Rawhide said:
bear2be2 said:
Rawhide said:
bear2be2 said:
drahthaar said:
Tough to almost impossible not vote against the current Dem party culture war. So there's that also in the mix.
I couldn't vote for Hillary. And I wouldn't have voted for Biden if Trump wasn't up for reelection.
I'm not a fan of either party or their recent pull to their ideological poles. I'm a moderate centrist, which makes me a political orphan in modern America.
You're centrist? Please enlighten us on your views that you believe makes you a centrist.
On social issues, I'm a civil libertarian. I'm very much a live and let live guy. But on fiscal issues, I'm pretty conservative. So I have voted for presidential candidates on both sides of the political aisle.
But in general, I'm for measured, moderate political stances and candidates. I don't want the pendulum swung too far in either direction. In a plural society, I think split government is important to provide a check against overreach and require compromise. Unfortunately, we're largely past the point where either party is interested in giving to solve problems in a way that benefits people outside of their voter base. But that would be my preference.
What's your views on these topics? Here's few. Feel free to add
Border security
Illegal imigration
Abortion
Income tax
Property taxes
Death penalty
Global warming/climate change
Critical race theory/white privelege
Gender fluidity
Gender/trans/gay instruction for 1st graders
Teachers "coming out" to their kindergarten students
Can men get pregnant?
2nd Amendment
Defund police
Should there be a national minimum age for smoking/drinking
Vaccine/mask mandates
Colin Kaepernick taking a knee
Stimulus bill/stimulus checks sent out to people
Should college be free or debit wiped out?
Universal healthcare, yes or no?
Parents taking young children to drag queen shows?
Hunter Biden laptop story been censored and removed from social media?
Ashli Babbitt killing
Brett Kavanaugh confirmation to supreme court
Protesters outside homes of SCOTUS justices
Current gas prices
Kyle Rittenhouse
I don't see all of these topics as political topics, but I'll do my best to address each.
Border security -- I'm for it, but I want comprehensive immigration reform that secures the border while creating a reasonable path to legalization for workers. I really liked John Kasich's plan in the 2016 primaries. That would be my preference.
Illegal immigration -- See above. I'm for reform that includes a robust work visa program that allows those who come here and work to do so without having to immigrate illegally.
Abortion -- From a personal standpoint, I'm generally against abortion. But from a practical and societal standpoint, I worry about the impact of forcing unwanted births when we already have almost a half-million children in foster care. My first response to the abortion issue would be robust sex education programs and affordable/readily available contraceptives. In a perfect world, abstinence education would work. In this one, it doesn't. If reducing abortions is our goal, we need to accept that fact.
Income tax -- I don't enjoy paying it, but it's a necessary evil. I'm for a graduated tax rate where everyone pays their fair share without loopholes for corporations and the rich.
Property taxes -- I don't enjoy paying it, but I generally appreciate what that money does for my city.
Death penalty -- I'm really torn on this one. I honestly don't know where I stand.
Global warming/climate change -- I think the science suggests it's occurring and I think we should do what we can to reduce carbon emissions. But I also think we need to transition to more sustainable energy in a practical and reasonable way and that innovation, not legislation, must lead the way. If we want to move to alternative energy and transportation (electric vehicles), those things need to work well and be affordable. It's unreasonable to think we can quit petroleum until both things are true.
Critical race theory/white privilege -- I think white privilege exists, but I'm against any worldview that views every interaction from an oppressor/oppressed standpoint. To be real honest, though, I don't know enough about critical race theory to have a firm opinion on it.
Gender fluidity -- Gender dysphoria is obviously real. And it can be a matter of life and death for some individuals. I'm against rushing into anything irreversible at a young age. But I will choose to respect transgender individuals whether I understand the issue or not.
Gender/trans/gay instruction for 1st graders -- I don't think this occurs enough to be a major issue.
Teachers "coming out" to their kindergarten students -- I don't think this occurs enough to be a major issue.
Can men get pregnant? -- Biological men can't. Trans men obviously can because many have. I don't really have a reason to have a strong opinion on the issue.
2nd Amendment -- I generally respect the right to keep and bear arms as a constitutional right, but I'm for reasonable regulations to keep weapons out of the hands of unstable people.
Defund police -- I think it's a stupid idea. Society needs peacekeeping forces to protect life and property. That said, I don't think it's a bad idea for all departments to take a good look at the way they police their communities and rethink certain policies and practices.
Should there be a national minimum age for smoking/drinking -- Yes. I think the current ages are fine.
Vaccine/mask mandates -- I don't have a problem with private businesses making requirements of their employees or patrons. I don't think the government should mandate such things.
Colin Kaepernick taking a knee -- I didn't/don't care that he took a knee. I'm a staunch supporter of free speech as a concept.
Stimulus bill/stimulus checks sent out to people -- I was OK with the early ones because people were hurting and in need of the aid. The later ones were neither necessary or fiscally responsible.
Should college be free or debit wiped out? -- I'm against predatory lending, so I'd be OK with loan interest forgiveness. But I'm not for free college or total debt forgiveness. As a general rule, I believe those who take out loans should expect to pay them back. That said, I think the college costs have gotten completely unreasonable and that bubble is on the verge of bursting.
Universal healthcare, yes or no? -- I'm for an affordable public option. If it's cheaper with better care, it will drive costs down across the board through competition. If it's not, what's really lost? Our insurance-based health care system is already a disaster. But adding a public option would give currently uninsured people a path to affordable healthcare while forcing the government to prove it can actually provide quality care at an affordable price.
Parents taking young children to drag queen shows? -- That's a parent's choice. I won't be taking my kids to one. And I'm generally disapproving of shows that occur in traditionally adult environments. But it's not my job to raise other kids.
Hunter Biden laptop story been censored and removed from social media? -- As a general rule, I don't think stories should be censored from social media.
Ashli Babbitt killing -- I don't think this is a political issue. It's unfortunate she died, but when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
Brett Kavanaugh confirmation to supreme court -- I think the supreme court confirmation process has become far too political in general. I think presidents in office should be able to nominate judges for the entirety of their terms and that all judges with reasonable records and mainstream legal opinions should be confirmed regardless of their ideologies.
Protesters outside homes of SCOTUS justices -- I'm for peaceful assembly. I am 100 percent against violence.
Current gas prices -- They suck.
Kyle Rittenhouse -- I don't think this is a political issue either. I think he was acting in self-defense, but I don't think he should have been in Kinosha that night. He brought that situation on himself, and a situation that had no need to end up deadly did. I do wish at this point he'd go away. It's crazy to me that the guy has become a celebrity and a right-wing hero for killing two people.