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Since so many of these threads are adversarial, I thought I'd post a thread about what I think liberals are right about and what conservatives are right about:
Liberals are right about:
1. Gay rights and gay marriage. I'm gay. I didn't choose it. I should be able to marry a person of my choice just as a hetersexual would. Period!!!One exception is that I do think heterosexual couples should be given preference in matters of adoption. All other things being equal, I think it's better for a kid to have a mom & a dad than 2 moms or 2 dads. As an alternative, if we want marriage to be something that isn't sponsored by the state at all, I could live with that (although that seems highly unlikely to happen).
2. Environmentalism...to a degree. We DO need to kick our addiction to foreign oil and fossil fuels. And driving giant SUVs and living in McMansions in far flung suburbs is ridiculous, unnecessary, impractical, and stressful in most instances.
Conservatives are right about:
1. The importance of marriage, especially when children are involved. Having kids out of wedlock is a horrible idea for both parents and children. That's true from an emotional as well as a financial standpoint. The evidence is pretty overwhelming in favor of children being reared in married two parent families.
2. Taxes , big government, & regulation. For the most part, they have it right about this. Most of the time, politicians don't spend money according to what is economically best for all. They do what interest groups with the most clout want and/or what is emotionally appealing to voters. 99% of the time, what is emotionally appealing or of interest to a small group is not in the best interest of the economy at large. Government bureaucracies tend to be lazier and more unaccountable than an enterprise that can go out of business (which is why the Detroit & bank bailouts were such a horrible idea).
Regulation drives up costs for small businesses, which are the businesses that create the most jobs and drive innovation in the long run. Conservatives tend to understand this more than liberals do. Lots of regulation has the effect keeping small businesses from competing with larger ones, which protects the big corporations that liberals love to hate.
the problem with labels is even those under the same umbrella don't always have the same stance or can be contrary to thier chosen party and may only agree on some aspects which cause them to choose conservative or liberal. that's why it can still be misleading and people can choose based on even one pertinent area of personal interest.
mysticaltyger, I am sorry but I just do not understand what it is that gays and lesbians will get out of marriage unless it is the legal and tax benefits that married heterosexual couples were given years ago by the I.R.S. and other governmental agencies.
My understanding of human sociology/anthropology is that marriage is found in most religions for the purposes that you stated: to provide for the children in their emotional, social, economic and health development. Later, tax advantages were added by certain governments since at that time, most women did not work outside the home.
Marriage also makes it harder for one parent to up and leave on a whim: there are financial and social penalties to be paid although the social ones are diminishing.
So, what is it that gays want? The tax advantage? (As DINKS -double income, no kids- most gay couples have tons of disposable income; do they need more?)
The legal right to say "We're married!"? That novelty may well wear off after one generation.
There are economic liberals and conservatives, and there are social liberals and conservatives. More and more, they are splitting, and more and more people are on on the liberal side on one, and the conservative side on the other. People call themselves liberals or conservatives, and then mix up the two concepts, and turn out to be, on many issues, the opposite of what they call themselves.
Liberals are right about:
1) Environmentalism-I don't understand why this is such an all or nothing issue. It's either "all the icecaps will be gone by next week" or "burning fossil fuels is in the bible." I lean just to the left on this one.
2) Defense Spending-It has pretty much been the chief form of corporate welfare for the past 50 years. We always have to have the newest, shiniest toys. Meanwhile, we're getting our asses handed to us by dudes who roll 20 deep in 80's Datsun pickups.
3) Health Care-If we can afford it, why not? Insurance companies have been screwing people for a while. I'm for a basic health maintenance package with emergency catastrophic coverage as a public option.
Conservatives are right about:
1) Abortion-I'm not saying women shouldn't have a choice but I think abortions should be discouraged unless there is a risk to mother or child.
2) Taxes-I think lower taxes are better for business. I understand that this may look weird when I said I prefer a liberal approach to Health Care but I just think some of the billions we spend on defense can be shifted to Health Care.
3) Gun Control-In a perfect world only lresponsible, law abiding citizens would have guns but unfortunately that's not the case.
Both are WRONG about:
1) The War on Drugs-The biggest waste of money and human life in this country's history. Legalize and take away the profit and you take away the motivation and the crime related to the drug trade. Tax it and put the money into prevention and treatment programs. Or at least decriminalize it.
how can you be gay and really think that it's better to have a mom and dad versus a 2 daddies??? that's the stupidest thing i've ever heard be proud of who u are and having a mom and dad is no better than.. who cares what the genetalia is??? its about who's the loving supporting family!
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