Please help me define my politial affiliation / beliefs.

[Red]

My father has always taught me to "vote on the issues" rather than the party or person.

Here is how I "view" things....

I think abortion is wrong when the person is doing it because they want to back out of a mistake they made. If they were raped / incest / or the woman's life is at stake then I think it is ok.

I believe that the Bush administration lied about the "big 3" reasons to go to War with Iraq (WMD / alignment with Al Quaida / nuclear product purchase from Africa). So that doesn't sit well with me.

My family is middle-class and I will surely be middle-class as well for the rest of my life. Not sure if that affects anything at all, but I've always heard Repubs. take care of the rich.

I am Christian and don't agree with homosexuality, but as long as allowing them to get married doesn't affect me in ANY way (financially, etc.) then I don't care because I think we need to maintain a secular government.

I believe in "lifeaftertheoilcrash.net" and I really believe the world is going to be a radically different place in the next 50 years because we're running out of natural resources (oil in particular), and America is the front runner for materialism / consumerism / wastefulness and greediness, which I don't subscribe to.

I am 21 years old, I've got one year left of college... public relations degree. I also have my real estate license (in escrow) and am engaged. I want to live a simple life ... work and provide for my family, maintain mental and physical health, have time to do the things I enjoy (family, hobbies, etc). I am a pretty moral person and a media elitist (I feel the media as well as industry should create products and media that better the society somehow, not just make whatever sells). I believe in the separation of church and state also, but laws are morally founded, so its important to remember what the best thing to do is.

 

[smashp]

vote Bush Out

in Four Years

Vote Kerry Out

four years Later

vote the Next guy Out, Repeat

 

[chess9]

Jason:

You've got your head screwed on in the forward position, particularly for such a young man.

But no one should define your political affiliation or beliefs. Those should be hammered on the mind's anvil with the heart's fire. Don't leave out the heart's fire. Radicals on both spectrums do and that's why their "swords" cut no truths.

-Robert

 

[Red]

See, most of the time I can't discuss politics with people in RL (real life) because people are so adamant about the reasons they choose Bush or Kerry without their own research or (what I believe) to be good reasons for choosing your countrys figurehead.

My fiancee (see sig) and her family are through and through Republicans. They openly admit that the main reason they will vote for Bush is because he is against gays and captured Saddam and is their Baptist church endorses him so he is obviously the right choice if you believe in God. I try to tell my fiancee that a religious background doesn't really have anything to do with running our country because the president is going to probably agree with the majority of voters because re-election is key. If most voters think homosexual marriage is tabboo, the President will also feel that way (either Bush or Kerry) and if they think it's ok, then the President will feel that way too. And that's is how I think they feel about most subjects.

My father is an independent (and that is how I am registered as well) and he likes to do "internet research" on issues. While my family brings in more income than my fiancees, my dad is strongly against Bush mainly because he believes republicans are better suited for self-righteous individuals who think rich people are better than poor people and don't believe in spending money on institutions that help the poor. Maybe it's because he grew up poor and made a nice living for himself, but I follow his beliefs on that subject.

I don't think less wealthy people deserve treatment any less than those with money. That means healthcare mostly. My fiancee believes that poor people don't deserve to be taken care of since they weren't ambitious enough to get better jobs / improve their life and I disagree with her. I don't think any person is better than in other person in ANY way as long as they are law abiding, productive citizens. Just because Joe bob farmer likes to lead a simple life on the farm taking care of his family doesn't mean he is any less of a class than a doctor who has been in school for 30 years and works 12 hour shifts 8 days a week. Both made conscious decisions in their life to do what they want but that doesn't make one entitled to healthcare quicker or better than the other. I just don't feel that way. The doctor is obviously entitled to a more materialistic living (more $$$) because of his expensive education and the skill required to his job is of a higher caliber than farming.

 

[Czar]

just from what i have read in this thread I would put you as a left leaning centrist

 

[chess9]

"My fiancee believes that poor people don't deserve to be taken care of since they weren't ambitious enough to get better jobs / improve their life and I disagree with her. I don't think any person is better than in other person in ANY way as long as they are law abiding, productive citizens."

And, this is exactly where many of the Christian fundies went wrong in their philosophy and understanding of Jesus. If you get a chance to see Zeffirelli's movie, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", do so. It is about St. Francis of Assisi and his focus on Christian CHARITY. Unfortunately, the influence of the likes of Cotton Mather permeates much of English and American Christianity. Self-reliance is the FIRST of the ELEVEN commandments to them.

Anyway, this is a journey like Sidhartha's spiritual journey and is necessary and good to find your way back to where you began.

-Robert

 

[Red]

Originally posted by: chess9
"My fiancee believes that poor people don't deserve to be taken care of since they weren't ambitious enough to get better jobs / improve their life and I disagree with her. I don't think any person is better than in other person in ANY way as long as they are law abiding, productive citizens."



And, this is exactly where many of the Christian fundies went wrong in their philosophy and understanding of Jesus. If you get a chance to see Zeffirelli's movie, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", do so. It is about St. Francis of Assisi and his focus on Christian CHARITY. Unfortunately, the influence of the likes of Cotton Mather permeates much of English and American Christianity. Self-reliance is the FIRST of the ELEVEN commandments to them.



Anyway, this is a journey like Sidhartha's spiritual journey and is necessary and good to find your way back to where you began.



-Robert

Robert, what advice do you have in regards to personal political beliefs and how you express them to others? As I mentioned above, I normally keep my mouth shut unless I'm talking to a reasonable person one on one, but I feel like I might be able to help someone see another viewpoint or learn something by talking.

I love my fiancee with all my heart, it's just very difficult to talk politics with her because she is so blindy faithful to Republicans (no matter who it is) because she feels its the Christian thing to do. I've tried at least 3 or 4 times to explain that she shouldn't be blindly faithful to a political party and she just refuses to talk about it and plays the Christian card. Her parents do the same thing and they just say that I'm not a Christian if I'm not a conservative Repub. So aggravating.

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: chess9
Jason:



You've got your head screwed on in the forward position, particularly for such a young man.



But no one should define your political affiliation or beliefs. Those should be hammered on the mind's anvil with the heart's fire. Don't leave out the heart's fire. Radicals on both spectrums do and that's why their "swords" cut no truths.



-Robert

I agree with Robert here Red.

In regards to your fiance, it looks like the best you can hope for is a "let's agree to disagree" scenario and leave it at that. The question you need to ask yourself and her is "Can you accept and love each other even though you have differing viewpoints on many issues?"

If you can answer that question honestly and come to a mutually agreeable decision then you two should be in good shape.

Keep your distance from the in-laws though

 

[MisterMe]

Originally posted by: Red
My fiancee believes that poor people don't deserve to be taken care of since they weren't ambitious enough to get better jobs / improve their life and I disagree with her.

On your next break between classes, I think you need to put your blondy girlfriend into your Infiniti, drive out of your clean middle class neighborhood right into the middle of downtown - asghetto as you can find. Have her get out of the car, walk around andintroduce herself to some of the unambitious poor mothers of 5 while you go grab a bite to eat. In about 2 hours, come back, pick her up and ask her if she still thinks it's all ambition that get's a person out of a rut...

Her life will change and you will be able to reason with her on a more realistic level. There are people that don't have even the most remote glimmer of hope to step away from their current situation by even a foot. Completely trapped. Until society embraces this fact, she will unfortunately be taking care of the mothersshe met on her walkabout as long as she is alive - directly but most likely indirectly - whether she likes it or not...

 

[Bitek]

Originally posted by: MisterMe

Originally posted by: Red
My fiancee believes that poor people don't deserve to be taken care of since they weren't ambitious enough to get better jobs / improve their life and I disagree with her.

On your next break between classes, I think you need to put your blondy girlfriend into your Infiniti, drive out of your clean middle class neighborhood right into the middle of downtown - as ghetto as you can find.  Have her get out of the car, walk around and introduce herself to some of the unambitious poor mothers of 5 while you go grab a bite to eat.  In about 2 hours, come back, pick her up and ask her if she still thinks it's all ambition that get's a person out of a rut...

Her life will change and you will be able to reason with her on a more realistic level.  There are people that don't have even the most remote glimmer of hope to step away from their current situation by even a foot.  Completely trapped.  Until society embraces this fact, she will unfortunately be taking care of the mothers she met on her walkabout as long as she is alive - directly but most likely indirectly - whether she likes it or not...

I think this is prob. true for at least some of the poor. All those idiots and F'ups you remember in Hs had to go somewhere.

What I think is often missed is that these people who have crappy jobs are still critical to the function of society. Not everybody can / should be doctors/lawyers/scientists etc. Its a fight for the good jobs and they lost, but I don't thinks its fair to unreasonably "punish" or "exploit" them for it. Nobody who works hard and full time should be forced to live in abject poverty. Min wage @ 5.15 for 40 hr x 52 weeks is less than $11k a year. Who the hell can be expected to live on that?


Back to the OP...I would think a centrist (prob leftish.) I wouldn't worry to much about finding "your party." Anyone who follows someone else because they are waiving their flag is a fool IMO. Being critical and skeptical about a canidate, judging them based on issues and holding them accountable is the duty of a voter.

Why do swing voters get so much attention? (Therefore so much power?) Because they are just as likely to vote for someone else!