Last night, I had a very healthy political debate with Ken, a gay Republican male, who told me
I was really a conservative deep down inside. Why?
Because I believe in personal responsibility and I don't
just blindly support Democrats just because most of my
gay friends & Black friends support Democrats. In his mind, liberals are all about raising taxes then using that money
to feed lazy bastards who don't want to work.
On the subject of Election 2008: Ken hates Hillary and thinks Obama is too inexperienced to run the country.
He's certain Rudy Giuliani will emerge victorious on Super Tuesday.
I still hope John Edwards can pull it together. As far as Ken's concerned, Ron Paul is really a liberal. I'm not sure what his basis is for that opinion.
On the subject of welfare: I believe people should never rely on government aid to help them feed their kids.
I'm sure there are a lot of left-leaning people
who would agree with that statement. At the same time, lots of left-leaning folks are challenging
conservatives who are okay with our country spending billions of dollars on Bush's war in Iraq,
while simultaneously ignoring hundreds of thousands of physically and/or mentally disabled
US citizens who are homeless and hungry. Why are so many conservatives ok with spending billions of US dollars
on one damn military conflict after another, but they bitch constantly about any
federal or state programs that even remotely resemble welfare for people right here in the Unites States?
On the subject of gay rights: I believe members of the LGBT community should be afforded
the same rights as heterosexuals. Members of the LGBT community should be allowed to adopt children,
marry whomever we please, live wherever we want, and work without fear of harrassment or discrimination.
I do agree with Ken though: "If you have money, you can buy yourself lots of rights."
On the subject of illegal immigration: Ken and I managed to meet halfway on this subject.
His complaint about illegal immigrants
was one that addressed the damage illegal immigration has done to the US's healthcare system. You know the argument:
Mexicans come to the United States illegally, work illegally, don't pay taxes, then use our hospitals and clinics for free.
The cost is then passed on to tax-paying Americans. I reminded Ken that there are a lot of US citizens who have contributed
to the rising cost of healthcare in this country. Just because a man is well-off financially doesn't mean he's paying his hospital bills. I know this
from working in the car business for awhile. Lots of middle-class people and six figure income earners are ignoring their hospital bills, while simultaneously
buying $50K sport utility vehicles. Ken's response to that statement? "Yes, but they're American citizens, not illegal immigrants."
Of course I challenged that with, "So we're ok with American citizens doing it, but we're not ok with illegal immigrants doing it?"
We agreed that any illegal immigrant who has been in this country for years, working, taking care of his/her family, and
contributing to the country's economic growth (i.e. buying goods and services
from US companies), should be given amnesty and allowed to remain here in the US.
We disagreed on whose fault it is that illegal immigration
has become such a huge economic concern. In my mind, the plethora of business
owners who have exploited illegal labor are to blame. For Ken, it's the
liberals because we refuse to write strict laws that provide harsh punishments for both
illegal immigrants and anyone who employs illegal immigrants.
Ken will be launching his own right-wing blog very soon,
as well as joining me in a regular podcast full of friendly political bantering.
I'll let you know when both sites are live.
I suppose here's where I should declare myself a tree-huggin' liberal.
I prefer calling myself a left-leanin' lesbian who despises
right-wing religious fanatics.
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