Liberals..how would you vote on the following issues?

Question

1.Gun Control
2. Taxes
3. Welfare System (homeless, children, elderly)
4. War on Terror
5. Foreign Trade
6. Immigration
I consider myself a Conservative basically due to the fact that I believe all Americans have the right to own firearms, the government takes too much of my money in taxes, welfare should be used to help people not give people a free ride, that we should hit terrorists whereever they are, trade should be American first, and Immigration should be overhauled and a put a stop to the migration of the Mexican workforce....but I am openminded enough to listen to a different point of view. Just wanted to know,first hand, what your beliefs are...thank you.

If you agree, you're Conservative, Jenny

Answer 1

First of all, I would like to say that I am a bleeding heart liberal, so here is what I would support

1. No on gun control. Gun regulation, yes. Gun control... no way. We need to have an emphasis on gun safety and the like, but there is no reason why we need to have gun control. Look at Canada; they all have guns up there, but they have far fewer gun crimes.

2. In order to have superior social services (i.e. great schools, infrastructure, etc) we as Americans need to be taxed. I understand that the phrase "taxes" have a stigma surrounding them. But I think what people forget to realize is that with an increase in taxes for certain projects, America will be benefiting. Universalized health care will help every American citizen, better schools will turn out smarter students who will then benefit the American economy/workforce, better roads will help out AMericans in the long run. In order to acheive all of these things, there needs to be an increase in taxes. I thin kit is imperative to do so, ESPECIALLY when it comes to education. When the American school systems are turning out uneducated kids, and the INdian governmetn is turning out computer programmers by the dozen, we have a serious problem in this computer age.

3Welfars System: Elderly- it is very difficult for many elderly people to work, since they are not as agile and limber, and because it is more difficult for an older person in general to learn new things. Have you ever tried to get your grandmother on the computer??? Not so easy is it. For homeless people, in my experience, the vast majority of homeless people are loonies and crazies who are veterens PTSD, so I think we REALLY need to do more to support our veterens who have suffered such a traumatic experience while serving this country. As for welfare for poor people, I think wee need to revamp the system, which also goes to revamping minimum wage, rent control statutes, etc. Its not that easy.

4. War on Terror: Obviously, in this age of a new, unseen enemy, the war on terror is incredibly important. However, the way in which Bush is going about it is ghastly. Iraq had NOTHING to do with Osama bin Laden. Saddam and bin Laden hated each other. Yet Bin Laden bombed the crap out of us, so where is he? We found Saddam in (LITERALLY) a hole in the ground in the middle of the f*ckin desert. So where is bin Laden? Why haven't we got him? I also think we need a coalition with the Europeans to safeguard against fundamentalist Muslims. Additionally, I thin kit is imperative that we hold talks with Iran and Syria over this whole Iraq crisis. The SUnnis and SHiites have been at war for 1300+ years... we can do nothing to stop them and we don't understand why they are fighting. Iran and Syria do. We need to get help out there.

5. Not sure what you mean when you say "trade should be American first"... but in my opinion, we need to start exporting a lot more stuff and halt so many importations. We are sucking our own system dry, because we import WAY too much stuff and cannot balance it out with what we export, because we don't have cheap exports. Our trade deficit is astronomical and I think it is imperative that we figure out a way to either export more than we import or better yet, follow the German method and be completely self-sufficient. We have enough Americans with enough talent to work in factories and elsewhere. We can ssubsist on our agriculture, etc. True, this would cost the American consumer more money, but for the long run of America, it would be highly beneficial, as it would facilitate the eradication of our trade deficit, and we would be able to subsist without the help of anyone.

6. Living in a border state, I realize that immigration is a problem. I am also dating a man who came to this country legally, and as a result, had to be separated from his parents for 4 years at the age of 6. I can assure you that he, as an immigrant, is disgusted by the way he had to suffer in order to come here, and yet there are thousands of illegal immigrants hopping the border a year. However, I am cognizant of the fact that we as Americans obtain a huge benefit from the Mexicans, etc who work in the fields, who clean our houses, etc. What I would do is have a two fold plan. 1. Declare amnesty for anyone who has been here AND WORKING for a certain number of years. 2. Creat tough and stringent laws on ANY employer who employs an illegal immigrant therafter. Not only does it hurt the average American worker, but, in my mind, it is a new form of slave labor to employ illegals, as they get paid under the table, below minimum wage, and can't really complain about it to anyone. They can work 12 hour days at $4 an hour, which looks pretty damn good if you just came from Mexico where you got a lot less, but come on. This is America, and you can't really subsist in America at such wages, but they do anyway because they have to.


I know that people would disagree with me on some of these ideas. FOr some people, I am too liberal, and for others, I am not liberal enough. However, I think that these are the mopst realistic ways of solving these problems. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Try visiting http://www.cato.org/ (http://www.cato.org/about/about.html) and see what you think. You might find a lot you agree with, and some things that challenge your beliefs a little. I think you'll at least find it interesting.

To answer your opinion (and I reject the label "liberal" because it has come to have a very twisted meaning):
1.Gun Control - somewhat limited/rational
2. Taxes - limited (with balanced budget and monetary reserves)
3. Welfare System (homeless, children, elderly) - limited, but should include some access to basic universal health care for all
4. War on Terror - limited (targeted use of violence, sanctions, diplomacy)
5. Foreign Trade - controlled to have a level playing field
6. Immigration - controlled, with enforced penalties for employers

Answer 3

1.Gun Control

No need to outlaw them, but according to the USSC, its not illegal to regulate them. Enforce existing laws, not create new ones.

2. Taxes
Taxes are a necessary evil. We have a 9 trillion dollar debt that wont pay itself off. We either bite the bullet now and pay for it, or we pay MORE for it later.

3. Welfare System (homeless, children, elderly)
Welfare is a minimal expense. 2 billion a year. Its insignificant.

Lets not confuse welfare with entitlement spending such as SSI and medicare.

4. War on Terror

I agree with Bush Sr that the war on terror must be fought clandestinely, attacking the root causes or risk enflaming the situation.

5. Foreign Trade
impement the same restrictions/tariffs foreign nations have on us.

6. Immigration

Hold employers accountable for hiring illegals. Thus giving illegals no reason to come or stay here. Enforcement has plummeted during Bush.

Answer 4

1. Gun control - no handguns. I don't care about anything else
2. Taxes - I am on more Conservative on this pme
3. Welfare - Limit the number of kids supported per welfare mother to 2, return mental health laws to those pre-Reagan to solve homeless problem, limit Medicaid to those who can demonstrate need
4.War on Terror - Need more diplomacy with Iran, let military run the war effort - Rumsfeld screwing our soldiers, Need to give internal defense more teeth
5. Reconsider NAFTA
6. Use the Bracero Program from WWII (legal documents for employed workers - they pay taxes like the rest of us and so do their employers), END the practice of sending SSN payments to foreign countries so that there is no outflow of American dollars.

Answer 5

I lean more towards libertarian lines.
1. Gun control - NO. Guns don't kill - people do.
2. Taxes - NO. Federal Income taxes are unconstitutional and oppressive. There are tons of other taxes already, such as property tax, gasoline tax, sales tax, tobacco tax, alcohol tax, capital gains tax, city tax, state tax, highway tax (tolls), aviation tax, airport tax, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, etc...
3. Welfare System - NO. It creates more dependency on the government, and dependency is like drug abuse - hard to wean off.
4. War on Terror - NO. Domestic security and border security is more important. War on terror is a waste of money and lives. Use international police force instead of military force. Terrorism is asymmetrical warfare - you cannot fight terrorists with soldiers (because terrorists are not soldiers) - they require specially trained police force to fight terrorists. Terrorists are trained cheaply and use cheap or make-shift weapons, and target more civilians than military structures - it is not effetive to use expensive military forces to wage war on terrorists. It is like swatting flies with a hammer.
5. Foreign Trade - YES. Free trade is good for the country, IF monetary policy and foreign policy is sound.
6. Immigration - NO. Stop illegal immigration, and remove entitlements for social security and automatic citizenship for babies born in US.

Answer 6

I agree with everything you just listed and I am a Democrat!

Answer 7

no
no
change eligibility requirements
defensive not offensive
yes
legal,yes