Posted on 04/08/2008 7:02:06 AM PDT by njweave
Hi, I'm Nick and I am from Illinois. I'm writing on this page because I have been brought up to be very liberal on every issue dominating the upcoming presidential election. I feel like I kind of been brain washed into thinking this way and have this image of every right-winged supporter to be a redneck, gun crazy racist. Now I know that this is sure as hell not the truth, but the real truth for me is that I really do find it hard to agree with a lot of Republican ideals especially when dealing with illegal immigration and abortion. What I'm asking is for somebody to give me some things that you feel are very positive contributions the GOP makes for our govt. I hate the idea that I'm prejidice against right-winged ideals but I would like to have some direct input from somebody who is conservative and why they choose to be.
Or the other option is just to tear me apart for being a northern liberal...either one i guess is gonna happen haha
Nick
We are trying to understand you. Answer the questions at 115.
Not only that, but “replied back” is redundant.
Ahh, but homosexuals can get married. They have the exact same rules and restrictions as heterosexuals do in terms of obligations to that legal contract. In a marriage contract, one must marry someone of the opposite sex who is not a close relative and meets his or her State's age requirements. Those rules don't change no matter what a person's sexual orientation is. One may argue that this means that homosexuals cannot marry whom they love- but the requirement of marrying someone you love is no where in the legal contract for marriage. How many strait people do that? No, there are absolutely no differences in marriage laws for homosexuals and heterosexuals, they are bound by the same legal obligations for that contract.
Last piece of advice before I leave the thread: Speak less, listen more, and go read other threads. The more you say, the more I’m inclined to believe that you’re just having fun at our expense.
In the end, you are solely responsible for your own thoughts and beliefs. (Please note: I did not say "feelings" - that's a deeper and more delicate topic)
You have asked questions, which is the best place to start. You phrased the question in terms of why we believe in conservatism, although I think you are really asking why you should (or should not - depending on the outcome of your personal deliberations) believe in it. You asked the correct question, by the way. We cannot convince you to believe in conservatism, but we are well capable of giving you information on which to ponder and draw your own conclusions.
Ask as many questions as you feel necessary, but remember that the way you phrase a question can substantially alter the answers you get. Here on this site, it is quite usual to see calls for "zots" when a poster asks a question in an inflammatory manner. I don't see where you have done this to thid point, though, so I (at least) will continue to treat your questions with as much thoughtful consideration as I can.
One more nickel's worth of free advice, if I may: Respond to thoughtful posts in kind, and feel free to not respond to thoughtless ones! ;-P
In general, we don’t “feel” about issues, we think.
Sanctioning homosexual marriage would be condoning behavior that is destructive. God doesn’t state His rules for any arbitrary reasons. If you THINK about the reasons why these rules exist, you’ll see that humankind would be better off following them than ignoring them.
Women should be free to work or not, but there should be no social or government imposed economic penalties for choosing either. Excess taxation to support social programs (that in and of themselves are destructive) imposes an economic penalty on a family for choosing to have mom stay at home.
New Tag Line Alert!
In every forum on the Internet, you'll find your provocateurs who sign up just to start fights. Mod squads everywhere have taken on the mantle 'viking kitty' to fight those trouble-makers and try to keep the forums clean and productive. Most likely, the latest incarnation of the title (kitty is in a merciful mood) is to let people know they are leaving the thread alone because it isn't one that appears to be abusive.
BINGO! So what's it doing in the halls education? That's where the leftist want it. They have brought the murdering of the most innocent into schools.
I don't trust you. Enjoy your stay on FR while you're here. And that's the end of it.
Seriously, if you want a good dose of “why be a conservative”, read these books by the best thinker of our time, Thomas Sowell.
Here is an economic reason for this being a problem:
When an illegal immigrant comes here and "works two jobs", they are both breaking the law (working under the table or using false identities for tax purposes) and they are depressing the natural labor rates built into a capitalistic economy. Consider that the illegal is willing to take almost any job for significantly less than their legal counterparts (being legal immigrants or citizens). Because employers can now hire the same number of bodies for less (whether knowingly or not - that's a different topic, really), the rate which the employers are willing to pay is lowered.
The illegals also are willing to take jobs without health benefits. After all, there have been numerous studies that show that illegals avail themselves of "free" emergency care when necessary - despite the fact that they have no history of paying into the system that they are using (through insurance or medicare/medicaid). So, they get their health care (which is a substantially different thing from "health benefits") paid for by you and I - and anyone else who pays their taxes, health insurance premiums, and doctors' bills.
The point is that they have proven that they have no regard for our laws by entering the country illegally. I have no problem with people who want to come here for their chance at the American Dream. But they should respect our laws, get in line and apply like millions do every year. But most importantly, we need to control the border because if millions who simply want to work can sneak in undetected, then those who's goals are not so pure can also get in. Are you ready for suicide bombers in the malls, shops and schools here in America?
and my biggest question is if economically Canada and Mexico switched roles...do you think this would be such a big of deal?
Yes, for the second reason stated above. I don't care where they come from, as long as they come here legally.
I believe she has grieved along with the rest of us for the survivors of 9/11, those who had someone killed that day. Her invective is aimed at a particular group of 9/11 widows, those called the "Jersey Girls." They were lefty activists to start and used their victimhood as a platform to start bashing Bush. Their position, and the position of a lot of the media that covered them, is that they were unassailable because they were victims. In fact, there was even a columnist who used those words.
Words aside, it meant that they couldn't be contradicted, even disagreed with. While that might have some emotional appeal, that's not how our system works. In our system, we voice all viewpoints and let the people decide...so silence is agreement. While I understand the emotional appeal and sympathy these ladies create, my rational side recognizes that they're trying to pre-empt debate on a crucial national issue. Being a person committed to rationality, I act (and Ann Coulter has acted) in a way that I find emotionally trying but intellectually necessary.
If you interject yourself into a political debate, you're a participant and fair game for criticism and disagreement. It's reprehensible for them to expect anything else. I despise them for creating what was a no-win situation for everyone else.
There is an unspoken assumption that they have some special expertise because of their experience. Yet, many others who experienced the same losses still support Bush. So obviously there was no special insight awarded by the experience.
So...the media, who for the most part don't approve of Bush, portrayed her comments (a column and interviews, actually) as anti-widow.
It's something that we on the right are used to seeing. We've also been told that John Kerry couldn't be contradicted on defense issues because he's a "decorated veteran." So the media portrayed the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth as a mean-spirited organization bent on discrediting Kerry.
Ann Coulter, for her faults, is fearless. She believes (correctly, I'd say) that it's in the interests of truth and honest debate to face this BS head on.
If you stick around you'll see there's a lot of disagreement about Coulter...and that it's an unwritten but ironclad rule that every Coulter thread must include pictures.
njweave- the example that processing please hold gave you is a good example of the fundamental differences we have and it would be good for you to think beyond the specific example and to the fundamental issue this arises from. Who owns your life in this example, yourself or the government. The person being aborted (yes, the baby being aborted is a person by all scientific standards- unique DNA) is, in this example, being treated as property of the State. That life is being owned by another entity- akin to slavery. As for the girl, a minor, by law, isn't property of a parent, however, she is the responsibility of the parent. The government is usurping the parent's role and saying it knows better than the parent what happens to that child... Again, a fundamental difference of the system controlling the individual (liberalism) versus the individual free of the system (conservatism).
Ask yourself how they are able to stay in the country and hold the 'two jobs'. In order to hold a job, they must have a taxpayer ID- a social security card. Being illegal, they don't have that so they are, more likely than not, using someone else's identity, such as yours. How did they buy or rent if they are illegal? Using someone else's credit? Illegal immigration is far more of a crime than just sneaking across the border to work- if that was all it was I doubt there would be the uproar. When you hear on TV about identity thefts or foreclosed mortgages, then think about the fact there is, at the very smallest report 14 million people living in the country illegally- the correlation should become clear.
Thank you! That one always gets me ;~)
This guy sounds like he's quite young. I hope he is able to take away from here some information that will help him with his decisions
Homosexuals getting married is against the basic human moralities that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. I don’t care what they do behind closed doors, but it does affect my children and how they see things if they are allowed to see it as normal for men to be with men and women to be with women.
I have seen NOTHING in this thread saying that women shouldn’t be in the work force. I am a working mother, and have never been belittled for working to provide for my children.
I am trying to believe you are truly looking for enlightenment, but some of your questions seem to be loaded.
True...I neglected to mention that, didn't I?
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