Please contribute something well-considered of your own before jumping in and arguing for your side of an issue. For me it's guns. I find myself believing strongly in the right to arms, and also in disgust that we proliferate them. Half of my mind is proud of our tradition of rebellion, and the constant threat that we can rise up and give one hell of a fight if real tyranny ever arrives. It gives me a feeling of pride- it stirs me in patriotism (one of the few things that does). And I feel my home is my home, and I will defend it if I can- I will have an equalizer. And if any nation dares attack us, they aren't getting far. One the other hand, I want us to destroy our guns. I feel this just as strongly. The same theory that suggests I should arm myself at least as well as an invader who might come armed into my home, also results in an arms race. We've now more guns than people. It's insanity, and we owe it to each other to disarm and to denounce violence. I don't think I'll ever reconcile those beliefs.
The size of government. The government is cumbersome, wasteful, and inefficient. I believe that a smaller federal government (stringer states rights) could translate to a more surgical and efficient process. I also feel a lot of Goverment work could be moved to the private sector to again be less expensive and more beneficial. That being said... im for single payer uhc/ Medicare for all, breaking up the banks, tuition free k-16+, infrastructure, regulations, and oversight. It's not easy to negotiate the difference. It's comes down to corruption (which both sectors are saturated with) and reconciling what's best for America and the common man vs the stockholder. Some issues like healthcare pose too much of a conflict of interest in the private sector. I think, with some fantastical normalization of the balance and rooting out corruption (i.e. Gerrymandering, money in politics, etc) we could see a balance shift toward state rights.
Immigration. I don't have a problem with immigration in the U.S. for the most part but I also think that Europe needs to calm the Hell down and stop letting so many fucking people in to Europe do to European proximity to conflict zones and the fact that they can't sustain it. Islam is another one, I have made several Muslim friends recently that I get along very well with but I also don't like how certain Sunni Islamic sects are causing a disproportionate amount of trouble in the Western world.
Sounds like both of you have resolved your conflicts to at least some satisfaction. Asking if people have resolved or partially resolved them should have been a question as part of the OP. Also a shameless bump in case there's more interest in the discussion.
Spending time on Sherdog forums. On one hand, there are a lot of interesting viewpoints and some very intelligent people who post here. On the other hand, it's a huge time-drain and... well, you know...
economic regulations. b/c i can't help but agree with conservatives on small business mentality. a dude that owns a business and like 5-20 employees and just wants to be left alone to run his business. and they have to get permits and file for licenses and cover 2000 different legal concerns that it must drive a person nutty. at the same time, people can be real pieces of shit. people can be so incredibly cheap, they'll sell you old, moldy food just to save a fucking buck. and as easy as it is to just not go back to a place that sucks, it's harder to stop a place from giving 50 customers food poisoning when they are too fuckin lazy and incompetent to not put raw meat next to cooked meat in the fridge (yea i used this as a chance to use kitchen nightmares scenarios). which is why i usually side with regulations but always have my finger on the delete button in my brain in case it's just stupid and unnecessary.
I find many issues have valid arguments for both sides. Most things are shaded in grey as opposed to black and white. The two things I'm really on the fence about that seem to be front and center here in the WR are guns, and trans genders. This is a pretty good topic, and when I have the time I'll make more of a contribution.
Federalism. I think we've strayed pretty far from what the founding fathers envisioned as a structure for our country, and several of our bitterest fights are because parts of our constitution don't make much sense in light of that. On the other hand, a number of states have pretty conclusively shown that they're even less trustworthy than the feds at safeguarding rights and protecting people, and I frankly think a large federal government is necessary for certain modern problems that didn't then exist.
interesting and valid topic IMO. I'm of two minds on many issues. guns, abortion, government surveillance, admittance of immigrants, women leaving the kitchen, etc. who could be hard line lib/con on every issue? not me.
It's a worthy bump, this is a great topic, imo. I've got a couple others, hoping to see more ... Confessions
Mexico. Cesspool of corruption, pettiness and violence that i sometimes wish was never founded. But then again, we have tacos.
Abortion: When I was in College, I went down on a house trip to Mexico for Spring Break. While there, I called my girlfriend and she seemed upset. After a few minutes, she told me that not only was she pregnant, she had waited until I left and got an abortion without telling me or else anyone about it. Now, I'm 100% pro-choice and always have been... And there's literally zero question in my mind that abortion should be legal. But man, that fucked me up good. I wasn't ok for a solid month or so. In fact, all these years later, it still hurts even thinking about it. Even though I believe fully in a womans right to choose, it's difficult to think rationally about the issue, especially having experienced that.
Yeah I'm definitely pro-choice, but the idea that everything is up to the woman is kind of bullshit to me. Don't want the kid and he does? No problem get an abortion he can't stop you. Do want the kid and he doesn't? No problem have the kid and put him on the hook for child support, he can't stop you. Doesn't seem fair imo
Abortion.. abortion as a form of contraception and convenience is appalling to me. However, the way the government can tell a woman what she can and can't do is quite disgusting as well...
You beat me to the punch... yeah, a friend of mind asked me to take her to an abortion clinic...she didn't want anyone to know...it was a very intense experience....they lobby in the waiting room was depressing.
Environmental issues. I truely believe humanity is destroying out planet. BUT I dislike immensely most enviromentalists. Its like we are incapable of finding balance on these issues. Like logging in Oregon. Yes clear cutting sucks, but the treehuggers don't want anything cut down. Why can't we have a robust timber industry based on selective cutting.
This really bothers me. Abortion should be a last resort option, that nobody is happy about having to use. I'd be sobbing if I was with a girl and she had to have one for whatever reason. Ending a life is a big deal, and it shouldn't be used like a form of contraception.
