Am I liberal or conservative?

[livendive 8]

I am in favor of the right to bear arms. I am in favor of a woman's right to decide what happens to her body. I am in favor of the right to free speech. I don't think anyone is entitled to their job or has a right to organize in opposition to their employer without risking their job. I am in favor of protecting our environment. I don't think it's any of the government's business who you marry or, for that matter, whether you marry at all. I don't think it's the federal government's place to decide what drugs you put in your body, nor is it their responsibility to provide care for you if you are lazy, drug-addicted, injured, or just plain unfortunate. Of course, as long as they are not providing such services, they should also not being charging us for them. Leave social programs to the states and let them collect the funds necessary for whatever level of assistance they deem appropriate. I think the federal government should protect the rights recognized in the constitution, both specific and non-specific, provide for the national defense, and supply a *reasonable* infrastructure for interstate commerce. If I were in charge of the federal budget, I would probably slash spending by 80ish percent and slash taxes to a point that would simply fund current expenses and pay off previously incurred debts within 50 years. The taxes I would collect would be from the state governments themselves, and I would leave it to them to decide how to pass the costs on to the people. If a person doesn't like what his/her state does, they should be free to move to another state more in line with their thinking.

My stances on things like welfare, guns, unions, and state's rights tell me I'm not one of the "liberals" constantly decried here. My stances on things like gay marriage, abortion, drugs, and the environment tell me I'm not one of the "conservatives" constantly decried here. Apparently I must be one of the other, but it sure is tough to tell which.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[ExAFO 0]

You are a Blue Meanie

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[KelliJ 0]

According to former President Clinton, if you thought the 60s were great for the U.S. you are probably a liberal. If you thought they were bad times for the U.S. you are probably a conservative.
If you agree with Clinton in this you are probably a liberal. If you think Clinton is full of doo-doo then you are probably a conservative.

[billvon 2,400]

>if you thought the 60s were great for the U.S. you are probably a liberal.
>If you thought they were bad times for the U.S. you are probably a
>conservative.

And if you can remember them at all, you weren't there.

[johndh1 0]

Wow. We're almost in sync. I thought before that you were way left of me for some reason.

You're Libertarian, I think.

Roll Tide Roll

[billvon 2,400]

>Am I liberal or conservative?

I think for many people here that is determined by whether you hate Clinton or Bush more vehemently. Nothing turns a discussion into the "your guy is an idiot" angle faster than defending one or the other.

[brenthutch 383]

You are a libertairian, as most right thinking people should be.

[pirana 0]

Quote

You are a libertairian, as most right thinking people should be.

I like that (and do consider myself closer to libertarian than anything).

My experience is that most people do not fit in either box as defined by current political ideology. Not only that, but the definitions are constantly under revision to make them a good fit for people's agendas. They have almost done a complete switch since the early days of the founding of both parties.

Liberty IS where it's at. All the other shit is political posturing; nurturing asswipes who think everybody should want to live just like them.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[SpeedRacer 1]

For the Politically Homeless

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[livendive 8]

Quote

You are a Blue Meanie

But I can't even make my soap float!

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[rehmwa 2]

Sounds like most all of us.

Too bad the major parties' have a death grip on only allowing their extreme fringes to determine who gets voted into leadership roles.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[DZJ 0]

Quote

According to former President Clinton, if you thought the 60s were great for the U.S. you are probably a liberal.

Vietnam?

[Andy9o8 0]

Quote

Quote

According to former President Clinton, if you thought the 60s were great for the U.S. you are probably a liberal.

Vietnam?

No, kid. He's referring to the social change that took place in the 60's - in large part a liberalization of social attitudes and mores, as well as laws. Happened in your country, too. Go read up on it.

Edit: Well, I'll amend that. Opposition to the Vietnam War provided a sort of cultural catalyst to a fair amount of the social change in the US, and that did spill-over into other countries, including yours. Go read up on it.

[DZJ 0]

Thanks, but I'm fully aware of the social changes that took place in 1960's America. I simply found it breathtaking that some could consider the 1960's some kind of liberal golden age when hundreds of thousands of conscripts (conscription - that great liberal anathema) were fighting (and tens of thousands dieing) in a brutal and ultimately unsuccessful war abroad.

[popsjumper 2]

Neither...you're the king of crammed paragraphs.


Fixed it for you.

Quote

-I am in favor of the right to bear arms.
-I am in favor of a woman's right to decide what happens to her body.
-I am in favor of the right to free speech.
-I am in favor of protecting our environment.

-I don't think anyone is entitled to their job or has a right to organize in opposition to their employer without risking their job.

-I don't think it's any of the government's business who you marry or, for that matter, whether you marry at all.

-I don't think it's the federal government's place to decide what drugs you put in your body, nor is it their responsibility to provide care for you if you are lazy, drug-addicted, injured, or just plain unfortunate. Of course, as long as they are not providing such services, they should also not being charging us for them.

-I think the federal government should protect the rights recognized in the constitution, both specific and non-specific, provide for the national defense, and supply a *reasonable* infrastructure for interstate commerce.

-Leave social programs to the states and let them collect the funds necessary for whatever level of assistance they deem appropriate.

-If I were in charge of the federal budget, I would probably slash spending by 80ish percent and slash taxes to a point that would simply fund current expenses and pay off previously incurred debts within 50 years.

-The taxes I would collect would be from the state governments themselves, and I would leave it to them to decide how to pass the costs on to the people. If a person doesn't like what his/her state does, they should be free to move to another state more in line with their thinking.

I'm pretty much in agreement with you on most line items but I'd like to know HOW you would accomplish some of those things, like "protecting the environment". I think that would be more of a determinant on political affiliation.

I have a problem with "non-specific" constitutional rights. We have a big enough problem now with people assuming they have "rights" to do so many stupid things not specified in the constitution. Liberals and conservatives "interpret" the constitution quite differently...quite similar to how different religions "interpret" the Bible.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[pirana 0]

Quote

Vietnam?

A country is SE Asia.

Next question.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[livendive 8]

Quote

Neither...you're the king of crammed paragraphs.


Fixed it for you.

Well, if you're going to be all grammatical, a series of one sentence "paragraphs" isn't much better than a collection of issues in one paragraph and a discussion of the dilemma posed by them in another.

. . .

Quote

I'm pretty much in agreement with you on most line items but I'd like to know HOW you would accomplish some of those things, like "protecting the environment". I think that would be more of a determinant on political affiliation.

I think one function of the government is to protect its people from being harmed by others. The water we drink, the air we breathe, and the food we eat are necessary to our survival, and polluting them harms us without our consent. For this reason, I think all effluents with the potential to harm the surrounding environs should be subject to reasonable regulation. These include solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes and other by-products as well as a variety of parameters, including chemical, physical, and radiological threats. I could likely understand many of the issues, and know a fair number of them myself already, but it would take far more knowledge than I possess to write fair regulations covering these issues.

Quote

I have a problem with "non-specific" constitutional rights. We have a big enough problem now with people assuming they have "rights" to do so many stupid things not specified in the constitution. Liberals and conservatives "interpret" the constitution quite differently...quite similar to how different religions "interpret" the Bible.

I don't really have a problem with it. The 9th amendment alludes to rights that are not enumerated elsewhere and states that such omissions do not invalidate the rights. I think we all have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and we should be free to exercise those rights however we see fit as long as such activities do not prohibit others from doing likewise. There is no right to "breast augmentation", but if a woman wants to buy herself a pair of double D's because it will make her and her husband happy, I don't think the government should stop her. We can't possibly list every single thing a person might want to do that wouldn't harm anyone else, but we can keep the general notion in the back of our minds as a concept that limits the authority of our government.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Muenkel 0]

I agree. From your description, it sounds more like you're a libertarian.

_________________________________________
Chris

[Andrewwhyte 1]

It really depends upon your baseline; where do you sit in relation to your neighbours?
I live in Canada and have voted right in every election I have been old enough to vote in. When I am on this forum talking to Americans I am definitely not a conservative. You live right on the border of flyover country and the left coast so I really don't know where your baseline is. My guess is that your a conservative in Seattle and a liberal in Billings.

[TrophyHusband 0]

neither. you seem to take on each issue individually without shooting it through the prism of a particular political ideology. i also have both liberal and conservative viewpoints depending on the issue. somewhere on the internet there's probably a quiz to tell you where you are, but even with a comprehensive quiz, it would be hard to place a person. i don't envision a line with conservatives at end end and liberals at the other, but a sphere where most people fall in a ball around the center.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[gmanpilot 0]

You are a proponent of Classical Liberalism. The way it ought to be.

_________________________________________
-There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

[tbrown 26]

My stances on things like welfare, guns, unions, and state's rights tell me I'm not one of the "liberals" constantly decried here. My stances on things like gay marriage, abortion, drugs, and the environment tell me I'm not one of the "conservatives" constantly decried here. Apparently I must be one of the other, but it sure is tough to tell which.

[Airman1270 0]

Apparently you are mostly a libertarian/conservative.

While I believe abortion should be illegal because of the human life factor, I appreciate your consistency on the matter. Far too many pro-abortion supporters are pro "choice" about this issue and anti-choice about everything else.

With regard to drugs, I think the government has a legitimate interest in keeping illegal drugs illegal. The problem is the heavy-handed enforcement of minor violations and the poisoning of the police culture which teaches cops that any intrusion into a citizen's private affairs can be justified by saying they were looking for drug violations.

Conservatives make suggestions. Liberals make laws. If you don't do what a liberal tells you to do you end up in front of a judge, and if you resist the police are authorized to shoot you.

Cheers,
Jon S.

[ninjaswooper 0]

Quote

Conservatives make suggestions. Liberals make laws. If you don't do what a liberal tells you to do you end up in front of a judge, and if you resist the police are authorized to shoot you.

Cheers,
Jon S.

So by your definition everyone currently occupying the government is a liberal?

[Lucky... 0]

Quote

You are a libertairian, as most right thinking people should be.

Pardon me a second........ {PUKE, VOMIT} ...... ok, now all right, as in correct thinking people s/b libertarians? And social needs, well, fuck em, if they were only responsible. The biggest winers are those who advocate the abolition of social progs, Libertarians, and then need them themselves.