Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, What Am I?

[olllllo]

You are a swing voter.

Try not to mess up the next election. Again.

 

[rdwj]

I believe that if you don't like Smoke, you should find a place that is Smoke free. Politics should not tell any establishment that if NEEDS to be so.

How do you feel about other health codes? Should an establishment be able to determine how clean their place should be and let the market weed out the "unclean"?

How about car manfacturers? Should they be able to put anything on the market that they choose or should there be standards?

 

[Klainmeister]

and the trade protectionism thing, which is just racist (why do I "deserve" my job more than someone in India? Because they're brown-skinned?).

I'm a bit confused by this. I thought his meaning by that would be we should try to keep our jobs and resources here so we can maintain our economy and keep people employed and busy. What does that have to do with racism? I've never even heard that before and don't get it. I'd much rather have my neighbor be my tech-support than some other place in the world because it's community. A country is like a large community, keep the market and trading healthy and the people will stay healthy too.

And as for the original post, i pretty much agree with all of it except the corn deal.

I really hate the two-party system, especially since our own hero-president George Washington specifically warned against it.

 

[Evan!]

I'm a bit confused by this. I thought his meaning by that would be we should try to keep our jobs and resources here so we can maintain our economy and keep people employed and busy. What does that have to do with racism? I've never even heard that before and don't get it. I'd much rather have my neighbor be my tech-support than some other place in the world because it's community. A country is like a large community, keep the market and trading healthy and the people will stay healthy too.

I have no problem with your preferences...buy American if you like. I do have a problem with government trade policies that skew it in our favor. That's all.

But yeah, protectionism at its core is pretty racist, as I see it. Capitalism should not be hoarded at the expense of other people around the world. It's well-known that the effects of protectionist trade barriers are incredibly detrimental to millions of impoverished potential workers around the world. When you say "we should try to keep our jobs and resources here", what you are also saying is that "we should try to keep our jobs and resources out of the hands of ferrrriners". Of course, the racism is is so deeply ingrained in how we view the world that it's not really seen that way by the people who espouse it. Instead, they see it as protecting our interests...not really realizing that by hoarding wealth and resources and trade and jobs, we're forcibly preventing impoverished nations from enjoying the benefits of capitalism. And I just don't see how that's morally justifiable. It's more driven by an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality than it is overt racism, but if more of the protectionists would open their eyes and see what their policies to do the chances of impoverished nations' chances at at least achieving a tiny fraction of the quality of life we have here, I think that their (trade protectionism advocates') ranks would diminish greatly.

A great many people support foreign aid (which, coincidentally, is far less effective at improving quality of life than merely removing trade barriers), but oppose free trade. It's quite astounding.

 

[cubbies]

How do you feel about other health codes? Should an establishment be able to determine how clean their place should be and let the market weed out the "unclean"?

How about car manfacturers? Should they be able to put anything on the market that they choose or should there be standards?

Obviously completely different, honestly the reference doesn't make any sense. A restaurants product isn't cigarette smoke, And it has nothing to do with the product being served. Therefore it is a private establishment and should be allowed to provide the environment that it sees fit. Are we going to allow the government to tell them what kind of pictures they can't hang, what kind of uniforms they can't wear?

 

[olllllo]

I'd be willing to bet that there are a few counties in, shall we say, the belt area if the country, that already have something to say about uniforms and pictures.

 

[Mutine Bullfrog]

AMEN! Conservative here.

P.S. We have plenty of oil, they just won't let us drill for it.

P.S.S. NAFTA is like Communism. It's a great theory, but not practical and doesn't work.

I believe that you have the right to Bear Arms. You have the right to defend yourself again the slime that wants to prey on you in this World.

I Believe that you hsve the right to your own piece of property. If the Government wants it, they best have a Damned good reason to take it. And they best pay your ass what it's worth.


I believe that we should go to War when the PEOPLE say so. Yes, the Government has more info then the Public, But make the necesary information Public so as we can make an EDUCATED decision. No, the President should NOT make that decision on his own.


I believe that the direction that our Government is headed is WRONG. The Government should fear the People, not the other way around.


I believe that if you don't like Smoke, you should find a place that is Smoke free. Politics should not tell any establishment that if NEEDS to be so.


I believe that as a free Nation, we are ALL AMERICANS. I could give two Shats if you are Brown, Red, Pale, or Fugging Green. If you live in the United States, you are an American. My Forefathers(and I am talking not 40 years ago) came into this Country the LEGAL way. If you can't do it the same way, get the hell out.


I also believe that we have the technology to get off the foriegn nipple as far as oil goes. We have the people here that can make it happen. We can go all corn for fuel. It's right here in the US. I know, Lord Forbid we employ or Farmers(shaking head in disgust).



I know that I am sick of seeing us, as a Country, outsourcing ALL of our Labor. So what if a toy costs an extra dollar or two. We need to kepp OUR people employed. The same goes for our Cars, Trucks, everythjing. **** nafta. Let's get back to MADE IN THE USA!!!



So, what does that make me? It sure as heck does not make me a liberal(they and Political Correctness scare the **** out of me). I know that I am a Marine. I know that I served in Operation Iraqi Freedom for to damned long. I know that the direction that we are headed is scaring the **** out of me. Republican, Democrat, What?

 

[rdwj]

Obviously completely different, honestly the reference doesn't make any sense. A restaurants product isn't cigarette smoke, And it has nothing to do with the product being served. Therefore it is a private establishment and should be allowed to provide the environment that it sees fit. Are we going to allow the government to tell them what kind of pictures they can't hang, what kind of uniforms they can't wear?

It makes perfect sense. The codes are in place for the safety of the patrons and employees. Places are required to make allowances for the disabled. That has nothing to do with their "product". They are required to have safety exits clearly marked, and there are limits on how many people an establishment can safely hold. Codes go FAR beyond the product on the table.

Restaurants are not private establishments either. They're public places unless they are private clubs. Then there are a whole different set of rules.

I'm not even necessarily against smoking in public places. I just think non-smoking should be the “norm”.

 

[jezter6]

Please, let's move on from the whole smoking debate. That one is getting mighty tired around here.

I am also looking to join up with my local political community, sadly they are about as dead as my rights, so it won't be easy.

 

[Aiko]

NAFTA?
This was just the first step towards a North American Union. Its gonna happen whether we like it or not. Keep watching the signs, they are all around us, just have to SEE them.

Oh! Your question. EdWorts got it right, Conservative Independent (and be proud of it!)

 

[z987k]

I really hate our 2 party system and to be honest I think that south park episode where they had to choose the new school mascot sums up our political system very well. Your choices are a giant ****** and a turd sandwich.

 

[rdwj]

I really hate our 2 party system and to be honest I think that south park episode where they had to choose the new school mascot sums up our political system very well. Your choices are a giant ****** and a turd sandwich.

The biggest problem with more than two parties is it gives extreme groups the ability to take over the country. While ours comes down to two parties at the end, both parties have a pretty varried membership that has to duke it out in a primary. We have the ability to vote differently, our voters are just too complacent to do anything other than what TV says is best.

 

[Fingers]

We have several parties in Canada and what comes into play is the 'strategic vote'. You don't vote for the party you really want because you don't like them THAT much but you don't vote for the other major party either. You vote for the third and that skews everything. You also get vote splitting where you have two parties representing either the left or the right. Neither party gains enough votes to form government so they share the votes allocated to them. This leaves the oppositions with a majority.

Here in Canada we have what I consider the worst abberration ever to exist in politics. In fact it is our democratic system that allows this outrage. We have a political party whose mandate is to break up the country. They represent only one of our ten provinces and three territories but they do it at a federal level.

I'm talking about the Bloc Quebecois. They want to separate from Canada and their representation in parliament is large enough that they effect the governing of the whole nation. They do not represent me in the federal house of commons because I do not live in Quebec. Their interest in legislation always puts the interests of the one province first and then the rest of Canada second. I'm not just expressing an opinion here. They are very open about their bias.

We can't do anything about it because they have every right to form a party and they receive the votes necessary to get elected. That's the way the system works.

Isn't that just a kick in the nuts with a frozen muckluck?

 

[jakee117]

Libertarian... close to what I believe in most respects. The only good government is weak and limited

 

[jakee117]

You sound like a typical American who thinks for himself and is therefore neither a Democrat or a Republican. I am so sick of everyone thinking they have to pick one side or the other (Politics is not religion). Both sides are sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Sounds to me like you've got a nice healthy independent attitude.

Politics is a religion for one of the major parties. If you hate religion or dont have one... politics become it de facto.

 

[rdwj]

Politics is a religion for one of the major parties. If you hate religion or dont have one... politics become it de facto.

eh, you can say that on both sides. One side has an element where politics is there religion and the other has an element that wants to legislate based on religion. Both dangerous IMHO.

 

[EdWort]

I'm talking about the Bloc Quebecois. They want to separate from Canada and their representation in parliament is large enough that they effect the governing of the whole nation. They do not represent me in the federal house of commons because I do not live in Quebec. Their interest in legislation always puts the interests of the one province first and then the rest of Canada second. I'm not just expressing an opinion here. They are very open about their bias.

Talk about bias, good ol'd kebeckers make the entire country of Canada put up french & english signs. Drive into kebeck and the english signs disappear all together. What's up with that, eh?

 

[z987k]

We have several parties in Canada and what comes into play is the 'strategic vote'. You don't vote for the party you really want because you don't like them THAT much but you don't vote for the other major party either. You vote for the third and that skews everything. You also get vote splitting where you have two parties representing either the left or the right. Neither party gains enough votes to form government so they share the votes allocated to them. This leaves the oppositions with a majority.

Here in Canada we have what I consider the worst abberration ever to exist in politics. In fact it is our democratic system that allows this outrage. We have a political party whose mandate is to break up the country. They represent only one of our ten provinces and three territories but they do it at a federal level.

I'm talking about the Bloc Quebecois. They want to separate from Canada and their representation in parliament is large enough that they effect the governing of the whole nation. They do not represent me in the federal house of commons because I do not live in Quebec. Their interest in legislation always puts the interests of the one province first and then the rest of Canada second. I'm not just expressing an opinion here. They are very open about their bias.

We can't do anything about it because they have every right to form a party and they receive the votes necessary to get elected. That's the way the system works.

Isn't that just a kick in the nuts with a frozen muckluck?

I know nothing about canada's government but why does one province have the power to greatly effect every other?

BTW, last line... funniest thing I've seen today.

 

[dantodd]

Most of your thoughts are among typical small-L libertarian lines.

Except for the corn thing, which is just wrong (ethanol has a net energy loss after growing the corn and converting it to usable fuel), and the trade protectionism thing, which is just racist (why do I "deserve" my job more than someone in India? Because they're brown-skinned?).

The corn issue is correct, simply not economically feasible.

As for the racist accusation that's just a crock of **** and a diversionary rhetorical tactic that is designed to move the discussion away the point at hand. How can you possibly suggest that wanting ob protectionism is racist? Did he say only from IT people in India? No, in fact he suggested mfg. jobs so that would fall on the far not near east. But, he didn't even suggest that. In fact the main point of this type of protectionism he pointed out is NAFTA which is largely a US - Canada issue and for the life of me, despite growing up in Michigan I can't see a racial difference there. NOow, granted there are a higher percentage of whites in Canada than in the US but clearly this isn't what concerns you. FWIW I am very much in favor of free trade and disagree with the OP on a number of issues but your accusations of racism are disgusting and nothing more than an ad hominem attack which lacks any form of evidence.

 

[Fingers]

I know nothing about canada's government but why does one province have the power to greatly effect every other?

BTW, last line... funniest thing I've seen today.

It's possible in your government too. There is a mechanism in place in both our nations that allow the formation of a new political party. Quite honestly there HAS to be. It's an important part of the democratic process. The problem arises when a large regional group elects a body that has a specific agenda that overshadows other issues. Because this party has enough votes to gain seats in the commons they then have the power to introduce their legislation and oppose other's legislation. Granted they don't have the numbers and therefore the power to force their agenda on the rest of the nation, but what you get is deal brokering that results in at least concessions made towards them. 'You put through my foreign policy bill and I'll support your language bill'.

In this manner they are able to influence the government fairly effectively. None of the other parties would support a bill that calls for Quebec independance, but they might (and did) support a bill that recognizes Quebec as a 'nation within Canada'. They say that they're unique in Canada and should be recognized as such. You freakin' kidding me? Ever been to Newfoundland? Now that's unique. In a good way. In fact, if you travel across Canada I think you'll find that regional demographics are incredibly varied because we are such a huge land mass with such a small population. We're ALL bloody unique. But apparently Quebec is more unique than the rest of us and needs the rest of us to say so or they're going to take their territory and go home.

 

[olllllo]

Similarly in the US, the electoral college allows rural states to have disproportionate power:

The Electoral College gives disproportionate voting power to the states, favoring the smaller states with more Electoral votes per person.
For instance, each individual vote in Wyoming counts nearly four times as much in the Electoral College as each individual vote in Texas. This is because Wyoming has 3 Electoral votes for a population of 493,782 and Texas has 32 Electoral votes for a population of over 20 million people. By dividing the population by Electoral votes, we can see that Wyoming has an "Elector" for every 165,000 people and Texas has an "Elector" for every 652,000 people.

http://www.fairvote.org/e_college/problems.htm​

 

[EdWort]

Similarly in the US, the electoral college allows rural states to have disproportionate power:

And without it, states like Wyoming would have NO power. Politicians would not even bother with small states. Elections would be decided by New York, California and any other location that acts like a magnet for the handouts that are used to buy votes.

Then again, thanks to our constitution, the United States is a Republic and not a pure democracy, so we won't have to worry about it for at least a few more year.

 

[olllllo]

I'm not against the electoral college. It has it's challenges.
A purely rural coalition could occur in the same manner as Quebec. That was the point.

 

[Bulls Beers]

Conservative right-wing nut here in Massachussetts...

When you come to out country, please learn our language. That would be english.
Secure our borders.
Plenty of oil here at home. Let's go get it...

 

[Jim Karr]

When our great grandparents came here from the "old country", they were adamant about learning English. Children were forbidden to speak in the native tongue, so they would "fit in". What the heck is wrong with this idea today?

By the way, if you look in the dictionary by the listing "Republican", my picture is there:rockin:

 

[RichBrewer]

Conservative right-wing nut here in Massachussetts...

When you come to out country, please learn our language. That would be english.
Secure our borders.
Plenty of oil here at home. Let's go get it...

You must feel all alone there in Mass...

 

[feedthebear]

When our great grandparents came here from the "old country", they were adamant about learning English. Children were forbidden to speak in the native tongue, so they would "fit in". What the heck is wrong with this idea today?

Counter example: My grandmother was third generation in the US and she grew up speaking Swedish at home. Where she lived, the Swedes hated the Norwegians. The Norwegians hated the Danes. The Danes hated both the Swedes and the Norwegians.

But the one thing they all agreed on what that they hated the English more than each other.

 

[Bulls Beers]

You must feel all alone there in Mass...

I would have more in common with aliens on mars than the moonbats here in Mass.There are more Conservatives here in this state than you think...Thank god..

 

[bobjenkins79]

I get so pissed off when I have to "press 1 for English".

And what of our welfare system? I work in health care, so I get to deal with these sort of abusers everyday.

Do you have any idea how easy it is to get on Medicaid? There are (lots of) people out there getting free health care, free medications, free housing, free groceries, etc, because they claim to have "Obsessive cimpulsive disorder". Then they work "under the table " for cash cleaning people's houses. I tried to turn someone in once, and was treated like I was some kind of a-hole for trying to help weed out an abuser.

And why do they all have cell phones and manicured fingernails?? If you can't afford health insurance, how can you afford a manicure?? I had a lady come thru the clinic the other day (Medicaid patient) wearing a blue tooth earpiece! I've got 2 jobs and can't pony up the money for one of those.

And the best I can tell, it ain't goona be changing any time soon.

A long time ago, I decided I was being a big hypocrate for complaining about non-english speaking illegal immigrants while I was still eating in the restraunts that fund their passage from country to country. I don't do that anymore. I love the food, but I'm not going to support the cause

Let me just say I have no problem with someone who wants to come to this country legally and make a new start. Learn English, and stay legal, it's that simple. You can come to my house and drink beer anytime.

And, when in America, it only makes sense to fly the American flag. Not the flag of a country that was so hopelessly run down you decided to move to America.

I'm sure if I drove through any town in (insert the name of any non-North American country here) in my 79 Ford F-150 with a big American flag in the back window, speakers blasting out Hank Williams Jr's "If heaven ain't a lot like dixie" with the windows rolled down---someone would probably run me down and beat my ass.

That's just my opinion, and I feel a little better now

 

[Sea]

I know you're all tired of the smoking debate, but if you have an opinion on it, you have got to watch this, it's hilarious!

http://www.ifilm.com/video/2796133/show/17672