take us as long to get us out.  I don't 'worship' Obama; he's just a man, albeit one smart enough to know what kind of mess he's gotten himself into.  But I think he has both his head and his heart in the right place and wants to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
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Offline Monika

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2009, 12:12:46 am »
Well, I´m not a conservative  :)

Offline David In Indy

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2009, 12:18:47 am »
I'm a left leaning fiscal moderate, meaning I'm mostly liberal but there are a few things I feel conservative about when it comes to fiscal issues.

I'm a social liberal. Very liberal. :)

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Offline David In Indy

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Re: Conservative or Liberal?
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2009, 02:52:23 am »
Quote
I actually find these labels demeaning. They are over simplifications that say very little, and often incorrectly, about a person's actual points of view. More than I can count on this forum, the query has been thrust in my face..."how can you be gay and a conservative"? ie, if the label fits, wear it, or else. Hogwash.

I think Gary's question is perfectly valid. I don't think it is demeaning at all. Every Conservative on this forum has proudly proclaimed he or she is Republican and/or Conservative. Believe it or not, there ARE some liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats in this county. And the word "Conservative" is not a naughty word! Not even here on Bettermost!  ;)  :laugh:

I have lots of Conservative friends, and yes even a few gay Conservative friends! I don't have a problem with them and they don't have a problem with me. :D

Quote
Johnny can't finish his homework; he's really stuck and won't be allowed to go out and play until it's done.

Everyone agrees Johnny needs and should have help.

The conservative takes Johnny to the library, shows him the resource area, gives him some pointers, and sets him on his way to finish his homework, by himself.

The liberal gives Johnny the answers, or does Johnny's homework, and Johnny goes out to play.


Bullshit!

The liberal ensures Johnny first has the necessary resources available inside the library and fixes it if he doesn't. Then the liberal monitors Johnny to make certain he is getting the help he needs. The liberal doesn't do the work for Johnny... the liberal only wants Johnny to have all he needs in order to get a good education. :)

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