A couple of weeks late, but we’ll make up for it by making the second of three blogs quick and painless. Respond to this post with a brief (one paragraph) summary of your political ideology.
What’s that mean, you ask? Well, are you conservative or liberal? A Democrat or a Republican? Or something altogether different? How sure are you of your political alignment? Why are you what you say you are? It’s a wide open, broad question that can be answered a great many different ways, so give it your best shot and let us know where you stand.
You will be encouraged to speak your mind a lot in AP Gov, so we might as well start here. Don’t worry if you aren’t sure how to answer this question. Just know that you are free to change your mind (and as you become more educated about government and politics, you certainly should change your mind on some things!).
This is not the time to argue about who is right or wrong, so please, don’t go there. We will respect everyone’s position with the humility of knowing we all have a lot to learn about politics!
As is the case for all blog assignments, your response is due on August 22nd. I encourage you to respond quickly, however, as it will afford the class time to reflect upon your thoughts. Thanks!
July 15, 2008 at 8:38 am |
In being the first to respond to probably the most awesome blog that we’ve ever done for class, I figured I should probably start out this blog the RIGHT foot. My stance is basically: “No to abortion. No to communism. No to the United Nations. No to gay rights. No to nuclear arms reduction. No to unneeded welfare. No to large government. No to universial healthcare. No to tolerance. No to terrorism = No to Barack Obama. No to Reverend Wright. Yes to God. Yes to “in God we trust.” Yes to Iraq. Yes for death penalty. Yes to our “right to bear arms.” Yes to patriotism. Yes to democracy. Yes to traditional morals. And yes to free people everywhere.”
I’m pro-life because I think that being pro-choice is being pro death which is pro-murder. “I think mothers should have the right to choose whether or not to kill their child while inside of them.”- Most Liberals. Though I do feel for mothers who have gotten pregnant due to rape, in most all other cases… it’s you own fault. Children are a gift from God not to be equated to a venereal disease.
Comminusm was a good idea on the drawing board but turned out to be evil through mans doing.
The United Nations doesn’t do anything.
Gayness is a mental disease. Man and women were ment for eachother. It is God’s design. If the whole world was gay the human race as we know it would cease. In the wonderful words of Christopher DesJardins, “(censored by Hanson).”
We have nukes…They have nukes. They are not getting rid of any of them. So we just need to have more than them.
No one likes their pay check going to lazy people who don’t want to get jobs. Not that their all like that (there are a few that need help due to disabilities and such) but people need to either “work or starve”. Lazyness and LWE (lack of work ethic) should not be government funded organizations.
No to tolerance. We should not have to tolerate people who have lost all sense of morality. They may have indulged themselves in wickedness, but they do not need to willfully subject the few of us who have morals to such blatant tresspass, evildoing, and sin.
The rest of the truths what is written in the opening paragraph are so obviously right that I do not need comment on them and I do not believe that anyone will have the gaul to disagree with them.
In the end of the day I’m just a classic Pennsylvanian, clinging to gun and Bible.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
July 16, 2008 at 12:11 am |
Yup. So basically I agree with the big ‘ole Mellon.
I classify myself as a very conservative fellow. What makes me a conservative? I shall tell you with a few ‘o my views.
-First of all, modern day social security is a load of shenanigans. It was originally created to provide funds to disabled folk and the unemployed so that they may support themselves. Now, this was back in the Great Depression when financial aid was in critical demand. What does the government decide to do once the depression passed? Expand it by adding supplemental health care in the form of Medicaid. I think this is quite a large load of BS. I understand the need to help the mentally and physically disabled, but WHY am I giving my hard-earned money to some unemployed goon? I mean come on! How hard is it to get a job? I myself got a job once I turned 15! And Medicaid? Please. If a person is wise, holds a decent job, and saves his money, then they will have no trouble at all getting along financially. The only reason why Social Security survives today is the fact that grossly irresponsible people have found a way to take advantage of the government so they can sit on their lazy haunches.
If the paragraph above does not persuade some of you fools, than ‘lil tidbit might. Social Security makes up for HALF of the national budget and takes a huge amount of money out of our paychecks. We could be using the wasted money that fuels Social Security and putting it towards strengthening our nation, research, etc.
-Affirmative action is a bunch of crap. I really don’t care if you’re a woman. I really don’t care that you’re black/red/yellow/white/leprechaun/purple/blurple. EVERYONE should have a fair chance at getting a job, regardless of race or gender. I mean, the whole concept is so ironic its disgusting! The liberals create civil rights, thus abolishing prejudice, then create affirmative action, which creates prejudice against those that are not women or a minority. Some say that this concept brings around equality, sure it may in the distribution of jobs, but it lags the progression of the American nation. For under this concept, an incompetent woman can theoretically win the job that she is competing for against a competent man. ‘Tis truly a twisted concept.
-No free health care. If a person holds a decent enough job and is fiscally responsible then he should have no problem paying for his own health care. Many people are ignorant of the fact that a fair few of those not covered by health care don’t want it! Why should I pay for something that others don’t want and I don’t need? Nothing is free in this world. Health care = unneeded and expensive taxes.
-No to abortion. Again, I don’t care if you’re a woman. Oh, you just want a “choice” in the matter? What is this “choice”? The choice is whether to let potential life prosper or fail. Is this the woman’s life? No. Id this the baby’s life? Yes. So, what gives the right for another human being to decide upon the fate of another human being? There is no such right. If someone came up to you and asked “do you want to live or die?” I’m 100% sure you’d say live. And I’m 100% sure if you asked the same question to the child the child would choose to live as well. ‘Nuff said.
Well, those are just a few of my beliefs that society has dubbed conservative. If you are one of the ones that think my views are a bunch ‘o baloney then should look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself, “don’t let the liberal media tell you what to think!” and with that, I close my response.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the United States Government should send all people with AIDS…(censored by Hanson)…solve world hunger! wh00t!
….and I’m pretty sure you’re going to censor that, Mr. Hanson!
July 17, 2008 at 2:52 pm |
Okay, here goes my ONE PARAGRAPH response. So I’m a conservative, and I basically stand for the same things that Mike and Chris stand for, but a bit less offensively. I am strongly against abortion, gay rights, and free health care. So that’s it in a nut shell.
I also strongly believe…(censored by Hanson)…and…(censored by Hanson). Yup, that’s what I believe.
July 17, 2008 at 3:29 pm |
I am also on the conservative side, but not as much as the last two scholarly gentleman. However, many of my views also fall on the liberal side of the political spectrum. Some of these would include immigration, gay marriage, and drugs. The ban of the sale of anything, including drugs, is wrong and anti-American. Our country was founded on the ideas of a free market economy and a democracy. Many great economists, such as Friedrich von Hayek agree with the free market economy.
One word to sum up my political views is freedom. The freedom to sell anything. The freedom to buy a gun. The freedom to… NOT have an abortion. Even if a fetus is not yet a human being it is still a life form and should be nurtured like any other life form on God’s great Earth. It should be given the chance to live and have experiences that all of us have and take for granted. Who knows if they would be the next great leader or just another average person. If they would discover a cure for a disease or become a homeless bum.
This leads me to my final point. If someone falls on hard times it should not be up to the rest of the country to pay for that persons mistakes. That person should find a job and be responsible for themselves. Even a fast food job, such as McDonalds, could help that person survive and be a prductive member of society.
July 21, 2008 at 12:10 am |
I am an American, I am a patriot, but i am also a liberal. I came to be a liberal when i took one look at the big picture. What does that mean? Ill go into detail. Right off the bat i have absolutely no problem with gay marriage. There are two people who love each other very much an want to make an everlasting commitment to each other. Thats how i define marriage. It does not matter the sex of either party involved as long as there is love holding it together. This is the big picture…does a homosexual marriage give you a rash? If it was legalized would the apocalypse be around the corner? Chances are…no.
This may shock you but im also pro-choice. I believe that an abortion is a very very
private matter that should be handled only by the woman herself and the doctor treating her. The last thing we need complicating the matter? Politicians.
I believe that we need more social programs in our country as well. Cheap and affordable health care is something we need in this country. Many students are out of touch on how much health care costs when its not provided by your parents. We are the most powerful and rich nation on earth and yet we turn away the sick and dying if their paperwork isn’t in order. c’mon man even castro doesnt play like that.
Nukes…its like juggling torches over a powder keg. One person slips up and boom nuclear war. Would it be better without the torches over the gunpowder, yeah…there would be no chance that anyone could slip up. but thats not happening anytime soon. (if this torch metaphor didn’t do anything for you i got a back up sword swallowing one for situations like this.)
Gun Control- lets face facts, right to bear arms…thats all you really hear. did you know theres more? “in order to form a well armed militia.” its a prefatory clause. well we have a well armed militia its the national guard. Basically use guns to hunt not kill people…simple as that.
I dont expect to sway anyone with what i say, my only aim is to voice my opinion. In conclusion i’ll let RX Bandits finish my words
The future is held in the hands
Who right the textbooks
Ignorance is bred when falsified thinking is taught
To the youth instead of
Past mistakes and mind elevation,
Like the graves that manifest destiny has created
So we can build our
Capitalist consumer based economy,
To build, market,
And sell commodities we don’t need
Well I’m here to take my feelings back and I hope That you will be with me
July 25, 2008 at 10:15 pm |
I can sum up the answer to all the questions in four words. I have no clue. I have no idea which beliefs fall into which category. And beliefs is a strong word. How about im on the fence with everything. Maybe pro-life is the best choice for a perfect world but as the circumstances are, this world is not perfect. Bad things happen to good people. And then what, some girl can’t go through college because issues outside her control arose. Then what? Then what? By not associating with a side fully i can effectively adjust my viewpoint based on the situation, someone who is strongly associated with one side or one view cannot change his/her viewpoint and has to stick to his/her guns even when the right decision is clearly outside the ideals of that side.
July 26, 2008 at 9:37 am |
Scottie LEWWWWWWWW!!! Thanks for your honesty on this one – that’s one of the pillars on which this course will be based (honesty, mutual respect, open-mindedness, etc.). To spur the discussion along a bit, I’ll throw out a couple other things to thing about if you’re having trouble pinpointing where you stand on the political spectrum.
You can break politics down to two major areas: fiscal issues (money) and social issues.
So for fiscal issues, you’d be asking yourself, do you want the government to increase taxes in order to provide more services (like health care, schools, food and shelter, etc) or, on the other hand, the government should stay out of that kind of business, therefore requiring less funds, and lower taxes for everyone.
Social issues include abortion, gun control, the death penalty, gay marriage, and the like.
You by no means have to address all these issues, and there may be other issues nearer to your heart that you’d like to talk about. Just trying to get the ball rolling a bit.
July 29, 2008 at 3:19 pm |
Well, for me this is a hard question to answer. I never know what to classify my opinions toward but I know I’ve got both sides of the political spectrum covered, and I know I’m more liberal than some of my scholarly classmates.
I’m pro-life. Pretty self-explanatory — I believe that it is wrong to stop the potential for life and that even inside the womb the child is a human-being and a creature of God that shouldn’t be aborted. Adoption is available if the mother is not able to support the baby. If a mistake is made it must be dealt with properly and respectfully rather than just trying to erase it (but hey I’m not really up for pre-marital sex either so abortion just seems wrong on a different level with that too).
I’m for gay rights — If two people of the same sex love each other deeply enough and want to make an ultimate commitment to each other they should be allowed too. And I know the biblical implications this entails — and which i just attended a really cool workshop on — but adulterers are now allowed to be divorced and re-married which is an “abomination” calling for death in the Bible. I commit abominations every day — eating pork products, wearing pants, wearing blended materials, having pierced ears — but I am allowed to be married because I am straight. Moving on!
I’m for more gun control — I feel like people should still be able to buy a gun and have the “right to bear arms,” but there must be stronger enforcement for background checks and more laws on the purchase of ammunition as well as just guns. I guess that’s just a moderate view?
I don’t know what to think about the death penalty but I’ll say that I’m against it — I know it was allowed in biblical times to use the death penalty but again Christ says “Let he among you without sin cast the first stone.” I think the penalty of death is up to God and God alone and humanity is going far outside it’s boundaries to think they are righteous enough to put another to death. Yeah, that sounds about right.
I’m ABSOLUTELY for tolerance — We are all the children and creation of God. We have no right to put ourselves on a pedestal above anyone else. We are all sinners, and we are all saints. It is intolerance that brings us the horrors of this world. Just two days ago I was in Knoxville, TN when a few blocks down the road a gunman opened fire on the congregation at a Unitarian Universalist church during the children of the church’s performance of “Annie.” Why? Because the church was liberal and accepting of the gay community. Intolerance creates chaos like this that breaks my heart.
I can’t pretend much about anything about the fiscal side of the issues. I really like the idea of nationwide, affordable health care, but don’t like the idea of those in prosperity being forced into paying for those who aren’t (although they should do something out of the kindness of their hearts). But in order to provide the necessary healthcare for everyone I guess taxes must be raised. I mean, the people who are forced into unfortunate circumstances can and should get whatever job they can, even if it is on a McDonald’s salary. But that is not enough to pay for healthcare, so what happens when that person becomes ill and it is absolutely necessary for healthcare that they cannot receive? Should they suffer and die? No, I think not. Should money be taken from all to ensure everyone will at least have this healthcare coverage? Yes, I believe it’s the only way to do so. There are just so many instances when a person is doing everything they can but still cannot survive on the money they are being paid, so something must be done to save lives.
So, uh, yeah. I guess you can just call me a bible-toting, not bible-bashing kind of gal.
” *Everyone* who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:13
July 30, 2008 at 3:35 pm |
I’m going to have to say that I tend to be more liberal on most topics. I like the whole choice thing and I enjoy change. This really puts me towards the democrat side as well since mostly democrats seem to be more liberal, but then again who really knows. Everything’s kind of weird today and I don’t mean these days. I just mean today. It was a weird day. But anyway I don’t know why people want to be told what to do all the time, plus a lot of the democratic presidents were really cool so keep it real Mr. Hanson.
July 31, 2008 at 7:55 pm |
I think I’m going to have to say that I don’t know where I stand. I don’t think I’ve lived life enough to be able to have an opinion one way or another on certain issues. I don’t pay taxes, so how can I have an opinion on them. I fall under my parents health care and no nothing about it, so how can I really have an opinion on it? I honestly never really thought in depth about abortion- in some ways I believe that the mother should have the right to chose but in some ways I feel it is wrong. So honestly I really don’t know. Let people own a gun. Yes to the death penalty if you killed someone. But I really, honestly don’t think it matters if you are Democrat or Republican. Come time to vote, you are going to vote for who you like better for that time in your life. You shouldn’t feel like you have to vote for someone in your party even if you don’t agree with them. You shouldn’t be restricted by a title, because everyone is an individual with their own set of beliefs. So I guess I really don’t know what I am; maybe I my own party, I just don’t know right now.
August 1, 2008 at 9:26 am |
First off, I would like to say that I too am on the same page as Scott in not knowing much about the definate details of either party, but I do know my stand on certain topics earlier mentioned. To choose a party to represent though, I would say that I am more conservative than liberal, even though I hold a few liberal views.
To start with one particular conservative view on the economy, I’d say that a few particular ideas in the Democratic Party in dealing with our current economy are more for votes, rather than for reform. The saying of modern politics being a blood battle for votes is definatly true in this upcoming election and can be seen through the Democratic Party’s campaign. To look at a statistic stated in one of Kiplinger’s articles, (Kiplinger is a reputable source for economic articles), it shows that 50% of our nation makes up 3% of our overall income tax being paid. The Democratic Party wants the this group of people to pay even less, and thus making them willing to vote for Obama. Another part of the Democratic campaign is to tax big corporations. Now, let’s see the result of taxing America’s big corporations shall we? Corporations annual report will be less due to the higher tax expense, thus upsetting the stockholders in that company. To fix this problem, because America is run on money no matter where you look, corporations will raise product prices to compensate their new expense. As a result of this the standard dollar value decreases as standard living costs increase, the ultimate outcome of a weaker dollar. This is my opinion on what is to be two major influences in the upcoming election, and although pieces might be inaccurate, or details may be left out, this is my view on the matter.
For another conservative idea, I’ll agree with what Mellon had said earlier about the nuclear arms reduction issue. Nukes in the modern world aren’t used for offense, it’s more of a defensive tactic more than anything. They are used more or less as scare tactics, and America having the most, gives us the most power/influence, and sure not many countries like America, but America being such a superpower in the world keeps such a well-balanced world and an arms reduction would take that away.
To touch on the other matters forementioned however, I’ll talk about abortion. Like I had mention earlier, I do hold liberal views and one would be that I am pro-choice. Like Cody mentioned it should be a private matter rather than a political or religious matter. A woman is responsible for the well-being of “her body” and if she doesn’t want to give birth within her body, then religion or politicians shouldn’t make her.
Conclusion : ? hopefully this gives you a general briefing of my knowledge of government and politics
August 5, 2008 at 9:02 am |
When it comes to politics, the only thing i’m certain about is my uncertainty.
I THINK I’m slightly more Liberal on most issues, but I can be easily swayed due to the weak foundation on which those beliefs are held (meaning: I don’t really know for sure). A brief breakdown (thanks hanson!)
Fiscal: I don’t know. It would be nice to give more to the poor, but it’s not like I’m typing this while floating on my yacht. My view: conservative
Abortion: Really not sure on this one. I agree with the point that it is her body and it shouldn’t be a government matter, but it could be viewed as murder and i personally know a family who has been trying to adopt for years and years and everything has fallen through at the last minute. I think it would be impossible for a healthy newborn baby to not get adopted. But then the rape question comes up. Should rape victims have to grow this child inside of her? If not, couldn’t every woman that wants an abortion just cry rape? My View: i don’t know
Gun Control: My View: liberal
Death Penalty: I’m with kaitlin. My View: liberal
Gay rights: Gay people are people, too. If they love each other, who are we to deny them the opportunity to share that love like any other person? I strongly believe in gay rights. My View: Liberal
August 10, 2008 at 1:47 pm |
I have to admit I’m not always politically aware. I don’t know the major issues being debated and what to look for in a presidential candidate. I’ve learned that my views tend to be liberal. I agree with what Brent says, how Democrat and Republican are just labels and in the end you vote for who you like better. I don’t pay taxes, but I do benefit from them, so I’m not trying to tell you how things with taxes should be. I’m pro-choice, and I’m for the death penalty in some cases, and i think gay rights are super. I don’t know what the deal with gun control is right now, what’s allowed and what’s not. I like what Kaitlin says about health care; everyone needs it, even if they can’t afford it. That’s about all I can say because I’m not as well-informed as I should be, ha, so The End.
August 18, 2008 at 12:02 pm |
I’m sorry to say that when it comes to politics, I have no idea, but hey this is why I decided to take this class, so that can change. All I know is that I’m pro-life and I don’t really care who loves each other as long as they do. Anyways as my esteemed colleague Kaitlin so eloquently stated, I also believe in tolerance. I believe that people should be able to “just be chill” about situations and be able to handle everything. You’d think that being in the 21st century, all that would change but there are still situations that state otherwise. I also believe in having a job and earning your money thorugh honest living. I’m also for gun control becasues I believe in being able to defend yourself. I can’t say that I know too much on these topics as well as others such as universal healthcare, so this is all I can really say.
August 19, 2008 at 9:02 pm |
Alright, my mind goes in all kinds of directions to a question like this.. so let me break it down for you in this rant…
Hmm, I agree with the whole “democratic and republicans being lables” thing. My political awareness stretches as far as the Colbert Report, The Daily Show, a little media, and the people around me. I soak in what I can and piece together opinions from that knowledge. I’m not quite sure on a lot of things but as far as I know, I’m liberal on most things. My knowledge is pretty insignificant compared to a lot of these responses but I’ll do what I can.
I’m very indecisive and I’m not positive where I stand but I like creative responses to problems as long as they’re sound and I believe that there is a lot in our world that can and should be fixed. Socially, I could care less about gay marriage because well… I’m not gay, but I don’t see any harm in letting them marry if that’s what they want. I understand that marriage was meant for men and women but I don’t believe by having two men marry that I wil be punished or anything because Im simply not a part of it. No harm from me, no foul from me.
For Gun Control, in the great words of Chris Rock.. “Gun control? We need bullet control! I think every bullet should cost 5,000 dollars. Because if a bullet cost five thousand dollar, we wouldn’t have any innocent bystanders. ”
For these so called “fiscal issues” I think that we should be putting more money into programs to better schools, healthcare, and other services. Obviously I dont pay taxes and things yet so I’m not saying to break people, but a nation as great as the good ole’ USA should have top notch schools and healthy citizens. Im not the most decisive person and I don’t know that much about politics but I did what I could and my ONE PARAGRAPH turned out fairly big to my surprise.
Peace Out Cub Scout.
p.s. BEYAH
August 20, 2008 at 8:49 pm |
I’m not the most knowledgeable when it comes to politics, but I’ll try to hit the big issues.
As far abortion goes, I think that a bumper sticker I saw the other day sums it up perfectly: “I’m Pro-Choice; I CHOOSE to keep my pants up.” Haha, hm. Even though the baby, fetus, whatever you want to call that living being, is inside a woman, it doesn’t mean that the woman is allowed to simply get rid of it. It’s a living being with a future. You can’t take that anyway from anyone.
This includes criminals on death row. Although some crimes may seem so heinous that the only proper punishment may seem to be death to that criminal, that would make us just as bad as that criminal. What if the criminal being executed is really innocent? We’d never know, and an innocent man was just sent to this death.
As far as gun control goes, I believe that proper precautions need to be taken when a gun is sold. The right to wield a gun is being abused, but could be easily fixed if background checks would be completed. You can’t cry over a school shooting, then go and complain that you can buy a handgun without proper identification and background checks.
I don’t believe that universal healthcare will work. Even though everyone needs healthcare, whether they can pay for it or not, universal healthcare would ultimately lower the quality of treatment given to everyone. Yep, and there was my knowledge/beliefs on healthcare. =)
Finally, I think gay rights is simply a modern version of slavery. Back in the 19th Century, many whites believed it was their God-given right and responsibility to look after the creatures that we call African Americans. Obviously this belief has changed over the past century and a half as we come to realize how absurd that belief really was. Now, with strong opposition to gay rights on one side and just as strong openness to gay rights on the other, I believe it’s the same kind of issue. In 100 years, we’ll look back to these times and wonder how we could ever base an argument on limiting gay rights. In a sentence, I’m for gay rights.
I guess this makes me liberal? Whatevs.
August 20, 2008 at 9:14 pm |
I can openly say that i do not know all the ins and outs to define myself as in a government stance. In saying this i can at least state my beliefs about about the fiscal issues hanson stated. I believe that government does need to hike taxes or another approach to improve society or any programs. Freedom would allow us as the people to make the decisions but in all honesty the common folk may not know whats best for them. Government can step in, produce options, do studies and look at the longterms. We with more freedom and the government restricted will produce solutions that solve the problem now and not look at the outlook later. Sure the government doesnt always get it right but who does?
August 20, 2008 at 10:34 pm |
I would have to say my views are very liberal. I am pro choice. As everyone knows, Im also strongly against the current war. My views on gun control are also liberal. Abortion, however, for instance is a personal choice. A woman has a right to her own body (which is in the constitution). I also feel the same way about gay marriage. It is a personal choice. I belive that many conservative people are too worried about other people’s personal choices rather than more important things in the bigger picture. It is everyone’s right to certain freedoms such as gay marriage.
At a leadership conference i attended this summer I visited the Supreme court building and as we left there was a man standing in front of it with duct tape over his mouth that said life and he was holding a bible. To me this is way over the top. No matter what anyone says, in the end it is up to the woman that is making the decision.
I kind of went off on a tangent there. So conclusively many of my views sit on the liberal side of the spectrum. I strongly believe in pro-choice in many situations, and not being so involved in someones personal life.
August 20, 2008 at 11:47 pm |
Although this is a difficult question at the time for me, I do have my beliefs on certain topics. I have no idea whether to consider myself Republican or Democrat. I kind of would like to find myself in a happy medium, but there is no such thing unfortunately. As of right now, I guess I consider myself as an Independent.
Abortion – I believe in pro-life and almost everything that Kaitlin said before me. However, I don’t know where I stand when a woman is raped and gets pregnant. It was not her choice to get pregnant, and even though there are adoptions, I believe its the mother’s choice.
Gay Rights – Because of the fact that scientists have been able to prove that some people are born with an attraction to the same sex, I have no right to tell them that they cannot get married. Also, I believe that it is not a choice for some people. If they love each other for who they are, then they should be able to get married.
Gun Control – Anything used to hunt animals is fine by me. However, I do not understand the purpose of hand guns. If hand guns were abolished, then I believe our society would have less of a problem.
I don’t even know about the whole taxes thing and where I stand on that. Our healthcare is pretty screwed up right now and I don’t know if having a universal healthcare plan will do anything to fix it. Obviously I would rather not have higher taxes, but its like you cannot leave people behind. Our nation needs to unite in order to be strong.
Basically, I like the idea that the Democrats stick up for the little guy, but I also understand where the Republicans are coming from with their business minds. Either way, pros and cons exist between both parties. Therefore, I really do not know whether I am more conservative or liberal. Ummm….. I hope that answers your question : )
August 21, 2008 at 8:48 am |
Alright, if I were to just state what I think I am I would say that I am a republican and am most likely more conservative. But to move on to sharing some of my ideas on gun control and pro-life to me would be useless in this sense. The reason I say this is because it’s not that I don’t have stances on these subjects, everyone does, but the sense of time. To me people and ideas don’t make the time, but the time makes the people. What I mean by this is that at any given point in time peoples ideas could change slightly because of what time has given society such as the hanging of people. At one time in our country, hanging was an appropriate mean of death for a criminal offense which many people would have agreed would be an acceptable punishment. Today, death row is so long that no one is actually killed, we just pay taxes to keep them nice and warm with 3 meals a day. What Scott said before about the woman in college wanting an abortion to finish college is also another time scenario. Personally I am against abortion, but in the setting that Scott gives, time is of the essence and therefore I would actually agree with letting her get an abortion if it is in the very early stages of development. So overall I have my political beliefs but as I said I think that time changes everyone’s political ideals and therefore you could argue that maybe i’m not a republican or conservative but a nobody.
August 21, 2008 at 12:16 pm |
I kind of want to start off on the same foot as Milan. I don’t want to have to label myself as liberal, conservative, democrat, republican, treehugger, etc. I know my opinions on subjects and I have conservative and liberal views.
I am completely pro-life. I am against abortion (if ya got raped you gotta take care of business but most rape victims don’t get pregnant). I feel that life is a gift and a woman has the responsibility to give that gift to a child if she becomes pregnant. Nine months of inconvenience to give a PERSON an entire lifetime to live. Seems to make sense. But i also realize that abortion will probably always be legal.
I don’t like the death penalty. Just lock them up and they’ll die eventually. Do the old solitary confinement thing if they really made you mad.
I am for gay rights. Why not get married if you love someone. I don’t think love is defined by what sex you are. A guy could love his dog or a guy could love his boyfriend. I think you get the point there. I think the homosexual community should just be left alone when it comes to relationships.
I agree with Milan on the gun control. Buy lots of guns! but charge for the bullets.
With the whole tolerance thing, I think people should be very tolerant. Basically if that dude isn’t doing anything to you don’t worry about it, and if he is see if you can ignore it.
With the whole fiscal thing I don’t thing I know enough about that at this point in time to have a solid opinion on it so I’ll keep everyone guessing on that.
Keep rockin’ out
Brandon
August 21, 2008 at 9:24 pm |
Well, what more is there to say after Mellon and Chris just went? I agree totally 100% with those flaming liberals. Anyway, yeah. Let’s make a list of the things not to do.
-Communism (read Atlas Shrugged)
-Abortion (it’s not your life)
-Gay Rights (Bible)
-Racial Discrimination (Minorities get first choice in college? Smells like discrimination to me.)
-Gun Control (more control means more rebellion)
-Welfare (there are jobs all over just waiting for people to get)
Now on universal healthcare I’m split. I’ve wondered that if a human’s genome is made available, what happens to the insurance companies? They don’t want to insure a cancer destined person, but that would be discrimination. The only solution I can think of is universal Healthcare, a necessary evil if that happens. I do not know why I do not like it, its just one of those feelings things.
August 21, 2008 at 10:06 pm |
Liberal and Conservative is so subjective. I don’t know where I fall on that scale but I do know what I believe and what I think should be done by the government.
Ok so I think should the government should have very little control, meaning we should be able to marry who we want, kill your own fetus, save your own money for retirement, and carry a gun (with a proper license and probably and background check). It is a free country and the government, or at least the federal government, does not need to be involved in your decisions. They should not be able to control what you do. You are responsible for the consequences.
On the other hand the government has responsibilities that should be handled before their approval of your spouse. The environment is a big issue that the only the government can control and it is their responsibility to do so.
August 22, 2008 at 12:10 pm |
After reading so many well written entries I am still right where I began. I have some sort of idea of what I am (republican, democrat, liberal, conservative).
I guess I can say that I am “pro-choice”.
Gay Rights are great and if two people of the same sex love each other then they should be able to get married.
Abortion- One side of me thinks the women should have the final decision, but the more I thought about it, the more I think abortion should be illegal…it is taking away potential life.
So maybe I’m not “pro-choice”.
Gun Control- There definitely should be gun control.
Death Penalty- I am for the death penalty.
Health Care is very important, and if Universal Health Care is what this country needs then give it to them.
Well as you can see I have already changed my mind a few times in this entry.
Maybe I’m not republican, democrat, liberal, or conservative.
August 26, 2008 at 9:59 pm |
Hmmm.. tough question Hanson. I don’t really like labels either as some people have said.. and I’m gonna say I’m not as educated as i should be in the whole ‘politics’ region.. but that will change, cause you’re an amazing teacher Hanson! Anyways, now that I’m done sucking up.. I don’t really know where i stand.. whether its liberal, conservative, democrat or republican. Most of the time when I watch the news or try to have ‘intelligent’ conversations with my dad.. Man that guy is smart.. I always pick pros and cons from both sides. Like abortion would be a perfect example.. I’m pro-life for the most part because if people think that they’re mature enough to go out and have sex, they should be mature enough to face their consequences and accept their responsibilities. But lets say having the baby would endanger the health of the mother.. Some people would say that it would still be the mother’s responsibility to have the baby.. but to me that seems wrong because I’m sure the mother wasn’t signing up for a death sentence. Sheeeesh. I don’t know.. I’m just gonna say I have no idea of where i stand cause that’s how i truly feel.