Wow... finally the perfect forum to post all of my thinking on the current political scene in America. My political ranting on Facebook, MySpace, Livejournal, etc. never received too much attention but I'm hoping our friends and other politically minded people will get involved. A lot of blogs, infact almost every one I've ever seen, is slanted to the left or the right. With "Across the Aisle," we're going to present a variety of different viewpoints on developing events in American politics and the world. I've noticed the ideologically liberal or conservative blogs tend to form insulated communities of conformity. On many, dissent on these forums is discouraged and ridiculed. I'm not saying these blogs are all bad, but it is unhealthy to trap yourself in an echo chamber and never have your beliefs challenged from a different perspective.
So anyway, my name is Joseph Bishop. Unlike some bloggers, I can reveal a lot about myself because I'm just a college student. I don't have an important job, I'm not running for public office, etc. so I think I'm safe in revealing my identity. Additional info about me personally can be found on my "profile" on the upper right hand part of the page.
I would describe myself as a liberal. These labels have varying interpretations but in a contemporary American political sense, "liberalism" certainly applies to me.
I doubt I'll be writing extensively on social issues because most aren't especially salient to me. I would rather the Democratic Party and liberal minded people pursue more important matters that don't alienate people from the party. I think there's plenty of room in the Democratic Party for pro-gun, pro-life, anti-gay marriage people, etc.
I would consider myself pro-choice, anti-gun, and pro-gay marriage. Socially, I'm very libertarian. Hell, I'm in favor of legalizing marijuana and lowering the drinking age (obviously.)
The social issue that matters most to me is definitely gay marriage. While I don't consider it to be as important as the civil rights battles for African-Americans in the 1960s, I do think giving gays equal rights is of top importance. Again, I don't think being pro-gay marriage should be a prerequisite to join the Democratic Party, but I'd like to see the country move in that direction.
Alright, so the issues most important to me:
energy/the environment -- if this issue is not addressed, no other issues will matter. Most importantly, if this country doesn't become energy independent, we will destroy the environment to a point where the earth will be uninhabitable. Second, the economic consequences could be devistating. Oil is not renewable. As the supply dwindles, the price could sky rocket. Our entire infrastructure is dependent on oil and this could completely paralyze our economy. Third, a vast supply of our oil comes from the Middle East. I would love to see the U.S. flick the middle finger to harshly oppressive and backwards regimes like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, etc. The U.S. should be a moral leader -- a champion of human rights in the world. We have no credibility as long as we buddy up with people that still publicly chop heads off.
the federal deficit -- Republicans have completely abandoned their traditional fiscal conservitism. While in control of Congress, they have pretty much maintained status quo spending (though cutting some important social programs), dumped hundreds of billions into the sink hole in Iraq -- in which much of the money has disappeared, and passed the largest tax cuts in the history of the country. This is fiscal suicide. Either Republicans are fiscal cowards and incompetant or they are consciously trying to bankrupt the federal government. Regardless, a primary goal of Democrats needs to be to restore fiscal discipline and begin paying off the $8.5 trillion debt. If not, this deficit could drain our generation's pocketbooks for years to come or leave those in need without essential governmental services.
nuclear proliferation -- humans can't be trusted with these. I'm sure you've seen so far that the most salient issues are the ones that could result in the world being destroyed. This is one of them. This is also an issue that I'm, admittedly, not as informed as I'd like to be. Bottom line: We have something like 20,000 nuclear weapons. This is moronic. I'm confident that we don't need to dump our money into devising 300 different ways to blow up the world -- maybe just 2 or 3 will suffice. As the country with the most nuclear weapons, it is our moral obligation to enter into agreements in which we reduce the numbers as much as possible. I know this is vague, but I hope to elaborate on this further in seperate posts.
role of the U.S. military -- let's substantially reduce it. I don't think this country has been involved in a morally just conflict since World War II. If a dire threat to our national security emerges, I'm in favor of calling a draft like we did in WWII and fighting it out. I hate war. If a war must be fought, the young people in this country should be equally called upon to sacrifice. It sickens me that so many able bodied youth -- ages 18-30 -- support continuing the Iraq War but refuse to sign up and participate themselves. It's easy to sit on the sidelines and promote war when you're not waking up everyday wondering if it's your last.
A frequent theme you may here me reiterate: "pick up a gun, and pick a side." This motto is applicable to many issues of great importance to me. I guess it means you can't be neutral on a moving train. Various actions and events are transpiring in the world. Simply existing means that you are not an observor -- you are a participant. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution.
My next post will be my thoughts on the Democratic victory in Congress.
