I've Been Accused of being Liberal. Okay I'm laying my cards on the table
You know who you are. Ante up. Let's see who the real "conservatives" are.
Issues:
Gun Control: See 2nd Amendment.
*Gay marriage/abortion: See 10th Amendment; and For limiting Gay marriage, perhaps see 14th amendment.
*Church and STate: See founding fathers--keep them separated.
*Taxes: When High, tax cuts are good, when low, keep them low. Tax subsidies to large corporations has to go. No more corporate welfare.
*Foreign Policy: Get out of Iraq--it's too expensive, and it's a guerrilla war. Let the Iraqis handle their business. I certainly don't support Pax Americana
*Education: Abolish Federal intervention; some funding is good, but abolish oversite.
Trade: I'm for free trade
Welfare: I think some social welfare is good and necessary; we need a social safety net, but not a hammock.
*Campaign Finance--Here I might be considered a bit liberal. Corporations and lobbyists are way too powerful; reign them in somehow.
Death Penalty--I think death is far too merciful a fate.
Social Security--I was actually for the Bush plan--making it more privatized would net a better return for workers' money.
*Energy--I might be construed as a liberal on this issue; nobody can sit here and tell me this country can't invest in some Manhattan project to get this country off the dependency of fossil fuels. It would have miraculous effects vis a vis middle east policy and making this country more entrepreneurial.
*Environment--I don't agree with the extremists, but I believe in common sense government protection of this nation's natural resources.
*Immigration--No more laws limiting immigration. Enforce the ones on the books. Building a fence won't help and would be a big waste of money.
*Civil Liberties--Sorry, giving carte blanche powers vis a vis the Patriot Act violates my true, conservative Lockean sensibilities. Giving an executive branch of government the power to snoop with no oversight is asking for trouble. I don't care if it's in the name of terrorism.
The (*) next to the issue is where I differ from the Republican Party. Notice on many issues it's where HE, and his party as strayed from real (tm) conservative values. There should be no "Child Left Behind," and inviting more government into religion just invites government where it shouldn't be--in people's bedrooms and churches. There should be no federal definition of marriage; it's a state issue.
The one time which I do think massive federal intervention was necessary his administration fell woefully short was Katrina. The only government which was able to respond adequetely was the feds. Things only got better when Bush finally, FINALLY sent in federal troops.
Ante up.
Anybody think I'm a liberal now?
Before I make my views known, I would like to quote Rush Limbaugh, who presented his tv viewers with the "PERFECT" answer to all of the contemporary stances you, and others before you raised in advocating your positions on these subjects, many many moons ago........so here we go:
I am better than you!!......I think deeper, I am more concerned, and I care more than you!!......I AM WEARING A RIBBON!!
These ribbons I'm wearing represent all of the issues we as Americans hold dear!....they're also an indication of our commitment to solving them! Wearing these ribbons illustrate my deep heartfelt sympathy to all those who suffer any discrimination in any way shape or form about the topics they represent!!.....Do you wear a ribbon???.....If you don't, then you are not as good as I am!!....That's why I am better than you, I am more concerned than you, and I care more than you!!.....I AM WEARING A RIBBON!!....this ribbon represents my superiority against those people who do not understand the IMPORTANCE of these issues!! LMAO!
OK......now that I got this off my chest, and proved BEYOND A SHADOW OF DOUBT MY COMMITMENT to all these issues....I want you to forgive me if I don't respect the order in which you posted them.....so let me talk about Immigration....
In the town I live in Southwest Kansas, there are many Mexicans who work at the local meat plant......well a few months ago the Immigration officers RAIDED the facilities, and lo, they found out that 75% of the workforce WERE ILLEGAL ALLIENS!!......Of course it was a huge news in town, but we knew that most of them were illegals, and was asking the officers what will happen to them?....
And then REALITY HIT them like a ton of bricks!......if they take these people back, the plants will have to close down, CAUSE NO AMERICAN WORKER WANTS TO WORK IN THESE PLANTS!......to make the story short....the INS had to back down, and let these people work (which they do to this day)
And here is the BIG QUESTION which Americans have to come to terms with....how can a free society EXIST, if they themselves aren't willing to do the work necessary to its survival??.....OK.... they want these workers to leave??.....are they ready to stop eating meat???....same goes with the produce industry! Today not EVERY JOB is high tech!!.....there are plenty of jobs from the OLD INDUSTRY which are IRREPLACABLE!!....and you know what?....there aren't workers to do these jobs!.....it's hard reality, but we have to re-evaluate our stance on certain subjects BEFORE WE UNILATERALLY DECLARE our preferences without understanding the ramifications our actions create!
I am a republican.....never voted democrat since I started voting, and I consider myself a Reagan republican.....but I just presented reality as is.......and tomorrow more illegal Mexicans will apply for jobs at the meat plants here.......and they will get hired, cause there isn't ANYBODY who will replace them!.......and more and more Americans want them out of the country, as they keep coming!!.......yet after work, all those Americans will go to eat at the local restaurants the meat and produce these ILLEGALS worked on!...... guess what the topic of the day is at the dinner table??
And pretty much the same goes with our commitment to our survival, regarding National Security......can we afford to lose the war, and then face the bombings here on our streets??.....we're certainly will be heading that way, if we chose to abandon Iarq!
I rest my case......