Skeptic Bob
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2014
- Messages
- 16,626
- Reaction score
- 19,488
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Libertarian - Left
This elections has really ****ed with my head. It has forced me to examine which rights and political policies are the most important to me. I have a lot of friends on both sides of the aisle saying they will vote for the "lesser of two evils" for the simple, but very important fact, that the next President could be appointing multiple SCOTUS Justices.
My liberal friends say, "Is it really worth voting 3rd party if it risks having a SCOTUS that will overturn Roe v Wade"? My conservative friends say, "is it really worth voting 3rd party if it risks a SCOTUS that will further erode the 2nd Amendment?"
This is a dilemma that I, and surely other libertarian-minded individuals, have to deal with.
Yes, I lean heavily left when it comes to things like social welfare, healthcare, and education and heavily right when it comes to the rights of small businesses. But those are what I consider "second tier" importance to me. Social welfare might be 3rd tier. That's still high, though, because I have a lot of tiers.
Of "first tier" importance to me is sovereignty over one's own person. That means the right to do with your body what you want and the right to defend your own body. So that puts the right to abortion and the right to bear arms right at the very top of my list. I was not in favor of Bernie's stance on gun control but his actual voting record on the subject wasn't wildly radical on the issue. Still I might have had a blind spot for him in that area. But Hillary even wants to hold gun manufactures liable when legally obtained guns are used in crimes. Even Bernie thinks that is crazy. Justices appointed by Hillary will create a court that will make it even more difficult for people to protect themselves, which is a first tier right in my book.
Then Trump comes along and says he wants to overturn Roe v Wade. He wants to appoint justices that will strip people of the right to choose what they can and can't do with their own bodies.
Control over one's own body and the right to defend that body. Those are the two most fundamental rights I believe a person SHOULD have. How could I ever vote for somebody that wants to strip the people of one of those most fundamental rights?
And if I want to be consistent, this means I need to rethink my backup plan of voting Green party because they do not support an individual's right to bear arms.
The Libertarian party seems to be in favor of both my first tier issues but I depart with them on many of my lesser tier issues.
Ever feel like you just don't belong anywhere?
My liberal friends say, "Is it really worth voting 3rd party if it risks having a SCOTUS that will overturn Roe v Wade"? My conservative friends say, "is it really worth voting 3rd party if it risks a SCOTUS that will further erode the 2nd Amendment?"
This is a dilemma that I, and surely other libertarian-minded individuals, have to deal with.
Yes, I lean heavily left when it comes to things like social welfare, healthcare, and education and heavily right when it comes to the rights of small businesses. But those are what I consider "second tier" importance to me. Social welfare might be 3rd tier. That's still high, though, because I have a lot of tiers.
Of "first tier" importance to me is sovereignty over one's own person. That means the right to do with your body what you want and the right to defend your own body. So that puts the right to abortion and the right to bear arms right at the very top of my list. I was not in favor of Bernie's stance on gun control but his actual voting record on the subject wasn't wildly radical on the issue. Still I might have had a blind spot for him in that area. But Hillary even wants to hold gun manufactures liable when legally obtained guns are used in crimes. Even Bernie thinks that is crazy. Justices appointed by Hillary will create a court that will make it even more difficult for people to protect themselves, which is a first tier right in my book.
Then Trump comes along and says he wants to overturn Roe v Wade. He wants to appoint justices that will strip people of the right to choose what they can and can't do with their own bodies.
Control over one's own body and the right to defend that body. Those are the two most fundamental rights I believe a person SHOULD have. How could I ever vote for somebody that wants to strip the people of one of those most fundamental rights?
And if I want to be consistent, this means I need to rethink my backup plan of voting Green party because they do not support an individual's right to bear arms.
The Libertarian party seems to be in favor of both my first tier issues but I depart with them on many of my lesser tier issues.
Ever feel like you just don't belong anywhere?