wildcard_47 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wildcard_47) wrote2008-03-16 06:10 pm
wildcard_47) wrote2008-03-16 06:10 pm
meme answer #2
OK, you'd better tell me all about YOUR politics since I have to do it for you.
Alright, since I obviously made one of the dear people on my f-list detail their political beliefs, I guess that means it’s time for me to explain my own.
Alright, since I obviously made one of the dear people on my f-list detail their political beliefs, I guess that means it’s time for me to explain my own.
I’m always a little nervous about doing this, mainly because people can get so hot-headed about these kinds of issues, which I hate. I’m the nerd who’s always trying to figure out why people think the way that they do. Even if their beliefs and mine clash, I want to know why. I’m not about making others feel evil/guilty/stupid for believing the things that they do, but it always interests me to see what people think about the government and the way it runs.
So, here goes. I am a registered Independent, ever since I came of age, but my actual belief system falls somewhere in the Demopublican/Republicrat range. Yes, I’m the dreaded moderate. *insert Hitchcock music here*
That basically breaks down like so: I’m not really in love with either party, which is why I registered the way that I did. The whole “liberal vs. conservative” fight has gotten too…childish, for lack of a better word. Each party is busy stereotyping and badmouthing each other, which makes it impossible to talk about what’s important: the needs and wants of the represented public. Even in an imperfect world, the mentality of ‘one versus the other’ can’t always be so black and white. It paints people into corners, and makes it more difficult to talk about what they actually believe. I also think that attitude is silly because no one is ever going to be 100% satisfied with one party; it’s just not possible. The decisions an organization makes won’t always be based on what a single person specifically wants. There will always be some aspect of that group (a candidate, a ruling, a bill) which they will dislike. It seems natural to me that I identify with bits and pieces of both viewpoints.
This means that I’ll vote for a candidate in either party, if their views and mine agree (for the most part). Historically, this has tended to mean that I vote more Democratic, due to my concern for social/human/environmental rights issues, an aspect of my politics which is more liberal. Most of my views on politics – education, health care, environment, etc. – are liberal. Sometimes, though, a Republican candidate comes along who I like or respect. It doesn’t happen often, and it hasn’t happened on a national level (for a variety of reasons), but I’m not against voting for Republican candidates on principle.
Fiscally, I’m more conservative, because I believe that being responsible for your budget and for your personal spending is definitely a good thing. That’s probably the aspect of my politics which is most conservative, because other than that, I don’t really share conservative views on business or taxation. One of the things that does irritate me about modern conservatism, however, is the assumption that it hands-down represents Christian beliefs and values. (I’ve had people tell me that because I’ve voted Democratic in the past, or hold any amount of liberal beliefs, I must be an atheist/irreligious/just plain stupid. You can see why that annoyed me.)
So, I’m a self-proclaimed moderate, which means that all my conservative friends think I’m liberal, and all my liberal friends think I’m conservative. I’ve stopped caring about it, though. I figure that no matter what you believe politically, if you vote, and at least attempt to vote smartly (i.e., for better reasons than ‘candidate A was taller than candidate B), then I respect you for at least putting your viewpoint out there.
Okay, here are the specifics, for those of you who want to hear them:
1. Environment - I think that we should continue to research and implement alternative fuel sources into our daily lives. Oil is not getting cheaper, nor is it getting easier to retrieve/refine. If we continue to use oil/gasoline at the current rate, it will disappear completely and we will be screwed. Plus, (especially now that I am living abroad) I'm getting an insight into a government/public population which is attempting to be more environment friendly. I also think that businesses should be limited (a la the 'Clean Air Act') on how much pollution they put out into the air and water. And as far as daily life goes, if people do things such as ensure that a faucet isn't leaking, or turn off their computers at night, it can go a long way. I think that protecting nature is probably one of the most important responsibilites we have on this planet.
2. Abortion - This one is a little hard to describe. Personally, I don't think I could ever have an abortion. Not just because of my Christian beliefs, but because I honestly don't know if I could put myself through that process. However, I also believe that abortion is an invididual woman's choice, not the government's. So I wouldn't support an anti-abortion law, especially considering the steep ratio of male-female representatives who would be making it. I personally wouldn't want a majority of male representatives deciding what a woman is and isn't allowed to do with herself when she gets pregnant. The one caveat in my argument is that I would ban partial-birth abortions (one where the fetus is aborted after 1 or 2 months of development.) I understand that deciding to have a baby is a difficult and wrenching choice, but by one or two months, it's time to be responsible and make that decision, either way. Aborting that baby at six months, or four, or two, because you suddenly changed your mind, isn't okay. I suppose this means that I am technically pro-choice.
5. Gay marriage - I think that gay couples should be able to receive all the rights of marriage -- civil, legal, etc. If you love someone and want to make a committment to them, then you should be able to, period. I don't even care what it's called; that's just semantics and language.
6. Healthcare - Healthcare is broken; we all know that. I think I would support a national health care service, as long as the tax we paid for it was fair. For example: people would only have to pay a certain percentage based on how many dependants they had, how much income they receive yearly, etc. If others wanted additional coverage, they could purchase private "bonuses".
7. Immigration - I fully support immigration when it is legal. I have no idea what to do about long-term illegal immigrants; I don't think total amnesty is the proper solution, nor is sending them back all at once. Nobody's really proposed a good solution that I know of, yet. I mean, building a fence between the borders? That's laughable -- it solves nothing. I do think, however, that legal immigrants should be given more support as they get accustomed to life in America (and when I say support, I don't necessarily mean by the government). There should be more groups out there -- schools, churches, etc. -- that could help immigrants learn English, American culture, the subtleties of daily life, etc. If those kind of things were more available for the immigrant population, it would be easier for immigrants to take responsibility for educaitng themselves. Right now, they are prevented by factors such as cost and effectiveness, etc., and have no choice but to hope for the best
8. Iraq - It's time to leave. I honestly thought that this war was poorly planned and budgeted from the beginning, but you can't change that now. Obviously we can't leave immediately, because that would throw the country back into chaos, but I do think that it's time for a withdrawal, which can be measured accordingly. The Iraqi government needs to show that it's able to start standing on its own. And we just need to get out. This issue is dividing the country as well as the rest of the world.
9. Education - So much needs to be done.tkurogrym and I have had numerous discussions about this. The fact that sports stars are paid millions of dollars for playing a game, while teachers are paid crap and are expected to parent the younger generations, on top of teaching them the finer points of literature, math, science, etc. -- is just sick. Teachers should be paid fairly. If they are good, they should be rewarded. If bad, they should be fired. Standardized testing needs to be fixed. Right now, it's a joke. The target audience of the tests aren't learning anything, because it's so curved and they can pass without knowing much material, and everyone else just regards them as an inconvenience. If we don't fix education, we're ruined. I just can't even stress how important this is to me.
Anything else you'd like to hear about, just ask! And also, as a side note, if any of you want to debate beliefs (with me or anyone else), that's cool, but just don't make it personal. Be nice! That's all I ask. :)
So, here goes. I am a registered Independent, ever since I came of age, but my actual belief system falls somewhere in the Demopublican/Republicrat range. Yes, I’m the dreaded moderate. *insert Hitchcock music here*
That basically breaks down like so: I’m not really in love with either party, which is why I registered the way that I did. The whole “liberal vs. conservative” fight has gotten too…childish, for lack of a better word. Each party is busy stereotyping and badmouthing each other, which makes it impossible to talk about what’s important: the needs and wants of the represented public. Even in an imperfect world, the mentality of ‘one versus the other’ can’t always be so black and white. It paints people into corners, and makes it more difficult to talk about what they actually believe. I also think that attitude is silly because no one is ever going to be 100% satisfied with one party; it’s just not possible. The decisions an organization makes won’t always be based on what a single person specifically wants. There will always be some aspect of that group (a candidate, a ruling, a bill) which they will dislike. It seems natural to me that I identify with bits and pieces of both viewpoints.
This means that I’ll vote for a candidate in either party, if their views and mine agree (for the most part). Historically, this has tended to mean that I vote more Democratic, due to my concern for social/human/environmental rights issues, an aspect of my politics which is more liberal. Most of my views on politics – education, health care, environment, etc. – are liberal. Sometimes, though, a Republican candidate comes along who I like or respect. It doesn’t happen often, and it hasn’t happened on a national level (for a variety of reasons), but I’m not against voting for Republican candidates on principle.
Fiscally, I’m more conservative, because I believe that being responsible for your budget and for your personal spending is definitely a good thing. That’s probably the aspect of my politics which is most conservative, because other than that, I don’t really share conservative views on business or taxation. One of the things that does irritate me about modern conservatism, however, is the assumption that it hands-down represents Christian beliefs and values. (I’ve had people tell me that because I’ve voted Democratic in the past, or hold any amount of liberal beliefs, I must be an atheist/irreligious/just plain stupid. You can see why that annoyed me.)
So, I’m a self-proclaimed moderate, which means that all my conservative friends think I’m liberal, and all my liberal friends think I’m conservative. I’ve stopped caring about it, though. I figure that no matter what you believe politically, if you vote, and at least attempt to vote smartly (i.e., for better reasons than ‘candidate A was taller than candidate B), then I respect you for at least putting your viewpoint out there.
Okay, here are the specifics, for those of you who want to hear them:
1. Environment - I think that we should continue to research and implement alternative fuel sources into our daily lives. Oil is not getting cheaper, nor is it getting easier to retrieve/refine. If we continue to use oil/gasoline at the current rate, it will disappear completely and we will be screwed. Plus, (especially now that I am living abroad) I'm getting an insight into a government/public population which is attempting to be more environment friendly. I also think that businesses should be limited (a la the 'Clean Air Act') on how much pollution they put out into the air and water. And as far as daily life goes, if people do things such as ensure that a faucet isn't leaking, or turn off their computers at night, it can go a long way. I think that protecting nature is probably one of the most important responsibilites we have on this planet.
2. Abortion - This one is a little hard to describe. Personally, I don't think I could ever have an abortion. Not just because of my Christian beliefs, but because I honestly don't know if I could put myself through that process. However, I also believe that abortion is an invididual woman's choice, not the government's. So I wouldn't support an anti-abortion law, especially considering the steep ratio of male-female representatives who would be making it. I personally wouldn't want a majority of male representatives deciding what a woman is and isn't allowed to do with herself when she gets pregnant. The one caveat in my argument is that I would ban partial-birth abortions (one where the fetus is aborted after 1 or 2 months of development.) I understand that deciding to have a baby is a difficult and wrenching choice, but by one or two months, it's time to be responsible and make that decision, either way. Aborting that baby at six months, or four, or two, because you suddenly changed your mind, isn't okay. I suppose this means that I am technically pro-choice.
5. Gay marriage - I think that gay couples should be able to receive all the rights of marriage -- civil, legal, etc. If you love someone and want to make a committment to them, then you should be able to, period. I don't even care what it's called; that's just semantics and language.
6. Healthcare - Healthcare is broken; we all know that. I think I would support a national health care service, as long as the tax we paid for it was fair. For example: people would only have to pay a certain percentage based on how many dependants they had, how much income they receive yearly, etc. If others wanted additional coverage, they could purchase private "bonuses".
7. Immigration - I fully support immigration when it is legal. I have no idea what to do about long-term illegal immigrants; I don't think total amnesty is the proper solution, nor is sending them back all at once. Nobody's really proposed a good solution that I know of, yet. I mean, building a fence between the borders? That's laughable -- it solves nothing. I do think, however, that legal immigrants should be given more support as they get accustomed to life in America (and when I say support, I don't necessarily mean by the government). There should be more groups out there -- schools, churches, etc. -- that could help immigrants learn English, American culture, the subtleties of daily life, etc. If those kind of things were more available for the immigrant population, it would be easier for immigrants to take responsibility for educaitng themselves. Right now, they are prevented by factors such as cost and effectiveness, etc., and have no choice but to hope for the best
8. Iraq - It's time to leave. I honestly thought that this war was poorly planned and budgeted from the beginning, but you can't change that now. Obviously we can't leave immediately, because that would throw the country back into chaos, but I do think that it's time for a withdrawal, which can be measured accordingly. The Iraqi government needs to show that it's able to start standing on its own. And we just need to get out. This issue is dividing the country as well as the rest of the world.
9. Education - So much needs to be done.
tkurogrym and I have had numerous discussions about this. The fact that sports stars are paid millions of dollars for playing a game, while teachers are paid crap and are expected to parent the younger generations, on top of teaching them the finer points of literature, math, science, etc. -- is just sick. Teachers should be paid fairly. If they are good, they should be rewarded. If bad, they should be fired. Standardized testing needs to be fixed. Right now, it's a joke. The target audience of the tests aren't learning anything, because it's so curved and they can pass without knowing much material, and everyone else just regards them as an inconvenience. If we don't fix education, we're ruined. I just can't even stress how important this is to me.Anything else you'd like to hear about, just ask! And also, as a side note, if any of you want to debate beliefs (with me or anyone else), that's cool, but just don't make it personal. Be nice! That's all I ask. :)