[natedog]

I was always taught that the general view of the Republican party was to be AGAINST big government, minimal government interferance in daily lives, opposition of the UN, etc. Now I'm being told that generaly the Republican party is in favor of big government. Confusion :confused: ...
Sorry for the somewhat elementry question :o ... But I try to live by the saying "A man who asks is a fool for five minutes-a man who does not ask is a fool forever".

[Tamara]

The GOP is only in favor of a big enough government to rummage through your sock drawer. The Dems want to rummage through your bank account.

[Jeff White]

How will you afford to have anything interesting in your sock drawer if everything you make goes to taxes? :D

Jeff

[Tamara]

That was a cynical friend's rationale for voting GOP. "Everything's illegal, but at least they try not to screw up the economy or plunder your paycheck, so you can afford to shop the black market." ;)

[Jeff White]

Actually it's a pretty good anaylsis. Most of the big infringments on the 4th and 5th Amendment have come from law and order Republican lawmakers.

I still shudder when I remember the trial balloon polls done by the first Bush administration on suspending the 4th amendement in drug cases. IIRC they had some polls with numbers in the 80% range in favor of that.

Jeff

[twoblink]

natedog:

Everybody is born a Democrat..

They become a Republican when they realize that even though FICA is printed in black and there's no minus sign in front of it, it is in fact a deduction.

A libertarian is simply a Republican on April 16th

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or the abridged version is;

A republican is just a democrat that's been mugged.

[Old Fuff]

Things are not always black and white. In Europe, and particularly in the U.K. you have the Conservative (right wing) and Labor (left wing) parties. Members of these parties usually reflect the party's views and positions.

In the United States we have "Moderate Republicans" who are often found supporting the left side of issues, and "Conservative Republicans" who are center-to right (sometimes far to the right).

Then we have "Liberal Democrats" who are center-left to far left, and "Conservative Democrats" who are much like conservative Republicans.

In Arizona we have two senators that show this to the extreem. John McCain is as liberal as any liberal Democrat and usually votes with the Democrats. This may give him a problem if and when he runs for re-election. Our other senator, Jon Klye is unquestionably a conservative.

Kyle supports gun rights. McCain does not. Both are Republicans.

[Augustwest]

I'm not sure the "Republicans stay out of your wallet" even holds much water anymore.

Yeah, we've gotten some tax cuts. But with a GOP Congress and White House, we're running huge deficits, leasing federal lands at under market value, and are trying to find a way to give the grey panthers even more socialized medicine in the form of a "prescription drug benefit."

According to one source, the national debt is around 6.9 Trillion bucks - that's $23.4k in debt for each U.S. citizen. And with all the Three Card Monte screwing around with off-budget expenses and moving Social Security contributions around, the real picture's worse than we can know.

Oh, and almost a quarter of that debt is held by foreign entities. If they decide they don't like the direction things are headed in and convert those notes to other currencies, the dollars we carry around in our wallets will get very cheap, very fast.

Buying gold looks better and better... :uhoh:

So by and large you gotcher "tax and spend" liberals and yer "tax cut and spend" conservatives. Neither is any good for the future.

[Tamara]

I'm not sure the "Republicans stay out of your wallet" even holds much water anymore.

Oh, both are extreme generalizations, and only true in the relative sense anymore. You'll notice that, in jumping on the "Tough On Crime" bandwagon that the Dems seem to have lost most of the interest they used to have in civil rights, just like the GOP has gotten pretty tax-n-spend in its rush to buy votes.

[Augustwest]

I had noticed that, yes. Heh.

So stashing guns, gold, and powdered water is the answer, I guess. :D

[rock jock]

Yeah, the Republicans have been meddling in people's private lives ever since they told folks they couldn't own slaves anymore. Imagine the gall.:rolleyes:

[Tamara]

...and since they gave us the thumbhole stock. :o

[rock jock]

I thought that was a artifact of the '94 AWB, which the Dems passed.

[cordex]

I thought that was a artifact of the '94 AWB, which the Dems passed.
Think 1989 import ban on weapons not suitable for "sporting purposes"
Daddy Bush's pet.

[Augustwest]

Yeah, your private life's safe from the GOP as long as the only drug you do is the one they approve of (hooch), and you only get nekkid with someone in the manner in which they approve, and you don't hold any beliefs they consider "terrorist."

Oh, and these days, if you want to belly up to the trough and suck yerself up some taxpayer dough, they'd like you to hang out with people connected with the religion they approve of.

And you can spin it as much as you like with, "GWB's a political genius, keepin' the antis off his back when he's really on our side, wink wink, nudge nudge," but the current GOP President's stated position is that he'll sign the AWB if it reaches his desk.

[grampster]

My definition of the difference between Republican and Democrat at the present time was always although they both steal your money, the Dems do it at the point of the gun (Don't pay your confisticatory taxes and see what happens; they take all your property and throw you in jail.) and the Repubs steal it by turning loose the robber barons of capitalism. Ergo: I generally support Repubs because one can avoid the robber barons for the most part if you use your common sense, and you get to keep some of your money as a result. And you can become a robber baron if you have proclivities in that direction if you choose. In other words the Repubs are the party of having choices and the Dems are the party of confiscation and income distribution and loss of freedom.

My great desire is to see the conservatives from the center to the right to unite and change the Repub party to the American Conservative Party and the Dems from the the center to the left unite and call themselves the American Socialist Party. Then we would perhaps have a marked difference and the electorate might get interested in self government again.

grampster

[Tamara]

I thought that was a artifact of the '94 AWB, which the Dems passed.

Nope, it was an artifact of the '89 Import Ban, brainchild of Bill Bennett and George Bush. That GOP administration actually proposed a pretty draconian gun law of their own. What they wanted, but didn't get, was similar to, and in some ways worse than, the '94 Ban.

"But one thing that we do know about these assault weapons is that they are invariably equipped with unjustifiably large magazines. The notorious AKS - 47, for example, comes with a magazine that pumps off 30 explosive bullets without reloading. And that is why -- fifth -- we stand on the steps here in front of the Capitol and ask its support for legislation prohibiting the importation, manufacture, sale, or transfer of these insidious gun magazines of more than 15 rounds." -George Bush (http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/papers/1989/89051500.html)

"Third, the proposal includes provisions designed to impose severe restrictions on ammunition clips and other ammunition feeding devices frequently used to enable so-called ``assault weapons'' to fire a large number of rounds rapidly and without reloading. Under my Administration's proposal, a magazine or other ammunition feeding device with a capacity of greater than 15 rounds would be subject to strict regulation and generally could no longer be imported, manufactured, received, or possessed. Persons already in possession of such devices would be allowed to retain and use them lawfully. No transfer to another owner would be permitted unless a record was made of that transfer, which would permit tracing in the event of a criminal misuse." -George Bush (http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/papers/1989/89061500.html) (emphasis mine)

"Increased Firearms Offenses and Penalties including a 10-year mandatory prison term for the use of a semiautomatic firearm in a drug trafficking offense or violent felony, a 5-year mandatory sentence for possession of a firearm by dangerous felons, new offenses involving theft of firearms and smuggling firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking or violent crimes, and a general ban on gun clips and magazines that enable a firearm to fire more that 15 rounds without reloading. " -George Bush (http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/papers/1991/91031102.html)

[Zundfolge]

Democrats want government to be your mother
Republicans want government to be your father
Libertarians will treat you like an adult.


There's some truth to that ... just keep in mind that there are many many more "small l" libertarians in the Republican party then the Democrat party.

[rock jock]

Well, that was certainly a dark day in the GOP and one I am not proud of. One of the reasons I have never been a big fan of Bush 41.

[Tamara]

Are John McCain or Tom Ridge really any better than Bill Bennett? :(

[RobW]

The largest tax rise in Nevada history was pressed upon us by a Republican, with a large help of the State Supreme Court, clearly violating the Constitution of Nevada.

Voting for Republicans? Naaa, not anymore. :barf:

[stevelyn]

What Zundfolge said.

The democrats and republicans are slavemasters turning all of us into slaves. They use different methods of course, but the end results are the same. They democrats implement slavery by stealing your money and pushing socialist policies. The republicans want to hit you in the head with a bible, let the large corporations steal your money and push fascist policies. Both parrot the word 'freedom' but none really want you to have it. And the sad truth is most Americans don't want it either. It requires to much thought and responsibilty and is more effort than folks care to put into it.

If we really wanted to be free, have liberty and free enterprise, the vision the founding fathers had, the usual suspects would have been booted from office long ago and Libertarians would be a major party in the US.

Slavery is too comfortable for most people.

[rock jock]

I went to Bill Bennett's Empower America website and did a search on "guns", "firearms", "weapons", etc. Nothing. no articles at all. Very strange.

[Sergeant Bob]

AugustWest And you can spin it as much as you like with, "GWB's a political genius, keepin' the antis off his back when he's really on our side, wink wink, nudge nudge," but the current GOP President's stated position is that he'll sign the AWB if it reaches his desk
So far he's been true to his word. I think every bill he's said he would sign, he did in fact sign. Pretty tricky huh?

[Standing Wolf]

I have to confess I can't tell the Republicrats from the Democans even with a score card.

[Moparmike]

You know, I wish that the Libertarians would get all these votes from the people whom profess to "be tired of treachery" from both parties. Just once.

It would be nice to get a minority (about 100) in the House, and see just what good stuff happens. Get a LP president. Watch the effect of all the common sense on other politicians, reminiscent of "Indiana Jones and The Lost Ark" where their faces melt.:evil: