This is my damn journal so fuck the cuts.
I asked the same question in my deadjournal about the election there and got a reply to it. I decided that I would post the exchange in here for a few reasons. It is long I know, and right about now politics is the last thing you want to read about, for that I am sorry, but this is what I decided to devote my life to two years ago.
Anyway, how many times do I actually make posts that are about something more important than what band has a new cd out.
Exs and Ohs,
Amber
The comment left
Do you support Kerry or do you just not support either of them?
I'll write a couple of reasons, but I don't want to write out a big, rambling thing.
I support Bush partly because he is a Christian, yes.
But since he is a Christian (and so am I) he has the same stance as I do on several issues. Gay marriage: I am opposed to it. Abortion: I am opposed to it.
Tax cuts: I support them. "But Bush is only giving tax cuts to the rich!!" It's primarily the rich, but not only so. My parents got money back from the government, and we're a lower-middle-class family. But the reason the tax cut went to the rich was to help the economy. Rich people buy a huge portion of what is being sold here, and if they have no money in their back pockets, they can't help.
Bush is (obviously) a republican. Even that label lets me know I will agree with him on more things. But I have checked a bit into what both candidates think, and beyond the label - I still agree with him more. Republicans are for smaller government, and more general freedom to the public. Democrats are generally back-seat drivers and want to make sure no one can do anything to offend anyone else. Not saying all of them are like that, but most people my age who are democrats are really, really utopian about their outlook on life. And they all think Republicans/conservatives want to destroy the environment and bla bla bla...like we on the right side live in a bubble. I know that if the evironment was to be depleted and destroyed, it wouldn't just effect liberals. On the issue of drilling in Alaska: It's probably a good idea to not endulge on Alaskan oil, but it's not entirely bad for the environment up there. There are species of animals that have been attracked to the heat generated by the oil drills, and they've reproduced much more than they did before.
Damnit, I said I wasn't going to ramble.
Eep.
I'd like for you to respond to me, cause I want to know what you think. I'm sure there are some fallacies in my reasoning, so please talk to me about em!!
I just left out a bunch of crap I was going to mention because ADD got the best of me. >_<
My response
I did vote for John Kerry in the elections. I actually worked on his campaign volunteering my time at his Naples, Fla headquarters. I will be the first to say that I'm very liberal (which if you have studied politics is a rare thing in the Cuban-American community). With that said I guess since you did want me to comment back I will address each topic you have brought up.
[1] The Separation of Church and State
I personally do not feel that religion should be used in politics. It is the base of all morals, this is something that even Plato has brought up. But while religion is what makes our morals it should still be separated from the state. It is simply setting a way of life people may not want to live with. If I had to go to a school where I had to say a prayer in the morning I would not be the happiest person on the block. If I had my rights as a woman to choose taken away or not be given rights because I live a life style I cannot help but be against the religious right (and Zel Miller) that brought this upon me. When our government the separation of church and state was put in place for a reason. Our founders came here for their religion freedom and by having religion be the reason for major amendments and overturns would be taking away these rights. One example has to be the faith based drug programs Bush supports over rehabilitation centers. One of the missions most of these programs is to convert people of other religions to the word of god.
I just do not think that religion or any sort has a place in our government.
[2] Abortion and Gay Rights
While I do not think that abortion should ever be used as a type of birth control there are times when it is needed. I feel that if conception was thanks to rape or incest, or if the life of the mother is at stake, a woman should be able to use her rights. By taking away abortion I also feel that it is actually taking back the woman's right movement by decades. In the end it is better to have this process done in a clinic and have it legal than going back to the way it was before with back-alley abortions in which most woman who had them, would die of the. There was a reason that Roe vs. Wade was passed and it should stay that way.
As far as gay rights go, I much rather have one gay marriage that lasts then a hundred straight ones that end in divorce. And it isn't even that much that the homosexual population is asking for, they would simply be happy with a civil union that would give them the same rights as a married couple. I ask you to imagine for a moment that you were gay and your life partner has fallen deathly ill. You would not be able to see them because currently you are not family, you could not be able to make any decisions concerning them because once again you are not family. If they have a child you would not be able to adopt him / her as yours as well. You would not get the health care benefits or tax cuts that married couples do. All thanks to the fact that your love is "wrong".
[3] Oil Drilling.
The drilling in Alaska is far off but there is so much life there that just think of what would happened if there was an oil spill? No wait, we did in the 1980's with an spill in the waters. The ecosystem there is still suffering. But for me, I take a more local look. I has been brought up numerous amounts of time to start off shore drilling from Florida's gulf coast. Once again this area has a vast ecosystem that with the most minor mistake can kill off so much more than just a few animals. Many who live on the coast, just like in Alaska, rely on fishing for means of making money. If just a few species would dwindle in population it would effect all that life in the waters, and with such a drop so does the local economy. Also, Florida's economy is mostly based on tourism and would you honestly want to visit a place where on the horizon of the beach are oil drills?
[4] Economy
Any person with half a brain knows that with a slow economy tax cuts will help out. The richest two percent are the ones who get the money while the rest only gets pennies. Yeah it seems like a good idea but in the long run the help from this is only sort lived since these people are after all only two percent. If you want the economy to get moving you tax that two percent more heavily and offer tax relief to the middle class. But this is not the only problem, there was also the Estate Tax, or 'Death Tax',(to put it in simple words, you pay taxes when you inherit land) a tax that Bush said caused the middle American farmer to sell their land when it came time to pay it. Most people thought is was great when overturned but those who are rich also got the same. Funny thing is that never since the tax was instated has a person had to sell their property to pay these taxes. Also these taxes, if you were to research, are only are a concern if your property is worth a certain about and it's those small percent of the upper class that it effects. In reality there are many tax cuts for those who are not in the upper class who are effect when it does come to the 'Death Tax' that protects these people from ever paying this tax.
And do not for get tax shelter. The president and vice president have both been players in this with companies they have worked for and/or owned. Simply put, so that they do not have to play taxes on money they will locate a headquarters of there business on a Caribbean island so that they can 'shelter' millions of dollars they would have had to pay in taxes. Once again, more money that could have been used to help our economy.
It's also doesn't help giving these cuts to the top two percent, well unless you are Bush. By giving these people these tax cuts it's an easy way of them having money returned to his campaign.
Anyway, how many times do I actually make posts that are about something more important than what band has a new cd out.
Exs and Ohs,
Amber
The comment left
Do you support Kerry or do you just not support either of them?
I'll write a couple of reasons, but I don't want to write out a big, rambling thing.
I support Bush partly because he is a Christian, yes.
But since he is a Christian (and so am I) he has the same stance as I do on several issues. Gay marriage: I am opposed to it. Abortion: I am opposed to it.
Tax cuts: I support them. "But Bush is only giving tax cuts to the rich!!" It's primarily the rich, but not only so. My parents got money back from the government, and we're a lower-middle-class family. But the reason the tax cut went to the rich was to help the economy. Rich people buy a huge portion of what is being sold here, and if they have no money in their back pockets, they can't help.
Bush is (obviously) a republican. Even that label lets me know I will agree with him on more things. But I have checked a bit into what both candidates think, and beyond the label - I still agree with him more. Republicans are for smaller government, and more general freedom to the public. Democrats are generally back-seat drivers and want to make sure no one can do anything to offend anyone else. Not saying all of them are like that, but most people my age who are democrats are really, really utopian about their outlook on life. And they all think Republicans/conservatives want to destroy the environment and bla bla bla...like we on the right side live in a bubble. I know that if the evironment was to be depleted and destroyed, it wouldn't just effect liberals. On the issue of drilling in Alaska: It's probably a good idea to not endulge on Alaskan oil, but it's not entirely bad for the environment up there. There are species of animals that have been attracked to the heat generated by the oil drills, and they've reproduced much more than they did before.
Damnit, I said I wasn't going to ramble.
Eep.
I'd like for you to respond to me, cause I want to know what you think. I'm sure there are some fallacies in my reasoning, so please talk to me about em!!
I just left out a bunch of crap I was going to mention because ADD got the best of me. >_<
My response
I did vote for John Kerry in the elections. I actually worked on his campaign volunteering my time at his Naples, Fla headquarters. I will be the first to say that I'm very liberal (which if you have studied politics is a rare thing in the Cuban-American community). With that said I guess since you did want me to comment back I will address each topic you have brought up.
[1] The Separation of Church and State
I personally do not feel that religion should be used in politics. It is the base of all morals, this is something that even Plato has brought up. But while religion is what makes our morals it should still be separated from the state. It is simply setting a way of life people may not want to live with. If I had to go to a school where I had to say a prayer in the morning I would not be the happiest person on the block. If I had my rights as a woman to choose taken away or not be given rights because I live a life style I cannot help but be against the religious right (and Zel Miller) that brought this upon me. When our government the separation of church and state was put in place for a reason. Our founders came here for their religion freedom and by having religion be the reason for major amendments and overturns would be taking away these rights. One example has to be the faith based drug programs Bush supports over rehabilitation centers. One of the missions most of these programs is to convert people of other religions to the word of god.
I just do not think that religion or any sort has a place in our government.
[2] Abortion and Gay Rights
While I do not think that abortion should ever be used as a type of birth control there are times when it is needed. I feel that if conception was thanks to rape or incest, or if the life of the mother is at stake, a woman should be able to use her rights. By taking away abortion I also feel that it is actually taking back the woman's right movement by decades. In the end it is better to have this process done in a clinic and have it legal than going back to the way it was before with back-alley abortions in which most woman who had them, would die of the. There was a reason that Roe vs. Wade was passed and it should stay that way.
As far as gay rights go, I much rather have one gay marriage that lasts then a hundred straight ones that end in divorce. And it isn't even that much that the homosexual population is asking for, they would simply be happy with a civil union that would give them the same rights as a married couple. I ask you to imagine for a moment that you were gay and your life partner has fallen deathly ill. You would not be able to see them because currently you are not family, you could not be able to make any decisions concerning them because once again you are not family. If they have a child you would not be able to adopt him / her as yours as well. You would not get the health care benefits or tax cuts that married couples do. All thanks to the fact that your love is "wrong".
[3] Oil Drilling.
The drilling in Alaska is far off but there is so much life there that just think of what would happened if there was an oil spill? No wait, we did in the 1980's with an spill in the waters. The ecosystem there is still suffering. But for me, I take a more local look. I has been brought up numerous amounts of time to start off shore drilling from Florida's gulf coast. Once again this area has a vast ecosystem that with the most minor mistake can kill off so much more than just a few animals. Many who live on the coast, just like in Alaska, rely on fishing for means of making money. If just a few species would dwindle in population it would effect all that life in the waters, and with such a drop so does the local economy. Also, Florida's economy is mostly based on tourism and would you honestly want to visit a place where on the horizon of the beach are oil drills?
[4] Economy
Any person with half a brain knows that with a slow economy tax cuts will help out. The richest two percent are the ones who get the money while the rest only gets pennies. Yeah it seems like a good idea but in the long run the help from this is only sort lived since these people are after all only two percent. If you want the economy to get moving you tax that two percent more heavily and offer tax relief to the middle class. But this is not the only problem, there was also the Estate Tax, or 'Death Tax',(to put it in simple words, you pay taxes when you inherit land) a tax that Bush said caused the middle American farmer to sell their land when it came time to pay it. Most people thought is was great when overturned but those who are rich also got the same. Funny thing is that never since the tax was instated has a person had to sell their property to pay these taxes. Also these taxes, if you were to research, are only are a concern if your property is worth a certain about and it's those small percent of the upper class that it effects. In reality there are many tax cuts for those who are not in the upper class who are effect when it does come to the 'Death Tax' that protects these people from ever paying this tax.
And do not for get tax shelter. The president and vice president have both been players in this with companies they have worked for and/or owned. Simply put, so that they do not have to play taxes on money they will locate a headquarters of there business on a Caribbean island so that they can 'shelter' millions of dollars they would have had to pay in taxes. Once again, more money that could have been used to help our economy.
It's also doesn't help giving these cuts to the top two percent, well unless you are Bush. By giving these people these tax cuts it's an easy way of them having money returned to his campaign.