Why are you a Conservative, Liberal, Socialist, Communist, Centrist etc..

[hkem1]

I am doing this for a school project and think it may be fun to do here on Sowal.

So why are you a (whatever you are).

P.S. before anyone thinks their creative and says "I am an American," of course you're allowed to do that, but I think it's against the spirit of democracy to just agree and end debate. Read what Madison wrote in the Federalist papers: there is supposed to be intense debate and chair throwing; but what makes our democracy great is that after all the intense debate we have peaceful transitions of power.

But just have fun.

I'll start:

I'm a Republican because:

• I believe that the human spirit can do better things for people than government ever could.
• I believe that government handouts are an "addictive narcotic" and "Subtle destroyer of the human spirit" but job programs build "Self-reliance" and "Self-respect" (btw thats a FDR quote)
• I believe that every child has a constitutional right to an equal education granted by the government
• I believe that education policies should have the students best interest at heart, not the Teachers unions.
• I believe that every person on the planet (including those in the Middle East) have the right to live free of tyranny and oppression.
• I also believe that non-U.S. citizen enemies of freedom around the world should have no constitutional and limited human rights.
• I believe that every person is capable of succeeding if only their government would challenge them rather than accomodate them.
• I believe that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world and should use its power to make the world a better place.
• I believe that there are many inneficiences in Government that can be made better and cost less.

[/LIST]
Your turn...

 

[Bob]

has every republican been infected with the hate teachers virus?

 

[hkem1]

has every republican been infected with the hate teachers virus?

No, I love teachers. Teachers are often people who have given up their lives or selfish goals to have great influence on the lives on hundreds of kids. I wouldn't be who I am today without all the fantastic teachers I have been fortunate to have throughout my life.

Any success I have in my future, I hope to not forget that it was all the teachers I have had that truly succeeded in helping me through my life.

On the other hand, if I could end all teacher's unions, I would in a heartbeat, then I would throw the biggest celebration anyone in the world has ever seen

 

[Bob]

No, I love teachers. Teachers are often people who have given up their lives or selfish goals to have great influence on the lives on hundreds of kids. I wouldn't be who I am today without all the fantastic teachers I have been fortunate to have throughout my life.

Any success I have in my future, I hope to not forget that it was all the teachers I have had that truly succeeded in helping me through my life.

On the other hand, if I could end all teacher's unions, I would in a heartbeat, then I would throw the biggest celebration anyone in the world has ever seen

because?

 

[ugabuga]

I am a liberal because conservatives are consistently on the wrong side of history. Conservatives, by definition, want to conserve the status quo, to keep the power w/ the current rich & powerful. The following battles were won by liberals vs. conservatives: The Magna Carta, slavery, segregation, child labor, 40 hr. work week, women's rights, reproduction rights, gay rights, Social Security, Medicare. What are the conservative victories that match these?

 

[hkem1]

because?

Short answer:
I hate Teachers unions because they get in the way of every child-regardless of color, socio-economic background, or geography-getting an equal getting an equal education and equal opportunities to succeed in life.

I hate the ACLU because they put the the abstract idea of separation of church and state above the very tangible rights of economically disadvantaged children to an equal education guaranteed under the law.

Longer Answer:
This is not the only horrible thing teachers unions are responsible for, (there has already been a thread on here about "rubber rooms") but I do think it is one of the worst.

See teacher unions don't want the government to send kids to private schools for HALF the cost of what it takes to send the child to public school. Because school vouchers would cause maybe some of the bad schools to be shut down; which is bad because.....um....we need bad schools for our kids to go too

In the specific example in the video, 15,000 (fifteen thousand) tax payer dollars are going to be spent to send the poor children to a school that has 6% of its student's proficient in math. When the government could spend 7,500 (seventy-five hundred) tax payer dollars to send her to a much better private school.

There's really two equally terrible groups to blame for this.

Teachers unions

• "The AFT supports parents' right to send their children to private or religious schools but opposes the use of public funds to do so. The main reason for this opposition is because public funding of private or religious education transfers precious tax dollars from public schools, which are free and open to all children, accountable to parents and taxpayers alike, and essential to our democracy, to private and religious schools that charge for their services, select their students on the basis of religious or academic or family or personal characteristics, and are accountable only to their boards and clients".

That is the official AFT stance on school vouchers. I find it funny that they say public schooling is FREE. Public schools are definitely not free and in fact cost more than school vouchers under the D.C. program.

The truth is the AFT knows that they will lose money if parents are able to spend the money that the government is already spending on their children, to send them to a better school and give them more opportunities in life.

The second group is the ACLU.

The ACLU opposes school vouchers because the money may be spent on OH NO..parochial schools. Everyone knows that parochial schools are the biggest reason for our countrys demise. God forbid a child goes to a parochial school and receives a much better education at half the price the government can do it for.


The video I refer to is here
YouTube - School Vouchers Killed by Democrat Congress - All poor children to be left behind now - Glenn Beck

 

[Douglas the Intrepid]

I believe the simple fact that there are so many political camps in itself is detrimental to humanity. Eighty percent of all political energy seems to go into furthering ones own political dogma regardless of the realities involved. I am utterly disgusted at all the bickering and drawing of lines and blame instead of actually getting things done. People who would rather do nothing then concede their political opponents might have a good idea are becoming the norm rather then the exception it seems. Each camp seems to be more and more of a dysfunctional, self serving cult then a relevant cog in society.

 

[Danny Glidewell]

I am a conservative( the right end of the political spectrum.) I belong to the Republican party because the party is closest to my beliefs. As a conservative I believe:
? Government is best when it is closest to the governed.
? Government should exist to protect us from outside threats and keep the peace internally.
? Government must protect individual freedom and rights.
? Those rights are defined as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
? I do not believe government exists to tell citizens what to do with their property as long as that use does not adversely effect the neighbors.
? I do not believe tax dollars should be used to the benefit of one group over another; the government should instead insure a level playing field for all.
? I believe government should function openly and efficiently and only those tax dollars needed should be collected.
All governments, local, state and federal have exceeded their authority and have assumed functions not appropriate for government. The result is economic stagnation, runnaway deficits and huge government borrowing. The obvious cure is for all governments to return to their natural functions and get out of people's business. Taxes and spending would naturally decrease and the economy would naturally expand.
Some quotes that say it all:
Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.
Ronald Reagan

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
Ronald Reagan

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
Ronald Reagan

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Ronald Reagan

And my favorite:

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
Ronald Reagan

 

[GoodWitch58]

hkem1,

why am I not surprised that your source is Fox News.
Maybe you can do a bit more research from some primary sources to get a more balanced view of things. I am sure your paper needs primary sources, doesn't it? What class are you writing it for?


It really doesn't matter what political party anyone belongs to...we all need to work toward making our country, including our schools and colleges, better than they presently are...once they were much better, even here in Florida.

We need the debate that comes from at least a two party system; however, a debate requires both sides to participate and it requires civility and accurate data. We haven't been having a debate lately.

Did you have a course in Civic Education, or Political Science, or Ethics, or American Government at South Walton?

 

[30ashopper]

I am a liberal because conservatives are consistently on the wrong side of history. Conservatives, by definition, want to conserve the status quo, to keep the power w/ the current rich & powerful. The following battles were won by liberals vs. conservatives: The Magna Carta, slavery, segregation, child labor, 40 hr. work week, women's rights, reproduction rights, gay rights, Social Security, Medicare. What are the conservative victories that match these?

Conservative principals gave birth to the country as a whole. Top that one. The principals that provide most of the bureaucratic social items you list are in direct opposition to our country's founding principals. Defend that.

Also, some comments -

Slavery / Segregation - Democrats fought against slavery a long side republicans. That was not a conservative vs. liberal issue, it was an individual freedom issue. You won't find a single true conservative or liberal today who wouldn't defend a man's right to individual freedom.

Magna Carta - Parts of the Constitution embody it's principals, and would today be considered conservative in nature. Limited central powers, individual freedom, individual rights.. these are not cornerstones of liberal ideology.

Child labor / 40 hr. work week - I'm not sure how this plays into the conservative vs. liberal ideology discussion honestly.

Women's rights - I honestly don't know the exact details of how each party felt on the issue of woman's suffrage, but I do know through a simple search that more Senate democrats voted against the 19th amendment than republicans.

FOR ADOPTION - 36.
Republicans - 36.
Capper, Cummins, Curtis, Edge, Elkins, Fall, Fernald, France, Frelinghuysen, Gronna, Hale, Harding, Johnson, (Cal.,) Jones, (Wash.,) Kellogg, Kenyon, Kayes, La Follette, Lenroot, McCormick, McCumber, McNaty, Nelson, New, Newberry, Norris, Page, Phipps, Poindexter, Sherman, Smoot, Spencer, Sterling, Sutherland, Warren, Watson.

Democrats - 20.
Ashurst, Chamberlain, Culberson, Harris, Henderson, Jones, (N. M.,) Kenrick, Kirby, McKellar, Myers, Nugent, Phelan, Pittman, Ransdell, Shepard, Smith, (Ariz.,) Stanley, Thomas, Walsh, (Mass.,) Walsh, (Mon.)

AGAINST ADOPTION - 25.
Republicans - 8.
Borah, Brandegee, Dillingham, Knox, Lodge, McLean, Moses, Wadsworth.

Democrats - 17.
Bankhead, Beckham, Dial, Fletcher, Gay, Harrison, Hitchcock, Overman, Reed, Simmons, Smith, (Md.,) Smith, (S. C.,) Swanson, Trammell, Underwood, Williams, Wolcott.

Modern History Sourcebook: Passage of the 19th Amendment 1919-20

One of our SoWal American history teacher's could probably fill in the blanks.

Reproductive rights - I think there are positive sides to this on each side of the ideological isle and there are darker sides in both positions. Balance is the net result, and I'm thankful for it personally.

Gay rights - What have liberals done for gay rights lately? For that matter what have conservatives done? Florida is a moderate state, but we recently passed a gay marriage ban, as did one of the most liberal states in the nation, California. Our current (progressive) president believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. If government spent less time trying to recognize differences in people (a very liberal tendency) and instead simply treated everyone equally, this wouldn't be an issue.

To answer the original question, I lean conservative because I do not feel government has a right to infringe my individual liberty, regardless of the outcome. I'm a very independent persion, and I take issue with any government body that tries to dictate how I live my life.