Bush: Thoughts?

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
What about Heath our country?Health care?


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I'm very much in agreement that our health care should come first.

But it costs relativly little to ship condoms/BC pills to these countries and teach them how to use them.

Would help with population and starvation.

Many argue that abstinence is the only thing that should be taught (to ourselves and other countries), and that just ain't gonna do anything.

PS: I was raised Catholic.

[Kopefire]

While it costs relatively little, very few of these countries are facing serious issues of starvation due to lack of food production --- but rather due to lack of delivery, war, disease etc.

The way this issue is debated in the first world concerns me for two big reasons:

1) racism . .. i can't help but wonder if there's not a little bit of "well we don't want any more of them dark skinned folks showing up on our shore" going on here.

2) woman's rights . . . since in many of these cultures women don't have much in the way of freedom of choice I'd be very concerned to see women being forced to use contraception when they don't want to. Frankly, until the problem of social and political equity for women is solved, birth control shouldn't be dumped en masse into these cultures.

[CCass]

I voted for Bush 4 years ago, and will be doing the same in November. For the record, I am a life-long Southern Democrat, who had never voted for a Republican until 4 years ago. To quote Zell Miller, "I didn't leave the Democratic party, the Democratic party left me".

1. - I favor stem cell research
2. - It would be a huge mess if we pull out anytime soon, so we have got to stay and finish the job. We didn't rebuild Japan or Germany in a year, Iraq is no different.
3. - I believe this is a state issue (our Constitution says it is also). My personal belief is that any person, gay or straight, should be allowed to designate (for legal and medical issues) their "life partner".
4. - Good thing, but not very high on my list of priorities
5. - Anyone (big business or otherwise) should be held accountable when they break the law. I generally think that our environmental laws have gone too far. We should be drilling for oil in the ANWAR, as an example.
6. - The fewer the taxes, the better. I was/am a proponent of Bush's tax cuts the last couple of years, but I don't like deficits. The government needs to spend less.
7. - Not required. The reason it has been such an issue this year, is that the Dems have made it one. Unfortunately for them, it seems to be backfiring on them.
8. - I consider myself to be a religious person (Christian). Of course my beliefs influence my politics, how could they not? All of my beliefs, religious or otherwise, influence my politics.

Chris

[OrangeHeat]

1) Stem cell research: Not sure need to research it.

2) Iraq war: Intelligence was bad, but so was the rest of the world's. Have to stay and finish it now.

3) Gay marriage: Against it.

4) Birth control for 3rd world countries: Very good thing.

5) The environment: We should enforce current laws and push for alternative fuels.

6) Taxes: Flat tax or national sales tax. I hate wealth redistribution through uncle sam's hands.

7) Military experience: Required to lead our country? No.

8) Religion: Are you religious? Yes - not organized. Do your beliefs influence your politics? Why wouldn't they?

Orange

[Wake up CALL]

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I only know two people: one of them's a Christian and one of them's a moron.

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I bet those two people would have the same response. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[vulturesrow]

1) For stem cell research. What I am against is the creation of human embryos for the purpose of stem cell harvesting.

2) We got into it for the right reasons given the available intel. The backside of the war has not gone as well as hoped but nonetheless progress is being made.


3)Against. I believe that allowing homosexual marriage is against the whole purpose of the institution of marriage.

4) Good thing, but a very tangential issue in my opinion.

5) We have too much. Some is necessary but we are way overboard.

6) Flat tax or national income tax is what we need.

7) Not required, but a plus in general.

8) I am not particularly religious in that I go to church every sunday etc. I do believe in a higher power and I do accept the teachings of the Catholic church. As to whether they influence my politics? Of course they do and frankly I dont think anyone can honestly say they have religious beliefs but they dont affect their political views.

[cjromero]

1. I am in favor of stem cell research, although I need to read more objective material about the realistic advantages of the research before I would be comfortable with the creation and harvesting of new embryos for the sole purpose of stem cell research.

2. I wasn't a huge fan of the war at the time, as I thought our efforts could have been better spent elsewhere, initially in Afghanistan and other Al Queda strongholds. I think Bush and his advisers relied upon the best possible intelligence at the time of not only the U.S. but of several European countries, including countries that opposed the war. It is now clear that the Pentagon bought into the wildly optimistic views of some at the expense of the more realistic predictions of others, and the postwar planning was atrocious. All of that having been said, I think the war will prove to be a smart move when judged by history. I think the pre-emption doctrine is a sound one in a post 9/11 world.

3. I am against gay marriage because I believe that the institution of marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not opposed to partners receiving benefits, etc. under the guise of civil unions.

4. Birth control for 3rd world countries is a good thing.

5. I am not well read enough on environmental issues to give a substantive answer to this question. I will say, though, that a proper balance between industrial development and the environment should be strived for, rather than entirely pro-industry or pro-environment. I think some claims of extreme environmentalists have actually hurt the credibility of more mainstream environmentalists.

6. A flat tax is the way to go.

7. Military experience is not required to lead the country, but I see it as a minor additional benefit. I could care less about any of the details of the military service or non-service of the two current candidates.

8. I am Catholic, but don't consider myself ardently religious. It doesn't color my politics all that much, as I am in favor of stem cell research and also in favor of abortion rights, albeit with significant restrictions.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Although I'm not voting for either Bush or Kerry, I'll answer.

1) No restrictions on privately funded stem cell research. Also no restriction on cloning.

2) For it. This is but one battle in the war of civilization against the return to the dark ages.

3) For it. Marriage is essentially a contract. The government has no right to restrict the right to contract based upon gender.

4) Not our business.

5) To the extent that damge can be proved, we should prosecute polluters, corporate or otherwise. However, since the federal government is the source of the most pollution, we should start there first.

6) I oppose all income taxes. One penny is too much. How much you earn is irrelevant.

7) Not really.

8) I'm not religious, but you can't expect those who are to not bee guided by their principles. All the Constitution says on the subject is "Congress shall make no law with respect to the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

[juanez]

1) Stem cell research: For it or against it? And why?
For stem cell research, against human cloning.

2) Iraq war: Your thoughts.
The US frees 25 million oppressed people and stops the tourture, rape rooms and mass graves, while at the same time making the rest of the earth a safer place - good move getting rid of Saddam. We'll see how it goes from here...

3) Gay marriage: For it or against it? And why?
Neutral. Who cares? I do balk at redefining words for political purposes, like "marriage", "sex" and "is".

4) Birth control for 3rd world countries: Good thing or bad thing?
Good thing for all countries. Much better than killing unborn infants.

5) The environment: To what extent should we be policing corporations for violations?
We should be enforcing existing laws. I was in the enviro. consulting business for 12 years. Don't think environmental cleanup companies are doing anything but trying to make a profit, like all other corporations. They too loby the gov't for lower exposure limits....so they get more work, not because they "care". This is why I got out of the business and started selling real estate.

6) Taxes: How much is too much? How much is too little? Who should pay the most? The least?
The less we give to the government, the less control they have over us. Everyone should pay there fair share. Nobody should be net tax receiver (aka: leach). A flat tax sounds like a good idea. Let's say 10% for example. If you make $100K your tax would be $10K. If you make $25K, your tax would be $2500. Seems fair to me.

7) Military experience: Required to lead our country?
Not at all.

8) Religion: Are you religious? Do your beliefs influence your politics?
Not really religious and I can give a rats ass what a politicians religion is - they just lie over and over again anyway.

[Cyrus]

Although I don't mind 'em shaved, either.


So here goes:

1) Stem cell research: For it, as long as it is supervised by the government and conducted according to a strict code of ethics. Note that the free market has no ethics, by definition, so this rules out having no rules (i.e. the free market) on stem cell research.

2) Iraq war: A folding hand if I ever saw one. Insisting that the hand is playable because "we had good intel" and "the outcome is not bad anyway because we removed Saddam", is like insisting that we played our Ace-Ten correctly because "we were sure the other guy had Seven-Deuce" (well, he didn't, dummy!) and that the outcome of the way we played was good anyway because "we got to suddenly make so many new friends at this table!"

3) Gay marriage: Indifferent socially, against it religiously. In the sense that if a religion doesn't condone gay marriage, society should not force that religion to change its ways!

4) Birth control for 3rd world countries: Good thing for all countries. The Pope be damned.

5) The environment: We should be policing corporations for violations as strictly as possible and to hell with "the need for innovative products" and such crap excuses. If, for example, our planet's lungs, the rainforest, can be saved but we don't get to have Flying Skis or Super-SUVs or whatever, so what?

6) Taxes:
How much is too much? Anything above 33% of one's income is too much an that includes corporations'.
How much is too little? Anything that ressembles the regressive VAT.
Who should pay the most? Those who have the most.
The least? You figure it out.

7) Military experience: Required to lead America? No. Of course not.

8) Religion:
Are you religious? No.
Do your beliefs influence your politics? Yes. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]



...Now, excuse me while I wipe off that bit of hairpie.