What are your politics?

No need to get into political arguments in this thread, but what are your politics and why do you have that particular philosophy?

Personally, I'm a moderate liberal/progressive who refuses to join the Democratic Party and instead chooses to be Independent. I find that being Independent helps me to be more honest with myself. I'm a liberal because I favor safety nets (social programs basically) and I favor looking at the size of government on a case by case basis rather than by starting from the ideological standpoint that government absolutely must be small. I find such an approach to be ideological and not based in reality. However, I can still respect the strengths of conservativism such as its focus on individual rights Still, I'm a pragmatist and so I cannot take a emphatic stance on how big the government should be. It depends on the cirumstances. I think the ideas of the people that oppose bailouts and stimulus measures in any and all cirumstances are dangerous. I'm not saying that opposing some bailouts is dangerous (opposing some bailouts is neccesary), but opposing them all on principle is not a rational way to deal with dynamic problems IMO.

Note: I'm not going to put the names of parties in the poll, but I'd like to know which party you belong to if you belong to one.

I guess I'd be considered prettyleft wing due to my opinion on stuff like healthcare, public transport and taxation. For example, I'd consider a Publicly funded Healthcare service an absolute necessity, and privately run public transport an oxymoron.

I guess I'd be considered prettyleft wing due to my opinion on stuff like healthcare, public transport and taxation. For example, I'd consider a Publicly funded Healthcare service an absolute necessity, and privately run public transport an oxymoron.

Truewiseblade

Yeah, I agree with this. 

I suggest a new rule for GUFU:

No religion or politics discussions allowed.

I learnt that rule from the Masonery, and I think it is an indispensable rule for a brotherhood like ours.

*cough* grammar *cough* :P

Heh, if only i could really take the high road when it comes to spelling :D I'd have to edit every posts 3 or 4 times! :D

I'm pretty left. In the UK our conservative party is probably where the dems are though! Growing up under Thatcherism pushed me way left.

And Iron Bass some of my best friends in the states are die-in-the-wool right wing Rush listening, Fox News watching Republicans. As long as you are respectful to each other's beliefs the talks we have are great. Also there is alot more we agree on than you'd suspect, just coming from different angles. The thing about politics is that no one is all right and all wrong and you need both spectrums to balance each other. Having said that, GUFU isn't the place for the great political debates of our time! :P

EDIT that should have read "edit every POST 3 or 4 times" :D

I honestly don't know what I am at times, but I hate to have a "Big Brother" watching me and controlling and "saving" eeryone. Frankly I think Government should be the people, and not one big wig who dictates all. Now, what do I mean? Well for one thing, stop saving dying companies is a big start. Don't care if GM goes under or someone else, if they are meant to, than someone else will rise from the ashes. It's just been that way, ya know?

Now at times I can see government helping out being a good thing too, and I would give examples but I am not going to. :P Frankly, I am one way or the other here and there, but I don't know what to ever consider myself. I would probably say I'm a bit conservative though. 

love 'em and leave 'emJandurin

I'll go with this,just because when it comes to politics or religion,i suck at arguing at thees things

We really should go back to Monarchy, it was never so bad.110million

The British Empire would welcome you back, as long as you pay a proper indemnity for your previous treasons.

[QUOTE="110million"]We really should go back to Monarchy, it was never so bad.blue_hazy_basic

The British Empire would welcome you back, as long as you pay a proper indemnity for your previous treasons.

I'm a conservative leaning on libertarian. The only reason why I haven't gone full libertarian is mostly due to the drug issue and my belief that a temporary safety net still needs to exist for those who fall on hard times.

My philosophy is that government is a necessary evil that is only needed to protect the individual's god/nature given liberties. Government is still force, however, and the growth of that force will quickly intrude, control, and enslave the lives of the individual. No person or group of people should have and/or are entitled to that kind of power of force, otherwise (As Thomas Paine once said) nature would have marked them as superior by giving them the asses of lions.

Also, I believe in a free market with very little regulation revolving around common sense (like not forcing 10 year olds to work with heavy machinery in factories, hiring murderers to gun down workers if they choose to unionize, or the immoral sales of "goods" like defective and/or fatal products, human slaves, and services like assassinations). Government interference should never be the case in the economy, no matter what the cost. Capitalism is a heartless system, but its a free system. Since America is supposed to be known for freedom, as the old saying goes, let freedom ring.

I suggest a new rule for GUFU:

No religion or politics discussions allowed.

I learnt that rule from the Masonery, and I think it is an indispensable rule for a brotherhood like ours.

IronBass

Eh, you should be around during the poltical and religious discussions had in IRC. They get heated, but we know well enough that what is said should never interfere with the friendship we have.

[QUOTE="blue_hazy_basic"]

[QUOTE="110million"]We really should go back to Monarchy, it was never so bad.Truewiseblade

The British Empire would welcome you back, as long as you pay a proper indemnity for your previous treasons.

This is what I was thinking, actually. And then I remembered season 2 and cried. 

Woah wish I would have come in sooner.

Lets keep this civil. This gets out of hand, there will be consequences.

Woah wish I would have come in sooner.

Lets keep this civil. This gets out of hand, there will be consequences.

Wasdie

We're always civil. Do you see any lack of civility here? :P

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Woah wish I would have come in sooner.

Lets keep this civil. This gets out of hand, there will be consequences.

Locke562

We're always civil. Do you see any lack of civility here? :P

DOODOO HEAD!

I suggest a new rule for GUFU:

No religion or politics discussions allowed.

I learnt that rule from the Masonery, and I think it is an indispensable rule for a brotherhood like ours.

IronBass

Naw, we've have plenty of heated arguments in here. We're still a union.

To answer the OP, I lean toward liberal/progressive, but I tend to see both sides of an issue. Most issues we face today are not black and white, but somewhere in between.

For instance, I think universal healthcare is morally important, but we still have to worry about the deficit.

I do not believe we should torture prisoners, but I can see why the Bush administration took those steps, and I sympathize with their decision.

I don't believe we should have starved 500,000 Iraqi children under the age of 5 to death via sanctions during the 90's, but I can see the value of containing Saddam.

(Oh crap, a politics thread. This is never pretty.)

Neither liberal nor conservative, I deny labels, and I just consider myself normal. :P

I'm against gun control. Guns are a right of the people for them to defend themselves. I'm for de-criminalization of marajuana. As for gay-marriage, I like to refer to the concept as free-market-morality, de-regulation of peoples' lives. Let people do what they want if it doesn't hurt anyone else.

Abortion? I'm honestly not sure at this point in time.

Why is there not an option for Fool-Pitying? no_handlebars

[QUOTE="no_handlebars"]Why is there not an option for Fool-Pitying? blue_hazy_basic

Both sides, actually.:P

Ever watched an episode of The West Wing? I like whats going on there a lot of the time. I live in Norway though so our politics are vastly different from anywhere else and I gave up trying to explain it a while a go. I'm a mix between liberal, socialist, conservative. But you can't compare your politics to mine since I live in Norway. Everything about our government is different from yours. We don't have taboo's on this and that. Pretty much everyone in Norway can be considered some degree of socialist since we all live and enjoy the vast money our government has made on oil. We are one of the few nations without any debt of any kind and the only nation which actually had psoitive growt last year. The financial crisis is more of a financial inconvinience around here. :P Some people might have lost their businesses, but no one here is homeless unless they spend all their money on drugs. And the money they spend on drugs is usually provided by the government. :P Look what NY Times said. Not that we don't have our share of problems around here as well. Those damn polar bears roaming the streets for example. Vicious creatures.

Edit: Argh! The dream is crushed! Seems we have some debt after all. :( Life suck now. Any room for me over in the states?