Unique, Individual Political Views - You are not your party. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Scipio · 06-04-2004, 12:05 PM

Everyone has heard one party or the other described as a "big tent." We all know what that means. In this thread, I would like to have some discussion about how we go against the ideology or party that we identify with.

Hopefully, we can leave partisanship at the door, and simply talk about how we define our individual beliefs, without judging them. In other words, a good response might be "Why do you think that?" and not "Ah ha! This shows that your party is defective, and that you belong in my party!"

=========

Myself? I'm a center-left Democrat, but...

I'm definitely more pro-gun than my party is. I think people who want guns should be allowed to have them, but I think law abiding people shouldn't be opposed to a bit of red tape if it means criminals can't get them.

I think race-based affirmative action is fundamentally problematic. That said, I favor economic-based affirmative action. One of the great injustices in the country is that children from poor families, though born equal, are raised in a way that makes them less likely to be successful.

This is somewhat partisan, but I think that Bush is smarter than a lot of my friends think, and I think he does try to do the right thing.

A lot of the views we have are based on ideology and social perspective, and not on facts. Some GOP policies, particuarly non-political, non-polarized policies, are better than the ones the Democrats advocate. I think tradable pollution credits are a good idea. I think school vouchers might work in some places, to give a couple of examples.

And last, my libertarian streak tells me that whatever I think on social issues, it really isn't the government's job to control that aspect of our lives. I think both parties waste time on issues like abortion, same sex marriage, and others when they should be talking about boring things like budgets and actually governing the country.

I suppose that's all I have for now. I know everyone here goes against the grain a bit. I'd like to hear how.

Scipio

Yakk · 06-04-2004, 12:27 PM

I'm not an American, and I'm not a loyal member of any political party in Canada.

For a label, call me a Market Socialist Libertarian.

I believe government should be optimized to increase the common good. I also believe that markets are one of the best ways of doing this, but they aren't the be all and end all.

I respect property rights as a useful fiction, and for their emotional "natural law" factor.

I believe that most politicians in North America aren't scumbags. I think they are doing a basically impossible job, and many of them will fail at it in various ways. If you truely want power or wealth, being a politician is a poor way to get it.

I think the point system called "money" should not be viewed as holy. Some things, like education and health care, should not be determined by how well you play the money game.

Socially, I don't like government regulated morality.

Structurally, a fragmented government (ie, regional power centres) is useful because it allows for experimentation before deploying a solution at the national level.

Political science wise, I'm in favour of government reform. Possibly even regular government reform, to prevent parties from becoming optimized for a particular government layout. I want a government system that tends towards minority governments, instead of majority ones.

I believe government should occilate between different perspectives, if only to make sure which one is better. It allows each party to clean out the crud left by the old party.

06-04-2004, 12:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Scipio Mencken Location: College	Unique, Individual Political Views - You are not your party. Everyone has heard one party or the other described as a "big tent." We all know what that means. In this thread, I would like to have some discussion about how we go against the ideology or party that we identify with. Hopefully, we can leave partisanship at the door, and simply talk about how we define our individual beliefs, without judging them. In other words, a good response might be "Why do you think that?" and not "Ah ha! This shows that your party is defective, and that you belong in my party!" ========= Myself? I'm a center-left Democrat, but... I'm definitely more pro-gun than my party is. I think people who want guns should be allowed to have them, but I think law abiding people shouldn't be opposed to a bit of red tape if it means criminals can't get them. I think race-based affirmative action is fundamentally problematic. That said, I favor economic-based affirmative action. One of the great injustices in the country is that children from poor families, though born equal, are raised in a way that makes them less likely to be successful. This is somewhat partisan, but I think that Bush is smarter than a lot of my friends think, and I think he does try to do the right thing. A lot of the views we have are based on ideology and social perspective, and not on facts. Some GOP policies, particuarly non-political, non-polarized policies, are better than the ones the Democrats advocate. I think tradable pollution credits are a good idea. I think school vouchers might work in some places, to give a couple of examples. And last, my libertarian streak tells me that whatever I think on social issues, it really isn't the government's job to control that aspect of our lives. I think both parties waste time on issues like abortion, same sex marriage, and others when they should be talking about boring things like budgets and actually governing the country. I suppose that's all I have for now. I know everyone here goes against the grain a bit. I'd like to hear how. Scipio __________________ "Erections lasting more than 4 hours, though rare, require immediate medical attention."

06-04-2004, 12:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Yakk Wehret Den Anfängen! Location: Ontario, Canada	I'm not an American, and I'm not a loyal member of any political party in Canada. For a label, call me a Market Socialist Libertarian. I believe government should be optimized to increase the common good. I also believe that markets are one of the best ways of doing this, but they aren't the be all and end all. I respect property rights as a useful fiction, and for their emotional "natural law" factor. I believe that most politicians in North America aren't scumbags. I think they are doing a basically impossible job, and many of them will fail at it in various ways. If you truely want power or wealth, being a politician is a poor way to get it. I think the point system called "money" should not be viewed as holy. Some things, like education and health care, should not be determined by how well you play the money game. Socially, I don't like government regulated morality. Structurally, a fragmented government (ie, regional power centres) is useful because it allows for experimentation before deploying a solution at the national level. Political science wise, I'm in favour of government reform. Possibly even regular government reform, to prevent parties from becoming optimized for a particular government layout. I want a government system that tends towards minority governments, instead of majority ones. I believe government should occilate between different perspectives, if only to make sure which one is better. It allows each party to clean out the crud left by the old party. __________________ Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.