Have you ever switched positions on an issue?

[Hyraxxx]

I'm recently more on the fence regarding drug legalization. Friedman has convinced me that more harm is done than good by the prohibition of drugs. All of them. So I'm very near to supporting the legalization of not only marijuana, but other drugs too.

What about you?

Also, I'd like to ask a similar question for those of us over 20 or so. What issues do you hold as or more fervently now than you did when you were younger?

I'm 29, and my childhood-seated opposition to abortion has only come more clearly into focus since my siblings started having children, and even more so now that I had my first child this May.

Well, I went from Conservative to Anarchist. Kind of weird being at one time pro-state, taxation, war, torture, slavery. After reading Ethics of Liberty and For a New Liberty by Rothbard, It became abundantly clear to me that the state is the cause of all of life's problems. When the entire basis of society is theft by taxation, theft just stays in my mind. It is theft. Theft. I can't morally justify it. Highly believe in individual sovereignty. Private Property rights. Crimes cannot be victimless. Especially the idea of scarcity. Once people truly understand how scarcity works. it is an eye-opener. It's literally the definition of value. The free market solves nearly all environmental problems. Because pollution is a form of property violation. Even CO2 can be applied to this if you subscribe to AGW.

To address the OP specifically.

With the abortion issue. I am totally against abortion. It is an abomination. But people have a right to what they want to their own body, including expelling unwanted "guests". If we were to have a consistent anti-abortion policy, then women who have miscarriages would be criminals and possibly charged with manslaughter if was unintentional. They should have taken better care right? Considering how incredibly stupid a law like would is proof enough.

Combating abortion is easy.

1. Free speech. Boycotts, ads, etc.
2. Pay women to bring child to term instead of aborting.
3. Anti-abortionists can adopt the child if willing to take it to term.
4. Invest in technology that would support a growing fetus outside the womb.

With Drugs,

I can grow, sell, eat anything I want. I can do anything I want with my body. I can drink Drain-O if I feel like it.

 

[brandonb]

I have changed positions on alot of things, I think if anybody doesn't explore the world and gain knowledge, then they are a fool. I am ignorant, and was even more ignorant when I was younger. Because of that I've changed my position on alot of things.

-I used to be a huge conservative, the "I love Sean Hannity" type, etc, but gained knowledge and realize those types are bad for society. I equally dislike the other side of the fence... I've realized that both R's and D's are bad for America in their current form.

-I used to be atheist, but realized a few years ago (age 27 or so) that I was wrong, and have converted to being a Catholic.

-I used to think capitalism was a great thing for society, now I think it's a horrible idea. Not that I like communism or anything else, I'm still trying to figure this out.

-I used to be a tree hugger, pro animal rights, now I look at them as a resource. Not sure why I changed position, maybe I lost some love in my soul, not sure.

-I used to think abortion was ok (when I was a teenager), but now I disagree with it in most forms.

-I used to think I'd never hurt a fly or ever consider killing someone, even if they were going to attempt harm to me, now I wouldn't think twice to whack someone on the head if needed.

To make a long story short. One side of my personality has gained conservatism, but in other areas lost conservatism. I've never really been a true liberal I do not think.

 

[villageidiot111]

I used to support the death penalty, now I strongly oppose it.

 

[Tristicus]

I used to support the death penalty, now I strongly oppose it.

Username fits you well.



No.

 

[BoberFett]

I used to think implants were cool until I got to play with a set.

You must have played with a bad set. Saline is terrible, cohesive silicone gel is where it's at. Also, under or over the muscle makes a big difference.

 

[blackangst1]

I have changed position on three issues. The role of government, abortion, and the death penalty.

With government, I was similar to far left Democrats and many libertatians (I originally registered as a D when I was 18 up until a couple of years ago): I thought the answers to society's ills lied in government regulation. We need more laws, more oversight, etc. I changed in that I believe that a less, but consistant government is the answer. Now, that doesnt mean Im anti-regulation. At all. I firmly beleive that it is government's role to make sure society has and keeps tools in place for me to succeed or fail in. And if I fail, its not everyone else's responsibility to bail me out. Shit happens, and that falls on me. Today, I believe society's ills lie in lack of enforcement of existing law. And that comes down to enforcement. In many areas I believe we have too many chiefs and not enough indians.

With the death penalty, I used to all for it. YOU WILL PAY! However, I now find the death penalty barbaric. Now, I dont have a problem killing in defense of life (i.e. a violent home break in, war, etc) but to use death as a punishment, in my opinion, is an easy way out. It is FAR more difficult to spend the rest of one's life in solitary confinement or something close, than it is to simply die. Personally, *I* would rather die. And I havent even touched on how many have died and found innocent later. Perhaps I would change my mind if my wife, mother, or family member was raped or killed. But from where I sit, I would rather have the perp suffer for 50 years alone.

Lastly, in regards to abortion, I used to be all for it, including late term. I falsely believed, as many do, that life begins when a baby takes it first breath. I have since realized the error in my ways, and am against nearly every form of abortion. HOWEVER, I would not support appealing Roe v Wade for society. Although I personally do not support it, I wouldnt take that choice away from others.

 

[ShawnD1]

Combating abortion is easy.

1. Free speech. Boycotts, ads, etc.
2. Pay women to bring child to term instead of aborting.
3. Anti-abortionists can adopt the child if willing to take it to term.
4. Invest in technology that would support a growing fetus outside the womb.

You're suggesting welfare mamas get paid even before the baby is born?

I used to be a tree hugger, pro animal rights, now I look at them as a resource. Not sure why I changed position, maybe I lost some love in my soul, not sure.

Yep, you no longer have a soul.
Actually, one of the textbook signs someone is a psychopath is that they will torture animals because they don't see the animals as sentient beings (ie this dog has emotions just like mine). Psychopaths see animals as being more like little robots that just respond to stimuli, so it's ok to destroy them. If you go deep enough then it's true that things happen due to simple physics, but that doesn't mean living things are not sentient, and ultimately that is why psychopaths are wrong.


death penalty
I strongly supported the death penalty as a kid. Then I was against it when someone pointed out it's actually more expensive than life in jail due to all of the court appeals. Then I was even more against it when Penn & Teller's show gave a rough number on how many of the people executed were wrongly convicted. Now I'm less against it because I realized innocence has nothing to do with the death penalty debate; would you rather have an innocent man rot in jail for 50 years or would you rather kill him after 20?
Now I support my own whacked out system that should probably never be done but is an interesting thought experiment. Build a prison system capable of supporting 1% of the total population. Nobody would be sentenced to death, but people are sentenced regular time in jail. When the system reaches capacity and has no space left, the person with the longest time remaining would be put to death.

I'm not morally against bad people dying. When people ask would you kill Hitler, my answer is always yes. The people who say no are nutters because they are using black and white rules instead of thinking about what is best for the collective. When it comes to prisons, the death penalty is just another way of removing dangerous people from society. Either you put them in jail forever and let nature kill them while they are in your custody, or you kill them yourself while they are in custody; both have the exact same end result, so it really comes down to a debate about which one is cheaper.

 

[werepossum]

It never occurred to me that someone from this forum other than me could possibly play WoW... and have a Warrior Tank or even know what that might be...

'Went for agro'... hehehehehehehehehe I've been bubbled since a long time ago...

If it makes you feel any better I have no idea what you're talking about. I thought WoW was all fantasy, just another D&D ripoff.

 

[Moonbeam]

If it makes you feel any better I have no idea what you're talking about. I thought WoW was all fantasy, just another D&D ripoff.

Oh no, WOW is reality. It's you that lives in a dream.

 

[werepossum]

Oh no, WOW is reality. It's you that lives in a dream.

Ah, but the question is who is dreaming me? Is it G-d, or is G-d merely a part of the dream?

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Death penalty. In high school I was pro death penalty just because I fealt anyone that murders should be dead. Why should they have the gift of live after they have taken life.

Then I realized the costs of death penalty. It's costs about 1/3 as much just to give them life because there are no appeals. That wholeappeal process is expensive! As long as they can't hurt others I am fine letting their death be delayed 50 years or whatever if it costs me 2/3 less.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I have changed positions on alot of things, I think if anybody doesn't explore the world and gain knowledge, then they are a fool. I am ignorant, and was even more ignorant when I was younger. Because of that I've changed my position on alot of things.

-I used to be a huge conservative, the "I love Sean Hannity" type, etc, but gained knowledge and realize those types are bad for society. I equally dislike the other side of the fence... I've realized that both R's and D's are bad for America in their current form.

-I used to be atheist, but realized a few years ago (age 27 or so) that I was wrong, and have converted to being a Catholic.

-I used to think capitalism was a great thing for society, now I think it's a horrible idea. Not that I like communism or anything else, I'm still trying to figure this out.

-I used to be a tree hugger, pro animal rights, now I look at them as a resource. Not sure why I changed position, maybe I lost some love in my soul, not sure.

-I used to think abortion was ok (when I was a teenager), but now I disagree with it in most forms.

-I used to think I'd never hurt a fly or ever consider killing someone, even if they were going to attempt harm to me, now I wouldn't think twice to whack someone on the head if needed.

To make a long story short. One side of my personality has gained conservatism, but in other areas lost conservatism. I've never really been a true liberal I do not think.

The extreme left and extreme right are both F'ed up. Both don't see things properly. And the media does not help matters.

There is nothing better than capitalism. The structure that the US uses is the best in the world and probably the best model in the history of man. There simply is no better alternative. In bad times, the gov't spends to get people employed and get money flowing throughout the economy. This drives efficiency, innovation and everything else that capitalism strives for. Personally, I think there are to many bean counters in this country. But also think about how the industries related directly to food clothing and shelter have changed. Textiles are now all automated. Farms have farming equipment. People no longer get paid to harvest the crops. Coews are miled by machines. And shelter. The poducts used are all now done so in automated factories. The nail gun alone has revolutioned home construction. Everything is now cheaper and requiring fewer employees. Depending on where energy costs go downs the road though, this could reverse to some degree. The beuty is, no matter how things change, capitalism changes with it.

Ever since I had kids, I found that any adult ever hurt my children, I don't know what I would do. But I don't think rationality is het word that I would use. "Choke the life out of them with my bare hands", maybe. I swearm there is some sort of genetic switch that kids trigger.

 

[ShawnD1]

Then I realized the costs of death penalty. It's costs about 1/3 as much just to give them life because there are no appeals. That wholeappeal process is expensive! As long as they can't hurt others I am fine letting their death be delayed 50 years or whatever if it costs me 2/3 less.

I didn't think the difference was that large. Someone should do a cost analysis to see where the break even point is. At this age or younger, death penalty is cheaper. At this age and above, life in jail is cheaper.

 

[piasabird]

I think we should get rid of the party system. It serves no pupose and it just turns people in hate mongers.

 

[shortylickens]

I think we should get rid of the party system. It serves no pupose and it just turns people in hate mongers.

I dont think it turns people INTO hate mongers, I think it just gives them a socially acceptable outlet for the hate they already have in them.

I know because I dont like any of the parties and my hate is never acceptable anywheres.

 

[Carmen813]

Sure, changed on lots of things.