Insidb on 19 January 2016
| Shadow1980 said: I'm an American male, and I'd be considered left-wing by most standards. I'm not necessarily a socialist, though. I like market economies and I believe that people should be able to own private property, though I wouldn't be averse to forms of "private socialism" (e.g., co-ops, worker-owned factories) becoming more common so long as those firms function in a market economy. I favor regulation of business, but as a rule of thumb I don't think outright nationalization is the right way to go when it comes the nearly every conceivable business (though I do think governments do provide certain services more efficiently than the private sector, e.g., infrastructure, police & military defense, prisons, and, yes, health insurance). Basically, I'm a mixed economy kind of guy. Socially I'm a libertarian. So long as you don't infringe on the rights of others or otherwise impose an undue burden on others or on society as whole, you should be able to do what you want. Want to smoke weed? Go right ahead. I may not necessarily approve of your choice to be a stoner, but I'm not going to demand the government subject you to punishment simply for possessing or using the stuff. Just make sure you don't drive under the influence and don't smoke it in public when other people are around, because driving while stoned or subjecting others to your smoke against their will imposes an undue burden on them and infringes on their rights. Same-sex marriage? Who am I to tell two consenting adults who they can or cannot marry? Even if someone is morally opposed to same-sex marriage, it's not their place to demand the government prohibit things. Being merely offensive is not sufficient grounds for something to be banned. It'd be like if a town consisting mostly of vegans decided to pass an ordinance banning all meat on moral grounds; it's not their place to tell others that they cannot eat hamburgers or chicken wings or whatever. |
Very well put: I think it's somewhat absurd that way that terms such as "liberal" and "conservative" are overused and assigned to their supposedly respective parties. My opinion may not be super popular, but I think that most Americans have the same desires and have gotten caught up in the polarization that has been fostered by the major parties. There's no reason why effective regulation, social welfare, fiscal conservatism, or individual liberty cannot all coexist. The appropriation of these ideals as "issues" by the parties has effectively driven a wedge between Americans and demanded that they choose a side, whilst both parties cater to same wealthy, minority anyway.
