Dear Hillary and Barack,
Please keep up the bickering.
Gratefully yours,
Republicans everywhere
The Gallup Poll: Giuliani Has Uniquely Broad Based Political Appeal Net Favorable Ratings for Potential 2008 Candidates
(percentage favorable minus percentage unfavorable)
Feb. 9-11, 2007
Net
Favorable
Among
Own Party
Net
Favorable
Among
Independents
Net
(
Read more... )
Hillary is far too polarizing. I don't really trust her either. She's too much in favor of an imposing nanny-state. We'd be trading in one overbearing idealogy for another. No thanks. (though I'm proud to say that I voted for her husband in 96)
Gulianni seems to be alright. Social liberal, fiscal conservative. I can get behind that. I might not vote for him if the Dems give me someone I like, but I would certainly support him if he does a good job.
I used to like McCain. I really did, but now, it just seems like he's venturing out into woo-woo land.
Gore. /sigh
He was THE cantidate for me. Man I wish he'd run again. I wouldn't think twice to vote for him. I still believe that he had the potential to become one of the greatest presidents this country would ever had. I remember his nomination acceptance speech, talking about using our economic clout to stop slave and child labor conditions in developing countries, it was amazing. I don't think that w even knows those people exist.
Reply
Wow I think that's twice we agreed in one day! That's what I like to hear. For the record, I still like McCain, but I just don't know that he could overcome the backlash against Republicans there will be in 08. I still hate Giuliani's stance on abortion and am not too fond of his gun control ideas, either (although he favors letting states decide for themselves, which is a step in the right direction). But I can't argue with his toughness on crime, reduction of government (something BOTH sides should like to see nowadays), and tax cuts.
Gore...I...I...let's just leave it at where we agreed twice in one day. ;o)
Reply
Reply
Reply
And, for those 9 months, while she gains the weight and has to deal with the pain and the morning sickness and everything else; the guy has exactly what negative effects? Considering he was the one who probably pressured her into it, its such a double standard.
I believe that if we allowed teens better access to sex ed, and fostered a culture where sex wasn't this evil taboo, our hypothetical girl could go to her parents, say "I made a mistake" and the whole thing could be handled long before the that fertilized clump of cells could even begin to form even the most rudimentary semblance of a nervous system.
Reply
I'll agree with you that the adoption system needs work and that the father should have much more responsibility: financial, legal obligation to help the mother during pregnancy and after (if wanted), etc.
At the end of the day (again, unless we're talking about rape, which accounts for far less than 5% of abortions), those effects are negative, but it was her choice. As a society, to allow someone to end a life to avoid consequences of their own actions is morally reprehensible.
Reply
I apply that logic to the other end of the life spectrum as well. If you have brainwaves, you're a person. No brainwaves? Just meat. If my mind stops thinking, don't keep my body around like some twisted undead puppet, pull my plug.
In the end of the day, I think that we have to approach this issue, like others, with as much rationality as possible. We can't let one group's idealogies or religion hold sway over other people. And, as someone who supports smaller government, I believe that these descisions should be put into the hands of the individual families and medical professionals involved, not politicians.
Reply
Although this is an issue that my religious views do weigh in on this issue, it's not only that. Scientifically, when is it a human life? When it's an organism that is distinct from (not necessarily independent of) its parents. How can it be anything other than its own human life at conception? It doesn't suddenly become human once it has a neuron or two or four or brainwaves.
I don't believe politicians should be making these decisions, I believe our society must come to the decision that to end the life of an unborn baby is not permissible, just as ending the life of a newborn baby is not permissible. If it's a human life, I believe we must protect it because human life is valuable. You may call that a religious ideology, but I believe it can also be a secular, ethical, moral argument as well.
Reply
Not that I'm particular injured by abortion, but adoption can be just as bad. Take my friend Randy. Randy got his girlfriend in high school pregnant. She didn't want the kid, he did. She decided not to abort it, carried it to term, and decided to give it up for adoption. Randy did not like this idea, and offered to take the kid and raise her. No dice, he didn't get any say in the matter, the girl was carted off to a foster family, and Randy won't get to see her until she's 18. The family was nice enough to keep in touch with him, and sends him photos periodically, which I think is the only thing that keeps him going sometimes. But given those circumstances there are some things seriously fucked up with that system that in my eyes makes it just as odd a choice as abortion.
That said I'm a pragmatic pro-choice. People are gonna do it anyway, may as well let em have access to it in a clean and fairly safe environment. As for the process itself I don't have too much of an issue with, but I couldn't for the life of me explain why.
Reply
Reply
Except for the bit about Gore. Not to say I don't like Gore. I do. I just can't honestly claim to have been a Gore supporter back when it actually mattered. I picked him over The Other Guy, but mostly because The Other Guy sucks and not because I thought Gore was the bees knees.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment