I believe George W. Bush and Dick Cheney represent this group.
Al Gore, Tom Daschle and Dick Gephard are about as far left wing as I've seen on the national stage. In the case of Al Gore, he couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it. In the end, his political life did depend on it, and he still couldn't be straight with the American people. The made up story about his mother-in-laws prescription drugs, was the final nail in his coffin for many.
However, even among this group there are strong disagreements. A few examples would be guns, education, taxes, and environmental regulations.
People disagree, it's a healthy, reasonable, expected and understandable thing to see in a Democratic Republic. Labelling people, as the media love to do, is typically used as a weapon in order to marginalize opponents.
Not to point a finger at you in particular, but being religious (and especially being a fundamental christian) doesn't make you a far right wing radical nut-case, although "big media" has been drumming that into our heads for well over a decade now.
Many fundamental christians simply believe abortion is wrong, and the fetus is a living being that should be protected. Many others are a bit unsure of the decision in first few weeks or months, and would like to see it left up to the states to decide. Allowing the state to decide based on its constituents make-up, seems reasonable to me. But, to those on the left, this would probably be "radical". (Overturning Roe-v-Wade and all).
In regard to guns, you seem like a reasonably intelligent person, but I believe your position on guns is extremely far left. Radically so if you want to know the truth. Getting rid of all guns is not only foolish, but dangerous. This country is the free-is nation on earth, due in some part to gun ownership throughout its history. Stripping law abiding citizens of the right to bear arms, could lead us eventually toward some kind of dictatorship, or worse.
Witnessing Waaco, Ruby Ridge and the siege on the Gonzales home has only crystallize my belief that we need to constantly keep a vigil on our law enforcement officials. The lust to use power (however well intentioned), continues to this day.
Additionally, property rights are being systematically stripped away in many parts of the country, and our liberties are being set aside in the belief the "government knows best". Frankly, I don't buy it. Government can be a force of wonderful good, but it can also be a force of destructive evil against the very principles of the constitution, if left in the wrong hands.
Education in many parts of the country has been in a crisis situation for years. If someones child spends 12 years in a school system, 4-7 hours a day and they can't read their diploma. Something is grossly wrong with the system, no matter how lousy a home-life they have. The least the school system should be held accountable for is teaching children how to read. For goodness sake, it's not that hard! Both my children were reading by the time they were 6. Unless a mental handicap exists, the school system must be held accountable for failing to teach our children how to read. Given this reality, why on earth people are opposed to limited vouchers of the variety George W. has brought forth, stupefies me. Talk about building a chasm. We have built a huge chasm already. Poor children go to lousy schools, the middle class go to reasonable ones (for the most part), because of local levies and parental involvement, and the upper class send their kids to wonderful private schools. Why not allow some children, who are forced to attend failing schools go to a private one?
How the system changes when this external threat is imposed on it, has already been demonstrated in many areas of the country. Florida being the most recent example.
If I had my way, The President, every Congressperson, every school administrator, every principal and maybe even every teacher would be forced to send their kids to the local public schools (unless they obtained a waiver). You want to see an "urgency to change" the system? Try that one out for 10 years and then we'll re-measure our nations literacy rate.
Taxes- Taxes are WAY too high in this country. The tax day keeps getting longer and longer, and far too many people don't fully understand the larger implications of this burden. Our society would be better off if we had one parent home helping to raise the children, watching the neighborhood, and providing the daily guidance kids need. Unfortunately, too often, parents have to make a financial decision to afford only one parent working. That decision is related to our historically high (non wartime) taxation rate.
Environmental Regulations- I've never met an American who didn't want a clean and healthy environment. So, that's not the issue. The issue is at what cost. Anyone who believes we can't safely build nuclear power plants, or safely mine the Alaska wilderness for oil is simply wrong. We can. We're smart enough to accomplish these things as a nation, and end this ridiculous high rate of dependency on foreign sources of energy. To believe otherwise, and live in this constant fear of the earth dying is nonsense.
That's enough for now....
No doubt we have some disagreements. :)
Michael |
