Surprise everyone, state your political affiliation

[Rymanofthenorth]

BUT then state something that would surprise everyone that you believe.

for instance,

I am conservative, I believe in limiting immigration severely but not stopping it completely, I believe in free speech but not when it results in inciting hate crimes. I believe in gun education not gun control.

now for something that is completely not conservative?

I believe in the legalisation of marijuana, my rationale is that nobody ever smokes a joint and commits violent crimes immediately afterwards while alchohol is legal and is blamed for violent crimes every day. Prohibition simply doesnt work.

I believe in gay people being allowed to have the same rights and benefits as straight people in regards to spouse benefits etc etc, I do however believe that it should not be called Marriage as marriage is a religious thing, call it a civil union and be done with it.

I believe in private groups or institutions having the right to decide who can join and who cant, if a group doesnt wnat me in their club, I don't wnat to be in it.

I believe in public healthcare , that everyone should get equal treatment at public hospitals but I also believe that if a private clinic wants to charge and someone is willing to pay they should be able to do so as long as its not anything more than moving up a timeline.

 

[Henry]

Well, I think we've established that I'm left of center.

I'm pro-choice but I think Roe v. Wade should be repealed. While I think abortion should be legal I don't think it's a constitutional right. In my opinion it's legality should be decided at the state level.

I greatly dislike the concept of personal property tax. I voted for Gilmore for Governor because he promised to repeal the car tax in VA. My sister still hasn't forgiven me for that.

I have no issue with the NRA and I am not pro-gun control.

That's about all I can think of right now.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Well, I believe in the soul. The ****. The *****. The small of a woman's back. The hanging curveball. High fiber. Good scotch. That the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a Constitution Amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas eve. And I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days...Goodnight.

I believe that a player on a streak has to respect the streak.

 

[Henry]

I believe that a player on a streak has to respect the streak.

I believe that you shouldn't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring. Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I'm a Democrat, but I believe in being fiscally responsible. I believe there are a lot of government agencies that can be reduced, reworked or eliminated altogether (smaller gov't).

I believe in the fair tax.

I believe there should be stricter gun-control laws, but I also think law-abiding American citizens should be able to purchase whatever kind of gun they care to own.

All I can think of at the moment.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I believe that you shouldn't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring. Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

I believe you'll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you'll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob.

 

[fansince62]

Well, I think we've established that I'm left of center.

hmmm...there is an x-axis intercept component missing here.......your pal emmanuelle

conservative.

- we need to get out of Afghanistan and weather the escalated risks

- a free society needs both Limbaughs and Olbermans

- the Federal Reserve should remain independent of the executive...even when poorly led

- a flat tax is needed

- alternative energy sources are needed....but not at government induced artificially high marginal costs

- free trade has to be reciprocal

- wall street...like Congress...has more than the population average of crooks

- California is like France...take the French out of France and it's a great place to visit

- Dan Snyder deserves a fifth chance

 

[Goaldeje]

Still reeling from the last thing on FS's list...

I would classify myself as a little left of center, though that is a very recent development. I have always voted Republican, but have recently become more and more disgusted with what I have seen in the leadership of hothead parties. I just find myself ideologically more liberal than conservative at this point, I suppose. Though i certainly wouldn't identify myself as a Democrat.

Having said that, I very much believe that most laws should be passed and enforced on the local level, including as Henry mentioned, abortion. State governments and localities are much more representative of their constituents, and therefore should have a better grasp on what their area needs than the federal government.
Posted via BGO Mobile Device

 

[Boone]

I am conservative and Republican, although my allegiance is based more on historical philosophy than current party ideology and practice.

Despite that, I can't stand most of what the Christian Right has to say, which is not to say I have any issue with religion, belief, or traditional Christian values - I just think trying to reinforce faith and morality through political means is a corrupting influence. I also do not entirely oppose moderate gun control (I don't believe in actual 'gun control', but implementing measures that would put more stringent background checks and requirements for gun ownership seems like common-sense to me). Like Henry, I don't believe abortion is a constitutional issue. Most controversially, I believe Rex Grossman is the next Joe Montana.

 

[Boone]

And nice idea for a thread Ryman

 

[servumtuum]

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

ok im a bit noobish but what do you guys feel each party stands for?
republicans? democrats? because ive know conservatives and liberals who self identify as both.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

And nice idea for a thread Ryman

im just nosy plus i sort of think the average person has more in common than not (except lanky) lol

 

[Alaskan]

I believe in long walks on the beach, holding hands and cuddling in front of a cozy fireplace.

Oh wait, wrong website. Note to self: Get favorites better organized (and labeled better).

Now in the sprit of Mike’s initial post:

I believe that the Boston Redsox have the greatest ballpark and the best fans in the world and I’m a life-long Yankees fan.

I think that as a batter if you need to tighten your batting gloves after every pitch whether you swung or not, you should consider getting new gloves or better yet don’t use them.

I believe that if Freud couldn’t understand what women want, I’m not likely to either. So I’m not even going to bother to try.

I don’t think that breast implants are necessarily bad, but they may say something profound about the woman who gets them.

I believe that you might as well learn to enjoy doing things that you aren’t very good at because most of us are pretty mediocre at almost everything.

Physical work is good for the body and even better for the soul.

I don’t believe having things makes one happy nor does loving and being loved. I think accomplishing something, no matter how small and insignificant makes one happy. And if you are happy you are likely to also love someone and be loved.

I think Jackie Robinson and Muddy Waters did more to improve race relations in this country than any politician (except Lincoln of course.)

I believe that all mass produced beers should be banned.

I think Microsoft is a marketing company not a development company and the quality of their products proves it.

I believe that offensive and defensive lines are like the foundation of a building. They determine whether the building is going to be weak or strong. Running backs are like the plumbing and quarterbacks are like the electrical system. Wide receivers on the other hand are chandeliers and typically think of themselves as such.

In football, I think that execution thumps scheme every time.

I believe in finding a local owned hamburger joint in going there rather than to a national chain. The same is true of coffee shops rather than Starbucks.

If you can look at a mountain or the ocean and not be inspired, there is something wrong with you.

A meal eaten while backpacking is superior to the best five star restaurant.

I think this is the best sports website I have ever been on.

 

[servumtuum]

they each stand for whatever can help them in their career. those that strictly walk lines dont care about you they care about themselves and living the fat rat life in DC

Yep, I agree, Mike. They play the U.S. voters like violins-the simultaneous comedy and tragedy to me is that the U.S. voters at times seem so willing to be played-chant the right slogan, push the right "hot-button", play to the right visceral fear, stimulate the right gut-level anger and the capability of voters to think, reason, and above all question that what they're being told is true and not made-up bulls*** seems to evaporate.

Ryman, in answer to your previous question, and setting aside temporarily Mike's astute assessment of how politics actually works in this country, when I was growing up, there was less deliberate positioning of the two major parties along strict ideological lines. During the late 1950s, the 1960s and early into the 1970s both parties had a broad spectrum of positions that individual members took based on individual issues. There were-using the current "left/right" spectrum-conservative, moderate, and liberal members of Congress, for example, from both major parties-it was much more difficult to categorize candidates using solely party affiliation along any given multi-issue ideological stance. As a result the often maligned concept of "bi-partisan" politics actually worked at times and the House and Senate seemed more able to occasionally get something done once in a while instead of spending their time bickering as a show for the voters that they're maintaining some imagined "ideological purity" in an effort to insure their re-election.

 

[Henry]

A meal eaten while backpacking is superior to the best five star restaurant.

Have you ever been to Morton's Steakhouse?

 

[Alaskan]

Have you ever been to Morton's Steakhouse?

As a matter of fact I have. Have you every had my wife's tuna casserole in the high Sierras?

 

[fansince62]

Yep, I agree, Mike. They play the U.S. voters like violins-the simultaneous comedy and tragedy to me is that the U.S. voters at times seem so willing to be played-chant the right slogan, push the right "hot-button", play to the right visceral fear, stimulate the right gut-level anger and the capability of voters to think, reason, and above all question that what they're being told is true and not made-up bulls*** seems to evaporate.

Ryman, in answer to your previous question, and setting aside temporarily Mike's astute assessment of how politics actually works in this country, when I was growing up, there was less deliberate positioning of the two major parties along strict ideological lines. During the late 1950s, the 1960s and early into the 1970s both parties had a broad spectrum of positions that individual members took based on individual issues. There were-using the current "left/right" spectrum-conservative, moderate, and liberal members of Congress, for example, from both major parties-it was much more difficult to categorize candidates using solely party affiliation along any given multi-issue ideological stance. As a result the often maligned concept of "bi-partisan" politics actually worked at times and the House and Senate seemed more able to occasionally get something done once in a while instead of spending their time bickering as a show for the voters that they're maintaining some imagined "ideological purity" in an effort to insure their re-election.

serv...the biggest difference between now and then is the ideological disposition and reporting of the media.

 

[Alaskan]

And in the spirit of Ryman’s opening post:

I’m a far right wing Sarah Palin loving, teabagger bitterly clinging to my guns, my religion and my antipathy to people who aren’t like me. I am one of those people that is 100% responsible for the decline in political discourse in this country

Ok seriously

I am a registered Republican. I consider myself fiscally conservative but socially liberal.

I am one of the few people in the country that voted for both Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. I greatly regret the later but not the former.

I believe in gay marriage and if you are going to call heterosexual unions “marriages” then we should call homosexual unions marriages also. If you want to call then both unions and leave the word marriage to the churches that’s fine with me. Yes, it’s just a symbolic word but symbols are important. The water after all was the same but the symbolism very important.

I believe in small and limited government. I don’t need the government to tell me what kind of light blubs to buy. I do need them to protect me from the bad guys and to do the things that we have to do jointly like road and parks.

I believe in public funded education but also in school choice. Competition makes everyone better.

I’m uncomfortable with abortion but ultimately have to side with the individual verses the state. But Roe verses Wade was a bad legal opinion. If Blackmun wanted to be a legislator he should have run for office.

I believe in affirmative action but not based upon race or gender. I would base it on family income. The playing field is already titled in favor of the rich in terms to access to education and contacts. There’s no problem in leveling it a bit.

I believe in protecting the environment. But I think the environmentalists have basically become anti-development. I think that wealth creation is the only thing that really allows us to protect the environment.

I believe in the free market but understand that some of producer’s costs are not paid by the producer but are paid by society as a whole. To the extent possible we need to prevent these society costs through regulation or by shifting the cost onto the producers.

I believe in free trade and don’t think the amount we buy from overseas matters very much because it’s called trade for a reason. If we buy something from them they have to buy something from us. Unfortunately a lot of what they are buying is our debt.

I think that if scientists couldn’t figure out what was really causing the decline in the spotted owl in the pacific northwest, there’s no way they could be so sure of what causes climate change. The mere fact that they changed the name tells you that they are just making it up as they go along.

I think capital gains should be taxed at the same rate as income from labor.

I think the corporate tax rate should be 0. The consumers end up paying for it anyway. Tax dividends. If they reinvest the profits in the company, that great as it will create employment and we will tax the employees income.

I think hidden taxes are one of the worse things that the government does. How can you properly assess the size of government you want if the true cost is hidden from you?

I believe in the progressive income tax, not because the well off can afford it, but because they get disproportional benefit from government. It’s true that their hard work, education and skills may allow them to get that benefit but they still get a greater benefit and should pay for it.

I believe that health care for the lower classes should be subsidized but government shouldn’t run health care. Everyone should have skin in health care.

We need to raise the retirement ages for Social Security but also for government employees to the same level.

Defined benefit retirement plans for government employees should be eliminated. It isn’t fair for private sector employees to carry the risk for their own retirement and the risk for public employee’s retirement. We are all in this together.

I don’t believe in the death penalty. People are imperfect and this is one mistake we can’t undo. Lock them up and throw away the key.

I think people on welfare and unemployment should be made to work. Have them clean up trash in parks and on road ways, help at a VA hospital. Work builds character and it would separate those who want a handout from those who need help.

I think the Republicans are not so much the party of no as the party of no ideas. The Democrats are the party of bad ideas.

I think we need comprehensive emigration reform but only with secure boarders. I don’t want guest workers so I can get cheap fruits and vegetables. I want emigrant families who will learn English, assimilate and whose children will become doctors, scientists, and start businesses. I don’t want them to be part of our so-called melting pot. I want them to be part of our bouillabaisse.

I think our tax system should be simpler. Let the CPA’s find something useful to do (I am a CPA.)

I think the Keynesian Economists don’t know what they are talking about. The anti-Fed libertarian gold bugs don’t either. Hardly anyone really understands money.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

some interesting things, I gotta ask the people who dont believe in climate change, have you ever been to the far north? Alaskan have you ever been to the arctic? I have I used to build Ice bridges, Ice roads and such a few years ago for my dads company and the fact is that there has been significant change to the climate up there.

I do know that calling it global warming was confusing to the average person because in fact much of the change was more about variance than actual warming but that was a change for the average person. either way, its been very badly presented in my opinion.

anyway aside from the jokes, some of which were funny, its very interesting to get a better idea of what people really believe, I am considered to be quite liberal where I am from but in the city I am considered to be a huge conservative lol. our party system actually divides on those lines, you are either a Tory or a liberal in alberta and we are predominantly conservative, the east of canada is mostly liberal.