It's November 4th, two days before the president of our country will be decided. I know, you're probably done with these political blog posts from pundits and every time one of those ads comes on you contemplate smashing that lovely plasma TV. I know. But we're almost done! At this point I think we're all feeling a bit like Abigael .
In my ROGATE class, we've started a unit on civics wherein we are discussing politics. If you know anything about me, you know that I have lots of opinions about lots, which means that the closest I come to a fistfight is a verbal smack down about social issues. You have no idea how happy that makes my parents.
As a refresher, here is a simple breakdown of left and right government:
Left Government Right Government
(Liberal, Democrats) (Conservative, Republicans)
-support “big government” -little government involvement
-support employees -support employers
-value equality over freedom -value freedom over equality
-social progress -social preservation
All of the stances on things like foreign policy, fiscal issues, and social issues stem from the above traits of each party. For instance, since Democrats value equality, they support same-sex marriage, whereas most Republicans oppose it. Frankly, I don't see why we even argue over this since it's a basic civil right, but apparently it's still debate material. Because Republicans believe in little government involvement they oppose things such as welfare and Obamacare, which Democrats support.
The main issues that I find most compelling are the economy, same-sex marriage, and contraception. My own opinion on the economy is that no amount of tax cuts or programs will help us to get out of this. I think that at this point taxes need to stay where they are or be raised for some people, in accordance with their income.
When it comes to same-sex marriage, my view is very simple: I support it. It deeply frustrates me that we're at a point where this is even an issue. I truly believe in equality and the fact that some people don't have that is, to me, repulsive. The only argument I have ever heard about this from politicians is that it "goes against [their] religion". This isn't even a valid argument because religion should not be the basis of your decision on something that will affect millions of people in our nation. You cannot classify America as one religion. We are a democracy not a theocracy. And what matters even more is that you are denying people marriage, something that is extremely personal and should be between the people getting married. "Love is a human experience, not a political statement."
The final issue that I feel very passionate about is abortion. The reason being is that I actually knew a girl who became pregnant because of a rape. She was a teenager, very young and her body could not sustain a fetus. She had an abortion and because of this was able to keep on with a fairly normal life and avoided any problematic pregnancy which could have lead to maternal death. It frustrates me that the government is even involved with something like this because the woman should be able to decide for herself-what is best for her. Men, please stop commenting on this issue. It makes me want to put your heads through a wall. Remember: "no uterus, no opinion". I hear religion getting tossed around in this issue a lot too, and I think it's another example of why the separation of church and state is so beneficial and essential to making unbiased decisions.
Conclusion: I politically identify myself as a Democrat, surprise, surprise. Also remember that it's great to express your opinions and beliefs, but separating friends and politics is a good rule to live by.
Happy election year, guys! Try not to lose your minds with the political propaganda.
The main issues that I find most compelling are the economy, same-sex marriage, and contraception. My own opinion on the economy is that no amount of tax cuts or programs will help us to get out of this. I think that at this point taxes need to stay where they are or be raised for some people, in accordance with their income.
When it comes to same-sex marriage, my view is very simple: I support it. It deeply frustrates me that we're at a point where this is even an issue. I truly believe in equality and the fact that some people don't have that is, to me, repulsive. The only argument I have ever heard about this from politicians is that it "goes against [their] religion". This isn't even a valid argument because religion should not be the basis of your decision on something that will affect millions of people in our nation. You cannot classify America as one religion. We are a democracy not a theocracy. And what matters even more is that you are denying people marriage, something that is extremely personal and should be between the people getting married. "Love is a human experience, not a political statement."
The final issue that I feel very passionate about is abortion. The reason being is that I actually knew a girl who became pregnant because of a rape. She was a teenager, very young and her body could not sustain a fetus. She had an abortion and because of this was able to keep on with a fairly normal life and avoided any problematic pregnancy which could have lead to maternal death. It frustrates me that the government is even involved with something like this because the woman should be able to decide for herself-what is best for her. Men, please stop commenting on this issue. It makes me want to put your heads through a wall. Remember: "no uterus, no opinion". I hear religion getting tossed around in this issue a lot too, and I think it's another example of why the separation of church and state is so beneficial and essential to making unbiased decisions.
Conclusion: I politically identify myself as a Democrat, surprise, surprise. Also remember that it's great to express your opinions and beliefs, but separating friends and politics is a good rule to live by.
Happy election year, guys! Try not to lose your minds with the political propaganda.
