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Why are you an independent?
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- Posted October 23, 2012 by
- mikecmu1982 Follow
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New York City, New York
New York City, New York
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Too Rational To Align
I am an independent because I cannot align myself with a party whose ideals appeal to extremely slight minorities of people, which applies to both. I tend to vote for Democrats as I feel that they at least appear to be more open to compromise, and their social agenda is not reminiscent of the 1950's.
I have four major issues with the "modern" Republican agenda today, which make it very difficult to align myself with this party:
1.) Women's Reproductive Issues - It both amazes and appalls me that issues such as abortion and birth control are still up for debate. We know that if these rights were stripped away, people would find a way to accomplish this anyway, and it is the responsibility of the government to keep its people safe. It is not rational to want to strip these rights away. If it is not your personal choice, then you do not have to do it. But no man should be able to tell a woman what rights she has regarding her body.
2.) Gay Marriage - This is a human rights issue and those are never up for debate. If the law does not accept gay unions, then it implies that all men are not created equal. This is absolutely unconstitutional and it is morally wrong.
3.) Non-Secular Topics in Public Schools - Public schools are places for anyone, no matter what your religion, ethnicity, etc. Any sort of religious teachings should only be taught in the context of a historical standpoint. Religion has no place in a science course. We should be teaching our kids about sex and contraceptives so they are able to make their own choices and know their options. As a parent, if you don't like this, then take your child out of public school.
4.) Never Raising Taxes - The idea of never raising taxes is just ridiculous. Don't get me wrong - I don't like to pay taxes. Who does? But there are times and places for tax hikes, especially with a growing deficit, and being so unwilling to compromise shows the lack of ability to work across party lines and actually get anything done. In addition, I highly resent the fact that I was taxed at a much higher rate than Mitt Romney, especially since he just made money off of his already existing riches. He did not do any work. With a system like this, no wonder we are furthering the divide between the rich and the poor in this country.
If these issues remain a persistent part of the Republican agenda, I will find it increasingly difficult to approve of candidates. I think that the party will also find it difficult to find new, younger support as many of these ideals are viewed as dated and extremely old fashioned.
I still choose not to call myself a Democrat, however, because blanketing your beliefs on everything in a 2 party system is just not efficient. Congress cannot seem to get one thing done these days and we have the 2 party system to blame. I think the more people that actually wake up and realize this, the more likely we are to move forward and get things done.
I have four major issues with the "modern" Republican agenda today, which make it very difficult to align myself with this party:
1.) Women's Reproductive Issues - It both amazes and appalls me that issues such as abortion and birth control are still up for debate. We know that if these rights were stripped away, people would find a way to accomplish this anyway, and it is the responsibility of the government to keep its people safe. It is not rational to want to strip these rights away. If it is not your personal choice, then you do not have to do it. But no man should be able to tell a woman what rights she has regarding her body.
2.) Gay Marriage - This is a human rights issue and those are never up for debate. If the law does not accept gay unions, then it implies that all men are not created equal. This is absolutely unconstitutional and it is morally wrong.
3.) Non-Secular Topics in Public Schools - Public schools are places for anyone, no matter what your religion, ethnicity, etc. Any sort of religious teachings should only be taught in the context of a historical standpoint. Religion has no place in a science course. We should be teaching our kids about sex and contraceptives so they are able to make their own choices and know their options. As a parent, if you don't like this, then take your child out of public school.
4.) Never Raising Taxes - The idea of never raising taxes is just ridiculous. Don't get me wrong - I don't like to pay taxes. Who does? But there are times and places for tax hikes, especially with a growing deficit, and being so unwilling to compromise shows the lack of ability to work across party lines and actually get anything done. In addition, I highly resent the fact that I was taxed at a much higher rate than Mitt Romney, especially since he just made money off of his already existing riches. He did not do any work. With a system like this, no wonder we are furthering the divide between the rich and the poor in this country.
If these issues remain a persistent part of the Republican agenda, I will find it increasingly difficult to approve of candidates. I think that the party will also find it difficult to find new, younger support as many of these ideals are viewed as dated and extremely old fashioned.
I still choose not to call myself a Democrat, however, because blanketing your beliefs on everything in a 2 party system is just not efficient. Congress cannot seem to get one thing done these days and we have the 2 party system to blame. I think the more people that actually wake up and realize this, the more likely we are to move forward and get things done.
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