Hey, I am a very young citizen of the United States, obviously above thirteen, I am actually at the age of fifteen, but that's not important. It seems to me that many of this generation that I include myself in, are a bit ignorant about many world topics, politics being a very big one. No one in my entire high school, with the exception of a few, know anything about politics. I know the general idea about each party, and what they believe, generally and stereotypically speaking, and I wish to go more in depth. I was curious as to whether someone, actually several could explain to me, exactly what each political party believes, and what politics is all about. I would really appreciate several comments, that way the biased opinions will even out, but I would really appreciate unbiased information about politics, so that I may start my path as to which I would like to choose. Also, please realize that I am just a sophomore in high school, so I would appreciate everyone to speak to me in laymen terms, so that I might understand the topics at hand.

Here is the little information I know:

A Republican is usually a conservative, while a Democrat is usually a liberal. In general, the conservatives believe in individuals taking care of themselves, while the liberals believe that the government should make many of the decisions for the people. I know a little more also, but it would always be nice if you could clarify it without me having to post it. I would like some full overviews from users of this forum about the entire political world/world view. Please inform me about politics, so that I might not be so ignorant about these important worldly topics. Everything written, if not criticism about my knowledge of the political world, or degrading to my personal self, will be greatly appreciated. Please don't hesitate to post, as it will be greatly appreciated.

You hit the nail on the head regarding the differences between the two parties. There are a couple of things I wanted to share with you concerning the far-left liberal party.

1. Above all else, they believe protesting is the best way to solve all problems. Go grab a sign, write a few cute words, and go out and hope the world changes because you have the ability to hold a sign up.

(BTW...there IS a difference between a liberal and a democrat. In this post, I am basically talking about the far-left liberals that have hijacked the party from the democrats.)

2. Hugging a tree is a requirement.

3. You must hate Christians, but you must accept every other religion in the world to be a part of THEIR party.

4. According to the liberals, you must "embrace" your "inner-being," and must have "compassion" for every "soul" that comes into your "cosmic" surroundings... whatever THAT means...

5. They believe that "gay rights" are equal to the rights of minorities. Not so, since what the gays do in the privacy of their home does NOT prevent them from getting a job, getting equal pay, or cause them to get followed around a store by a clerk for no reason.

6. The left believes YOUR TEACHERS should teach liberal ideals to the future generations of America, regardless of what the kids really WANT to hear or believe in.

7. They want you to believe that corporations are evil, and that the only way to make it in this life is to is to depend on government.

8. They do not like the rich. My friend, if you ever want to become wealthy, you need to stick to the ideas of the Republican party, because the liberals want you and all of your friends to fail in life so that they can continue to spew out their views. They believe in "sharing the wealth," and if you plan on starting that business that you have always wanted to start, they want you to be taxed to death...or at least have most of your money go to wastefull government welfare programs.

9. When it comes to World View, liberals LOVE to pretend that they hate the way America operates and runs things. They want to please the other countries by....PROTESTING!! (As long as the TV cameras are there, they are happy. But when the cameras leave, THEY leave!)

10. Liberals believe that when someone causes injury to someone else, you must examine the reasons why that criminal committed the crime. You must "embrace" (ahh, there is that word again)...you must embrace that individual with love and acceptance, and be willing to bend over backwards to find out the root cause of his "inner hatred." You must treat him with all kindness, love, and gentle compassion (like a little baby awwww). Then you must say to the criminal, "Aww. You committed a crime, didn't you?? Didn't You?? It's OK. You want a hug?? You are so special to us here at the Corvall State Prison. WE LOVE YOU!! YES WE DO!! YES WE DO!!" Republicans believe that he should be locked up for the safety of the public.

11. Liberals believe in suing a business for any reason. They believe that suing a business will bring down this "evil" entity. Remember, liberals do not like businesses that show a profit.

I have to apologize. I am feeling a little sick right now talking about liberals... I think I may need to quit... My energy is literally draining from my body...

...talking about the...bleak future of liberalism....





Ron

You do realize that politics, especially global politics, is a huuuge topic?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politic...and_ideologies
(A list of some more and less common systems with respective links)
Usually the folks at wikipedia do maintain rather good articles so might give you a start.

A narrower question might help perhaps?

@Ron
Keep the humor in the Humor & Satire section.

Thank you for that information Ron. I know some of that was a bit exaggerated, I'm sure, but I think truly, that may be the general ideas of liberals. However, I am not sure, that gave me a gist, and I would like many more posts, from users with different political views. And Lord, I do realize that political topics are vast and infinitive. But I am not sure I want to start with a specific topic, just the general ideas, about current world issues, and the ones that are the most controversial and important. I know that all aspects of the political views are important, however some, are more important, at least that is what I believe. Some may disagree with me, but I think you, and most will know where I am coming from. I'll be looking at your link you posted and see what information that has for me.

Ron's post got many general ideas that are everyday problems. Many of those things he mentioned are very important issues about the different views between conservatives and liberals. Those kind of posts are what I am looking for, so if you could just point out some of your views, and what you think are important to share, that would be greatly appreciated.

Because Ron posted another useless post (his specialty), I figured I would post something useful:

The following does not speak to the far right and left wings.

Conservatives generally believe in:

Abortion: pro-life
Military: large and expensive military (including so-called star wars programs)
Government: favor state's rights as opposed to strong federal government
Gay rights: homosexuality is a sin and the equal protection clause does not apply to gays
Affirmative Action: do not favor
Spending: fiscally conservative (spend less, tax less)
Size of government: small government
Business regulation: do not favor the strict enforcement of regulatory schemes set by congress because complying with regulations costs businesses money (i.e. Bush killed ergonomics regulations because he thought that enforcement would cost too much money)
Guns: the more guns the better
Lawyers: generally consider lawyers to be a hindrance on business and favor tort reform in all areas
International relations: who cares what a bunch of foreignors think about us?
The war against terror: let's kill the terorists, the governments that harbor them and anyone who disagrees with us are not our allies anymore.
God: God needs a bigger role in society. Public school prayer should be allowed, the ten commandments should be posted in public places, and faith based organizations should have equal access to federal money
Welfare: if people can't take care of themselves, they should get help from charities; taxation for welfare is theft
Corporate welfare: if corporations can't take care of themselves, they should get as much tax money as they need to keep their businesses profitable. Taxation for corporate welfare is just fine.
The environment: business is far more important than any possible danger to the environment. Innovation will fix any problems we cause.
Drilling in the Arctic: go for it!
Bush: Bush is a good man and a great leader (some exceptions apply).
Most hated group: lawyers
Outsourcing: Its hurts individuals, but it is good for the economy and the jobs created are usually better than the jobs we lose.

Liberals generally believe in:

Abortion: pro-choice
Military: smaller military
Government: favor a strong federal government
Gay rights: gay marriage should be allowed because to deny gays the right to marry violates the Constitution.
Affirmative Action: favors
Spending: Tax more, spend more (this is in contrast to Bush's tax less, spend more policies that have been so successful)
Size of government: larger government
Business regulation: saving lives and protecting health is more important than the money businesses have to spend on protections for their workers and the environment.
Guns: guns are ok, but regulations are necessary
Lawyers: lawyers are honorable people who serve an important purpose (some exceptions apply)
International relations: alliances are important and goodwill internationally is equally important.
The war against terror: let's kill or capture the terrorists but let's not go crazy and invade any country unless absolutely necessary.
God: God is fine, but religion should not overwhelm society
Welfare: we have a responsibility to care for those who have fallen through society's cracks. Some wealth re-distribution is ok.
Corporate welfare: if corporations can't take care of themselves, they should get as much tax money as they need to keep their businesses profitable. Taxation for corporate welfare is just fine.
The environment: we should try to protect our world. Expensive regulations are acceptable.
Drilling in the arctic: the amount of oil is small and the damage will be large and irreversible. Drilling should not be allowed.
Bush: Bush is an idiot and he does nothing right (some exceptions apply).
Most hated group: CEOs
Outsourcing: corporations that outsource are betraying the US by making most of their money here and exporting opportunities to other countries.

Libertarians generally believe:

On the economy: fiscally conservative
On civil rights: expansive view on civil rights
On the economy: free markets should reign

__________________
"George W. Bush surrounds himself with smart people the way a hole surrounds itself with a donut." —Dennis Miller

I used to be an idiot high school kid too, so let me see if I can help you out a bit. Both Ron and PJ034 posted absurdly biased definitions that will do you little good. As a libertarian-leaning independent who dislikes both major parties, I will do my best to present an impartial view of political philosophies.

There are two major political parties; the democrats and the republicans. Their names are taken from greek and latin terms for government ruled by people. The democrats consider themselves to be the "party of the people" while the republicans are the "party of freedom," Pick your poison.

Conservatives generally vote republican and liberals generally vote democrat. There is a big difference, however, between a conservative and a republican. A republican is a member of a party. A conservative believes in certain things. Arlen Spector is a republican senator, but certainly not a conservative.

And so what is a liberal or a conservative? These terms have lost much of their meaning because of overuse. In fact the terms used to mean the exact opposite of what they mean today. A liberal used to be an advocate of personal freedom and limited government, while a conservative wanted totalitarian government and monarchy. The modern definitions are basically thus; a liberal is generally pro-individual freedom outside of the range of what they consider 'economic' decisions, for example they are for legalizing drug use, gay-marriage, abortion, etc. With matters of economics such as healthcare, businesses, wages, unions, education, and so on, they believe the government should intervene to level the playing field and make things 'fair' for everyone.

Conservatives on the other hand, are socially less progressive. Because of tradition or religious beliefs, they are often pro-life, against gay-marriage, and against drug-usage. On economic issues, they are usually against government regulation and instead would prefer privatization to varying degrees in the field of education, healthcare, and so on. Conservatives lean right-wing on economic matters, while liberals lean left-wing, however there are socially conservative liberals and progressive right-wingers.

Next we should define left-wing and right-wing. These are essentially economic terms. Left-wingers believe the government should be large and have a great deal of control over people's lives and economic decisions, for example healthcare, public schools, etc. Right-wingers believe the free market works better than a large government. Left-wingers advocate socialism to varying degrees, while right-wingers advocate capitalism.

One other group I should mention would be the libertarians. Libertarians, or 'classical liberals' believe in the original ideas of our government and constitution. They are economically absolutely right-wing, but socially progressive. They usually are against having the federal government control abortion, marriage rights, welfare spending, or prohibit drug use. They want schooling and healthcare totally privatized, along with virtually all other industries except the military.

To see where you stand, I recommend http://www.politicalcompass.org/. Just answer the questions honestly and you should get a good idea of what philosophy fits you. Also, be open to changing your mind as you become educated. I started off as a hardcore liberal/socialist, and after I got older and did some reading, I became almost completely libertarian.

Speaking of reading, here are some books for the various ideologies;

Liberal/Left-wing:
Reason by Robert Reich
The Great Unraveling by Paul Krugman
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx (the extreme left)
The Chomsky Reader (Noam Chomsky, a committed socialist)

Conservative/Right-wing:
The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-wing Conspiracy by Mark Smith
Letters to a Young Conservative by Dinesh D'Souza (also The End of Racism by him is really good)
The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater
The Way Things Ought to Be by Rush Limbaugh

Libertarian/Capitalist:
Free to Choose by Milton Friedman
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand (her fiction is also pretty interesting. Check out The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged)
The Constitution of Liberty by F.A. Hayek
More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well by Walter Williams

For more sources, check out my website and blog at http://www.contrarian-thinking.com or send me an e-mail at therenegadeoffunk@gmail.com

Good luck, homie.

__________________
"The best part about hating people is that I never run out of great ideas."

~ Dogbert

You think I am not being honest about the liberal-movement? Just look at moveon.org's book entitled "50 Ways To Love Your Country." Hmm. I wonder if protesting is in the Top Ten??

Ron

That is a tall order, esp. on a political forum where most of us have strong bias. Unbiased information on politics is almost an oxymoron. Even if you take a factual statistic, such as tax rates, the assertions made using those facts will always be slanted. In other words, a fact that should be objective can always be interpreted in a subjective manner. An example would be "Taxes shift to middle class" vs "Income shifts to middle class." Both could be true, but obviously the facts are used to make very different assertions. Your job, then, is to be suspicious and check out the facts.

This is a very good start on the ideological difference in the parties. You have to decide which issues are important to you. That will change many times as you get older and depending on what's happening at the time. Sites like georgebush.com and johnkerry.com are places to start, but remember that if an issue is important to you, you must do the work of finding out what the candidate has done, not just what he says he wants to do. Politics are all about issues. I suggest that you watch this forum. You will see the way people argue issues and that IS politics.

__________________
Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive. - Theodore Roosevelt

yo, Ron

Your post was pretty funny and actually not as bad as PJ's. PJ's pretended to be objective when it clearly wasn't. My point was that the kid didn't ask for "Reasons to avoid liberalism."

And I read much of MoveOn's website and book. Pretty horrible stuff. The left seems to be moving back towards its fascistic roots of the late 20's and 30's..

__________________
"The best part about hating people is that I never run out of great ideas."

~ Dogbert

I am not going to post some long winding diatribe to "make you a republican" or 'make you a democrat" because i am neither...

I am an agnostic independant conservative who votes on a politician based upon the various issues and reactions and opponent. I am voting for George Bush becuase i knew about John Kerry before he was every nominated. I am voting for George Bush because i am a hawk not a dove.

anyway..

My take on democrats and republicans is this....

A republican is a more rural type person. Regular Sunday church goer... supports fully the US military... wants to pay less taxes... is against the re-distribution of wealth... Republicans tend to build their lives from the groundup and do not like their blood sweat and tears to be taken away and given to people who (for the most part) are milking the system...

Democrats is city folks!! They believe that all religion is equal except for the evils of Christianity. They believe that all cultures are rich and vibrant and worth appreciating... except american culture... Democrats HATE the armed services and police(don't let them lie to you... they do.. actions speak louder than rhetoric) Democrats want to tear down the status quo... they want higher taxes and those taxes to be given to the "underclass" of American society...

Republicans seem to love their history and family and country... Democrats seem to be emotional teenagers who only want to tear down their parents.. in other words democrats rebel against the way things are and were and advocate nearly complete change in their image...

The biggest similarity is that both sides will do anything to win... just republicans seem to have a slight bit more morals about it.. must be that CHristian influence....

__________________
I was banned from godlike productions... and loved it.