[Texas Pete]

I am interested in how others can look at the same set of facts concerning politics and can arrive at very different opinions/views.

I am proud to say I am a Conservative. Today I had some thoughts about how my views developed and I want to know how others have developed their poitical views.

A great many factors go into a person's views the following discribes how my views formed:

I had an average American upbringing. We went to church, said our prayers (at supper and at bed time) and I was instilled with my parents family values and patriotism.

The foundation of my views are God, Family, Nation and Self with a strong alliegence to all 4.

I learned to hate Communism and distain Socialism becuase My grandmother lost her family business to the communist regeime in East Germany....My Grandmother, Aunts and Mother are lucky to have escaped with their lives.

My father served 20 years in the US Air Force and I grew up seeing the flag raised daily and retreived daily on the air bases we lived on. From this I developed a great interest in our nation and its founding and have always been a patriot.

Add to that being a Boy Scout, Attending New Mexico Military Iinstitute for Jr. College and serving in the US Air Force myself and you can see how my view were nourished and developed.

So how about Y'all?

BTW please don't let this denegrate into a urinating match.....I really want to learn how other peoples views develop and what serves as the foundation of their political beleif system.:thumb:

 

[gwopy]

I used self interest and nothing else. That said, my guess is that nobody could guess my positions on even one third of the 100 biggest socio-political issues based on knowing that fact.

 

[New Deal or Raw Deal]

I used self interest and nothing else. That said, my guess is that nobody could guess my positions on even one third of the 100 biggest socio-political issues based on knowing that fact.

Your right and I won't even hazard a guess ........:thumb:

 

[Herbalpagan]

common sense and life experience mostly.

 

[Straight Razor]

Until about 50 I voted straight democrat. Then one day I read a quote that caused me to rethink what I was doing. Since then I have voted straight republican.

 

[lanahi]

Until about 50 I voted straight democrat. Then one day I read a quote that caused me to rethink what I was doing. Since then I have voted straight republican.

What was the quote?

 

[Straight Razor]

What was the quote?

Don't judge a man by his opinions, but rather what his opinions have made of him.

All the conservatives I knew had opinions far different than mine but they were being good citizens, still married, no divorces, no kids in jail et cetera. And the liberals I knew whose opinions I shared were screwing around, divorcing, spreading disease and in general living some downright sleazy lives. The group whose opinion I did not agree with were being model citizens and the group I agreed with were not. So rather than asking what opinions did I support I asked myself which behaviors I supported.

 

[SgtBooker44]

Funny you ask that.

I turned 18 back in 1976. As a product of the California public education system I thought then Governor Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown was the real deal and registered a Democrat.

Late 1978 rolls around and I start working in a liquor store. (Imagine how popular you would be at 20 years old with keys to the liquor store, that's another thread) The owner was a former advertising executive. He did the Hamms Beer series with the Hamm's Bear, Exxon "Tiger in your Tank" and Alka Seltzer "Little Alkie" campaigns.

When we worked together we talked about money, the stock market, how money flowed and how it was controlled. He never tried to lead me one way or another.

1979 I came to the realization that I was more conservative than I thought.

1980 came "The Gipper" The rest was history.

Thanks for the lessons Charlie, and for trusting me with the keys to your livelyhood.

 

[Herd Sniper]

I don't vote a straight ticket for either party. There are some good people from both parties so I learned to research the candidates. The trouble I have is that the Democrat party has pimped over our military personnel too many times for my liking, voted down money for national security and they've completely failed us in fighting terrorists. Then we get Obummer for president. This bird can't make a decision to use force to rescue an American ship's captain whose been kidnapped by Somali pirates. Then we have Obomination's Worldwide Apology Tour of 2009 - 10. If I have to vote, and I'm not sure about the candidates, the nod always goes to the Republican candidate, not because they're better, braver or more morally pristine but simply because they do less damage to my nation. I am not in love with either party but obviously the Democrats need to get away from the really STUPID issues that they support, push and inflict upon their fellow citizens. A good example is all their assinine ideas about being anti-gun. Any group of people who actually believe that guns are bad, and not evil people are bad, is a group that I don't want to give my vote to when they run candidates. If they are stupid enough to blame inanamate objects, like guns, cars and so on, for crimes instead of holding criminals accountable, then I'm dumb enough to vote AGAINST this bunch of losers. Simple as that.

 

[PrepperCon]

When, as a teenager, I saw what a grocery union wanted off a friends paycheck, I told him he was an idiot to let them take that amount of money just to "speak" for him once in a while. That if he didn't have a hair on his [email protected] he'd do his own talking and tell the union boys to get sc$#ed.

Walked the talk ever since, and my opinion has never changed since. I have absolutely no use for unions, believe them to be the scourge of America, and blame them mostly for what's going on right now in the world.

Want proof? Who is protesting in the streets right now in Greece?

Who has overwhelmingly caused the overpricing of labor WORLDWIDE, to the point that Americans no longer compete in the world market?

Who cares nothing of the employing corporation or its ability to compete, but makes sure those COLA increases come in every year, regardless of the state of the economy, the company, or the deadlines?

Unions have been and are the death of Liberty. Happy?

 

[cowboy56]

started many years back making my own opinions...and turned the friggin TV off and started actually reading books...