(Without Mentioning Pol. Party) Has/Is Anyone Changing Parties Due To Current Issues?

[phil19034]

Thank you very much. Now I feel that I was being manipulated by that parish community but that doesn’t surprise me. Just glad I no longer** live in S.F**. (but that’s another story).

Glad I’m able to make the choice that’s right for me and my conscience. Don’t want to disobey church teaching.

Well, that explains a lot!

 

[Deus_tecum]

I about fall over when I meet Catholics that voted for and still heap praise on Obama. It’s as if they are from some other planet.

 

[elsker]

I would say whoever said its a sin not to vote probably shouldn’t be voting either.

Unfortunately it was a member of that parish’s clergy. I would probably have questioned that claim if it would have been a layperson.

 

[Selah_KY]

I’m politically homeless, but that’s the way it should be I think.

It’s impossible to be anything but in our two-party system.

(hint: they can’t decide whether they worship Jesus Christ or Ayn Rand).

Since others seem to feel it’s okay to say I’m from another planet, I’ll come right out and say I have no patience for people who are one-issue voters when the party in question only gives lip service to that issue in order to get the Christian vote.

I about fall over when I meet Catholics that voted for and still heap praise on Obama. It’s as if they are from some other planet.

Maybe you should listen to what they have to say.

I am pro-life, not just anti-abortion. And neither party is pro-life.

 

[pnewton]

I have left, but not to change parties. The polarization has led me to become independent/third party. I will support individuals, but not a specific party.

 

[elsker]

Originally Posted byJackVk

(hint: they can’t decide whether they worship Jesus Christ or Ayn Rand).

I say Rand assuming that young people who claim to be so enlightened even know who the heck that is. Maybe you’re giving the relativists of today too much credit!

Quote: Sela KY: “Since others seem to feel it’s okay to say I’m from another planet, I’ll come right out and say I have no patience for people who are one-issue voters when the party in question only gives lip service to that issue in order to get the Christian vote.” End Quote

Amen! I honestly am starting to believe that it is impossible to serve in government and claim a belief in morality aligned to the will of God. It seems that once given power these people trade any genuine religious observance away. Simply talking about being pro life and kissing babies doesn’t hold weight when we all know what will happen when its time to vote on legislation that has provisions concerning late term abortion or defense of traditional marriage.

I feel like a hamster on a wheel and wonder what place persons of faith will have in a society that is trying everything in its power to squeeze us out and silence our voices.

Some people are more equal than others, I guess.

 

[Tigg]

I became independent years ago. But watch what will happen on this forum in the next election. Anyone not supporting one of the two major players will be condemned because a third party candidate has no chance and the old adage of the lesser of two evils will be thrown in our faces again. I would not dare sell my soul to one who claims to be pro-life, pro-traditional family and pro-American, but whose actions say otherwise. It is a matter of trust and I’m not blinded by partisan politics no matter how “right” sounding they appear, and I’m sick of their lies and sick of the system and I will vote my conscience without any regard as to probability of victory.

 

[DaveBj]

I am registered with one party, but I am seriously considering reregistering as an independent. The two drawback are that reregistering would disqualify me from voting in the Alabama primaries, and the hassle of going down to the courthouse to do it.

I suppose I could just act like an independent without formalizing the change . . .

 

[Sarcelle]

I am a registered Republican but I find myself leaning more and more Libertarian.

 

[styrgwillidar]

I would support a constitutional amendment to change selection of congress members (representatives and senators) from being elected to simply being chose by a draft similar to a jury- any legal resident within the district/state they are representing. Have a congress with a far more diverse background across class, income, education, employment background. A congress much more representative of the people. Gets rid of partisanship, special interest influence, campaign funding issues, politics as a career and dependency on allegiance to a party for furthering the career. Still elect the president, vice president.

 

[JimG]

Since others seem to feel it’s okay to say I’m from another planet, I’ll come right out and say I have no patience for people who are one-issue voters when the party in question only gives lip service to that issue in order to get the Christian vote.

I have to disagree with the comment about lip service. In fact, one party has proposed and obtained numerous restrictions on abortion, legislatively; and these restrictions have always and everywhere been opposed by my old party. So it would seem that one party does give more than lip service to restrict abortion, while another party acts with more than lip service to prevent any restrictions against abortion from being put into place.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’m not “registered” with any political party, but in my state you don’t have to be in order to vote in the primary.

I was a party activist and held office in the party. So did my wife. But we both walked away when it became clear to us that the only thing our party really stood for was abortion. And, the party has progressively gone off the moral rails, now additionally standing for homosexual marriage.

I have not “joined” the other party. I can’t fully explain that except to say that I still have some degree of reverence for what my old party used to stand for, but no longer does in the slightest way. Or at least I revere memory of the old party people, many of whom are now dead.

But I now vote against my former party 100% of the time. I do feel I have a moral obligation to do that because I have a moral obligation to oppose evil to the extent I have the ability to do it. I consider it a moral failing (more likely than not, sinful) to fail to oppose abortion and the profanation of marriage and the corruption of people arising out of those things.

If we saw an assailant about to slash someone’s throat and we had the means to stop it, we would not for a moment doubt we had failed morally in refusing to stop it. I would, personally, consider it quite sinful not to save the victim if I could. Seriously so.

Voting against abortion and besmirching marriage is not as immediate or as effective as swinging the baseball bat at the intended throat slasher. But it’s the same thing qualitatively.

I will not miss an opportunity with my vote and my support in other ways, to oppose the abortion/homosexual marriage party.

 

[Selah_KY]

If we saw an assailant about to slash someone’s throat and we had the means to stop it, we would not for a moment doubt we had failed morally in refusing to stop it. I would, personally, consider it quite sinful not to save the victim if I could. Seriously so.

So which victim do you protect? The one who has already been born or the one who has not been born yet?

Neither party is pro-life and neither party has done anything to protect the dignity of the working poor in our country.

 

[elsker]

I would support a constitutional amendment to change selection of congress members (representatives and senators) from being elected to simply being chose by a draft similar to a jury- any legal resident within the district/state they are representing. Have a congress with a far more diverse background across class, income, education, employment background. A congress much more representative of the people. Gets rid of partisanship, special interest influence, campaign funding issues, politics as a career and dependency on allegiance to a party for furthering the career. Still elect the president, vice president.

It is ironic that a body that was designed to represent the entirety of all people living in and/or citizens of America are culled from only a minority of the population-the hyper-affluent! I’m not insinuating that absolutely everyone who serves is from the 1% but a majority are or have been put in power to serve that group’s interest almost to the exclusivity of any other group.

Money rules the world and it would literally take a miracle to change that mindset. And honestly, I as a “poor” person do find a certain comfort in knowing that people who are more affluent than me are “caretaking” America. This is wrongheaded thinking on my part and I’m not shy to admit that.

Mr. Smith may have went to Washington but it took him a little time to really understand why and that’s why that movie was inches from being banned outright but probably censored (not because it was supposedly too “depressing and cynical”)but because it had the nerve to tell the truth about how things got done and still get done today.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So which victim do you protect? The one who has already been born or the one who has not been born yet?

Neither party is pro-life and neither party has done anything to protect the dignity of the working poor in our country.

I’m not sure what you mean by the “dignity of the working poor”. Dignity is internal. Possibly you mean their standard of living.

What “already been born victim” do you mean, and why is he/she a victim, and of what or whom? Again, are you arguing that some people now living should have a better living standard than they do? I’m guessing that’s what you mean, rather than, say, taking children away from drug-using parents or protecting young people from the proselytization of evil.

But you can speak for yourself on that.

Now, if you are talking about raising living standards, I would agree with you that neither party has done anything to help since the Earned Income Credit.

 

[pnewton]

It is ironic that a body that was designed to represent the entirety of all people living in and/or citizens of America are culled from only a minority of the population-the hyper-affluent!

From that group and lawyers who are ridiculously over-represented and why some problems will never be resolved, like the actual cost of health care (not insurance, like Obamacare), tort reform, copyright and patent expansion, etc., even though they go against the best interest of all of not-lawyer America.

So, yes, I would be for a lottery. Random selection could not be worse.

 

[exnihilo]

I haven’t changed due to current issues. I concluded the system was a sham years ago. But I never changed my registration.

“If you don’t vote ; you can’t complain!”

What is the felling in regards to the above? I have always voted and would feel weird if I stopped voting in middle age but believe me I am getting fed up and discouraged.

Actually it is the people who do vote who can’t complain. They implicitly agree that the outcome from their voting decides the government we have. They will gladly tell you that voting is the best system. So what right do they have to complain if it doesn’t go their way?

I (for the most part) stopped voting a few years ago. The options are all unpalatable. I wouldn’t feel good voting for any candidate. But beyond that statistically a single vote is meaningless. Elections, beyond maybe some really small town office, are never decided by a vote. And if you ever pay attention to recounts the numbers are always different each time they count. So the system lacks integrity, reliability and accuracy. But voting is the opiate of the masses. It makes people feel like they have a say, and lets the government get away with whatever it wants.

I will not miss an opportunity with my vote and my support in other ways, to oppose the abortion/homosexual marriage party.

They just take away the power of your vote if you vote the wrong way. I voted for a constitutional amendment to codify marriage and the courts simply disenfranchised me.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I haven’t changed due to current issues. I concluded the system was a sham years ago. But I never changed my registration.

Actually it is the people who do vote who can’t complain. They implicitly agree that the outcome from their voting decides the government we have. They will gladly tell you that voting is the best system. So what right do they have to complain if it doesn’t go their way?

I (for the most part) stopped voting a few years ago. The options are all unpalatable. I wouldn’t feel good voting for any candidate. But beyond that statistically a single vote is meaningless. Elections, beyond maybe some really small town office, are never decided by a vote. And if you ever pay attention to recounts the numbers are always different each time they count. So the system lacks integrity, reliability and accuracy. But voting is the opiate of the masses. It makes people feel like they have a say, and lets the government get away with whatever it wants.

They just take away the power of your vote if you vote the wrong way. I voted for a constitutional amendment to codify marriage and the courts simply disenfranchised me.

Kind of cynical. I think we are obligated to do what we can, however large or small it might be. I can’t give tens of millions of dollars to charity either, and what I give couldn’t do much. But it’s still my moral obligation to do it and not just leave it up to the millionaires.

 

[Ridgerunner]

From that group and lawyers who are ridiculously over-represented and why some problems will never be resolved, like the actual cost of health care (not insurance, like Obamacare), tort reform, copyright and patent expansion, etc., even though they go against the best interest of all of not-lawyer America.

So, yes, I would be for a lottery. Random selection could not be worse.

I agree in part, but I can’t agree in full. I acknowledge that a lot of politicians are venal and self-aggrandizing. But some of them really are intelligent and try to do the right thing. I have known a fair number of them, and I really do believe some of them have their hearts in the right place.

 

[exnihilo]

Kind of cynical. I think we are obligated to do what we can, however large or small it might be. I can’t give tens of millions of dollars to charity either, and what I give couldn’t do much. But it’s still my moral obligation to do it and not just leave it up to the millionaires.

Cynical maybe, but certainly factual. The difference with your charity example is in voting the winner takes all. In giving to charity you can always make a difference. Every donation makes an impact. In voting you almost never make a difference.