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Main Points on the Political Continuum

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PublicEye.org - The Website of Political Research Associates

both left and right have an interesting history. Lately(in the last 15 years or so) the Religious Right has really worked hard to bring social issues to the forefront.
Warning: This cite is from a Progressive Think Tank--ignore if you aren't interested in that point of view.
 
So are these the polar opposites?

On the left end of the continuum is a large federal gov't that trumps state's rights, that spends a lot of money, that is pro-union that collects a lot of tax from citizens.

On the right end is a smaller gov't that doesn't mettle with states, that has a balanced budget, that fosters entrepreneurship and doesn't collect a lot in taxes.

If so, I lean right.

:)
I do not think it is all this black and white and, as I previously said, there are many other "points" many could make that would be applicable. The majority of Americans are pretty much middle of the road although they may have very passionate feelings on a specific issue. I also have a feeling that most who post on SoWal are pretty centrist when it comes to what we desire from our governments. But, again, that is just my opinion. It is an interesting thread you have started, Geo.
 
The extremes are no government and total government control over our lives. Most people lie close to the center.
The religious right tends to want small government except on a few specific issues such as abortion. The left tends to want government to control people's lives except a few specific issues such as abortion.

Our problem as a nation is that too many of us allow our feelings on a few specific issues such as abortion to detirmine who we vote for while ignoring all of the good and bad that candidates represent.

I am anti abortion but I believe the subject is a state issue, I am in favor of overturning roe v wade but I do not want a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion. Each individual state should detirmine what its citizens want. I believe the best government is to allow an issue to be handled as close as possible to the people.
 
Roe v Wade!

Not quite sure what you mean by this...hard to decipher with just these words...

however, if you mean this is the reason the right has moved social issues to the forefront, I don't think this is the reason at all. ( If that is not what you meant, then perhaps you'll respond with more detail). IMO Roe v Wade is just the issue that generates the most attention.. and causes a distraction for what they really want: to be sure their interpretation of the Divine is interjected into government...that they are doing "God's will"... and the country should be doing that too.

A woman's right to choose does not in their minds fit with their interpretation of "God's will", and so they are naturally against it, but it has been, and is, conveniently used by the right wing strategists to divide the citizenry. Used by a lot of people who in their private lives, don't even believe what they are pushing.

Most people have very strong opinions about it, but the evidence shows that the majority of the citizens feel a woman should have a right to choose. The right element uses this, though, to their advantage because both sides feel so strongly about it; and while that debate is taking all the air out of the room, they slowly but surely work towards their main objectives.

Geo, like Andy, I think this is an interesting thread. I believe if more of us really looked at the issues and the history behind some of them--instead of reacting to some "news" pundit's interpretation of the history and evidence, it would make for a much more deliberate selection of our representatives...and our government would function better.

But, until the people decide to educate themselves and take some responsibility for our part of the "We, the People", we are stuck with the result of whomever has the loudest voices...on all sides; so today we see the Tea Party garnering some power, not because they are a majority by any means, but because they are talking the loudest...and other, more thoughtful people, are going about their day to day lives, thinking no one is paying any attention to those people over there who are yelling about birth certificates and death panels...

As I have said before, IMO, we ignore this at our peril.

Thanks for starting the thread. I hope we can continue to discuss the issues w/out being uncivil to one another. If so, we probably all can learn something we didn't know.
 
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Planned Parenthood, NOW and others also use the abortion issue to raise money and devide the citizenry. No side has a monopoly on bluster.
Polls also show that the clear majority disapproves of late-term and partial birth abortions and approve of a parent's right to know and approve of their child's decisions on this issue. Like many issues the middle ground is not attractive to either side because reason does not raise money or elect candidates.

While the right has death panels and birthers the left has global warming and 9/11 truthers. What the country needs is solutions which is not very sexy but is critical to our future.
 
Not quite sure what you mean by this...hard to decipher with just these words...

however, if you mean this is the reason the right has moved social issues to the forefront, I don't think this is the reason at all. ( If that is not what you meant, then perhaps you'll respond with more detail). IMO Roe v Wade is just the issue that generates the most attention.. and causes a distraction for what they really want: to be sure their interpretation of the Divine is interjected into government...that they are doing "God's will"... and the country should be doing that too.

I was shortening it a bit, but yes, this is what I meant. The social conservative movement started organizing after Roe. A number of political action groups which today are quite influential in the republican party got their start in response to the Roe ruling.
 
Regarding the Left and Right schism: In term of the good looking ( I know it is superficial) the exreme Left wingers are both pretty and smart, i.e George Clooney..while the extreme Right wingers tend to be pretty and not very smart, i.e, Sarah Palin. I am just saying. Plus, they are both Oscar material, IMHO.
 
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