I've been following some of the political threads with some interest...

Just wondering where some of the regulars see themselves on the ol' political spectrum.

Left Wing, Right Wing or planted firmly in the Center, I'd like to know where you see yourself fitting in and perhaps an anecdotal explanation for how you came to be of your particular persuasion.

Me, I'm fairly Right Wing, excepting for a few Leftist tendencies.

Namely:

Spending whatever it takes on education to get the job done.

Free Health Care for all children and retiree's (And yes, that includes illegal immigrants as well).

Viable alternatives to petroleum products -- And by "viable" I don't mean turning scarce food products into ethanol.

Anyway, I suspect this is enough to get the ball rolling -- So I'll hold off on my Right Wing tendencies for the time being...

English PURE Communist ;)

I treat everyone the same and I hate you all :p

Moderate, in everything.

Gosh, I don't even know what I am, but I think I would like to be a drumstick :)
I believe and hope that –

Whoever is President CARES about our troops and makes sure they have every piece of equipment they need PRIOR to sending them off and then making sure they have everything they need when they return home. I really don't think that is too much to ask.

I would like to see that our elderly are able to obtain all the medicines they need without having to pick due to the inability to afford what they actually need grrrrr.

I would like a whole lot of attention paid to the problems on our soil, (children starving, not being educated, underpaid teachers, firemen and policemen. Drugs and murders as well as keeping our eye out for those who mean harm to our great Country)

I would love for every child who desires to go to college, is able to, and it not be based on whether they can afford to.

I would LOVE for those arrested on drug charges to be sentenced to a mandatory treatment program until they are fully in recovery in lieu of prison.

Sorry, hate guns would love to see them disappear.

Hate drugs, would love to see them disappear as well.

I would also like to see a genuine concern and action for children starving across the world (that includes those in the USA).

I would LOVE for a Democrat or Republican to stand up and say something that he or she truly believes and not have the string in their back pulled making them recite party lines.

I would love to believe and trust in what is being told to me by our political leaders.

I would love for America to share our beauty, wealth and knowledge with others, without being offensive, and doing it for the sole purpose of making the world a better place.

Hmmm guess this all does make me a drum stick, huh :).

I am a realistic conservative.
There is no such thing as FREE health care it all has to be paid for.
I believe I could afford health care without the government if it wasn't for the government.
If health care is to be paid for by the taxpayers then set up medical accounts. If you are the type to run to the emergency ward when you get a scratch then it should be out you your limited medical account.
I don't believe we need the government to protect us with restrictive laws for our own good.
i.e. seat belts, motorcycle helmets. The list is endless and progresses daily.
I think we need criminal control, not gun control.
I believe a marriage is a union between a man and a women. If two women want to live together why change the definition of a centuries old institution?
I believe slavery is wrong, it was a long time ago get over it.
I believe the taxpayers through the government have a duty to help those that can't but owe nothing to those that won't. That covers a lot of ground.
Good idea for a thread growler. It expect to see some interesting answers.

Independent, I think politics is stupid and we should vote everybody who can't follow the will of the people out of office. Until then, lock and load. Leave me alone and I will leave you alone. I truly believe that as a nation we can be judged by how we treat the less fortunate, and we should burn the damn money, and just do what needs to be done. Money has made slaves of us all. Cartoon Network should replace Limbaugh, Hannity and that other nitwit O'Reilley. If they build a fence on the southern border, I may have to move to Canada, because there has to be a good reason the people are risking there lives to leave their homes and families.

I'm Up :)

Left/right is too simplistic... I lean somewhat to the left, but for the most part, I use an exclusionary principle, taking what each side thinks the government should do, and disagreeing with that. When it comes down to it, I think the only thing that the government should do is administer the military, and maintain a handful of social programs (explaining the left lean)... education, some basic health care, and temporary assistance for those that end up in crappy situations.

Yes, I'm a libertarian, if it comes down to labels.

Left and Right are poor labels. I am a Fiscal Conservative who realizes that there is no free lunch, and that everything has a cost; that Government does a poor job of redistributing wealth, and allocating resources to their highest and best use. A free market economy with laws to keep the crooks at bay works best. As far as personal liberty, I would be a Liberal who feels that Government should stay the hell out of my life as long as I don't harm others.

I might be tempted to apply the Libertarian label to myself. Read the book "Restoring The American Dream" by Robert Ringer, for an explanation of Libertarian thought. Unfortunately too many Libertarians who have run for public office in the past claim to have been abducted by space aliens.

I'm a Righty. Abe Lincoln did not need the government to educate him. Yes, we need national healthcare but not for illegals. I'd rather pay for solitary confinement than costly recovery programs for drug criminals. Viable petroleum products: Drill in the US where it is abundant and continue to find the good alternative.

Neither the Republican nor the Democratic platform in the US is worth squat.

Tis too sad that the guy with the most campaign money wins.

Can I be a wishbone? I'm trained as an economist, so I always see both sides. I think democracy is the worst possible form of government (except for all the others) because the temptation to vote ourselves benefits that are paid for by others is so strong. I believe in personal responsibility, and in community and mutual aid. I love paradoxes, conundrums, and non sequiturs, so I think political discourse and debate is great entertainment, but it's not a very good way to tell who will be wise leaders.

I think the writers of the US Constitution were exactly right to disperse government power between three branches and fix it so that none of them can control everything. I think the current Executive branch Administration is the most dangerous one in living memory, maybe ever. I think the current Legislative branch is the most craven, corrupt and cowardly one in living memory, maybe ever. I think the current Judicial branch is the most myopic, doctrinaire and idealogical one in living memory, maybe ever. I am optimistic about the future, because every extreme carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction. And because that's the kind of guy I am.

Conservative:
The government 's function should be limited to national defense including pre-emption and prevention of attacks , providing policies [ free market ] for economic growth for the country as a whole [ not income redistribution ], protection of the life of its citizens including the unborn, and the minimum number of practical and enforceble law for the maintenance of civility among its citizens.