Survey: Where do you get your information from and what is your political leaning?

Conservative, meaning, "least cost, end use" (vs. least cost, first use) or long-term. Registered Green party.

Efficiency, long-term thinking, sustainability, land ethics drives my thinking and interpretation of events, what I read and what I see. Politics and media strive for political expediency, not sustainability. I use critical thinking to interpret my reading.

Television and radio news are not credible. Newspapers are largely hearsay (not peer-reviewed) and tend to do a poor job when stories are lifted from peer-reviewed sources. I glean from the Internet daily, but only as entertainment.

As a university student I relied upon the PIRGs that did research on Congress and the political process. I look for additional PIRG research (but it is usually does not exist). Nevertheless, these are the types of questions I run through my thoughts.

 

Political leanings: I've been labeled on here as a hard core liberal by some, but i don't really think so... in some areas i'm more liberal, and others more conservative, but it seems that many people try to peg you into a hole based on your views on Iraq.

As for sources... It's a bit difficult. for local issues i usual can go "right to the source", or close to it by talking with those actually effected. National and international issues are different though... i tend to look for information online and sift through what's right and whats BS, finally talking with people i know generally have opposite viewpoints than i do to see what their take on an issue is. In my mind some issues are black and white (for example, any proposed drilling in ANWR is an immediate no) while others are shades of gray.

 

I believe and know that I can use MY MONEY - better than the government.

I base all of my choices on that information. I don't need a book to inform me any further.
Socialism and communism DO NOT WORK.


Take my money and give it to crack whores on welfare? Bad.
Take my money and pay for illegal immigrants healthcare? Bad.


Don't take my money and let me build my business and spend it consuming. Good.

 

i seem to have immersed myself in the world of science- so my awareness of things like politics and current events is far lower than it probably should be. i do look up interesting things brought up here and other internet locations, as well as things we see (ok, in my case usually *hear*) on the fake news.

given the focus of my academic life, and how important i feel it is to our society, i tend to want to vote for the candidates that support science. this has been a major downfall for the republicans as far as i'm concerned, as this whole "____ is unethical according to the bible" thing just turns me off in so many ways. i am not swayed by biblical passages and threats of hellfire and whatnot, i am swayed by logical debate and how useful something would be to society. catchphrases don't do much for me, other than get irritating after hearing them parroted by so many people. (though the psychology behind it fascinates me, that's another topic for another day.)

that said, the liberal side of the spectrum is too soft for me on many issues. i don't feel compassion for people who go around violating others. i don't believe in giving a second chance especially to someone who has victimized a child, because the lifelong effects are so incredibly powerful and ripple throughout society. i don't believe that we should be handing out welfare checks to people who don't want to work.

but... i do agree with accessible healthcare for all, after our own experiences with the high cost of not being healthy. i believe in fully understanding and evaluating a situation before we jump into it. i believe that learning about other people is a good thing, and while we may not have geographical need (ie, proximity) to learn about other cultures and languages, the knowledge available through them is worthwhile enough that we should be pursuing them.

i haven't had the easiest life either. i was severely physically and emotionally abused by my stepdad while my codependent mom stood by and watched. i worked full time in high school and supported myself, while paying the medical bills from my injuries. i essentially left home at 17 (left some stuff at the house) when he returned home after a jail sentence from the last-straw incident- where he tried to break my neck. it is still hard to remember these things, and i try not to. my life to date has been spent proving that people who grow up like i did can and do make it in this world. and that last sentence defines me more than any of the previous ones.

 

Political leaning: Liberal. Because reality tends to have a liberal bias.

Information: Actual footage and interviews. No pundits. Peer reviewed scientific literature. Basically look at my sig..

 

I consider myself a centrist, knowing that there are problems on either side of the aisle.

I am for the death penalty, but also for fixing our court system because it's in a severe state of disrepair.

I believe in 'pay as you go,' not 'borrow as you go.'

I believe that the government does need our money for social programs because on the whole, unfortunately, we are a spoiled lot that doesn't believe in charity.

I believe in creating a better welfare system that allows people to provide for their families through training and work programs.

I believe in a national health care system AND day care system.

I believe in conserving the environment, and that the government should step in and subsidize advancements in clean energy more than they do. And I believe they should tax even more heavily companies that don't support the environment.

I don't believe that industry should control the government, and that all corporate lobbies should be shut down.

I grew up VERY poor, and had a rough upbringing like several of you (physically abusive father AND emotionally abusive stepdad, etc.). I am now solidly middle class. Having had both vantage points in my life has made me have the views that I do. Still, today, I read lots, including newspapers, books, and magazines. I also watch the news (mostly MSNBC, but sometimes Fox just to see a counterpoint). I find that many of my thoughts are set in stone, while others can be swayed, so I enjoy talking to others with a legitimate different viewpoint than mine.

Bottom lining it for me, I believe in working hard to achieve what I want/need, but I also realize that not everyone is cut from the same cloth.

 

I grew up in a fairly comfortable surbaban home with a mom that stayed home to take care of us and a dad that worked 8-4:30pm every day at The Boeing Company.

I am a Liberal and I believe that we are all responsible to take care of the less fortunate in our country. I get upset when I read people saying they don't want to help the needy and the homeless, that they want to keep ALL their money for themselves.

My great grandmother lived in a nice home in the U-District here in Seattle and during the depression she used to serve soup to men who were out of work and either homeless or nearly homeless. I think that's a great example of kindness and I would like to see more of this kindness happen.

It seems to me that republicans want to shut programs down that help the needy and homeless and mentally ill. So these people just live in the streets with nowhere to go. It's easy to look the other way and say "It's not my problem" but we need to have heart and be more generous.

The sad thing is, I'm now expecting to get horribly flamed by people who think my views are all wrong. And I know who those people are too. You have a right to your opinion but don't try to push it on me, OK?

Thanks,

Dave

 

Myself, I usually "throw my vote away". Another social liberal and fiscal conservative who believes neither party is EITHER of those. I'm a pragmatist and a realist. I think 70% of federal spending is a complete waste and state governments should take back the power they have slowly handed over to the feds over the last 100 years.
I liked Jesse Ventura, he was a pragmatist, and was railroaded by the media for it. Any candidate that shares my views would NEVER get elected (or re-elected), since there is no money to be made in making the right decisions in politics. And to win in politics, you need BIG money to sway the sheep. You also have to walk on eggshoes, tiptoe, beat around the bush, and I hate that crap.

I WON'T read newspapers, they are a dying, wasteful, medium that is just as corrupted as the politicians.
Most TV news is no better. I prefer to listen to talk radio from differring outlets, since there's always 2 sides of a coin. But I get most my news from the internet. I have my Yahoo set up to give me the top few headlines from various news organizations. Then I can get the "spin" from different angles. But to get the whole story on something when your interested in it, you have to dig deeper to get info from people closer to the situation (as pointed out by someone else).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveLeePrius @ May 15 2007, 04:11 PM) [snapback]442692[/snapback]</div>

i agree with you, but to an extent. i have a friend from way back in high school who is a single mom with 2 kids, no help from deadbeat dad, and is on welfare. she does not work... but she is in tech school for her CNA certification. she is working very hard to improve her life and that of her kids, and i think people like this should definitely receive welfare.

it's the people who outright refuse to make an effort to improve themselves that make me so angry. i think in order to qualify for anything, you absolutely need to be making an effort of some kind. if you can't put in any effort to make your life better, nobody can do it for you either.

 

Agreed, people need to make an effort to help themselves. The highway-exit sign holders have got to go! But in the meantime, I don't mind handing them a hamburger either if they look like they could use one (most don't, most are bigger and stronger than I am, and if they can operate a rake or a shovel, go to work!!)

Dave

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 15 2007, 04:16 PM) [snapback]442732[/snapback]</div>

 

Good thread, F8L.

I consider myself a solid liberal, but by no means an extreme liberal (of course, no one considers themselves an extremist). Actually, in today's jargon, I'd be considered an extreme liberal, I think, but that's just because the far Right has tried to pull the scale over to their side (sorry, F8L, I couldn't resist a little commentary ). I am pro-choice, although I don't feel as strongly about it as I do about some other Democrat issues. I am very strongly anti death penalty (in all cases), and pro Gay rights. Being a professional scientist, I am also pro-science and I think a lot of Republican candidates that I might otherwise like lose a lot of points in my book for their stand on science. I like to think that I'm a open-minded guy who will listen to well-reasoned arguments and change my point of view (for example, I used to be against hate crime legislation because of the standard 'thought police' argument, but have recently come to a new way of thinking about it). In general, if someone hasn't thought about the point they're advocating, I have little interest in hearing about it, regardless if it's something I generally agree with or not.

I think that a lot of my points of view come from my parents, as is true with many people. However, as I get older my views start to diverge from them and are, perhaps, a bit more conservative than them. I also think that I'm affected by the profession that I'm in (Astronomy, but academia in general); most PhD's are pretty liberal and being in this environment tends to reinforce the inclinations I already have.

In general, I get my information from the major online news sources: NYTimes, primarily, but also CNN and FoxNews. I try to be as "Fair and Balanced" as possible, but I definitely gravitate to those sources that are going to (mostly) share my view. I also get some of my information from news radio (NPR, as well as the local AM News stations); one of my favorite sources for longer term news stories and analysis is a fantastic show on NPR called This American Life. Its politics are somewhat liberal, but a lot of their stuff is rather apolitical, so it has stuff that everyone can enjoy.

 

Political Leaning: Definitely a social and fiscal conservative, as well as interested in an environmental platform. All in all, generally end up voting right of center. I have become increasingly annoyed with the whole "good ole boy" system of politics this days and don't think many politicians on either side have much practical sense or are so short-sighted that little substantial progress is made. So I guess I have become more cynical about politics as a whole. Course this is just a leaning and I like to think I focus on the candidate platform rather than the party platform. (I.e. Barrick sounds like a reasonable candidate, I will have to just listen to the debates to find out more about the Repub candidates.) Unfortunately I fear that time pressures and other things make it difficult for me to learn as much as I should I end up leaning on the party that I trust will probably uphold my deepest values. Something to improve in the future I guess.

Sources: Probably the primary source is the Bible in which I do believe in a literal interpretation is necessary. In addition to this type of interpretation, I believe that we are also called to use our intellect and reason rather than throwing it out the window (i.e. Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD...... ). So I also try to utilize my education, academic books, and scholarly journals as much as I can. Some information is online or talking to others, as I often try to research both sides of the issue if I don't have other info to fall back on. So I end up doing a lot of trying to find out other people's perspectives and thought processes.

Good thread F8L. Here's to hoping that we can keep the commentary to a minimum.

 

Anti Fascist, religion, and corporation, which these days puts me solidly in the anti-republican camp.

Anti-guns, pro-abortion, pro- gay rights, PRO environment. All in all not very Democratic party leaning since I don't favor much of the social liberal agenda like universal health care and bailouts for the US auto industry, and the party has been around long enough to have a corrupt core, but I try to get as far away from Republicanism as is possible.

My primary news source is news.google.com. I read a mixture of right and left leaning publications that tend to have high(er) journalistic standards, albeit with degrees of bias. My preferred rightish newspaper is Washington Post, leftish LA times and SF chronicle. I also like Forbes and Slate. On any one day, however, I can be found reading some fairly unknown newspapers online.

For the economy I read Bloomberg online, and the occasional thread at the finance forum of FatWallet.com can be very informative. Up till it became a pay for column, I read Paul Krugman. Despite his inclination to mix politics with economics, I think he is in general brilliant, and will probably pay to keep reading him. Unfortunately often over my head, but I keep going back to John Hussman to help guide my investments.

For General tech and science: slashdot.org

For Insider Politics, blogs. I cannot point to one I return to, but over the past year or two I've noticed they are the go to place for that sort of thing.

 

Politically I used to be an anarchist. I could never find justification that would enable one group of human beings' subjective judgements to arbitrarily override everyone else's, which is what a gov't does. What I failed to take into account was individual interest vs the larger public interest, and disparities of power. So I don't know what I am now, insofar as a label goes: I now favor governance, but with its focus narrowly applied to protecting the weak from the predations of the powerful, be the "powerful" an armed intruder into your home or a mega-billionaire sacrificing the livelihoods of thousands on the altar of his personal self interest or a gov't branch (or official) applying its power in bad faith.
Governance by definition is coercive, so I believe we should limit it as much as we can get away with, and not look to it as the first answer to whatever crises or problems arise. That doesn't mean we never invoke government in solving a problem, just don't look to it as the FIRST and/or ONLY means of solution.

I regard the notion of nation as not only obsolete but lethal. A good deal of the world's "difficulties" would evaporate (and be seen as the non-problems they really are) if nations no longer existed and we considered the family of man as one family of man. To my mind there is no difference between patriotism and racism: they are precisely the same sentiment: US vs THEM. 100,000 years ago this attribute of our genes conferred survival advantages; today it will finish us. We persist in this kind of thiniking and we will destroy ourselves, through the ecological castatrophe of nuclear armageddon or the ecological catastrophe of failure to cooperate on global climate change and other significant environmental threats.

This doesn't mean I espouse homogenization of culture; quite the reverse: the more we can INCREASE cultural diversity the stronger I think we become as a species; certainly more engaging and enriching.

I read voraciously - books, magazines, the internet. The Cheney-Rove cabal, enabled by their choice of spineless, clueless whore to occupy the ceremonial seat of power, has wreaked such incalculable damage I've amassed more than 15 FEET of shelf space of books about that gang alone - so many they're seriously intruding into my aviation library.

If a medium is mainstream, particularly commercial mainstream, I won't go near it. I don't read TIME or NEWSWEEK, for example, nor USA TODAY: I find their focus more attuned to getting their ads in your face than to down and gritty journalism. I find books a much better place to get all the perspectives on a particular situation.

I don't own a television; don't have cable. I probably have an overdeveloped pathological hatred of advertising - I deeply resent cynical attempts to manipulate me, and nothing is more cynical (and insulting to intelligence) than advertising. So I listen to public radio, but with a skeptical ear, letting it be the wind indicator that steers me to books when something comes up I want to know more about.

I could go on but my partner in the airplane just came by and we gotta go out and do some maintenance so she can fly it this weekend.

Mark Baird
Alameda CA

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(micheal @ May 15 2007, 05:11 PM) [snapback]442781[/snapback]</div>

Incompatible.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ May 15 2007, 04:47 PM) [snapback]442838[/snapback]</div>

Yes, apparently you are. <_<

Did you not comprehend the very first sentence in the OP's very first thread?

Did you also not see his plea in post #13?

Just can't help yourself, can you.

Yep, "incompatible" sums it up nicely.

 

Card Carrying libertartian.