Finaly a good explanation of  how congress works !

Technorati Tags: political, Political Interest Groups, Politics Definition

Conservative
Conservatives tend to favor economic freedom, but frequently
support laws to restrict personal behavior that violates “traditional
values.” They oppose excessive government control of business,
while endorsing government action to defend morality and the
traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong
military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market
economy, and endorse strong law enforcement.

Liberal
Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal
matters, but tend to support significant government control of the
economy. They generally support a government-funded “safety net”
to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation
of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations,
defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action
to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

Libertarian
Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and
economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one
that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence.
Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose
government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate
diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

Centrist
Centrists espouse a “middle ground” regarding government control
of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue,
they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes
support individual freedom of choice. Centrists pride themselves on
keeping an open mind, tend to oppose “political extremes,” and
emphasize what they describe as “practical” solutions to problems.

Statist (Big Government)
Statists want government to have a great deal of power over the
economy and individual behavior. They frequently doubt whether
economic liberty and individual freedom are practical options in
today’s world. Statists tend to distrust the free market, support
high taxes and centralized planning of the economy, oppose
diverse lifestyles, and question the importance of civil liberties

If it were this simple !

Technorati Tags: agree, most, political, view

“Making the bourgeoisie the new proletariat.” Republican and Communism, like vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup classically delicious. Some people like some don’t. Are you Dan Spicer, and still don’t get it? Extreme leftist and Extreme rightist, but not at all centrist (Because centrists do not get any shit down just sit around, being depressed about being a Centrist president knowing that they will never get anything notable accomplished.)”

Ignore the part about Dan Spicer, that is me. He was using me beacuse I do not understand it and we have had debates about it before. How can there be Republicanism, (low govt) and Communism, (high govt) AT THE SAME TIME? Thanks

Technorati Tags: political, Sense, These, view

One view says that it’s obvious that a majority of Americans are rejecting the “progressive” agenda and that Democrats should work more towards the middle so as not to lose independent voters in 2010. (A CRITICAL component in Obama’s win)

The other view says that not pushing for as much legislation as possible would anger the “base” and hurt Democrats significantly in 2010. (Similar to 1994 when the base didn’t show up)

What do you think?? (Obama seems to be favoring the 2nd)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/31053_Page2.html

William Daley, commerce secretary in the Clinton administration, brother of the Chicago mayor and long an influential voice for moderation in the party, went public last week with what is on the minds of other centrist Democrats in an opinion piece in the Washington Post.

Sounding the alarm after the party-switch of Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama, Daley laid out a stark choice. “Either we plot a more moderate, centrist course or risk electoral disaster not just in the upcoming midterms but in many elections to come.”

Democrats ought to “acknowledge that the agenda of the party’s most liberal supporters has not won the support of a majority of Americans — and, based on that recognition, to steer a more moderate course on the key issues of the day, from health care to the economy to the environment to Afghanistan,” Daley argued………….What lifted Democrats last year among their base, independents and those previously disengaged from politics, Rosenthal argued, were Obama’s promises: expanding health care, a new approach to energy, spending more on education and especially a promise to revive the economy that would help those of modest means.

“He gave a worried and anxious America hope and a plan that called for restoring America’s middle class,” wrote Rosenthal.

Obama coalition voters still want “change,” according to Rosenthal, who writes that the way to boost Democratic fortunes is to deliver — not to follow the path of moderation that the party so often trod in the ’90s.

“They don’t want their elected officials to go back to the days of legislating ‘small things’ (school uniforms come to mind),” Rosenthal argued. “To win them back — to engage them at all in 2010 — Democrats need to pass real health care reform, then move aggressively on a jobs, jobs, jobs (it cannot be said enough) program with strong workers’ rights.”

Technorati Tags: better, current, Democratic, environment, part, Party, political, understanding

Suggestions –

Responsibilitarian — Do the right thing

Legalitarian — If you pass good laws, we will obey them

Equalitarian or Egalitarian — I am as good as you are

Capitalist — Money rules

Centrist — Walk the narrow line

Triangulate –

Hedonist –

Dog-eat-dogmatarian –

Me-ism –

Deism –

Populist — Of the people, by the people and for the people

Isolationist — Leave me alone and get out of my way

Discussionist — Let’s talk it over

Technorati Tags: American, created, name, Party, political, shared, slogan, views

My example:
Liberal/Centrist. (non radical liberal)
Things I don’t agree with most liberal on:
Even though I think there should be qualifications and certain limits to gun ownership, I still believe that Americans should have the right to bear arms. The few restrictions i believe in are very loose, only limiting guns to people who aren’t violent ex-cons, people under the age of 18, and the severely mentally retarded.

I’m not a big advocate of the welfare system. I feel far too many people take advantage of it and use it merely as a reimbursment for their laziness — which is curable.

Not a big fan of Affirmative action. Most liberals see it as a counter to social racism, whereas I see it AS racism. Nobody should be hired or turned down according to their skin color… only according to whether or not they are qualified for the job.

Socialism (not what right-wingers think it is, but what it actually is). I believe in a mixed economy. Socialization only works for very few programs. I think as far as medical coverage, it should be an option for the individual to decide. Mixed. This way people who oppose can pay for premium private insurance, and those who opt in, get socialized goverment coverage at a low cost. This opinion of mine is very unpopular because conservatives disagree with it as well, despite it splitting the issue right down the middle. lol

Technorati Tags: Disagree, Party, political

You know your government is bad shape when it starts comparing itself to fallen empires of the past. Unfortunately, that’s the case in modern America.

The Government Accountability Office, the independent agency charged with investigating the (in)efficiency of government programs, recently warned us that our “burning platform” of unsustainable public policies was so dire that the agency felt obliged to warn of the “striking similarities” between our government’s situation today and the fall of the Roman Empire.

In this panoramic landscape of abject government failure, political liability should spread across the generations. Intransigent leaders from the Silent Generation have delayed social and political progress. The apathy of voters from Generations X and Y has entrenched the power of reckless and incompetent politicians. But given their power, influence and rhetoric, the leaders hailing from the Baby Boomer generation have been the most disappointing in their contributions to our current mess.

Baby Boomers have occupied the White House since 1993 and have held a solid majority in the House of Representatives since 1998. In the U.S. Senate, which has a higher age requirement, Boomers have still held nearly half the votes since the turn of the century, even gaining a brief one-vote majority from 2003 to 2007. A whopping thirty-seven of our fifty states currently have Baby Boomer governors. One wonders, given this impressive hold on power for the past decade, what does this legendary generation have to show for itself politically? Or in other words, what have these 1960s idealists, now boasting decades of real-world experience, done to strengthen our democracy and lead us into the new millenium? (Answer: Not much.)

As the obstacles to our nation’s progress have mounted, Baby Boomer political leaders have largely sought to deflect responsibility, avoid tough decisions, and instead focus their efforts on discrediting their political opponents. As the Boomers have grown in their influence, they have not only failed to solve problems, but in many ways, they have left American Democracy worse off.

Along with their manifold policy failures, Boomers have led American politics into what Andrew Sullivan has called “the debilitating, self-perpetuating family quarrel of the Baby Boom generation.” Nowhere is their childish bickering more apparent than the partisan mud-flinging that currently passes for political commentary. Best-selling conservative Boomer pundits such as Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity, et. al, pen a dizzying number of worthless screeds accusing their political opponents of treason, stupidity and hypocrisy, and their best-selling Left Boomer pundit counterparts, Michael Moore, Al Franken, et al, respond in kind with equally nauseating vitriol.

The Boomers’ failures are distributed uniformly from Right to Left. But given the liberal-leaning Boomers’ original rise from the 1960s counterculture, their weak-kneed absorption into the partisan political establishment is most ironic. The generation that fought for free speech and the right to question authority now enforces strict political correctness and quashes political dissent from their tenured posts in academia.

The proverbial light at the end of the proverbial tunnel

Perhaps the only hope for change lies with the younger generations – Generation X and my generation, the millenials – who will someday, inevitably, take over power.

Granted in many ways, relying on my generation is a risky bet. We’re known mostly for our political apathy and ignorance of current events. We don’t even care to vote, know who our representatives are, or really feel the need to have any sort of polticial identity whatsoever.

But as we know, things can change. If there’s anything that the Baby Boomers prove, it is that political activism in one’s youth fails to translate to effective political leadership in one’s better years. Seriously – why not us?

In many ways, our generation is best equipped to help lead America through the challenges of the 21st century. We’ve got lifetime experience with modern trends like computer technology and globalization, and thus are the most capable of transcending the fear, cultural division and xenophobia with which most of our elders face those new realities. Our entrepreneurial streak – our peers have founded some of the most innovative new media companies in the world – makes us better understand the importance of fiscal responsibility, market competition and open trade. Raised on rap music, lascivious music videos and violent video games, we are remarkably adept at making our own judgments of personal morality, whether or not our parents believe it. Our love of social networking leaves us appreciative both of individual expression and group association. Our advanced technical knowledge of computer networks can even help us better understand how terrorist networks operate. We have no working memory of the Cold War, and thus much less interested in the divisive ideological battling that affllicts the Boomers who cannot seemingly escape that period.

Will the late-coming millenials, currently wallowing in their self-absorbed world, put those brilliant social resources to work and actually change something? Here’s hoping.

Technorati Tags: Baby, Boomers, Challenges, Failures, Generation, Next, political

What say you?

Technorati Tags: American, broken, political, system

Do you think this has an impact on how people form their political beliefs?

For example, left brained people may tend to be more conservative, while right brained people might be more liberal, and people that use both sides of the brain equally may be more centrist.

I took an online quiz to tell me which side is dominant for me, and I came out as “whole brained” no particualr dominant side. And my political beliefs would be considered right leaning centrist. Anyway, your thoughts?
The link is on my other PC, which died last night.
I couldn’t find the site that I originally took the test, but I found a few others for you to check out.

http://www.blogthings.com/areyourightorleftbrainedquiz/

http://www.intelliscript.net/test_area/questionnaire/questionnaire.cgi?q=right_brain_left_brain_2

http://homeworktips.about.com/library/brainquiz/bl_leftrightbrain_quiz.htm

Technorati Tags: About, brain, dominant, political, Question, side, views

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