What one issue matters most to you?

[Nym90]

Out West we have a different view of Unions.

unions should be allowed to do whatever they want.

Oh should they?  If you knew what that acctually meant, you might be wistling a different tune.

He's from Eastern Kentucky originally. He probably knows exactly what that would mean.

So then he approves of beatings, kidnappings, poisoning of pets and blowing up cars then?

That's hardly "typical" union behavior.

Obviously I don't agree with his statement, I feel that unions and management should be a check and a balance against each other, but I feel that the pendulum has, in many cases, swung too far toward management. Unions have brought many rights to workers that management would have never voluntarily given, things that we mostly take for granted today.

Eric, I have explained this to you before.  Trust me, my Uncle is a union President.  This is typical union behavior.

Well it certainly isn't in my neck of the woods.

I don't profess to be an expert on your uncle's union, but that's still just an anecdote that isn't necessarily indicative of a broader trend.

[12th Doctor]

Gay Marriage...

HAHAHA  sorry, couldn't even hold my laughter for a couple of seconds.


Seriously, though, aside from Iraq and the War on Terror... Education is my top priority.

I fail to see what is humorous about the concept of marriage, but that's just me.

As for my top issues: Education (improving the efficacy of public education and strengthening the ability for teachers to do their jobs), the environment (alternative energy sources, reducing dependence on oil), increasing the accountability and efficiency of government, poverty, economic development of disadvantaged areas.

Geez... have a snese of humor.  I only said that because I knew that it would be mentioned by someone.  People make way to big a deal out of the issue, on both sides.

Sorry, it's not always easy to pick up on stuff like this over the internet.

I see what you mean now, that it's funny for that to be the most important issue to someone, you weren't laughing at the concept itself. I can understand why it would be a very important issue for someone who is gay, however, and I feel that equal rights for all people is very important, even if it doesn't affect me personally. So while it's not my top issue, it's definitely important to me.

It was more a mockery of the right than the left.  I agree that if I were gay, I might have a different opinion.  However, I see it as a Civil Rights issue and easily resolvable a such.

[12th Doctor]

Out West we have a different view of Unions.

unions should be allowed to do whatever they want.

Oh should they?  If you knew what that acctually meant, you might be wistling a different tune.

He's from Eastern Kentucky originally. He probably knows exactly what that would mean.

So then he approves of beatings, kidnappings, poisoning of pets and blowing up cars then?

That's hardly "typical" union behavior.

Obviously I don't agree with his statement, I feel that unions and management should be a check and a balance against each other, but I feel that the pendulum has, in many cases, swung too far toward management. Unions have brought many rights to workers that management would have never voluntarily given, things that we mostly take for granted today.

Eric, I have explained this to you before.  Trust me, my Uncle is a union President.  This is typical union behavior.

Well it certainly isn't in my neck of the woods.

I don't profess to be an expert on your uncle's union, but that's still just an anecdote that isn't necessarily indicative of a broader trend.

Maybe the teacher's union doesn't do these things, but I'm pretty such the other ones do.

[Nym90]

Gay Marriage...

HAHAHA  sorry, couldn't even hold my laughter for a couple of seconds.


Seriously, though, aside from Iraq and the War on Terror... Education is my top priority.

I fail to see what is humorous about the concept of marriage, but that's just me.

As for my top issues: Education (improving the efficacy of public education and strengthening the ability for teachers to do their jobs), the environment (alternative energy sources, reducing dependence on oil), increasing the accountability and efficiency of government, poverty, economic development of disadvantaged areas.

Geez... have a snese of humor.  I only said that because I knew that it would be mentioned by someone.  People make way to big a deal out of the issue, on both sides.

Sorry, it's not always easy to pick up on stuff like this over the internet.

I see what you mean now, that it's funny for that to be the most important issue to someone, you weren't laughing at the concept itself. I can understand why it would be a very important issue for someone who is gay, however, and I feel that equal rights for all people is very important, even if it doesn't affect me personally. So while it's not my top issue, it's definitely important to me.

It was more a mockery of the right than the left.  I agree that if I were gay, I might have a different opinion.  However, I see it as a Civil Rights issue and easily resolvable a such.

I would be perfectly fine with civil unions for everyone, and marriage being left to churches. I think that would be preferable in many ways, because people tend to associate marriage with religion, and thus people who don't oppose the concept of gay marriage per se oppose it due to that particular combination of words offending their sensibilities.

Personally I don't care what it's called. Semantics matter not a whit to me.

But so long as there is state-sponsored marriage, it should be available to everyone.

[12th Doctor]

Gay Marriage...

HAHAHA  sorry, couldn't even hold my laughter for a couple of seconds.


Seriously, though, aside from Iraq and the War on Terror... Education is my top priority.

I fail to see what is humorous about the concept of marriage, but that's just me.

As for my top issues: Education (improving the efficacy of public education and strengthening the ability for teachers to do their jobs), the environment (alternative energy sources, reducing dependence on oil), increasing the accountability and efficiency of government, poverty, economic development of disadvantaged areas.

Geez... have a snese of humor.  I only said that because I knew that it would be mentioned by someone.  People make way to big a deal out of the issue, on both sides.

Sorry, it's not always easy to pick up on stuff like this over the internet.

I see what you mean now, that it's funny for that to be the most important issue to someone, you weren't laughing at the concept itself. I can understand why it would be a very important issue for someone who is gay, however, and I feel that equal rights for all people is very important, even if it doesn't affect me personally. So while it's not my top issue, it's definitely important to me.

It was more a mockery of the right than the left.  I agree that if I were gay, I might have a different opinion.  However, I see it as a Civil Rights issue and easily resolvable a such.

I would be perfectly fine with civil unions for everyone, and marriage being left to churches. I think that would be preferable in many ways, because people tend to associate marriage with religion, and thus people who don't oppose the concept of gay marriage per se oppose it due to that particular combination of words offending their sensibilities.

Personally I don't care what it's called. Semantics matter not a whit to me.

But so long as there is state-sponsored marriage, it should be available to everyone.

Well, like I said, I have a problem with the way both sides treat the issue.  Liberals act as though not having Gay Marriage is a violation Civil Rights on par with Facism.

Conservatives act as though granting gay marriage would mean a total collapes of society as we know it.

[Nym90]

Out West we have a different view of Unions.

unions should be allowed to do whatever they want.

Oh should they?  If you knew what that acctually meant, you might be wistling a different tune.

He's from Eastern Kentucky originally. He probably knows exactly what that would mean.

So then he approves of beatings, kidnappings, poisoning of pets and blowing up cars then?

That's hardly "typical" union behavior.

Obviously I don't agree with his statement, I feel that unions and management should be a check and a balance against each other, but I feel that the pendulum has, in many cases, swung too far toward management. Unions have brought many rights to workers that management would have never voluntarily given, things that we mostly take for granted today.

Eric, I have explained this to you before.  Trust me, my Uncle is a union President.  This is typical union behavior.

Well it certainly isn't in my neck of the woods.

I don't profess to be an expert on your uncle's union, but that's still just an anecdote that isn't necessarily indicative of a broader trend.

Maybe the teacher's union doesn't do these things, but I'm pretty such the other ones do.

I have connections to a lot more unions than just teachers through family and friends and such, but obviously I don't know the inner workings of every union. I think it's wrong to say that it is typical behavior. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but that kind of thing happens with or without unions. I fail to see why blaming the institution and punishing the vast majority of law abiding workers by taking away their rights to assemble, organize, and fight for equal rights would be an effective solution.

When it does happen, those responsible should be jailed. Unions don't commit crime, people commit crime. :-)

[George W. Bush]

Abortion.

[Lunar]

You don't/shouldn't have to be married to someone to let them visit you in the hospital or to give your money to that person. I really don't see the connection.

Ok, so you support giving out civil unions with the exact same benefits as marriage but without the name?

Why not call it all by the same name and leave marriage to the churches?

No. I don't think you should go get a "civil union" for this stuff. You should just be able to declare whoever you want to be able to visit you in the hospital. I wasn't even aware that you couldn't do that.

For inheritance, I'm almost 100% certain you can give your money to whoever you want.

Only married people should be able to adopt.

As John pointed out, your certainty is flawed if your family members challenge your will in court.

So what benefits should only be reserved for heterosexual couples?

[David S]

most important issue?

minimum wage and "right to work" laws.

i think anyone who supports so-called "right to work" should be deported.

We are already losing jobs to cheap overseas labor. (Thanks to free trade agreements signed into law by Bill Clinton.)  How would increasing the minimum wage help that?