There are so many of us that get all worked up over politics its a taboo subject. We wouldn't dare bringing the subject up at a family event - shit would hit the fan with everyones heated views. Anyway, after reading this post, editing, and resaving over and over again for the last two weeks I decided: You read me, so you must already be OK with the fact that I'm crazy, why not just let it ALL hang out?
Plus, It could be really liberating.
Right?
I used to think I was a Republican, mainly because I believe in LESS government intervention and lower taxes but because of my reasons I haven't always voted Republican... (Ron Paul comes to mind). But the last few years or so I've argued on boths sides on different issues.
So for better or worst here the are:
Gay Marriage:
I figure why not just jump right in so I'm here to tell you that I’m for it! Why wouldn’t I be? After all, I want less government intervention - period. I do not believe in policy's put into place to control our free will or the free will of others. The thing that I don’t understand is why most Republicans go against this? It really confuses me. If two adults can meet in Vegas drunk as a skunk, walk into a chapel and get married then have it annulled three days later… because "oops I was drunk and don't really know this person" well hypocrisy stares me in the face with our so called laws. When a nice gay couple who have been together for 20 years are not allowed the same sheet of paper?
Why do we care what goes on in the bedroom? Not to mention the fact that straight people are not so great at marriage either. Have you noticed our looked at our climbing divorce rate? I'm not saying they should get married in your church but before a judge for a legal sheet of paper allowing families to write wills and share insurance why on earth not - why all the sudden is our government playing God? Isn't this what we fought wars over, the reason our country is so great today our right to free will, a fair crack at life? I'm not saying that everyone will agree with me but maybe just maybe my arguments can help a few step back and take a closer look.
You see for years Mr. Arkansas have had this same debate... and it wasn't until this year that he's came around and now debates on my side of the table on this issue :+)
Whew, now that I've stirred the pot lets keep going shall we?
Legalizing marijuana:
What a great way to bring in revenue for America and put a lot of bad guys out of business. Not only will we have a whole new crop to harvest, sell and fancy hemp sheets but we will also sell more video games, Mountain Dew, and popcorn (just joking well sort of). Not to mention the fact that hemp oil is what our cars used to run off of and they did it well. It sounds a heck of a lot better than sending our kids overseas to fight for it. I won't get all hippie on you but if you take the time to really research the facts you might be enlightened to find that we can grow hemp without growing marijuana. It's pretty much a win for everyone. Again aren’t Republicans all about government not regulating our businesses? So why are the liberals for this and republicans against it? It would save billions a year and we’d put a lot of drug lords out of business win-win.
War:
Hate them. With a passion.
I also believe some things are worth fighting over FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY, our Country but for goodness sake not for OIL. We should get out now and please don’t even get me started on Libya I might stroke out. If a person votes Republican, does that mean they are voting for war? Are we killing more innocent people over OIL? Oil we could easily replace by using hemp in a matter of years. Or our we supporting our military so they will be provided everything they need to protect our country if we need it? Writing this makes me want to hug everyone of our millitary men and women. I am so thankful to live in a country with a military dedicated as ours is.
Unions:
I think there was a time and place for unions. But this is NOT the time or the place. I'm sorry but I sit on the side of the company on this one, I honestly see what it means to say that unions protect lazy workers and overpay. Unions also have a way of holding back a business from making quick decisions (I work in the oil field - I know our system is jacked). Working in Corporate America has swayed me 100% Republican on my view here. Unions had a time and a place but so did Meth - remember WWII when we were giving it to our pilots? Just because "its been done this way for years" doesn't make it right for us at this time and place...
Nationalized Health Care:
Dare I even say it? I hate it.
I know a lot of you love it. So lets talk before you get upset and try and forget we every met - I agree that our system is broken. But its really only broken for those that are not provided insurance through their jobs and for small businesses (this is not all or even half of Americans so please leave ours alone). We can all agree something needs to be done but this is not the answer. It is going to cost businesses too much money to do business. And worst of all it will cost us jobs. Something that we can’t afford to lose right now. I could debate all day long about the problems with this system but to save you the headache lets just agree I’m against it.
Taxes:
Speaking of I have yet to file ours yikes (I still have two days).
I do not think its right that any person should have to pay taxes at a higher rate because they make more money. Everytime they do a good job and get a raise well congrats now your in a higher tax bracket. How on earth could we even let something like this take over?
On this issue I liked Huckabee's thoughts (This is not a quote): Make everyone pay the same percentage across the board via sales tax. Pick a number (15% – 20%) and everyone pays that on purchases they buy no income tax. Of course those with more money buy more things so in the end they would be paying more taxes but it would be based on consumption not how much you earn. Don’t give incentives to the poor to stay poor. Let’s actually live the American Dream and give back, but give back what is fair for everyone. If you are poor and don't have money then don't spend it.
Welfare:
Yes, everyone needs a little help from time to time but not generations. I actually know of a person that had another baby just to get more money from Welfare. No joke, its gross and we need to fix the holes in this system. Welfare should be a way to help people get from here to there. They should have to pass a drug test and prepare for a job of some sort while collecting our tax dollars. This should not be a way of life nor should we allow it to become one. It’s just creating a new generation of lazy who are raised in this system and never get out of it. We are not helping them or ourselves at this point.
Whew... OK I'm off my soap box.
So you tell me did I just committed blog suicide?
Are you shaking your fist at me or Have you thought about these issues before? Where do you stand on them? I'd honestly love to hear your thoughts even if they don't match my own. Issues like these are so close to many of our hearts... sometimes its good to let it all hang out.
So let's hear it :+)
PS: I'll be back tomorrow to annouce the winners of both giveaways - there's still time to enter if you haven't already.
Wow..I agree with! Which is odd, because I hardly ever agree with anyone on subjects such as these. ESPECIALLY on the public health care, and taxes (and we have until Monday, at least thats what my accountant tells me). BTW I'm a registered Democrat from a family of democrats for generations, but, I vote republican most of the time. I feel, especially in our area, that the Democrats/Republicans have switched values so to speak.
ReplyDeleteWould like to know how you feel about abortion. Thats the one me and my hubby argue about.
More serious question..who wears TRUE RELIGION jeans while fixing a sink??
I'm married to a plumber so I didn't even notice the crack. ; )
Great Post into your insight! I dont think you have committed "blog suicide" at all.. .you have expressed your honest opinion which is awesome for sure! I agree with many manyof your points, and being in Canada things are a bit different.
ReplyDeleteTaxes is a sticky on here as we do have (in Ontario) a 13% sales tax on all purchases (few things are expempt) as well as an aprox 30% income tax off of your working income... :S which leads to paying taxes all the way around... and less $$ back in the end if you make "a certain amount"
So therefore my views are different being that we have different scenarios. But i agree with everyone paying one tax on purchases and none on income(that would be a beautiful world)
Gay Marriages
I agree each to their own *but they are allowed here allready too :D* So yeah to us here! as long as no one is gettin hurt, violence isnt occuring people arent being abused etc etc etc let ppl do what they want to do!
marijuana... i have many views on this, but i think they should legalize (as they would have the control same as alcohol) which in turn i think would create more jobs and more revenue etc etc etc and i think that the studies show that usage is not as bad as media portrays... we will see... look at Over seas, less crime rates etc and its legal there?!?!?
Welfare i agree with some of your views as well... not sure abuot the drug test... do all jobs give a drug test before? who are we to tell ppl what they can do with an allocated amount we give them, what if their drug test comes back positive? are we sending them to treatment then? as then there are more issues... lol but maybe it would be good to some how monitor their usage of the money to ensure that they arent buying drugs...ie pay the bills they have and allocate a bit for expenses that govt cant pay up front... then we know where the $ went... make sense?
Canada does have (well ontario at least) a system where you do have to show innitative to remain on the system and there are work programs in place for those on welfare, or social assistance!
over all good blog, great points! :D
First off, I'm with Tiff...who wears True Religion Jeans while plumbing, seems a little odd! HA!
ReplyDeleteI'm one who doesn't really like to get all politcal, and def not at a family function...shit will hit the fan! I agree with most of your aspects, so I'm only going to touch base with a few of them.
I agree with the Gay Marriage thing, but I don't think it's right to do it in a church. Sure go infront of a judge or someone who is ordained, but not in church.
Welfare - I also think it's ok to help those in need, but only if they truly need it. I think it's strange when you see people driving an Escalade, but yet they are on welfare. I don't get it. And I think Drug Testing should be required...if you can afford drugs, then you shouldn't need to be on welfare.
Nationalized Health Care - I do not agree with it at all. It's going to hurt the rest of us that already can barely afford regular healthcare the way it is. Not only will we all be paying more, but we will also have to wait longer than we already do to see our doctors. Not even to mention possibility of losing our jobs, because our employers can't afford it.
Great post, way to just put it all out there girl!
Dude. I pretty much agree with everything you wrote. Go ahead and legalize gay marriage. Why not? I'm all for love :)
ReplyDeleteTaxes suck. Luckily I've never really had to owe, but my dad makes a decent amount of money and he's literally wrote a check for $90,000 in taxes. That's BULLSHIT.
Especially when it goes to buy stuff for people who don't work and aren't even trying cause they've figured out how to work the system. I'm very much against welfare. I am ALL FOR charity and giving a helping hand, but the system has gotten completely out of hand.
I don't do drugs. Never have smoked weed in my life. No desire too. BUT I would rather the govmt legalize it and tax the crap out of it and then lower other taxes. I think that would be brilliant.
I think unions are WAY out of control too. As an employee, yes, I like benefits like a few sick days and holidays and stuff....but contracts that negotiate WEEKS of paid time off and stuff like that? No. Ridiculous.
Great post!!
Great post.. and very brave! It’s always nice to hear other people’s opinions, especially when they are the same as your own! But I am a little confused about something you and another reader mentioned.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of gay marriage.. I want to first state that I am 100% for gay marriage! But you said, “I'm not saying they should get married in your or my church” and the other comment left by a reader was something to the effect of, they shouldn’t be allowed to get married in a church. So I’m wondering, how can you be for something that goes ‘against’ god. But you respect god enough to think they shouldn’t be allowed to get married in his house? To me, it just seems like a contradiction. I know things aren’t always black and white, but I would like to know why you and others think they should or should not be allowed to get married in a church?
Malory - First and foremost thank you very much for your comment. The reason that I said "I'm not saying they should get married in your church" is because most of the people that are against it are Christians and their arguments are based on the bible. I am a Christian; I am in no way perfect and know that one day I will be judged before God just like the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteI personally have NO problem at all if they choose to be married in a church but it should be up to the pastor without the threat of discrimination. Because being married in a church is a religious decision and not the law. Many people opposed to gay marriage argue that is goes against God so I think we should take it one step at a time... pushing for marriage is already been an issue so I think we need pick our battles slowly but in a forward motion.
Does that make sense or am I just rambling?
XO - Rach
This is why we get along, I pretty much agree with everything you said!
ReplyDeleteTaxes, unions, gay marriage? I could go on and on all day about those issues!
My husband works for a pretty large company, is in a union which is flawed and every time he works overtime, he ends up with half as much as he'd make on a regular day. They take more taxes out for the more you make? It's ridiculous! He earned that money.
Blog suicide...obviously not. I am deeply saddened however by the "let everybody do whatever the hell they want to...what is it to me" attitude that I am seeing with our future leaders for America. Laws and rules keep people in "check" with right and wrong. Take away boundaries and there is nothing left but complete turmoil and self-destruction. Gay marriage is wrong. We're the only species on the planet that attempts sex with the opposite gender. God, YES...I said GOD created us as He did for reproduction. Guys + Guys nor Girls + Girls result in reproduction. This method leads to extinction. YES, you were created. Sorry...you didn't evolve. War is hurtful, but often times necessary or else evil, yes, I said EVIL will prevail. "All it takes for evil to previal is for good men (and women) to do nothing." I am thankful for our military and those willing to try to do "something" to keep us free so that you and I actually have the opportunity to express our opinions to one another on the internet. Without past or exisitng wars, you and I likely wouldn't (will not)exist...not in the luxury and freedom that we do today, anyway. It's so easy to say, "Oh...what the Hay, let's all just live in peace and harmony, get along, tolerate, practice diversity...yes it does sound good. Just one problem. Let's return to the E word. It's called EVIL. You can't turn your back on it, you can't accept it, you can't pretend it isn't there and it will just go away. SOMEONE has to step up to the plate and make sure that evil people do not prevail and force their immorality and destruction upon those of us who know that we are all called to be a better person through the moral teachings of Christ.
ReplyDeleteI think it's time for all of us to get out the Bible and do a bit of reading and reflecting on the simple truths that have carried nations forward successfully for 2000 plus years. If you read your history, you will discover that nations that turned their backs on these teachings have fallen. Personally, I would like to see America thrive once again. Therefore, it's going to take a bit of a 180 to get us back on track and Jesus can teach us all a thing or to about how to get things turned around and headed in the right direction. You better quit listening to all the "opinions" out there and do some true soul searching. OR...I'm afraid we are headed for a living hell in this once very great country of America. I'm not a prophet. I certainly hope not. But, someone once said that "The best way to predict future behavior is to look at past behavior." The same applies for history. If you want to see where we're headed, read the history books and you'll determine that when democracy fails and socialism prevails, nations fall.
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ReplyDeleteyou and i might be political twins.
ReplyDeletealso, anonymous, our population is growing at an exponential and very unsustainable rate. We have gone way past what our resources are capable of providing, so i don't think that "extinction" will ever be a problem. in addition, if you take everything in the bible as being the law of today, polygamy should be legal, slavery should be legal, and killing those with different religious beliefs should be legal. i don't think things that applied thousands of years ago can be applied without question to today's society. sure, several thousand years ago, you NEEDED offspring to carry on your name and property, and therefore homosexuality was a bad idea. but nowadays, things are different.
furthermore, we are NOT the only species to exhibit homosexual behavior:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_gayanimal.html
birds, bats, dolphins, apes, etc. all exhibit homosexual tendencies.
You are very brave to lay it all out there.
ReplyDeleteFor me, what it all comes down to is how much we, as a society, feel we are obligated to provide to those who cannot (or will not) support themselves financially. An adult severely disabled in a car accident will need someone to pay for his care and medical needs for the rest of his life. Who should pay for that if his family can't? A kid born into poverty because of his parents' drug addiction--who should pay to keep a roof over his head and keeping the electricity on if his parents don't care enough to do it? If he's taken to foster care due to neglect, who should pay for that? What is our obligation as a nation to those who can't help themselves? In my opinion, that is the core issue that has to be resolved whenever the questions about entitlement programs come up.
It's easy to say a "welfare queen" doesn't deserve her free ride, but what about her kids? What about the mentally ill homeless people on the street? Is it cheaper to pay for their rehabs and transitional housing, or to pay for their ongoing ER bills and their stints in jail until they die? There are few easy answers.
I agree with you on EVERY point.
ReplyDeleteMan, that first anonymous went crazy, I think. Although, I do live in part of the bible belt, so I hear that stuff ALL THE TIME.
Welfare. My family makes a freakin' living off of it. The reform that needs to take place there needs to happen quick. I agree that people should be drug tested, and I agree that they need job training. Have you ever seen the movie "Idiocracy?" Silly, but somewhat true. I was a welfare kid, and I'm glad I didn't have to starve, but something needs to be done to stop people from using this system. I'm tired of paying for other people's kids when I already struggle to pay for my own.
GREAT post!
I LOVE that you had the guts to post this! Unlike lots of people, I enjoy talking about politics--even with (sometimes, especially with) people who disagree. I'm so tired of people being afraid of hurting someone's feelings by discussing issues that actually matter and affect us and not making anyone think for themselves, so this is refreshing.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that we have two (generally) extreme political parties and not much in between. I hold fairly conservative views, but I'm an independent, because I don't think the Republican party overall represents what I stand for anymore. Nevertheless, pretty much everyone I know assumes I'm "a Republican" (not "a conservative", or more precisely, "a free thinker governed by Christian values"). I'd rather think for myself, instead of having a major political party dictate what I think and how I vote.
I agree with you on all counts except for gay marriage. It is a spiritual/moral issue. The problem is that homosexual activists are making it a political issue when it shouldn't be and really isn't one. However, even if Christians got their way politically (no gay marriage, no abortion, etc.), it wouldn't get rid of sin, evil, and unbelief. More importantly, it wouldn't make people right with God. Only Jesus can do that.
Wow. I could have written this post myself. Seriously, I don't think there is a single thing in this post that I disagree with! I don't understand why people get so worked up about legalizing gay marriage. I am a Christian (my husband is even an ordained minister) and I do believe that the Bible says that homosexuality is wrong. However, I think that should be a religious issue not a political one. The Bible also says that having sex before marriage is wrong and yet there is no law against that. How can anyone decide that homosexuality is so much worse than pre-marital sex? When it comes down to it, they are the same sin - having sex with someone that God says you shouldn't. Why should anyone take such an extreme stand against one and not the other?
ReplyDeleteI also agree that gay marriages should be performed in front of a judge and not forced upon a church. You know - the whole separation of church and state thing. It should be left up to each individual church to decide their stand on this issue. There are some churches that won't perform a wedding for people who already live together, or if one person is a Christian and the other isn't, or if they aren't members of that church. I don't see why the church's decision on whether or not to perform gay marriages should be any different.
I also think that welfare can be extremely helpful for those who need it but it is seriously abused. We have been on food stamps and state health care before. Even with pinching our pennies and working several jobs, we just couldn't make ends meet. It was just a temporary situation though and only because we didn't have any other option. I have seen the welfare system being abused first-hand though. We currently live in the ghetto (for some reason God decided this was where he wanted us in order to make a difference in this neighborhood) and pretty much everyone here is on welfare and it is not out of necessity - it is because they are lazy. My husband has hired a few people from the neighborhood for temp jobs and it quickly became obvious that the reason they don't have jobs isn't because they can't find anyone to hire them - it's because they are too lazy to actually work and keep a job once they find one. Why should they work hard to make a better life for themselves and their family when they can just go to the welfare office and pick up a check as their reward for being lazy and smoking pot all day?
I hate politics. It's like everybody loses their common sense when they get into office.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had the cute picture in this post or my blood pressure would be sky high thinking about all these issues that just tick me off, too!
Continued......
ReplyDeleteReally hand outs are the last thing I want but tax me when I have the money to be taxed. When I graduate I will very gladly go up to a higher tax bracket. Out of my siblings I am the only one to go to college and I've already exceeded my mother's level of education. People will always play the system. I am not religious but I think Jesus said something along the lines of render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. I pay my taxes. They just happen not be the same as people who make more than $14,000 a year. Sadly that's how much I get paid as an administrative assistant. I plan to make around $50,000-$80,000 when I graduate. So let's just say I start at $50,000. According to the 2011 tax brackets I will get taxed 25% and I will still have $37,500 to live off of that year. Which is more than enough for a decent house payment, car payment, insurance utilities and still have some left to save!!! Please America take 25% from me to build the roads, pay the troops (proud sister of a soldier), and take care of the needy when I'm making the amount of money in said tax bracket. Our system is not perfect but for every problem solved by lower/uniform taxes it will create 10 more. Lack of jobs being one of them through budget cuts. Seriously if you crunch the numbers the tax brackets really aren't bad unless you're mad because your neighbor has a mercedes and you're stuck with a lexus because of the tax bracket you are in. I hate that you think you're being treated unfairly, but for all of the people who are playing the system there are people like me too. I'm sorry if this poorly strewn together but I'm very passionate about these subjects and the effect they have had on my life. All I can say is that as imperfect as things are I'm glad things are this way instead of the way you would have them. I stumbled upon your blog and I thought it was nice and decided to poke around. I'm not tedious enough to dislike everything here because of your political standing but I hope you rethink your views.
I'm the one with the mile long posts....I would also like to add that my mom has insurance through a private company that is now cheaper and more reasonable because of the nationalized health care.
ReplyDeleteHi - I just found your blog & wanted to comment. I really don't know what political persuasion I am. I'm from the Northeast, fairly liberal, not Christian and I happen to agree with you on many of these points.
ReplyDeleteThe tax thing pisses me off too - every time I make a buck, someone's there to take it away.
The whole gay marriage thing? Why is government involved in this at all? The only thing the government should mandate is age of consent. Period.
National health care? Mandatory health insurance? Not a fan of either. What about the poor? Well...buying chips and soda and drugs with your food stamps leads to bad health. I don't blame people because we've allowed this generational welfare thing to happen. Some folks don't know any other way to live.
Welfare should go hand in hand with life education - how to save, job skills, parenting skills, nutritional skills & anti-drug education - and it should have a maximum time allowance, no matter how many children you have. The costs for education and nurturing people into self-sufficiency would be cheaper than the programs we have now. I swear the government wants a population that is complacent and easy to manage. Very frightening for society as a whole.
Hemp is a fantastic, useful product. Totally agree this should be grown in the states again!
War for oil? Really? We're so controlled by the oil industry, but we have the intelligence and technology to do things so much better. It will not be an easy transition from the oil economy but it has to be done.
Unions? ooh, that's a tough one. Up here our families worked in the mills and unions were their life-savers. "Were", however, is the key word. Now in RI we have a gigantic pension funding crisis, the mills are all shut down and in the end the rich got richer anyway. Maybe the answer is going to have to be free-market labor, since the whole world is involved now.
My ideal life? Cottage industries, walkable cities and towns, family gardens, people movers and monorails, more solar electricity - especially in the sunbelt, fair trade of ideas and resources with other countries; mediation not legislation; common sense, teaching responsibility, ethics and fiscal responsibility in our schools. I think people are feeling overwhelmed, anxious and pessimistic about the future and on a whole society is getting crazier by the minute because of it. It doesn't have to be this way! Collectively, we need to take a step back and breathe.
Enough of my soapbox. LOL Thanks for posting this!