[Mooooooooooooooooooo]

I've been paying a bit of attention to politifake lately and I'm becoming more interested in the American political process. What I'm not sure of is which camp I'd be in if I was an American citizen.

I'd like a list of the most important topics that separate the parties so that I can decide how I stand on each topic and find out which party I'd be more likely to back.

For example, I'm against abortion and immigration but I'm not super fond of the recent wars.


Do the conservatives here agree with every policy adopted by their party? The liberals?





I'd really like to hear from WTFO on this, and anyone else willing to help me out.

[Bull]

http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/conserv ... l-beliefs/

[Mooooooooooooooooooo]

Thanks bull.

That was an interesting read and exactly the kind of information I was hoping for. If that website is accurate,I do agree with more of the conservative side. Small government, lower taxes, no long term welfare and strict immigration policies all appeal to me.

My only Big problem is how much religion seems to play a part in republican policies. I have to agree to a separation between church and state because I don't believe in the church.

I am curious to know how other people like me reconcile their morals when they agree with %90 of their party's platform but have strong beliefs against the other %10?


And what policy change would be a deal breaker for people?

[arnnatz]

I don't think you can break it down as a percentage of what you agree with and don't agree with. You will never find a party or individual candidate that you agree 100% with. You have to decide what's important to you, not what's important to the party. If there is an issue that is of the greatest importance to you and a candidate supports that issue, you weigh that heavier than something that is less important to you.

[Mooooooooooooooooooo]

I find that difficult Arnnatz. And that's probably why I stay out of political discussions in Canada. I don't think I could back a candidate that had even one stance that I was vehemently opposed to.

I'm willing to compromise on the smaller things but not on the big issues.

Are there any republican staple beliefs that you have trouble accepting?

[GrouchoMarxist]

Yes... Their insatiable need to compromise with liberals.

[Mooooooooooooooooooo]

Yes... Their insatiable need to compromise with liberals.

Politics....in fact, life is about compromise. You can't have a working system without compromise.

[arnnatz]

Are there any republican staple beliefs that you have trouble accepting?

First off, I'm not a republican, I'm a conservative. Bush was a republican and I had some issues with his governance (e.g. growing government).

On abortion: The republican party has a firm belief that abortion should be illegal in all instances. I believe there are instances where abortion should be considered. The main one that comes to mind is when the mother's life is at stake. It becomes kind of strange and I'm not sure what my beliefs are in that instance. Is the mother's life more important than the unborn or the other way around? I don't believe that life begins at conception, but sometime after it becomes a fetus - maybe when organs form or a brain begins transmitting. I'm not sure. But just because someone gets horny, doesn't mean that abortion is the solution to forgetting to take birth control.

On birth control being paid for by insurance. I have some issues with this, but there are instances where it should be paid for. If birth control is an effective means to treat a disease, it should be paid for by insurance. To satisfy a primal urge (being horny) it should be paid for by the individual. If insurance pays for it, I would be subsidizing it when I pay my insurance.

Refusal to cut the military budget. I work as a government contractor and have seen firsthand the waste in government as concerns the military. There are places that can be cut that would save millions, if not billions, of dollars without a negative effect on national security or military readiness. I don't think an across the board cut is the way to do it, but the GAO or military IG can find those savings by cutting inefficiencies and other waste. An example of the inefficiency is end of year spending. Each organization has a budget which has to be spent by the end of the year to justify the following year's budget. If there is leftover money, the following year's budget is reduced somewhat accordingly. So to prevent that, government agencies scramble to spend the last of their budget money on stuff that they don't necessarily need to perform their missions. This is done a couple of months prior to the end of the fiscal year.

[Mooooooooooooooooooo]

Are there any republican staple beliefs that you have trouble accepting?

First off, I'm not a republican, I'm a conservative. Bush was a republican and I had some issues with his governance.

I guess I don't fully understand the difference, hence this thread and the questions I've asked.

As to your other statements, I agree with all of them.

My reasons for being against abortion are not religious or political, in fact they're quite simple, I'm afraid that we may unnecessarily abort the next Einstein or ghandi. if it is a medical necessity I'm ok with it. I also firmly believe that the father should have equal rights when abortion is on the table. But that's an issue that neither of our countries has addressed.


I appreciate you taking the time to explain these things to me.

[arnnatz]

Are there any republican staple beliefs that you have trouble accepting?

First off, I'm not a republican, I'm a conservative. Bush was a republican and I had some issues with his governance.

I guess I don't fully understand the difference, hence this thread and the questions I've asked.

Republican and democrat are political parties. Liberalism and Conservatism are fiscal viewpoints. So, you can be a conservative democrat (blue dogs), or a liberal republican (george bush) Conservatives believe that the constitution dictates what the government can and cannot do and have a strict interpretation of it and it allows for economic growth by having the government stay out of our lives except where necessary and allowing the private sector do what the government can't - grow the economy.