Question - Liberal/Conservative

Honestly, I may not quite grasp the concept of what "conservative" and "liberal" are, so correct me if I'm wrong...

I've always wondered where I stood in the great scheme of things label wise.. I'd have to guess at 80% conservative??

I tend to straddle the fence on a social issue or two. I'm against gay marriage, and where abortion is concerned I don't totally agree with it, but I can see cases where it's necessary, but not as a form of birth control.

And DAMNED SKIPPY I support our constitutional rights, along with the death penalty!

Where the death penalty is concerned, I don't think we use it often enough. It pisses me off to no end for someone to sit on death row for years sucking us dry just so he can exhaust his right to appeal. He infringed on his victims rights, I say let's infringe on his rights and just end it. I am not a bleeding heart and have no sympathy on those that have made the choice to take someone's life or rights away, once your caught and it's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that your the guilty one, let's be done with it.

I guess I'm fairly conservative, I try to follow the good book and believe it should guide our lives. I believe in capitol punishment, but here in ILLINOIS, we've had so many innocent people convicted by bad or even fraudulent evidence, or suspects being beaten and tortured until they confess to a crime they didn't commit by cops that are "just doing my duty". I fell to many people are taking the free ride for everything they can. I guess they have misunderstood JFK's statement about, "...ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what can you do for the [our] country". I think the education system is pushing a very, very liberal agenda instead of teaching what is really needed. The term statesman will never fit any of the people in DC or at my state capitol. I find it disgusting how the people we elect to represent and serve us have become elitists and now think we are there to serve them instead. It as if we have come full circle and these politicians are now the monarchy our founding fathers fought against in revolutionary War. I firmly believe the Constitution is more than a guide for government, but we've all seen how that has changed to suit the whim of the government. And don't get me started about His Royal Hiny, Bloomberg.

Ok, I'm off my soap box, my bad!

I have seen alot of extremely liberal preppers. Mostly agrarian types who do alot of gardening, alternative energy etc.. It seemed like Alaska was rife with hippies, young and old who were as far left as they could go. I don't care if gay people get married, I don't care if you possess or grow marijuana for personal use but I hate big government, supporting laziness, abortion and the recent erosion of the 2nd and 4th amendments of the United States Constitution. Every day now the government is getting stronger while the citizens are growing weaker and more satisfied to suckle the teat of entitlement and dependance. I, for one, just wish to be left alone to enjoy my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. I have worked hard to get lifetime health benefits and a livable pension. I'm ready to grow my own food, hunt the game on my land, raise my livestock and be naked except for my football helmet sun up til sundown. And I don't expect anyone to tell me different.
I guess I 'd be somewhere around a 75.

paraquack said:

The term statesman will never fit any of the people in DC or at my state capitol. I find it disgusting how the people we elect to represent and serve us have become elitists and now think we are there to serve them instead. It as if we have come full circle and these politicians are now the monarchy our founding fathers fought against in revolutionary War. I firmly believe the Constitution is more than a guide for government, but we've all seen how that has changed to suit the whim of the government. And don't get me started about His Royal Hiny, Bloomberg.

Ok, I'm off my soap box, my bad!

Click to expand...

I try to stay out of the political threads because I tend to get angry....angry because the majority of "career politicians" I know are slugs...

Might as well let the cat out of the bag, I am a county level elected official that serves in a legislative capacity.

And I agree with you!

I too have seen to many people elected to represent those that put them there in the first place and then forget them. At a county level, it seems that their main agenda is to see how many times they can get quoted in the local newspaper, how many ribbon cuttings they can attend and have their pic taken, or how many asses they can kiss to keep their position. Gotta make everyone happy, gotta kiss ass....let me stab this one in the back because they can't do as much for ME as that one can!

Recently, I heard another man in the same position that I am in say, "Well....its not for us to decide, its the right of these registered voters of this county to decide...."

Yep, he's right to some extent. But what he fails to remember they voted us in place to represent them, and when big business is standing there wanting a tax hike put on the backs of our citizens that involves millions of dollars and them just getting richer because it far exceeds the amount of money they need over an extended period of time, I call BULLSHIT and say, he's a chicken shit for putting it off on the citizens to decide. I won't agree with the tax hike and therefore its said that I am not representing those that put me in...:-o

I'm personally sick and tired of the eye rolling and deep sighs overseen and heard as a deterent to make it known in public that he disagrees with a few of us, and to offset the attention given to another that is making a legitimate point against the tax hike all because he's a slug of a man that just wants to look good. God Forbid us go against big business and their "wants". God Bless him, and throw him a cookie, makes him the man because he doesn't have a backbone and wants to look supportive. In reality, he just doesn't have to the guts to stand up for whats right.

And that's whats wrong with this country! One person by themselves trying to take a stand for thousands will not work, they are ignored. But when everyone stands united on the front...they can't be ignored. We don't have enough with backbones to take that stand for whats right, they want to mealy mouth it, raise hell, but when it comes time to vote they are too busy, they don't feel like going to stand in line etc...etc.

If we'd hold the people in these positions feet to the fire and hold them accountable for what they've decided to do, either by not re-electing them or making their life a living hell for not doing what they said they would do, at some point things would change.

But what they care about most is the all might dollar going into their pocket.....rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.

Ok, I'm off my soap box on that issue. I let my anger get the best of me....

From a party standpoint I refuse to be associated with either. I am conservative on many many issues, moderate on a few social issues, and and carry a strong commitment to the oath I once took to defend the constution, and the United States, from enemies both foreign and domestic. There's enough metal holding me together that has replaced the parts of me I left on operating room floors honoring that oath that TSA agents damn near break into an orgy when I walk through a metal detector.

I'll give anyone a hand up as often as necessary so long as they are fighting to get up after getting knocked down. On the other hand, don't come my way if all that is being looked for is a hand out. I can't stand someone who spends all their energy and time blaming their situation on others, or something beyond their control. Get over it and do something about it. Never stop trying.

I don't care who anyone sleeps with or marries. With a 50% divorce rate, I don't think gay couples are going to do anything we haven't already done to destroy the insitution of marriage. Case in point, single parent families and kids born out of wedlock. Kids today don't seem to think it's that big of a deal. Out goes the hand for that handout when reality hits home.

I feel as a world power we have a responsibility to help and protect those in the world who cannot do so for them selves. On the other hand, I'm fed up with sending kids off to die executing battle plans and strategies drawn up by some pencil necked geek thousands of miles away that are so complicated a lawyer has to breif our service memmbers before an OP. Once our government makes a decision that we're going to commit to hostilites turn it over to the men on the wall, go in, get it done, and come home. Screw winning hearts and minds, we're there to kill an enemy.

Christianity is my moral compass. I don't have much use for "organized religion" in general, but I will not apologize for what I believe in. I do not look to offend anyone, but if all anyone does is look for something to be offended about come on by, I got something for ya.

Mr and Ms Politician, you work for us, we the people. All of the people, not just the sepcial interest groups who helped get you elected. You do not know what is best for me. Never have, never will. Create an environment where people can compete and find success. Some will win big, some will win small, some will lose. That's the way life is. Get over it.

I'll stop now, but I got more...

Yeah I agree with many sentiments here. If you call the Republican Party your standard 100% conservative, I'm probably about a 150... But I don't see them as being conservative anymore. Even the most conservative member of their ticket just partnered with a man who helped pardon 16 FLAN terrorists back in the Clinton administration to push on this immigration bill. That is not conservative IMO.

The Republicans are now going along with this internet sales tax.

Why is it that the only way to make things fair is to make more people miserable instead of more people happy??? I'm not sure that there are many conservatives left in government. I'm still hoping Rand Paul is (seemed to wobble on drones this week). I know Ted Cruz and Mike Lee seem to be. I'm hoping Marco Rubio soon wakes up and realizes he's being played like a fiddle on immigration by this "gang of 8".

As for myself, I consider myself more and more of a process man every day. I can live with my opinion not being enacted. The only thing I care about is how we do what we do. We shouldn't be trampling on the Constitution. We shouldn't be infringing on states rights. We shouldn't put down the little guy. And IF we do these things, we must DEFINITELY NOT do them to advance an agenda.

I'm in favor of legalizing gay marriage... at the STATE level.

I'm in favor of decriminalizing small drug offenses... at the STATE level.

But most of all, I'm in favor of doing things the RIGHT way and not making up the rules as we go along.

I had a professor who once said "The more you have to conserve, the more conservative you become."

I think that he was correct.

I have worked my whole adult life, starting out at a chain drug store working at night after school. Been working ever since, and I pay more in taxes now than I used to earn in a year. I paid my own way through college and post-graduate school, working nights. I know for a fact that in America if you work hard and get a good education you can live the American dream. No one gave it to me, I earned everything I have. I took out student loans and paid them all off.

Now I see the rise of the welfare state, the ever-increasing taxes driven by people who believe in entitlements without having to do anything to earn them. I see people having kids so they can get more government assistance, and watch as the government drives them to school door to door, feeds them breakfast, lunch and dinner, provides medical and dental care, and provides them with subsidized housing.

All the while my taxes keep going up, and my workload increases because employers lay people off and give their work to those who still have a job, without increasing anyone's pay.

I have no issue with helping out the sick, disabled, or elderly. I don't mind giving school lunches so kids have enough to eat so they can learn and try to better their lot in life. But I have a real problem with able-bodied freeloaders milking the system while they wait for their government check to arrive, or stand in line for government cheese. That is just BS.

So, I guess I have become a compassionate conservative. Help those who are truly in need, but make the able-bodied people earn their own way. Work fair, not welfare.

This Country has allowed the system to become overrun by people looking for a free ride. I think it is time for that trend to start reversing itself - we should demand that people learn to fend for themselves. And then insist they do so, unless they are (or become) truly needy.

We have a decaying infrastructure nationwide. FDR put people to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps building roads and hiking trails in National Parks. Put the inner city kids to work fixing bridges and laying sewer and water piping - they live how to earn, and stay off the streets and out of gangs. Put in high speed Internet and fiber optic cables employing people who are on unemployment. Teach them how to run CNC machines so they can make products and then let them train more unemployed. Put people to work cleaning up the environment. Have them plant trees, clean beaches, clear out roadside drainage ditches, build housing for low-income people - there are so many projects we could do. Don't pay freeloaders - hand them a shovel or a broom and let them earn their money.

Pretty soon, we would have a much nicer Country, and we would all pay less in taxes to fund these mismanaged programs.

My two cents.