Identify Your Political Ways and Means

Impressive. Tell me, since you're from South Carolina, were you part of Tim Scott's campaign team?

And secondly, given that you're a black Republican, do you get ostracized by other people for being affiliated with the GOP?

 

Username: uhhhh...Persephone

Birthday: Better than yours. 01-01

Hometown: A place in Southern WV.

Political Affiliation/Party: No real affiliation, but my voters registration says democrat. It's also expired.

Religious Background: I dunno how "self explanatory" this is. The term "background" indicates more of past religious involvement/family religious inclinations and I do not agree with the religion of my family. I do not subscribe to a religion in particular but my family is Baptist.

Class: Poor.



Abortion: Pro-choice. I can't make that decision for other people, it's not my place. I personally could never have an abortion, but I feel that if I have the right to make that choice for myself then other women should have the same oppourtunity.

Gay rights: The only thing that makes gay people different than straight people (and if you've read about the Kinsley scale you'd see that "straight" is a bit of a fallacy) is who they let touch them in private. It's abhorrent that gay people are still seen as different and treated horribly. There are still plenty of jobs that can legally fire someone over their sexual orientation. THAT IS SICK!

Affirmative Action: I don't think it should be applied if it means hiring someone with less qualifications. There's nothing wrong with finding someone in a minority group that has the proper qualifications. It would just mean more work. I can't speak for all industries but in mine there's certainly no shortage of talent and everywhere I look I see animators from all backgrounds.

Creationism/Intelligent Design: No. It's not science, it's religion.

Taxes: Well they certainly should be used better. I see a lot of room for improvement everywhere I go.

Health-Care: Universal health-care. Leaving it to the businesses makes it exactly what it is: a luxury that millions cannot afford.

Social Security: Entitled. I've been working since I was 15, and every paycheck I've ever received has been garnished for Social Security. So, if I spend my entire life working why the hell shouldn't I be entitled to get some of that back?

Net Neutrality: The internet should be free, excepting in cases of illegal content like child pornography.

Gun Rights/Gun Control: People are going to get guns regardless of laws against them.

Prayer in Public School: Considering the amount of religions being followed in this country if there were a mandatory prayer it would be rude to any that weren't affiliated with whichever religion was being used. A school isn't a place for religion in the first place, in my opinion. That's personal, and something that falls on the shoulders of the parents. If kids want to form a prayer group, that's completely fine I think. But anything "mandatory" involved is not cool.

War: hooah! what is it good for?

Global Warming: I dunno, I live in Houston, it's always fucking hot here.

And now for some personal questions:

1. Do you keep up with politics? Why or Why not? sorta. A lot of it just feels like I'm watching a soap opera and gets tedious.

2. Who do feel is the best President of the United States? Me, but I've not been elected yet.

3. How did you come to your conclusions on what's best for the times and country? ...I thought-ed them up in my...brain?

4. Ever thought about getting into politics? If so, what positions would you like to pursue? Considered in the past, but I DID inhale (often!) and I speak my mind far too much to ever have a career in politics.

5. Which politician would you like to meet? And why? Eh, I've met a few. They all seem to blur together in my mind after meeting them, like a large, lying amalgam creature bent on running our lives for us.

6. Which politician do you hate the most? And why? Sarah Palin, because she has too much trouble trying to hide her stupid. When you're a politician if you suck at hiding how ignorant you are then you fail at your job.

7. Do you see a positive future or a not so positive future for the United States? Why or why not? Not so positive. It feels like we're all getting dumber every year, and that can't be good for down the road.

8. How would identify your politics? Liberal? Conservative? Or other? I guess liberal, though being that I don't get involved in politics I shouldn't really use one of their labels. It would be the side of things that tends to agree with my own personal thoughts, so sure.

 

This is definitely an excellent response and I like the way how you answered all those questions. One thing I feel is very humorous is how you said you haven't been elected yet to the Oval Office. You definitely have loads of potential in the political career and I see that quite nicely.

 

Username: Dreaming_Blue

Birthday: July 6

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Political Affiliation/Party: Libertarian

Religious Background: Raised Catholic...Wiccan since I was 10.

Class: Middle class

And now for your stances on the following:

Abortion: I'm so pro-choice it's not even funny. I think the government needs to step in and legalize a person's personal choice and tell everyone else to STFU. If you don't want an abortion, don't have one. Simple.

Gay rights: Gay people are no different from straight people other than they have the same parts. They deserve to have the same rights as every other person in the country, which is to say- they should be able to get married, adopt as many kids as they can afford to raise, etc. No differences.

Affirmative Action: I've had a lot of discussions about this with people of different races, and everyone agrees that at its inception, the concept of AA was not bad...but it's become something else entirely. If it helps a minority get their foot in the door, then that's great, but they shouldn't be hired if they aren't qualified for the job. Simple as that.

Creationism/Intelligent Design: Intelligent design. School is supposed to be about facts.

Taxes: Taxes are a hard sell for everyone. I think they are a necessary evil, but I think it has gotten out of hand. A better economist than I would have to get into specifics, and since I'm not good enough at financial stuff to speculate, I'll just say that there is room for improvement.

Health-Care: I'm all for universal health care. I have too many friends, in Switzerland especially, who wish the US would stop whining and get over it. People need care. Insurance companies are not providing it- and if they do, you might as well sell your first born to get it. Dumb.

Social Security: You know what? I have a problem with SS, ONLY because we are the only country in the world that I'm aware of that does it. It was created in a time of need, and at this point, it's no longer able to sustain itself. I think it should be phased out. That being said, since it's been taken out of my paychecks since the first paycheck I ever had, I should be able to get a portion of it back, as promised. But, I'm all for the government saying that babies born after...oh say,2012 will no longer have SS money taken from their paychecks.

Net Neutrality: Nope. It's too huge to police, and anyway, why would you want to?

Gun Rights/Gun Control: I'm going to get pistol whipped by someone here who has five guns...but I think there should be stronger laws in place for gun ownership. I also have a plan for the folks who believe they're above the law and purchase them illegally, too. I won't get into that here.

Prayer in Public School: Abso-fucking-lutely NOT.

War: I only say yes to this because I don't believe there's a way around it.

Global Warming: Yes, it's real. We see evidence of it all of the time- weird weather changes, especially.

And now for some personal questions:

1. Do you keep up with politics? Why or Why not? Yes, I try to be informed because I believe it's the duty of a responsible citizen. If you aren't informed, you run the risk of being a dutiful watcher of Fox News.

2. Who do feel is the best President of the United States? Abraham Lincoln.

3. How did you come to your conclusions on what's best for the times and country? Like with any person, personal preference and experience enters into it always- BUT, I do a lot of reading and try to think of things that more or less meet in the middle.

4. Ever thought about getting into politics? If so, what positions would you like to pursue? I have thought about it- actually, people have asked me to run for various offices in my city. I won't do it, though.

5. Which politician would you like to meet? And why? I'd like to meet Thomas Jefferson so I could ask him a few questions about how he feels the country is turning out.

6. Which politician do you hate the most? And why? Sarah Palin!! GAAAHH... Just thinking of her makes my rage boil.

7. Do you see a positive future or a not so positive future for the United States? Why or why not? I see the future as potential. We have some rough spots ahead, but I think we will come out on top- as long as the powers that be realize that a country is organic and needs to be treated as such.

8. How would identify your politics? Liberal? Conservative? Or other? As my FB profile says- 'I'm so liberal, I make CNN look like Fox News.'

 

The information is really informative. I actually like pretty much everything you said. Your position on Social Security is interesting, but I take that you favor less on long term results, yes?

 

Username: Ymra

Birthday: July 4th

Hometown: Louisville, KY

Political Affiliation/Party: Independent

Religious Background: Buddhist

Class: Upper Middle Class

Abortion:Pro-choice?

Should the government get involved with the personal affairs of individual rights of people? When those rights affect others or society as a whole the government should take a look and possibly affect change (if possible)

Gay rights: same-sex unions

Should they receive the same benefits as those who are of the heterosexual persuasion? Yes

Affirmative Action: Without Affirmative Action programs, this country would be ran more by white males this it already is. The biggest group to benefit from AA programs and White American women.

Creationism/Intelligent Design: Should we teach such subjects in the science classroom?Though I am not a Christian, I realize and respect that American is a Christian country. I believe both should be taught. The is not reason science has to clash with religion.

Taxes: Necessary evil or a big governmental scam? And how should taxes be dispersed?:In order for the government to run we must have taxes; and I believe that the more you make the more you should pay. But since it is we that are paying taxes American should have more of a say in how money is spent, more than electing on person to speak for the majority

Health-Care: Universal health-care through government or simply let the businesses handle it?
Universal HEALTH CARE; however, if you can pay for it you should.

Social Security: Entitled to it when you get to retiring age or a waste?for those who need it.

Net Neutrality: No restrictions as to what should be on or not on the internet? NO RESTRICTIONS other than those required for public safety. Keep the net TAX FREE.

Gun Rights/Gun Control:GUN OWNERSHIP!!!

Prayer in Public School: Prayer and faith should not be pushed on anyone, it should not be required in Public Schools funded by tax payers.

War: Men an women should only be sent to war to protect THE UNITED STATES...

Global Warming: It is real.

And now for some personal questions:

1. Do you keep up with politics? I am a news Junky, because I am and American Soldier. As goes the world so go we.

Who do feel is the best President of the United States?
JFK!

How did you come to your conclusions on what's best for the times and country? N/A

Ever thought about getting into politics?No I have no tact!

Which politician would you like to meet?I'd like to meet
John McCain and ask what happened to the REAL John McCain the man that was just right of center.
I'd like to meet Micheal Steele to find out why he allows himself to be used like a token Negro.

Which politician do you hate the most? And why?
I don' hate any of them but I would like to ask Obama what happened to his balls, and is there anything I can do to help him get them back.

Do you see a positive future or a not so positive future for the United States? Why or why not?Things will only get worse for us as the years go on. Our time has come and gone.

How would identify your politics?I'm a Social Conservative, Political Liberal, Fiscal Conservative.

 

Username: Bookworm616

Birthday: June 16

Hometown: NW suburb of Chicago (that's all you're getting).

Political Affiliation/Party: I consider myself Independent because I vote for the person I feel is best suited for the job, however, my voting record shows more Republican votes than Democrat.

Religious Background: Born and raised as a Catholic. I switch between being religious and being agnostic. LOL.

Class: Lower middle class (being a single mom sucks financially. LOL)

And now for your stances on the following:

Abortion: Anti-Abortion or pro-choice? Pro-choice. Should the government get involved with the personal affairs of individual rights of people? No. I think the government needs to mandate that abortions remain legal forever and never get involved again. It's ridiculous that it's still an issue. A woman should have the right to decide what she wants to do with her own body. And like others have said, if you are pro-life then just don't get an abortion.

Gay rights: Gay marriage, same-sex unions, same-sex adoptions and/or domestic partnerships, what are your stances on these? Should they receive the same benefits as those who are of the heterosexual persuasion? I think they should have the same rights as everyone else.

Affirmative Action: Is it an unfair practice or a good thing to grant minorities extra help, despite not being as qualified as the next person. If a person isn't qualified, then they shouldn't get hired. I think it serves a purpose and has done a good job with getting qualified people jobs, but it can be taken too far. It's not right to hire someone if they aren't qualified for the job, it just puts a strain on them and their coworkers and the company in general.

Creationism/Intelligent Design: Should we teach such subjects in the science classroom? Why or why not? No, it hasn't been proven. It has no place in the classroom.

Taxes: Necessary evil or a big governmental scam? And how should taxes be dispersed? Taxes are a necessary evil, however, governments shouldn't be allowed to run amok and tax everything to death so they can vote themselves raises whilst us poor working folk are struggling to put food on the table. Raising taxes seems to be the go-to policy when times get tough, instead of cutting spending.

Health-Care: Universal health-care through government or simply let the businesses handle it? I think we've all seen how screwed we all are when big business runs things (insurance companies screw us on costs). Though I'm not really convinced that our government could handle Universal Healthcare, though I think that is more the answer than letting insurance companies continue to run things.

Social Security: Entitled to it when you get to retiring age or a waste? Since I've paid my fair share into it, dang skippy, I'm entitled! I think it's needed for those who aren't fortunate enough to be able to save for their retirement.

Net Neutrality: No restrictions as to what should be on or not on the internet? Ugh. There shouldn't be restrictions unless the stuff is illegal (like child porn, etc)

Gun Rights/Gun Control: Favor more gun laws or less? Why or why not? Keep guns legal but make the process harder to get them. People are going to get them if they're legal or illegal. I'm also all for concealed carry. I think there should be a longer waiting period (a month is fine with me).

Prayer in Public School: Should there be a mandatory prayer in a school system paid for by the state and local governments? You can't have mandatory prayer in school with all of the different immigrants in our schools now. Plus, you can silently pray if when you need it.

War: Necessary evil? War is never going away. It's been around for eons. Even animals fight. It's a necessary evil. However, I don't think we should be sending our troops traipsing all over the globe.

Global Warming: Is it real? Why or why not? I thought it was until I read Michael Crichton's "State of Fear". Now I'm not so sure. HOWEVER, I am extremely pro-environment, pro-recycling, whether it's real or not, we should be finding ways to NOT cut down trees, find better ways to conserve our resources and find healthier ways to manufacture our goods, drive our cars, etc.

And now for some personal questions:

1. Do you keep up with politics? Why or Why not? Yes, I keep up with politics. It's my right as a citizen and I take that right seriously.

2. Who do feel is the best President of the United States? Hmmm...I like that Teddy Roosevelt started the National Park system. But best President? I don't know who that would be.

3. How did you come to your conclusions on what's best for the times and country? Through my personal experiences and the experiences of people around me and through reading.

4. Ever thought about getting into politics? If so, what positions would you like to pursue? I've used to think about it a lot, however, I have no desire to get into politics now. You become jaded to the process the older you get and the more politicians let you down.

5. Which politician would you like to meet? And why? None. They're all liars and out for their own good.

6. Which politician do you hate the most? And why? John McCain for inflicting Sarah Palin onto the rest of the country. UGH. Seriously, what was he thinking???

7. Do you see a positive future or a not so positive future for the United States? Why or why not? Not so positive future. They say that Democracies only last for a few hundred years. I don't see the US being a huge superpower for much longer. We're too in debt and the sheeple of the country are more concerned with iPODS, iPHONES, and iPADS to care what's going on in this country and around the world.

8. How would identify your politics? Liberal? Conservative? Or other? I lean towards liberal with some issues and conservative with other issues. I'm really smack dab in the middle.

 

I'm a wee bit confused...when you say you are a social conservative, do you mean it on a personal level? Based on your earlier statements, you come off as being relatively moderate. I guess you vote liberal on issues like abortion and same-sex rights. Furthermore, if you're fiscally conservative, then wouldn't you be against government run health-care? But I guess you have your reasons and you can clarify them for me.

 

This is a good post here, Bookworm.

And thank you everyone for taking the time to answering these. I was expecting it to linger around with no one to answer it.

 

I'm a social conservative, meaning marriage between man and woman
Marriage as the foundation for couples. I don't gay should be allowed to be married but I do think they should have right that married couples receive.

I believe we should not have extended the unemployment benefits, nor should have allowed the tax cuts to go forward for anyone.

If the health care bill passes with the insurance mandate the cost for the rest us would not be has high as what we pay now.

I am MOSTLY Right over center. Far enough to be conservative, but not far to be considered damn near crazy.

 

Yes, pretty much. I think we have a lot of policies that were created out of a need...and now, the need is not there, or it's not responsible to maintain it. I can see my grandmother legitimately needs Social Security- but it was created for her generation, so she should get it. As should my parents. Younger than that, I kind of have an issue with it, but we've been paying for it- we should be able to use it to some extent. But, I also think that if you're a millionaire, there's no good reason to get it.

 

I definitely understand now. I would label you as the "sensible" conservative or paleo-conservative in that respect. Ultimately, it's a good measure of thinking, though I'll humbly disagree with your ways of thinking.

I see your sentiments. I would argue though that while you definitely have an excellent tread when it comes to the wealthy, why not consider more of an overhaul of social security for those in the lower 70% bracket who lack the financial means to carry it to the next generation? I think it would be a decent idea to keep the poverty level low.

Overall, I like your comment on it.

And again, everyone who took the time to post your thoughts, thank you so much.

 

Well, absolutely. I didn't really flush it out when I wrote it- I'm running on four hours of sleep with a new dog and trying to finish my final project for my grad class that ends tomorrow. Please forgive any random acts of crazy. lol

 

Your crazy antics is what intrigue me dearly.

 

Haha, oh stop it. You're going to make me blush! Or is that a heat flash from lack of sleep...:smt087 oh dear.. must go to bed.

 

The Truth is...I haven't masturbated in five days so far and I can tell you that I'm quite...energetic lately.

 

Username: fromrussiawithlove

Birthday: May

Hometown: Novgorod, Russia & Manchester, England

Political Affiliation/Party: Liberal Democrat

Religious Background: Spent a fair share of my childhood in Russian Orthodox churches. I'd say that's the religion I'm closely affiliated with, but I'd describe myself as having faith, but not tied down to a specific religion. My views are generally more influenced by Christianity though.

Class: Working class.

And now for your stances on the following:

Abortion: Pro-choice. Completely pro-choice, but I think it shouldn't be used as a method of contraception. It's disgusting hearing stories of girls going for their fifth or sixth abortion. I think there should be stricter rules regarding abortion and it shouldn't be given out like free newspapers, but in some cases it's completely necessary.

Gay rights: There's absolutely nothing differet between homosexual and heterosexual people apart from sexual preferences, so why should they suffer discrimination? Discriminating against race, age and sex is wrong, discriminating against sexuality falls in exactly the same category.

Affirmative Action: I think it's completely unfair to give someone a job over another person with better qualifications, skills and experience. Skills and qualifications and hard work should be rewarded.

Creationism/Intelligent Design: Of course we should. And we do. Isn't it taught in America?

Taxes: Of course it's necessary. But I agree with Bookworm - we are paying the taxes, so we should have a big say in how it's spent.

Health-Care: We have free health care, and although it's not as good as private, it's fantastic to have it there. We pay the taxes for it, so we're entitled to it. The waiting lists are insane, but it's better than the American system in my opinion.

Net Neutrality: They need restrictions for things like child porn and terroist websites. Things like this still get onto mainstream websites like youtube, it shouldn't be happening.

Gun Rights/Gun Control: Guns are illegal here and that's exactly how it should stay. I haven't seen how it's helped America.

Prayer in Public School: Why would it need to be paid for? We had a very free mandatory prayer in my Catholic school. I don't think it needs to be mandatory but it should be an option. Muslims get prayer rooms everywhere here even at football grounds, so people should have the opportunity to pray but it shouldn't be forced on the non-religious.


And now for some personal questions:

1. Do you keep up with politics? Why or Why not? Yes, I keep up with it. What's happening in our government right now is directly affecting us. It would be stupid to ignore it!

4. Ever thought about getting into politics? If so, what positions would you like to pursue? Absolutely not. First of all people like me wouldn't even be allowed in politics, secondly, I couldn't tolerate all the private school ponces with everything handed to them claiming to understand 'the common folk' whilst taking advantage of them and looking down on them at the same time.

5. Which politician would you like to meet? And why? David Cameron. So I could punch him in the face.

6. Which politician do you hate the most? And why? David Cameron, Maggie Thatcher. They're completely destroying [did destroy] chances of working class people to better themselves.

8. How would identify your politics? Liberal? Conservative? Or other? Liberal. Extremely anti-conservative.

 

Really good stances. But to clarify one thing you asked, "Is Creationism/Intelligent Design taught in America?" The problem with the idea is that people want to teach it as though it's science, as oppose to it being philosophy and more so, it's also where to teach it: public school. The U.S. is based on separation of church and state, but many conservatives in the U.S. want to teach it alongside the theory of evolution as though both are equal. This is the controversy here. It's not so much about the subject matter as much as where and how it would be taught.

There are private institutions, some which are religious-based, teaches intelligent design and it's perfectly fine because it's not government money going towards the government funded academic institutions.

 

Username: AfroLove

Birthday: January 10th 1986

Hometown: I live in Mississauga (Ontario, Canada), I was raised in Ottawa and Burlington

Political Affiliation/Party: Liberal/Left Libertarian

Religious Background: My father attends a United Church of Canada church, my mother is a born-again Pentecostal. Up until 12/13, I was a born again Pentecostal, then I was a deist who flirted with Rastafarianism, Islam, the Yoruba religion etc. and I've been an atheist ever since 2007.

Class: Unemployed, no college diploma having loser.


Abortion: I'm pro-choice. It's unlikely that a fetus younger than 24 weeks old has the capacity for subjective experience. In my view, all ethical issues are a matter of happiness vs. distress and since a less than 24 week old fetus does not have a capacity for pleasure or pain, they 'deserve' no more moral consideration than sperm/egg cells do. As for late-term abortions, I would consider myself to be pro-choice and pro-life. I don't actually believe in 'natural rights', including a right to reproductive autonomy, but preventing people from aborting sentient fetuses would probably have worse consequences than allowing the few who want them to have them.

Gay rights: Really, I don't see why marriage should be a legal institution to begin with (especially if there's supposed to be a separation of church and state) but gay couples should have the same legal rights that heterosexual couples have (again, not for the sake of 'rights' but because everyone's happiness is equally valuable, even if marriage really was 'intended' for heterosexual couples my stance would still be based on which policy I think would produce the most happiness/least distress for as many people affected by that policy as possible). Gays should also have the right to adopt, children don't need male or female parents per se, they need kind, empathetic parents who have the emotional and psychological maturity necessary to raise emotionally healthy children.



Affirmative Action: I view it as discrimination, it treats individuals as random representatives of their group. The job should go to whoever would suffer more from not getting it.


Creationism/Intelligent Design: Creationism/intelligent design is not a credible 'theory' (in scientific terms, it's not a 'theory' at all). Although I don't believe the truth has any inherent value, I think taking obviously flawed, pseduo scientific 'theories' seriously inhibits the development of critical thinking in high school/college students which would have bad consequences in the long run.

Taxes: Taxation is a necessary evil. The more well off a person is, the higher their taxes should be. We need taxation to provide less privileged people with social security nets and to increase the overall quality of life.

Health-Care: Nobody should have to pay for the basic necessities of life (food, clean water, health care, decent shelter,). I can't even wrap my mind around how other people can let someone die, or suffer intolerably, because they aren't fortunate enough to have the money to pay for compassion.

Social Security: I don't know a lot about this. I'll say for.

Net Neutrality: I don't know a lot about this either and I have mixed feelings about the practicality of censorship. On one hand, I don't believe people should have a right to 'free speech' if that speech is abusive or psychologically damaging and I do think that censoring violence might be a good idea since children/young teens are impressionable (nobody can deny that the violence they see/hear in the media affects them because this has been demonstrated through research). On the other hand, censorship can only be enforced through coercion which is a bad thing and should only be used when it is absolutely necessary. I don't think that sexual activity should be censored.

Gun Rights/Gun Control: Another topic I have mixed feelings about. I don't believe in gun rights but I understand the argument against gun control because it deprives many people of a means of self-defense and I'm even more concerned with enforcing gun control (coercion). However, the evidence shows a correlation between less violence and gun control so I support it, for now. It may very well be that countries with gun control have less violence only because they also have liberal, economic policies and most crime is fueled by socio-economic inequalities.

Prayer in Public School: Prayer should not be an official school activity.

War: War is rarely ever necessary although I can think of some scenarios where it would be.

Global Warming: I cannot believe that people seriously think global warming is a hoax. It's been confirmed time and time again by something like 97% of all climatologists.


Do you keep up with politics?

No, I'm more interested in every day ethical matters than I am with broad, societal issues. The latter is kind of abstract to me.

2. Who do feel is the best President of the United States?

How do I know, I don't keep up with politics, lol.

How did you come to your conclusions on what's best for the times and country?

All of my ethical opinions come down to one simple idea : happiness is the only intrinsic good and suffering is the only intrinsic bad. The goal of ethics should be to produce the greatest possible balance of happiness over suffering in the universe.

Ever thought about getting into politics? If so, what positions would you like to pursue?

When I was younger, I used to fantasy about being some great, military leader, like a Starfleet captain or John Connor, lol. But no one takes baby faced politicians seriously and I don't have the confidence.

5. Which politician would you like to meet? And why?

I'll say Barack Obama, for the obvious reasons, but I don't really want to meet any politician.

I don't hate any politician.

7. Do you see a positive future or a not so positive future for the United States? Why or why not?

Global warming and overpopulation will make the world in general a living hell by 2060.

The school of ethics I identify with is hedonistic utilitarianism and I think that generally leads to the same policies that liberals support, although often for different reasons.

 

One thing I would like to say is do not beat yourself down man. You don't NEED a college education to make something of yourself. You simply need the method of "hustlin' and bustlin".