In short Define Dem/Rep
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dullard
Elite Member
- May 21, 2001
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Ideally, you'd vote for the party which best reflects your personal views. Unfortunately with an effective two party system, that is rare. So ideally you choose for whichever of the two which most reflects your personal views.
However, that ideal rarely happens. Most people vote for the party that their parents supported. Basically, so many are lemmings and just keep going down the same path as those around them instead of thinking on their own.
Then you have the one issue people. For example many people vote republican solely for the abortion stance (a shameful waste of a vote considering republicans never do anything against abortion). Or democrat supporters solely on the environment (a shameful waste of a vote considering democrats never really do anything for the environment).
The result? There is no true republican or true democrat definition. It is a blurry blend of viewpoints. That makes it hard to define.
However, that ideal rarely happens. Most people vote for the party that their parents supported. Basically, so many are lemmings and just keep going down the same path as those around them instead of thinking on their own.
Then you have the one issue people. For example many people vote republican solely for the abortion stance (a shameful waste of a vote considering republicans never do anything against abortion). Or democrat supporters solely on the environment (a shameful waste of a vote considering democrats never really do anything for the environment).
The result? There is no true republican or true democrat definition. It is a blurry blend of viewpoints. That makes it hard to define.
dullard
Elite Member
- May 21, 2001
- 26,201
- 4,871
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Now to answer your question. Since I said in my last post, things are blurry, it is hard to define a typical democrat or republican. However, there are trends in the last few decades. You can't go back further than that since the parties change over time. Often people do try to believe a party is the same that it was many years ago, but recent times prove otherwise. So the general trends are:
Taxes: Democrats are willing to pay now for what we get now. Republicans want to get now and pay in the future.
Spending: I can't see much difference in overall spending. There are many myths here that republicans spend less; there is no evidence of that in the last few decades. In fact, republican's spend about double what democrats do on pork. Pork is defined as wasted money that only helps one congressman and not the country (such as a highway that goes nowhere and dead-ends in the middle of the wilderness solely to stimulate spending in a state).
Military: Democrats generally are for a small effective military for use as a last resort. Republicans are generally for a massive miliary (they are split on how to use it).
Welfare: Democrats are generally willing to take the military savings and instead give it to the needy, poor, elderly, etc. Republicans generally want to reduce spending here since the military needs it.
Distribution: Democrats generally feel that when taxes (a must due to both party's high spending) are taken out, to take it from those who would be least harmed, so that overall society is least harmed by taxes. Republicans generally don't want to consider the overall benefit to society as targetting specific people seems unfair.
Abortion: Democrats and republicans claim to be on different sides, but nothing ever changes. So in reality, they are one and the same.
Environment: Democrats are generally willing to do things to help the environment, republicans generally won't. However, effectively they are the same since the government has little saying in this whatsoever and little gets done on what they can change.
Focus: Democrats generally want to help people (and hope the people spend the money helping businesses), republicans generally want to help businesses (and hope that the businesses spend money on people).
Freedom: Democrats generally like the idea of a a government being a passive parent guiding the children. Republicans generally like the idea of an active government stepping in and demanding certain freedoms or taking others away. There will likely be a lot of debate on this point. Flame on.
My personal beliefs: Have you ever heard the phrase about whether to feed a starving man or to teach him to fish? I think that is appropriate here. Republicans generally hope the starving man gets so bad that he learns to fish on his own. Democrats generally throw fish at him. Neither party does much more. I personally think we need to actively teach him to fish (so he is independant later in life) AND feed him now (since a starving man cannot fish).
Taxes: Democrats are willing to pay now for what we get now. Republicans want to get now and pay in the future.
Spending: I can't see much difference in overall spending. There are many myths here that republicans spend less; there is no evidence of that in the last few decades. In fact, republican's spend about double what democrats do on pork. Pork is defined as wasted money that only helps one congressman and not the country (such as a highway that goes nowhere and dead-ends in the middle of the wilderness solely to stimulate spending in a state).
Military: Democrats generally are for a small effective military for use as a last resort. Republicans are generally for a massive miliary (they are split on how to use it).
Welfare: Democrats are generally willing to take the military savings and instead give it to the needy, poor, elderly, etc. Republicans generally want to reduce spending here since the military needs it.
Distribution: Democrats generally feel that when taxes (a must due to both party's high spending) are taken out, to take it from those who would be least harmed, so that overall society is least harmed by taxes. Republicans generally don't want to consider the overall benefit to society as targetting specific people seems unfair.
Abortion: Democrats and republicans claim to be on different sides, but nothing ever changes. So in reality, they are one and the same.
Environment: Democrats are generally willing to do things to help the environment, republicans generally won't. However, effectively they are the same since the government has little saying in this whatsoever and little gets done on what they can change.
Focus: Democrats generally want to help people (and hope the people spend the money helping businesses), republicans generally want to help businesses (and hope that the businesses spend money on people).
Freedom: Democrats generally like the idea of a a government being a passive parent guiding the children. Republicans generally like the idea of an active government stepping in and demanding certain freedoms or taking others away. There will likely be a lot of debate on this point. Flame on.
My personal beliefs: Have you ever heard the phrase about whether to feed a starving man or to teach him to fish? I think that is appropriate here. Republicans generally hope the starving man gets so bad that he learns to fish on his own. Democrats generally throw fish at him. Neither party does much more. I personally think we need to actively teach him to fish (so he is independant later in life) AND feed him now (since a starving man cannot fish).
:thumbsup:
Although, I must disagree a bit on the environmental stance. Government can have an effect through proper regulation and protection of natural resources.
Although, I must disagree a bit on the environmental stance. Government can have an effect through proper regulation and protection of natural resources.
dullard:
I can't agree with your last post it looks like you pulled it straight off a democratic web site. The Democrats like big government and feel they need to govern the people more because they believe people can?t make there own decisions. Democrats like smaller CIA and FBI which is probably why sept. 11 happened in the first place. The problem people fail to see is Democrats aren?t what they where back in the days of Theodore Roosevelt.
I can't agree with your last post it looks like you pulled it straight off a democratic web site. The Democrats like big government and feel they need to govern the people more because they believe people can?t make there own decisions. Democrats like smaller CIA and FBI which is probably why sept. 11 happened in the first place. The problem people fail to see is Democrats aren?t what they where back in the days of Theodore Roosevelt.
Abortion: Dems like to kill babies before they're born. Repubs prefer that you have the baby then chuck it in the dumpster while praying, but really don't care because they don't make money off of it.
Immigration: Dems like illegals because they add to "diversity." Repubs like them because they work for cheaper than Americans and if they get injured on the job, it doesn't matter.
Corporations: Both love them, just different ones.
War: Dems oppose war, but only because they don't own companies that profit from war. Repubs love war, makes them richer.
Oil: See war.
Gays: Dems love gay people. Repubs pretend to hate gays to get Christian/Redneck votes for their corporatist agenda, but secretly don't care.
I think that's an accurate description (for those issues) of most Democrat and Republican politicians... essentially the same in effect.
Honestly, Democrats and Republicans both stink. I?d say the vast majority of Politicians on either side of the fence are corrupt. Look at all the senators who used government money for personal trips. Look at all the politicians on both sides that help out big business and what do you know after there agenda gets passed they retire and get a fatty check from the big companies. Do people who care about this country do things like that. The real problem is you can?t get into power positions anymore with out selling your self.
I believe that is a very innaccurate and biased statement. Over the past thirty years when a republican has been president, government size and spending increased at a far greater rate than when a democrat has been president. In fact our current president is unmatched for the amount of increase in the size of the federal government and national debt.
Why would you think that democrats like big government? Because they are advocates of welfare? There are many welfare programs that emphasize retraining workers and furthering their education, it is not about just handing out free money to people. Yes some people do take adavantage of this generosity, but does that mean you should not try to help anyone because of those few who do 'milk' the system? Have you never needed help or assistance from anyone? Not everyone is born with the same qualities or circumstances in life, and need help at some point in their lifes.
And what ridiculous notion is this, that democrats are to blame for the september 11th attacks????!!! That is an extremely irrational statement. The reason that those attacks occured is because of SUICIDAL RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISTS who want to kill you for being different. A lack of ability to prevent an action or event does not CAUSE the event.
see, this is why i think super-generalities dont work...the lines are changing too much.
while you can say "democrats want big government" the truth of the matter is corporations and government are becoming one and the republican party is doing all they can to give a foot up to the companies.
i agree with dullards original post...that those are two things that have in the past represented voters and currently do. the old states rights vs. big government debate isnt really being fought in the same way anymore.
I do agree with you on that point. I believe in the maxim ' POWER CORRUPTS, ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY'. I think that the vast majority of politicians are corrupt, self-serving, son's of bitches. I am strongly in favor of term limits for congressmen, I believe that limiting them to one or two terms in office would help limit the amount of corruption in the federal government.
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