Where do you stand. Not a debate.

[EsmeraldaX]

Don't you just hate it when people assume they know how you vote or where you stand on certain issues, based upon your opinion of other issues?

I find that that happens a lot. A LOT. It's aggravating. I thought it would be interesting to have a thread where people could post their opinion on certain hot topics ; not to be debated or argued but to just state where they stand.

Here are mine. I picked a few major issues but feel free to add to the list. I am listing reasons on a few of mine but not all.

In no particular order...

Death Penalty : for it in extreme cases (ie. child killers) where there is concrete evidence. Otherwise, I think life in prison is a worse punishment anyway.

Abortion : up until the end up the second trimester. I do not think viable fetuses that could survive outside the womb or are the same "age" as many preemies who survive just fine should be aborted. I would only make exception if the LIFE of the mother was in serious danger or if it were proven that the baby would be so brain damaged that they would have no quality of life whatsoever. I was a preemie born at 7 months, as was my brother.

Partial Birth Abortion : No. Unless the LIFE of the mother is in serious danger.

Affirmative Action for Women and Minorities : No. As a woman, I'd be disgusted to find out I only got a job to fill a quota.

Drug Legalization : Yes, with regulation, taxes, and no free rehab programs for people who choose to partake. I would limit some medicinal drugs which lose their effectiveness as cures.

Income Redistribution : No.

Welfare : very limited

Censoring public airwaves/tv : No. However, I do think that warnings should be given if a show will contain swear words, nudity or anything else rated PG-13 or above, so parents/ easily offened can have a guideline to follow.

The War in Iraq : Yes & No. I'm glad Saddam is gone. I think there is a lot more good happening there than our media reports (according to 3 soldiers I know who are there). I do not however, feel our people should be dying to help build another country up. That bothers me. I only hope some good will come of it.

Church & State : I don't care if there are religious images in public as long as no law is passed saying we HAVE to follow that religion. Crosses on seals, holiday displays, 10 commandments displays do not bother me, esp. if they are historical, as long as everyone from every religion has a chance to put up their own monument as well. I'm an agnostic, by the way.

Bilingual Ed. : I feel having one common language unites a country. I think we should really encourage immigrant children to learn English. Personally, I think it should be put to a vote. If the American people voted for another language to be the main language, I'd be willing to learn it; just as if I moved to France or Germany, I'd learn French or German.

Illegal Immigration : We need better border security. I think we need to stop giving welfare benefits to illegals.

Immigrants running for president : Absolutely, as long as they came here legal and have become citizens, I see no reason why ANY immigrant to this country can't be a good president

Animal Rights : Yes and No. I don't like killing animals for sport or glamour; esp. when synthetic materials are available. However, I do think humans are omnivores and higher in the food chain. So again, yes and no.

Gay marriage : Absolutely. Why are we trying to deny loving couples the right to form stable families?

Gay adoption : Yes. I'd rather see children a little confused as to why they have two mommies or two daddies and asking questions, then lying dead in a basement because social services chose to keep them with an abusive, neglecting straight couple.

The Environment : We should be doing more. I recycle and litter annoys me. I think public awareness and looking for more effective fuel sources is key here. And bringing down the cost of hybrid cars.

Health Care : something should be done to make public healthcare affordable to everyone. I don't think the rich should have to pay and the poor not. I think if ONE thing should be subsidized by the government, the health of her people should be it. There are surely government studies and programs that could be cut to make way for this. I'd like to see welfare limited but public healthcare for everyone.

Feel free to add issues/ and your opinions on these. I thought it might be neat and refreshing to see where the DIS people stand (so no one has to assume). PLEASE do not turn this into a debate.

 

[SugarBear]

You and I share a lot of the same views.

 

[Crankyshank]

very similar to yours

 

[Microcell]

We share some of type same views except for the Immigrant becoming president thing- I just think it could be the ultimate terror plot - overthrow the government from within. I think it is too bad Arnold can't run for prez, but better safe than sorry. I don't care if gays marry, and they can claim each other on insurance and be next of kin, but the tax benefits, no.

 

[Melora]

I basically feel the same way you do about just about everything....

(can I use "about" two times in one sentence and only one word apart??)

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Melora
I basically feel the same way you do about just about everything....

(can I use "about" two times in one sentence and only one word apart??)

Using the word about in a sentence twice only one word apart : I have no problem with this.

(I always do that!)

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I agree with you

 

[JimB.]

Agree on most issues.

Disagree on drug legalization. It may not be logical or rational, but I just can't see "throwing in the towel" on the drug issue.

Gay marraige - not sure. Still undecided. Dunno. Hmmmmm.

Gay adoption - Not a problem for the same reasons you stated. I know that contradicts the above, but hey, I'm a guy.

Airwaves - Pretty much agree. LOTS of warnings. Nothing "inappropriate" during "family time". No more "Super Bowl Surprises"

Disagree on the Immigrant President thing.

Healthcare - A difficult issue. I take a LOT of people to the hospital with no insurance. But a LOT of them do it as a choice so they have more disposable income. Not everyone without insurance can't get it. A lot simply DON'T. The costs ARE too high. I'd bet a lot of the cost is "administrative" in nature (cost bureaucracy, etc.). Malpractice premuims are too high, but that's due to the mismanagement of insurance companies, not attorneys.

Bilingual ed. - Take it a step further. English should be the OFFICIAL language of the United States. If you want to speak a foreign language in your house, or in a store, ok. But all should be speaking english in school (or being taught it) & government. Fluency in english should be a prerequisite for citizenship.

 

[HappyGramma]

I agree with many of your views.

I will add:

Frivolous law suits ( not that I don't think that some suits are warrented) But TOO TOO many people unwilling to take responsibilty for their own stupid actions; accidents happen, doctors are NOT God, go to work to earn money.

Children need limitations, rules, guide lines. They need to hear and understand the word no. They need parents not more friends.

 

[JimB.]

They need parents not more friends.

Oh I am SO with you on this one!!!!!

 

[faithinkarma]

Death Penalty....against

Abortion.....pro choice, but against late term abortions ( don't ask me to be logical, I can't )

Aff. Action....against

Drug Legalization.....for

income redistribution....no

welfare...not sure

Censoring airwaves...no

War in Iraq....against

Bilingual education...nothing wrong with knowing a second language, I do. But language can be an extremely devisive factor in a country. I am from Quebec, I know he whole song and dance.

Illegal immigration.....after what I went through to get accepted here....you bet your *** I am against illegal immigration.

Immigrants running for president...no thanks, I am not interested , but others are welcome to the job with my blessing. Hate to see it done just for Arnold though.

Animal rights....yes

gay marriagges....definitely !

Gay adoption...yes

Environment....better do something before it is too late.

health care....mixed feelings...with good insurance it is excellent care...without it...well, let's put it this way....the World Health Organization ranks health care in the US 37th. The reason being that so many people do not have access to good care. 37th, is pretty bad, IMO.

 

[Saffron]

I'm trusting that this is NOT a debate. That you're not luring us in here just to let us have it. "Come in to my web." said the spider to the fly.



Here goes. Flame proof suit on -- check. Thick skin cream on -- check. Deep breath. *Innnnn* *Ouuuut*. Okay -- here I go.

Death Penalty : very, very limited, in extreme cases with indisputable evidence.

Abortion : *makes sure flame proof suit is pulled on tight* Against it as a method of birth control. Life of the mother, rape, quality of life of the baby are reasons to consider abortion.

Partial Birth Abortion : No -- unless the life of the mother is at stake. For me personally, no.

Affirmative Action for Women and Minorities : Yes, although I've never seen it work first hand.

Drug Legalization : Yes, depending on the drug.

Income Redistribution : No.

Welfare : Yes, along with work/study/job placement programs.

Censoring public airwaves/tv : No, I like the rating system too. It works for me!

The War in Iraq : Against.

Church & State : Separation of? Yes. And ... I'm a Christian.

Bilingual Ed. : Yes. Children can take "English as a second language" classes to become proficiant in the language as they learn other subjects in their native language. Once they have a full understanding of the English language and can write and read in English, then they can transition to all "English only" classes.

Illegal Immigration : We need better border security.

Immigrants running for president : Absolutely. I can't think of a reason why not.

Animal Rights :

Yes and No. I don't like killing animals for sport or glamour; esp. when synthetic materials are available. However, I do think humans are omnivores and higher in the food chain. So again, yes and no.

Ditto. And -- I'm uncertain about some animal testing for medical purposes and dead certain about some animal testing for medical purposes.

Gay marriage : Yes. I can't think of a single argument why not.

Gay adoption : See above.

The Environment : Should be a concern for everyone.

Health Care : Free health care to everyone, no one turned away because of inability to pay. Government foots the bill.

How about: Higher Education: free and accessible to all.

 

[Son of the Morning]

I'll make this very simple:

Death Penalty : Absolutely opposed.

for it in extreme cases (ie. child killers)..

Are you familiar with the old Bill Hicks routine about a similar? "Either you respect the life of all humans, of ALL AGES, or you shut the **** up." (paraphrased) I'm not telling you to "shut the **** up," I'm just saying that the belief that a child's life is more valuable than any other man's is insulting.

Abortion : Militantly pro-choice.

Partial Birth Abortion : This is a political term, and not a medical one. The practices that the term entails... I support them

Affirmative Action for Women and Minorities : Mixed bag.

Drug Legalization : Yes. No exceptions.

Income Redistribution : Redistribution, no. Regulation? Yes.

Welfare : When needed, yes.

Censoring public airwaves/tv : NEVER.

The War in Iraq : A mistake that will bring us nothing but grief both militarily and internationally/politically for the foreseeable future.

Church & State : Keep things secular with obvious legal exceptions (ie. Moses and Confucius in the Supreme Court, Goddess of Justice, etc)

Bilingual Ed. : Negative.

Illegal Immigration : Make legal immigration easier.

Immigrants running for president : The laws preventing this are archaic: Allow it.

Animal Rights : I tend to avoid this issue, because I would like to say that I'm a proponent of them, but I'm a huge meat eater. I would never buy leather or fur, though, because I find it distasteful.

Gay marriage : Absolutely in favor of it. This is one issue over which I cannot conceivably budge, and I don't think I could ever respect someone who has an opposing viewpoint in regards to it.

Gay adoption : Absolutely in favor of it.

The Environment : Three letters: E. L. F. Well, perhaps not to that extreme, but I'm a huge believer that more regulations and enforcement are absolutely necessary. This is an issue that is being horribly disregarded.

Health Care : I'm a proponent of socialized healthcare.

 

[ead79]

Death Penalty : Support it for capital crimes after a minimum of one appeal

Abortion : Against it, except when the life of the mother is in imminent danger (in that circumstance, each person would have to decide for themselves about sparing the life of the mother or the baby)

Partial Birth Abortion : Against it

Affirmative Action for Women and Minorities : Against it

Drug Legalization : Against it

Welfare : Seriously reformed, and with a time limit. Changed to provide an incentive to work instead of providing an incentive to stay on welfare

The War in Iraq : Support it

Church & State : I do not support having any mandated religion (I believe that God doesn't want forced worship anyway--I think he gave us free will so that we would have the choice to come to Him or not and so our worship would be genuine), but I think that the avoidance of all religous symbols/celebrations/etc. that has become so popular lately is taking it too far. In other words, I think that it should be OK to display the 10 Commandments in courtrooms, and I definitely think our pledge should have "under God" in it. I think that attempting to be PC has gone way too far, and is unfair to Christianity simply because it is a common religion in the US.

Immigrants running for president : I think that the President should have to be a US citizen by birth, just as it is now

The Environment : I think we should take good care of our natural resources and preserve them for future generations. However, I think this should be done in a sensible, not emotional, way. For instance, I learned an interesting concept in an environmental economics course about selling "pollution permits" that basically let capitalism solve the pollution issue that really seemed to be a good idea (it just wasn't popular with the "green" crowd).

Health Care : I don't support a government health care system, as I believe that would cause the quality of care to dramatically decline. I think that reform of insurance companies, reduction of frivolous lawsuits, etc. are all part of the solution.

Gun Control: I support it

 

[cheyita]

There is only one issue listed that I feel passionate about - an absolute opinion without any chance of wavering:

Abortion - positively pro-life with the the only exception being the mother's life in jeopardy.

 

[Son of the Morning]

Okay, I simply have to speak my mind here, debate thread or not, because the inconsistency is staggering:

The whole argument about whether abortion should be legal or not stems around whether the fetus can be considered a human being and elegible for protection under law or not. Whether the mother "should have been more careful" or not is a non-issue, and to bring it up only serves to perpetuate the misogynist stereotype.

So, the pro-lifers assert that the fetus is a human being, and should have its life protected as such. Why, then, do many place unique conditions on its protection, ie, threatening the life of the mother? For example: Hypothetically, in a late stage of a pregnancy, it is revealed that the burdens of childbirth and the conclusion of the pregnancy will ultimately lead to irrevocable physiological damages to the host mother if it is allowed to progress. In any case, however, the fetus will survive in the end, and the mother will in all probability, die during childbirth or shortly afterwards. Why is it excuseable then to "kill" the fetus? Why is the fetus' life suddenly not quite as important as the mother's?

 

[Laura]

Death Penalty--I'm against.

Abortion--For it, in the first trimester.

Partial Birth Abortion--Not sure about that one. If someone can document a case of it being necessary to save the mother?

Affirmative Action for Women and Minorities--Against.

Drug Legalization--Marijuana as a patch sounds like a good idea for cancer patients.

Income Redistribution--No way.

Welfare--It's necessary for some, but not as a replacement for a job.

Censoring public airwaves/tv--More sex, less violence.

The War in Iraq--Glad they pulled Saddam out of a rat hole and knocked his statues down, etc. That's as for it as I get.

Church & State--Keep 'em separate.

Bilingual Ed.--Sure. All Americans should learn Spanish.

Illegal Immigration--Let 'em all in.

Immigrants running for president--No problem.

Animal Rights--Yup

Gay marriage--You betcha

Gay adoption--Yesirree

The Environment--I'm getting greener all the time.

Health Care--Cost scares me. Can't something be done? I wish I knew how to fix it...I'd be a rich woman. And probably really popular.

 

[cheyita]

OK - SOM - even thought we're not supposed to debate, I will support my position:

I am referring specifically to the mother's life being threatened prior to the third trimester. Why lose two lives if it is unecessary.

However, if we are referring to something that would develop at the end of the pregnancy and the fetus would be fine - I do not place the child's life ahead of the mother's. I do think many women (not all, not necessarily most) would choose to give their child life in place of their own. If a difficult choice would need to be made, I cannot place one life before another, but hopefully *something* can distinguish which life has the most probable chance of survival.

I won't discuss the rest since you didn't question it, and I do not want to turn this into an abortion debate thread.

 

[dmadman43]

Death Penalty - yes

Drug Legalization - yes, for the most part.

Welfare - state and local issue to solve

Gay Marriage - it's not a "rights issue, in my mind, it's simply a legal issue to resolve. Should be a State issue to resolve. Morally, I'm opposed, legally I am not. If that makes any sense.

Abortion - against, unless the life of the mother is potentially in jeopardy

Content control on the airwaves - (I don't view it as censorship, unless we are talking about something like "Radio Free Europe" which we don't have in the US, really). I'm in agreement with the various and sundry SC decisions on this.

Healthcare - opposed to federal govt involvement. If states want to offer it, be my guest. I agree more should be done within the insurance industry to make care more affordable

Income Redistribution - uh, no. There's enough money to go around for everyone if they want to earn it. I mean, why should I let someone else decide what should be confiscated from me and given to someone else?

Church and State - the 1st Amendment is pretty clear on this. It doesn't mean "separation of Church and State" despite what some previous SC decisions may have invented.

War in Iraq - support it.


Gun Control - I've never understood what this means. I'm not opposed to licensing. I think there should be requirements for training and testing. I mean, hell, we test people on driving, right?

Bilingual Ed - No. I'm not sure if I moved my family to another country my kids would be given their school lessons in English at a government school.

Animal Rights: There is no such thing. If there were, I'm sure many of them would be opposed to slavery. (read: being pets)

Illegal Immigration: well, the very term should define ones position

Immigrants running for President - if they are Naturalized and we get them to sign a loyalty oath, then well, why not? I mean, I would not have been opposed to Kissenger running for President for exampl. Would require a Constitutional Amendment, however.


The Environment. - Outside of punishing business for wanton disregard for the environment, I'm opposed to thinks like the Kyoto Agreement (punishes the US more than any other country, and Canada is proving it doesn't work anyway).

Gay Adoption: In principle I'm not opposed. I have concerns about the long term social impacts it may have on the children. I have nothing to base this on other than my own experiences and how cruel children can be to other children.

 

[ThreeCircles]

OK, here is my take...


Death Penalty: Totally opposed. There is no justification for its continued existence in this country.


Abortion: A government body should have control over an individuals body? Sounds like slavery. Pro-choice in all cases.

Partial Birth Abortion: As Son of the Morning noted, this is not a medical procedure but rather a term coined for political gain. See above.

Affirmative Action for Women and Minorities: Of course! 100% We've had Affirmative Action for white, heterosexual, Judeo-Christian, males since the formation of this nation. We need to level the playing field.

Drug Legalization: Yes, but with governmental regulation to some degree.

Income Redistribution: Absolutely! A national, living-wage income should be established from this redistribution.

Welfare: Do you mean welfare in the form of corporate tax breaks? Welfare in the form of employee-assisted health care plans? Welfare is all around us. Everyone on this board is benefiting from welfare in one way or another. Welfare should be reorganized to help those most in need.

Censoring public airwaves/tv: Censorship is the sword of tyrannical governments. 100% against.

The War in Iraq: Against. It has resulted in tens of thousands of dead, has left this country, and no other, any more safe, and, aside from stroking w's family ego, has accomplished very little. The ends didn't even come close to justifying the means. Of course, the w administration isn't even sure what the ends were, will be, are, errr....

Church & State: What individuals wish to do on their own is up to them. This "god", that "god", my "god" and your "god" don't belong in the government. Besides, as a great mind said, god is dead.

Bilingual Ed.: Support. Isn't there much evidence that suggests that those who speak more than one language show significantly better achievement in school and on standardized tests?

Illegal Immigration: What's that inscription on the Statue of Liberty say again? Oh, wait, that's what this country is founded on. Well, that and slavery and genocide. But, alas, I'm off topic! I'm with the Beatles, Imagine a world with no countries. If you think about it, countries, nations, etc. are kind of a silly notion, no?

Immigrants running for president: Sure. Can't be any worse than what we have now!

Animal Rights: 110% (BTW, GOOOO Austria!!!!) Animals are not part of this Earth for our pleasure, our consumption, or our enjoyment. They should not be maimed, tortured, killed, and put through hell so you can wear lipstick, find a juicy steak, or live to be 115. Life is life. Mine is no more valuable than yours, which is no more valuable than the Iraqi that was just shot by a U.S. solider. This carries through for animals as well. Can anyone say A.L.F.? (Who gives money? Who gives money? )

Gay marriage: Being a gay male, this simply borders on the absurd. Why would we not want to embrace loving, caring, relationships in a social way?

Gay adoption: See above.

The Environment: And A.L.F.s sister organization, of course, as Son of the Morning noted, E.L.F. On a side note, I believe the Earth is a living, ever-changing, organism. It has ways of "righting" itself. It just may be that the human species won't make it past the next "righting."

Health Care: A right, not a luxury. Government sponsored is the way to go. Just ask all those crazy Canadians rushing to get mail-ordered prescriptions from the U.S. Oh, wait...

These comments were not directed to the OP in any way, shape, or form. They are just my opinions and beliefs as they were asked for.