Why are you a Democrat/Republican?

[Sofiyya 1,687]

I said nothing about hate. I'm not hurt, just enlightened.

BTW, if you were rational, I'd be part of that "we" and part of that "west", but it's clear to me that you see Muslims and Islam as not part of either, even if it's not clear to you.

What? We hate Muslims? Do you recall the lengths we went too as a country in making sure we didn't offend Muslims after 9/11? Personally I'm sick of it, go ahead and be butt hurt. I believe that the west has tried a lot harder to find common ground than Islam.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

What? We hate Muslims? Do you recall the lengths we went too as a country in making sure we didn't offend Muslims after 9/11? Personally I'm sick of it, go ahead and be butt hurt. I believe that the west has tried a lot harder to find common ground than Islam.

####### ? How did Muslims come up in this thread ? I must have missed something on here...

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I'm for the party that wants to eat everyone else.

I think that's the libertarian socialist party.

[Pooky 3,830]

I'm a registered Democrat ...

... last fall my state of Illinois sent a Republican, Mark Kirk, to fill Obama's old Senate seat. I didn't vote for him, I voted for the Democrat. But I've been pleased with what I've seen of Kirk so far, and if he keeps it up he'll earn my vote in 6 years for reelection.

If Senator Kirk has kept his campaign promises and not changed policies since he was elected, and you believe he would be worthy of your vote next time around, why didn't you vote for him in the last election?

Was it because he was a Republican, or was it because you thought the Democrat candidate was running on a platform of better policies? If your answer is the latter, why wouldn't you still vote Democrat next time around?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

more middle of the road conservative, the extreme ends of both parties make me cringe.

...says the guy who devours the WND.

[Ban Hammer 13,551]

...says the guy who devours the WND.

yet not a peep outta you about me posting a story from huffington.......

[_Simpson_ 250]

I said nothing about hate. I'm not hurt, just enlightened.

BTW, if you were rational, I'd be part of that "we" and part of that "west", but it's clear to me that you see Muslims and Islam as not part of either, even if it's not clear to you.

Just enlightened.

Like I said the west has gone to great lengths not to offend, most of which I find ridiculous. I'm sure your familar with the views Islam has towards western ideas and what it meant by that so there's no need for this.

####### ? How did Muslims come up in this thread ? I must have missed something on here...

You just made a post right after Sofyia and you're not sure how Muslims became part of the discussion

Edited June 14, 2011 by _Simpson_

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Just enlightened.

Like I said the west has gone to great lengths not to offend, most of which I find ridiculous. I'm sure your familar with the views Islam has towards western ideas and what it meant by that so there's no need for this.

You just made a post right after Sofyia and you're not sure how Muslims became part of the discussion

you injected religion into the thread because you're openly hostile toward Islam and singling me out to pick a fight with me because I represent the monolithic anti-American Muslim in you head. My mere presense here offends your sensibilities, so, you're compelled to remind me that I'm strange, foreign, unAmerican and redeemable only if I renounce my faith and heritage so I can become more like a non-Muslim Republican White man and see the issues through your eyes because, for you, that's the only acceptable way to be.

That's what I know.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Sofiyya

[The Dude 206]

I am a civil Libertarian, a social liberal, and a fiscal conservative, so I registered Libertarian. I tend to side with democrats more often than not, simply because there are no real fiscal conservatives in the republican party.

[Zero Sum 305]

I'm a registered Democrat, because I want to be able to vote in the primaries and have it count. If it were not for Primaries I'd be content to be officially Independent.

I do find myself largely agreeing with Democratic positions on many issues: taxes, economic stimulus, the broad social programs: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. I find myself strongly disagreeing with many Republican positions particularly on social matters: Right to choose, gay marriage, stem cell research, etc.

I also find that many supposed differences between the parties are not really all that different at all - particularly on foreign policy and US militarism. Republican and Democratic administrations both believe in an exceptional America and project American force abroad in roughly equal ways. There is a perception that Republicans are 'hawks' and Democrats are 'doves' - I don't find that to be true in practice.

Finally, on the defeatism and skepticism one hears so much about American politics and the two parties - I understand it, share in it to some extent, but basically I believe in the triumphalism of America and our self-government over these failings. Yes - it's true that both D and R have sold out to big business, to the lobbyists, to the special interests. It's true and we can point to so many examples of our public servants not serving the best interests of the public. But our politics reinvents itself. Our society reinvents itself. Our constitutional limited government sets the rules and every so often we get a populist - an Andrew Jackson or a Williams Jennings Bryant or a Teddy Roosevelt - to come in and shake things up and give us back a certain amount of honest government. Just enough to address the needs of the day and let us move forward the next great step.

I know there are corrupt and dishonest and useless politicians in Washington, of both parties. But I also know that there are good, honest, hardworking men and women of both parties who come to do their part for their constituents. They have ideologies but they are willing to work across the aisle, to pass legislation, to sit on bipartisan committees, and to do good for America. As an example, last fall my state of Illinois sent a Republican, Mark Kirk, to fill Obama's old Senate seat. I didn't vote for him, I voted for the Democrat. But I've been pleased with what I've seen of Kirk so far, and if he keeps it up he'll earn my vote in 6 years for reelection.

I've also been fairly pleased with Mark Kirk thus far into his Senate term. I won't try to pin false blame on him for things he is not directly responsible for.

I am not registered D or R.

[Robert&Liliya 31]

I am for the party who will stop stealing from Social Security to pay for pet projects. Social Security did not go Bankrupt; our government gave it so many IOUs that it is so close to Bankrupt that it is a Joke. I am for the party who will stop paying tax refunds to people who do not pay any tax. I am for the party who will stop sucking up to big business while they kill the middle class. I am for the party who stops paying people to have kids and not work. I am for the party who will prove to me that they can pay for their VERY expensive social policies from cutting the waste in other Bloated social policies and then get the savings prior to spending it. If someone wants to get married and take a Tax hit for it from the IRS and our government more power to them. What a woman does with her body is none of my business and who are we to judge? Stem Cell research makes sense. I am for the party that does something about illegal immigration and stops paying for services for people who are breaking the law off the backs of the middle class. Someone find me this party. Please.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Robert&Liliya

[scandal 951]

Social Security did not go Bankrupt; our government gave it so many IOU’s that it is so close to Bankrupt that it is a Joke.

Social Security does deposit its annual surpluses in special Treasury notes - the IOUs to which you refer.

But that has nothing really to do with the long term solvency of Social Security.

SS in its current form will have liquidated all reserves and become insolvent by approx 2040. The reason for that is quite simple and nothing to do with politicians. It's a demographic reason: the Baby Boom. Quite simply, SS's current formula of payroll taxes and paid benefits worked fine when the Baby Boomers made up the majority of the work force and were funding a smaller population of retirees. Now that the Baby Boomers are moving into their retirement years there are not enough workers to fund SS with the current benefit schedule. Something will have to give:

- Raise payroll FICA taxes to increase revenue

- Decrease benefits by one or more of raising the eligibility age, reducing monthly payments, changing the inflation indexing from CPI to wage index, or capping benefits for seniors over certain income thresholds

- Let the system collapse of its own weight.

Choosing among the first 2 options requires real political cajones and has become a 3rd rail of American politics. Thank the AARP (among others) for that.

So, we're left with the 3rd option: do nothing and wait for collapse.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I am for the party who will stop stealing from Social Security to pay for pet projects. Social Security did not go Bankrupt; our government gave it so many IOU’s that it is so close to Bankrupt that it is a Joke. I am for the party who will stop paying tax refunds to people who do not pay any tax. I am for the party who will stop sucking up to big business while they kill the middle class. I am for the party who stops paying people to have kids and not work. I am for the party who will prove to me that they can pay for their VERY expensive social policies from cutting the waste in other Bloated social policies and then get the savings prior to spending it. If someone wants to get married and take a Tax hit for it from the IRS and our government more power to them. What a woman does with her body is none of my business and who are we to judge? Stem Cell research makes sense. I am for the party that does something about illegal immigration and stops paying for services for people who are breaking the law off the backs of the middle class. Someone find me this party. Please.

[Zero Sum 305]

If Senator Kirk has kept his campaign promises and not changed policies since he was elected, and you believe he would be worthy of your vote next time around, why didn't you vote for him in the last election?

Was it because he was a Republican, or was it because you thought the Democrat candidate was running on a platform of better policies? If your answer is the latter, why wouldn't you still vote Democrat next time around?

I his dealing with Giannoulias' and his constant false innuendo about the corruption that wasn't in Giannoulias' grip is where I was sold to not vote for Kirk. Since taking office, though, he has proven to be a bit more interested in working with Durbin for the State of Illinois than the GOP, overall, alongside Democrats, for the nation as a whole. If this continues and the Democrats don't have a candidate next time that represents my values better than his record in Washington, then he may get my vote.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I am a registered Democrat, because your vote actually counts more that way. I live in a "safe" Democratic district. How else could anyone explain Lynn Woolsey.