I heard that majority of the population agrees on 80% of the issues. Let us test that.

[jross]

We argue stupidly by using edge examples as representatives for left vs right stereotypes.  How would you change these opinions to match the population majority?

 

Abortion

• There are situations where it should be legal and situations where it should be illegal.

Education

• Every citizen should have access to affordable public education from preschool through college.

Environment Policy

• Regulations are situationally necessary. 

Gay Rights 

• A citizen's sexual preference must not affect one's rights and benefits.  

Government Spending

• A balanced budget and low debt are more important than social safety nets.

Gun Rights

• Every citizen has a right to bear arms.  Regulations better enable public and personal safety.

Health Care

• Every citizen should have access to affordable health care.  

Immigration

• Legal immigration is good, and there should be fewer restrictions on legal immigration.  We should reduce illegal immigration.

Military

• There are larger local problems to solve than to police the world.

Personal Responsibility

• Each adult has more responsibility than anyone else and the government for their own life's success.

Regulations

• Government regulations hinder free-market capitalism and job growth; therefore, while needed, should be used sparingly to protect consumers and the environment.

Death Penalty

• While a low percentage of innocent people are wrongfully convicted, there are situations where convicted criminals should be dispatched.

Taxes

• What at first was plunder assumed the softer name of revenue. -Thomas Paine

Voting

• Major elections should be a government holiday to maximize participation.
• IDs and citizenship must be a requirement to vote.

 

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by jross
added PR

[Crotalus]

As a left leaning moderate, I can generally agree with most all of these. Here's a few I feel like commenting on.

Gay Rights 
 

• A citizen's sexual preference must not affect one's rights and benefits.  
  
  This includes marriage. If you don't agree with it, then don't get gay married and mind your own business.
   

Regulations

• Government regulations hinder free-market capitalism and job growth; therefore, while needed, should be used sparingly to protect consumers and the environment.
  
  I would say "should be used whenever necessary to protect consumers and the environment". Some folks would be happy to go back to eating rat sausage next to flaming rivers in the name of removing "burdensome regulations".
   

Death Penalty

• While a low percentage of innocent people are wrongfully convicted, there are situations where convicted criminals should be dispatched.
  
  I've switched my thoughts on this. I have no ethical qualms, as there are plenty of awful people that don't deserve to be here anymore. I would be still up for it if there was no question whatsoever about guilt (like these mass shooting scumbags) and the action was carried out in a timely manner. However, even one wrongfully convicted person being executed is too many, there is a strong racial disparity, and it actually ends up being far more expensive for taxpayers.
  
  

Voting

• Major elections should be a government holiday to maximize participation.
  
  This should be a no brainer. But there are reasons some folks don't want to make voting more accessible.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Crotalus

[jross]

I am slightly right and generally believe that the best government is the one that governs the least.  The best rules are the natural rules.  There are a few examples where the least amount of taxes are warranted for a healthier, happier society (health, education, military, housing, and transportation as examples).  I vote based on leadership and policies over party lines.

Some comments in return.

Marriage

• This could be a non-issue if the tax incentives were independent of civil/marriage unions
• The majority believe that marriage is a religious union.  Nonreligious couples should advocate for the government to replace the term marriage with civil unions in all of its government documentation and regulations per separation of church and state.  

Regulations

• The challenge is with determining what qualifies as 'whenever necessary.'  It is silly to require my child to have a permit to sell lemonade at our house during a yard sale.  It would be an undue burden to require me to only drive vehicles that meet propane-only standards, effective December 1st this year. 
• The FDA is needed, but it certainly is slow and costly

Voting

• No registration should be required.  Only those who provide an ID can vote.
• Elections should be 100% end-to-end auditable.

[Ban Basketball]

I'd like to take part,  but I don't really understand the instructions.  Am I to convert those statements into what a majority view would be? If so,  it doesn't account for my views. 

[RYou]

One of the biggest issues was overlooked, Crime.   It's off the rails.  The absence of enforcement including defunding movement in many areas are key contributors.  

[Ban Basketball]

17 minutes ago, RYou said:

One of the biggest issues was overlooked, Crime.   It's off the rails.  The absence of enforcement including defunding movement in many areas are key contributors.  

False. I detailed that crime has been in freefall since the 90's. However,  the homicide rate has increased over the past two years,  but it will be temporary. 

You can see all of the data under the "Michigan" thread in this forum. 

[Ban Basketball]

Just now, Ban Basketball said:

False. I detailed that crime has been in freefall since the 90's. However,  the homicide rate has increased over the past two years,  but it will be temporary. 

You can see all of the data under the "Seriously Michigan" thread in this forum. 

 

[Crotalus]

The majority believe that marriage is a religious union.  Nonreligious couples should advocate for the government to replace the term marriage with civil unions in all of its government documentation and regulations per separation of church and state.

This is bullshit. Thanks to the first amendment, the religious nutjobs don't get to define what marriage is. Therfore the nonreligious or those who believe marriage can include same sex marriage (many of which are religious) don't have to advocate changing anything other than strengthening marriage-equality protections because of assholes like Clarence Thomas.

[RYou]

1 hour ago, Ban Basketball said:

 

 

OP's question regards public opinion of social issues, and in fact, crime is near the top in nearly every opinion poll.

Aside from the fact, you posted elsewhere, the FBI changed its reporting software in 2020 and now many communities, including NYC, LA and Seattle are not reporting at all. Comparing 2020 and 2021 to any other prior year is erroneous. 

When businesses close down and move out of cities citing the local crime rate it'[s a serious issue.  When residents pull up and move out of state because of rising and often unprosecuted crime, it's a serious issue.

[Mike Parrish]

2 hours ago, RYou said:

One of the biggest issues was overlooked, Crime.   It's off the rails.  The absence of enforcement including defunding movement in many areas are key contributors.  

No, it's not. The statistics don't support that.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/10/31/violent-crime-is-a-key-midterm-voting-issue-but-what-does-the-data-say/

[Mike Parrish]

38 minutes ago, RYou said:

 

OP's question regards public opinion of social issues, and in fact, crime is near the top in nearly every opinion poll.

Aside from the fact, you posted elsewhere, the FBI changed its reporting software in 2020 and now many communities, including NYC, LA and Seattle are not reporting at all. Comparing 2020 and 2021 to any other prior year is erroneous. 

When businesses close down and move out of cities citing the local crime rate it'[s a serious issue.  When residents pull up and move out of state because of rising and often unprosecuted crime, it's a serious issue.

Post your evidence.
 

[headshuck]

Did I read much of the PEW survey data came from the FBI?

[Mike Parrish]

7 minutes ago, headshuck said:

Did I read much of the PEW survey data came from the FBI?

What other source would you use?

They own the National incident database.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Mike Parrish

[jross]

5 hours ago, Ban Basketball said:

I'd like to take part,  but I don't really understand the instructions.  Am I to convert those statements into what a majority view would be? If so,  it doesn't account for my views. 

I hypothesize that folks argue against each other with a mind's lie that the other person is radical.  The opinions above are my own, and I am curious to find out if people mostly agree.  The only opinion that I've spot checked against surveys is abortion, and I know I'm in the majority there.  70% of the population believes in regulating, 20% believe it should be legal in all cases, and 10% believe it should be illegal in all cases.  It is alarming that the media (and this forum) make statements implying the edge case is the common case.

[Mike Parrish]

5 minutes ago, jross said:

I hypothesize that folks argue against each other with a mind's lie that the other person is radical.  The opinions above are my own, and I am curious to find out if people mostly agree.  The only opinion that I've spot checked against surveys is abortion, and I know I'm in the majority there.  70% of the population believes in regulating, 20% believe it should be legal in all cases, and 10% believe it should be illegal in all cases.  It is alarming that the media (and this forum) make statements implying the edge case is the common case.

Where does Georgia fall on your scale?
Legal up to 6 weeks.

Most women don't know they're pregnant at that point.
Many fetal abnormalities aren't apparent at that point.

 

[jross]

You go first.

[Mike Parrish]

1 hour ago, jross said:

You go first.

Abortion is a medical procedure that is decided between the pregnant woman and her doctor.

 

Your turn.

[Ban Basketball]

On 11/24/2022 at 8:41 AM, RYou said:

 

OP's question regards public opinion of social issues, and in fact, crime is near the top in nearly every opinion poll.

Aside from the fact, you posted elsewhere, the FBI changed its reporting software in 2020 and now many communities, including NYC, LA and Seattle are not reporting at all. Comparing 2020 and 2021 to any other prior year is erroneous. 

When businesses close down and move out of cities citing the local crime rate it'[s a serious issue.  When residents pull up and move out of state because of rising and often unprosecuted crime, it's a serious issue.

Crime reporting has never been a perfect science,  but we have to use the data that is available.  That's the case now as well. 

The fact is is that from the sample that we get,  it is still showing the continuous,  over three decade pattern of crime rates in freefall.

Funny how you only trust the homicide data- the only area of crime temporarily rising- but ALL OTHER crime data is fake news. 

[Ban Basketball]

On 11/24/2022 at 11:31 AM, jross said:

I hypothesize that folks argue against each other with a mind's lie that the other person is radical.  The opinions above are my own, and I am curious to find out if people mostly agree.  The only opinion that I've spot checked against surveys is abortion, and I know I'm in the majority there.  70% of the population believes in regulating, 20% believe it should be legal in all cases, and 10% believe it should be illegal in all cases.  It is alarming that the media (and this forum) make statements implying the edge case is the common case.

Ah, gotcha. I've been studying that phenomena of us only hearing the extreme,  but there are several reasons for that. 

One,  they're the loudest,  most frequent voices,  so it's easy to think they are the norm,  Second, conservatism today lives on extremism.  Tattletale "News" and AM radyo pushes extremist ideas 24 hours a day.   

Bill Mahar correctly says that there's no such thing as too extreme in the Republican party today (30% of the electorate). You see it in their views,  policy proposals,  politicians,  and candidates.

[Ban Basketball]

On 11/23/2022 at 5:17 PM, jross said:

We argue stupidly by using edge examples as representatives for left vs right stereotypes.  How would you change these opinions to match the population majority?

 

Abortion

• There are situations where it should be legal and situations where it should be illegal.

Education

• Every citizen should have access to affordable public education from preschool through college.

Environment Policy

• Regulations are situationally necessary. 

Gay Rights 

• A citizen's sexual preference must not affect one's rights and benefits.  

Government Spending

• A balanced budget and low debt are more important than social safety nets.

Gun Rights

• Every citizen has a right to bear arms.  Regulations better enable public and personal safety.

Health Care

• Every citizen should have access to affordable health care.  

Immigration

• Legal immigration is good, and there should be fewer restrictions on legal immigration.  We should reduce illegal immigration.

Military

• There are larger local problems to solve than to police the world.

Personal Responsibility

• Each adult has more responsibility than anyone else and the government for their own life's success.

Regulations

• Government regulations hinder free-market capitalism and job growth; therefore, while needed, should be used sparingly to protect consumers and the environment.

Death Penalty

• While a low percentage of innocent people are wrongfully convicted, there are situations where convicted criminals should be dispatched.

Taxes

• What at first was plunder assumed the softer name of revenue. -Thomas Paine

Voting

• Major elections should be a government holiday to maximize participation.
• IDs and citizenship must be a requirement to vote.

 

 

Abortion. 

My views do not differ from yours.  In cases of health of the mother,  rape, and incest should never be outlawed. That's asine to even consider. 

Education.

Pretty much fully agree, but also believe that it should either be free or greatly made cheaper.

Environment.

Same view, plus easing into 100% renewables.

Gay Rights.

100% agree. No laws governing it.

Govt. Spending.

Need much more of it and higher taxes on those paying single digits to pay for it.

Gun Rights.

Full bans on public ownership of anything outside of shotguns and rifles for sport or hunting. 

Immigration.

We need more people in the U.S. to solve worker shortages.  Massive overhaul to alliow more legal immigration and citizenship for those already here. 

Military.

Defund the poop out of it and put the funds where they are needed.

Personal Responsibility.

Pretty much the same view, except I'm a full on social libertarian. 

Govt. Regulatons.

They keep our society civil and functioning.  I'm ok with even more of it.

Death Penalty.

100% abolishment. 

Taxes.

Need much more of it, done far more equitably to fund our society. 

Voting.

Even though I don't vote in any partisan elections,  I do like the national holiday idea.

Never should one person in America be denied the right to vote, including those with no  I.D. If ONE American can't vote,  that's criminal. 

[Husker_Du]

Ban Basketball: "All republicans are extremists"

Also Ban Basketball: "Here are my ideas, and they're all extreme"

[jross]

13 hours ago, Mike Parrish said:

Abortion is a medical procedure that is decided between the pregnant woman and her doctor.

Is this applicable at any point and for any reason?

[MPhillips]

7 minutes ago, jross said:

Is this applicable at any point and for any reason?

Do you seek clarification because you believe this to be an, "edge" example?

[jross]

I don't want to assume his opinion.   

There are two edge beliefs; the 20% that believe in legal abortion at any time for any reason, and the 10% that believe abortion should be illegal at all times regardless of the reason.

Edited November 25, 2022 by jross

[MPhillips]

1 minute ago, jross said:

I don't want to assume his opinion.   

 

Is the opinion stated open to assumption?