Posted on 12/10/2004 9:37:54 AM PST by rogerv
Hi, gang,
I was a regular contributor to the Kerry Online Forum and am now a regular contributor to the Common Ground Common Sense forum. I am a liberal, but I'll be the first to admit, I don't have all the answers. In fact, many of hte questions that matter to me probably matter to you too. I'm concerned with questions about how to tame power, whether governmental or corporate. I'm concern with the rule of law and how we can get the powerful to take it seriously. I'm concerned with the erosion of civil liberties. And yes, I am concerned about some things you may associate with liberalism--social safety nets and taking care of those who fall through the institutional cracks.
I'm here because I think agreement is overrated and that critics can be your best friends: they keep you from getting sloppy or careless. At any rate, I think there are things I can learn from you. I don't expect you are all agreed on anything--I expect there is a lot of diversity of opinion here. If you are interested in what I have said over at Common Ground Common Sense, I'm using the same handle both places, and you should feel free to come over and look around.
Anyway, I'm new here. Anybody care to give me a tour?
Standing by
Forget the .22s, with all the new on-board computers, you need .308s.
You realize he's posted many times in this thread?
Sure - write on. At least we can have the debate on our side if the lefties don't stick around. I personally believe that taxes and regulation are more the problem than corporate power and, from a manufacturing standpoint anyhow, I'd use them to keep jobs here and provide disincentives for overseas moves unless they are for export only.
--Out of curiousity, what's your take on Democratic Underground? When I've lurked there I've noticed they don't invite much criticism.--
Right on! I have posted there with three different names, and was banned on the first day each time. Did I say anything bad about Democrats or Liberals? No. I simply asked a couple of questions that they did not like.
C major
E minor
Be fair he only posted about 20 minutes ago. I am sure there is a lot to absorb and suddenly think about. He may also realize snappy, poorly considered responses will spell his doom. Keep your guard up but give him a bit more time to step up.
Its the same with my girlfriend. The older she becomes, the more conservative she becomes. I love it! I still have much work to do though.
What's interesting is that he mentioned rule of law.
Libs don't believe in it.
As shown with their reactions and comments when faced with the recent election defeat they were handed.
*pondering*
Ok....Welcome.Hope you are comfortable here.You will learn much,grasshopper...:)
Those are chords. Or keys.
Good luck. Wade through the one liner attack posts and don't respond in kind. IFrom first glance I believe you will not. If you continue like that, you'll find a lot of thoughtful discourse and dialogue here.
That's the best way to have a sincere discussion. That way, you are not discussing an ideology, but getting down to real issues. Decisions get made when the discussion is about facts and not whether a solution is ideologically pure.
*****************
It was just a friendly "getting to know you" question. ;)
From lurking & posting on liberal forums in the past....they do not get even close to the amount of action we see here on FR. Many threads on DU take hours to get a reply....others take days. Give the new guy a break. It is hard to resond to 110 posts in 15 minutes!
Welcome, rogerv. Come with an open mind and an open heart. No boogeymen here.
I see that other posters have pointed you in a good direction. Get a copy of the founding documents - Declaration of Independence, Constitution and ammendments. Find out what is actually said as opposed to what people over the years have come to read into them. Memorize some of the most critical points. You will find that those documents are about DEFINING and LIMITING the POWERS OF GOVERNMENT and ensuring the rights of the people. Read about the Federalist debates of the early 19th century and the implications for our situation today. Fundamentally, our freedom comes from adherence to those founding documents, and the further we digress from them, the more we are in danger of losing those liberties.
Best...
For my part, if you are sincere, you are welcome here.
I would like to point out that there isn't much agreement on what it means to be a conservative or "right wing," as you may have noticed if you lurk here at all.
OTOH, being a leftist is fairly well defined.
But the word "liberal" means different things to different people. Usually though, regardless of personal belief in liberty, "liberals" vote left, which means they vote for those politicians who define themselves with philosophies derived from socialism. Socialism is inherently totalitarian, so, from my point of view, voting left, as liberals do, is voting to curb personal freedom.
That is, we get a lot of self-professed "progressives" who sign in, fling some verbal bombs, and run away, imagining that they have achieved something.
As long as you avoid doing that, you'll find this a good place for some thought-provoking discussion.
Real liberals, classical liberals, were right about a great many things.
I don't think that anymore. I have come to know that liberals are 100% wrong about everything.
The reason is that todays "liberals" are not the same as they used to be. In fact, they are different in almost every aspect. That's the reason.
Well, they can't have them! I actually like my children. I have two boys, eight years old and four years old. And they are terrific kids.
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