20 Political Points Meme
Posted August 7th, 2004 @ 12:15am by Erik J. Barzeski
I missed this yesterday, but I thought I'd take a stab at it now as people have been asking me how I really feel about certain things.
1. I have never voted for a Democrat in my life.
True. I haven't ever really voted for any local elections, having only voted for representatives, senators, and the President. In those cases, I've voted Republican or another party, but not Democrat. Bear in mind we're talking about four votes.
2. I think my taxes are too high.
For what I get out of it, yep. Maybe. In other words, I pay taxes yet use very few (almost none) of the services it provides: welfare, education, etc. I went to high school and I'm a self-employed white male in my mid-20s. I fully believe that the better-off members of society should support the lesser-well-off members, and whatnot, but I don't always think that my tax dollars are spent in the most efficient fashion. If we truly had a streamlined tax system, I might find myself paying much less per year. How much of my tax dollar goes towards overcoming the burden of red tape and bureaucracy?
3. I supported Bill Clinton's impeachment.
I don't think he should have lied under oath, but I think the whole exercise was a lovely waste of my tax dollars, to further answer question number two.
4. I voted for President Bush in 2000.
No, I voted for myself (absentee ballot in Pennsylvania).
5. I am a gun owner.
You bet.
6. I support school voucher programs.
I think that we could spend a great deal more money on our public education system, but when that fails, I support providing our children with an opportunity to get the schooling they deserve. My mother is a teacher, my future wife is a teacher, and some of my best friends are teachers. They're undecided as well. As with tax dollars, I think that the spending we do on education could become more efficient.
7. I oppose condom distribution in public schools.
I believe that parents need to educate their children, provide the moral base, and so on. Try this on for size: Republicans want lower taxes. This makes sense when you consider that they also want less government programs. If there is no national- or state-level sex ed program (or free condoms), then I don't have to pay for the supplies and staffing of that program, and I save $14.16 (or whatever) per year on taxes. Parents should educate their children. Teachers can cover reading, writing, and arithmetics, but parents should cover religion and moral issues.
8. I oppose bilingual education.
I support English as the national language, though that doesn't answer the question. I think that teachers should teach kids in their own language if they must, but that efforts to teach them English quickly should be a high priority.
9. I oppose gay marriage.
I don't know. The religious aspect - whether such a union is right in the eyes of whatever God applies - is not something into which I think the government should abide. I think that if a gay couple were to get married, and were to follow the same legal steps as a mixed couple, then they should be able to. It's a fact that 10% of our population is gay - why should they be less eligible for spousal health care coverage, for example? However, no special privileges - should be provided. Divorcing gay couples with children (a whole separate question) should be forced to undergo the same alimony and custody (and divorce) proceedings as a mixed couple.
10. I want Social Security privatized.
If I have any hope of ever seeing a dime of Social Security, I believe that it should be privatized. SS is the political third rail, and the fright it puts into politicians has resulted in years - decades - of neglect. It's a doomed system in its current form.
11. I believe racial profiling at airports is common sense.
I do. A woman with two kids going to Orlando (Disney World) is not likely to hijack a plane. To randomly select passengers for inspection instead of using some sort of profiling method is to ignore common sense, history, and statistics. Terrorists in the US are not grandmothers or women with two children in two.
12. I shop at Wal-Mart.
I prefer Target, but I'll go into Wal-Mart sometimes. Rarely.
13. I enjoy talk radio.
I never listen to the radio, and when I do it's commercials, errr, "a music station."
14. I am annoyed when news editors substitute the phrase "undocumented person" for "illegal alien."
Political Correctness drives me nuts.
15. I do not believe the phrase "a chink in the armor" is offensive.
Dictionary.com says that a chink is "A narrow opening, such as a crack or fissure," so the phrasing seems fine to me.
16. I eat meat.
And lots of it.
17. I believe O.J. Simpson was guilty.
I do, and my reasons have nothing to do with race. A bloody Bronco? Leading a multi-hour slow-speed highway pursuit. Kato Kaelin? C'mon…
18. I cheered when I learned that Saddam Hussein had been captured.
I didn't cheer, but I was glad. Capturing Osama bin Laden would be nice, too.
19. I cry when I hear "Proud to be an American" (God Bless the USA) by Lee Greenwood.
No. It got worn out in crappy talent shows during the Persian Gulf War when I was in school.
20. I don't believe the New York Times.
I don't read the New York Times, so how would I know?
Donate Life
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 12:57pm #
Some random thoughts:
8. I oppose bilingual education.
Which is not the same as teaching children more than one language in school. They should be forced to learn all their subjects in English. If their English needs work, then help them with it, but the basic education should be in English. Want to teach the kids French, Spanish, etc? Go for it, but the rest of the course should be in English. I am bilingual, so I know firsthand the advantages of being able to communicate in different languages, but I believe the main education should be in the official language of the country.
14. I am annoyed when news editors substitute the phrase "undocumented person" for "illegal alien."
Funny thing is that at least in Puerto Rico, the INS (in the Commonwealth of PR all federal agencies publish press releases and rules, paperwork, etc. in both English and Spanish) they have called illegal aliens "indocumentados" (literally means "don't have papers") for many many years, way before the PC craze started.
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 1:20pm #
I was surprised that you didn't vote for Bush last time, since you have been advertising your intent to do so this time. Do you not trust yourself as a candidate? (har har). Seriously though, what made you change your vote this time around?
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 1:42pm #
20 Political Points Meme
Regardless of Clint defining Meme for me I'm still not sure why it's being used. Seems there are a plethora of other suitable terms but someone just wants to feel smart.
1. I have never voted for a Democrat in my life.
One time I voted for a Rep...
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 2:07pm #
That is a valid yet closed minded view. Your taxes go towards national defense, public safety and the national infrastructure. All vitally important to our way of life; your tax dollars also insure the rivers and lakes you both kayak and fish on are reasonably safe (pollution wise). Your tax dollars also ensure your food is safe to consume. In the end your taxes dollars do work for you in many unseen ways… and yes you could even throw Regannomics theory in…
Do I enjoy paying for welfare? No Do I enjoy paying for Medicare? No. Imagine what down town Tampa would be like with out such public assistance programs. I know that sound like a wacky liberal, but every "self made man" has had help along the way.
Thats a no for local, state and federal condom distribution… would you be for it if some outside group paid for the condoms?
Personally I think the issues are closely related to needle exchange programs… should it be done? No… but it does decreases the spread of disease.
We do need a national standard as to what our language is. Bilingual fails the non-English-speaking students… bilingual education is the modern argument of separate yet equal. Inherently bilingual education is separate and unequal. It harms both the student and society.
Social Security is a joke… federalize and a joke privatized. How could such a system work? The system needs fixed and the solution isn't to privatize it. Privatization is the cure all of all our problems… look at Halliburton in Iraq… can you honestly say Halliburton has saved the government money?
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 2:29pm #
Samual, don't tell me that I'm "closed minded" when you clearly fail to quote (or read?) the entirety of what I said. I said that I believe in supporting others and that I simply think my tax dollars could be spent more efficiently. That is all.
Needle exchange isn't a parental issue. Sex ed in public schools is. The two cannot be compared on the basis for which I denied condom distribution in schools: that it's a parent's responsibility to educate their children in such areas.
What the fuck does Halliburton have to do with Social Security? C'mon man, post all you want, but don't misquote me or use really, really lame tactics like comparing Social Security to Iraq or condom distribution to needle exchange.
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 2:43pm #
Erik, thank you for posting this response, it makes me feel better to hear comments like these than just statements that you're going to vote for Bush. Don't take it the wrong way, I just like to hear intelligent responses. (That doesn't mean that mine will always will be 😉 )
I have to place myself somewhere between you and Pedro on issue 8 (bilingual education). I think every student should learn atleast one additional language - and I don't mean 4 years of high school spanish or french, I mean really learning the language and using it - and bilingual education can help in this area as there are other students natively speaking the other languages. Obviously, if a student's native language is one other than English, they should be taught English (here in the U.S.) as their new primary language, but having math classes taught in their native language would help them better understand mathematics at the appropriate level until they have English under their belt well enough to switch over entirely. In no way would I ever want such a student to lose their native language or stop using it, but our country does primarily function on English.
I'm also glad you, by logic, atleast, support Gay marriage. I guess here in Vermont we're known for being really liberal, especially on this subject (being the first state to offer civil unions to same-sex couples is not something we try to hide, either) and most of us are pretty unaccustomed to this even being an issue.
I agree that religion and morals are something to be taught at home, but we often do need government programs to help families in poverty, with drug problems, mental illness, or other issues which they might need help with in order to provide a more stable base for their family so that they can better teach religion and morals to the younger generations. (Was that a run-on sentence, or what!)
Yes, our taxes are completely unoptimized and Social Security needed saving long ago... the deficit created while Bush has been in office makes it much more difficult to solve these problems.
Eh, that's enough out of me for now.
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 3:56pm #
Erik, that’s exactly what I thought you wrote. You don't mind paying what you do if the red tape and bureaucracy wasn't so thick allowing that previously bureaucracy tied money spent in some well-meaning way. Am I wrong? My bad for not stating that in the first place. My comments where not direct at your per say but towards the group think some people have surrounding taxes using that logic.
The I don't like this don't use this don't want this, is the flawed and narrow-minded view of taxes. I was highlighting you similar statement (similar to your usage of your comments) as a springboard into the hidden benefits that taxes have (which you didn't venture into). I feel the same way you do… I would rather keep my tax dollars… but taxes are a necessary evil for the greater good.
I was just ASKING if you would support condom distribution in schools if no government entity or monies went into funding or supporting such a program. CONDOM distribution is DIFFERENT than sex-ed. A condom distribution program could be a simple as having a jar of condoms on the desk of your high school counselor.
I personally support some for of sex-ed in schools as part of basic biology. I however oppose all condom distribution, and not on the grounds of parental rights. Just like needle exchange programs… they do have "social benefits"… but I also oppose needle exchange programs… the two ARE similar… I oppose needle exchange programs on the same grounds I oppose condom distribution.
That’s why I brought up needle exchange programs.
Halliburton not directly related to social security, for that you correct… you also get a star.
Halliburton does play a key role in the privation debate. Halliburton provides many of the military services that where deemed privatizedable. Which was a HUGELY unsuccessful based on its actions in Iraq. To that my point was that privation isn't always a gold mine. Sometimes you find pyrite, like in the case of Halliburton. I don't want to risk my retirement fools gold.
Social security is a huge mess and no one wants to touch it for good reason. The system was doomed to fail from the start, and any changes to the system privation or not will likely follow suit as they tend to center around quick fixes. You need a long-term solution. Clearly, to me, privation isn't the way as it has to many pitfalls along the way.
I did read what you wrote… all of it… and I didn't misquote you. Copy & Paste never lies. I choose to highlight statements to expand the debate and pose questions.
I do have one more question to add to the list.
Do you support the Cuban Embargo?
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 4:50pm #
20 Political Points Meme
Found this on nslog. Since I am bored and my stomach hurts, let's give it a go. Let's also note that these are my very blunt opinions. That is why they are in the extended entry. If you are interested...
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 6:27pm #
7. No. I totally agree with it. I agree with Samual that condom distribution and needle exchange are similar programs. Furthermore, I completly agree with both. To cop out and say "but parents should cover religion and moral issues" is ridiculous. Some parents do, some parents don't. Some of those that do, don't cover them "properly." In my opinion, the majority of children in school could do for either a lesson in sex-ed (since their parents didn't bother) or a refreshers course (since their parents didn't do a good job). To pretend that teaching abstience only (like Bush promotes) works or not providing children with the means to be safe when they do have sex is just being stupid.
From that page you link:
But they do. I did. The vast majority of kids in my high school did. You cannot ignore the fact that kids have sex. Just like you cannot ignore the fact that people do drugs with unclean needles. Sure, neither are good things, both are things that society could pass on, but it happens.
Harm Reduction. People do unsafe things. We can't pretend they don't. We shouldn't turn a blind eye to it. We (society/government/friends/parents) should help make it safer. We can't stop people from having sex, just like we can't stop people from using unclean needles (or doing drugs in general, but thats another argument).
I agree that (again, from that page you linked), "If parents want their kids to have condoms, they [the parents] can provide them." However, many kids go and have sex without telling their parents (*gasp*). Many parents don't know their kids are having sex (*gasp*). Many parents want their kids to use condoms, but are too embarrassed to provide them.
Distribute condoms. Provide a needle exchange (and providing safe environments for people to use drugs [or just fucking legalize them]). To not do so is hurting society and being completly ignorant of the facts.
Posted 07 Aug 2004 at 10:11pm #
If you're going to cite me, Charles, at least cite me fairly. I wrote, "Don't give me that 'but they'll do it anyway' crap. If we teach them right, they won't." I'm not suggesting that we ignore the fact that kids are having sex. I'm suggesting that we teach them not to. Your "it happens" attitude is dismissive of our responsibility to the next generation. It's an abdication.
Of course, I should expect nothing more from somebody who suggests that we should legalize drugs. I guess a sense of moral responsibility isn't high on your list, huh?
Posted 08 Aug 2004 at 1:40am #
I sincerely apologize. I did take your statement out of context without realizing it. I totally missed "If we teach them right, they won't." Sorry.
I suppose then,what do you propose is "teach them right" ? If we've been teaching them wrong for so many years, why aren't we doing it right? If its so easy to "teach them right" (or is it?), why aren't we?
As for your rebuttal (which isn't much of one), ... yeah. It is an abdication. I don't think you can stop people from having sex. You can teach them not to and preach the wonders of abstinence all you want, but I don't believe it works today. Maybe 50 years ago, but not anymore. I think that the idea of telling people (kids, in this case) to NOT do something that feels *really* good, and is *really* easy to go do it is a ridiculous idea. You can't people from doing it.
And yes, surprise surprise, I extend this argument to drugs. You can't stop them. The United States government has been trying for 30 some years now to wage a War on Drugs. What are the results? Marijuana & cocaine availability are at the same levels as the 1970s. Marijuana & cocaine use is at the level as well.
So, while I'm not especially sorry if my position of "giving up" or abdicating a post of stauch "moral responsibility" upsets you, I really should expect nothing less than somebody who really believes that "teach them not to" works. It didn't. It doesn't. It won't. We need to accept it and work with the times rather than against them.
Posted 08 Aug 2004 at 9:37am #
My problem with this argument is it's not in the government's or the people's best interests to run in an efficient manner. I'll agree that one well paid worker will get more done than five workers paid government wages, but then we'd have four more people unemployed. The government does overpay for goods and services, but that money goes back into the economy.
My problem with Bush's fiscal policies, is the massive deficit he's produced. Do you honestly think that he's using our tax dollars in an efficient manner? It's going to take several presidental terms to dig ourselves out. While Kerry wouldn't have been my first choice for a democratic candidate, his plan does have a theme of fiscal responsibility.
Posted 08 Aug 2004 at 11:13am #
Hmm. My hackles go up whenever I see someone supporting in-school sex education, as Charles did.
I think that the argument that schools should take over social education aspect x because parents do an inadequate job of teaching x is ultimately fundamentally flawed. I think that x being taught by public institution ultimately makes it easy for uncomfortable parents to say, "Well--I don't need to teach them x--they learn it in school." In other words, I think Charles has the cause and effect backwards.
But then, I oppose public education in general on the similar grounds.
Posted 09 Aug 2004 at 3:37pm #
Teaching children about how to protect themselves from diseases (and possibly providing the means to do so, eg. condoms) is a public health issue similar to vaccinating them to prevent the spread of measles or polio. (With any luck, now that Nigeria is cooperating with vaccination efforts once more, polio may have gone the way of smallpox within a year or two.)
Posted 09 Aug 2004 at 7:23pm #
You sound remarkably like a libertarian to me, mang. Join us!
Posted 26 Jan 2006 at 6:39am #
I agree with you for your two points condom distribution in public school & oppose gay marriage.