I was going to post this link on facebook, but my little comment turned into a rant. So, I decided to throw it up here, since no one reads this anyway, and it's far less likely to cause me to unfriend people:
NY Times--Why I Am Pro-Life...
and my comment/rant:
I find this interesting because it's the reason I no longer claim a political party.
I am an environmentalist who opposes abortion (except in cases of rape or danger to the mother), believes that man has exacerbated global climate change, supports common-sense gun control, and opposes capital punishment.
I think that the government should regulate industry (I think history has proven pretty solidly that the market will not regulate itself), tell us where campaign money is coming from, and tax the rich at a higher percentage rate than the poor.
I believe that corporations are corporations, not people, and that they should shoulder their fair share of the tax burden, since they would not be able to function without taxpayer-funded stuff like infrastructure and schools. I don't believe that doing so is "punishing success," perhaps because I do not define success by the bottom line. Perhaps that comes from having chosen a profession where, no matter how good I am at my job or how advanced a degree I get, I will likely never earn even close to what my father (with a bachelor's degree) did when he retired 6 years ago.
I believe that the federal government needs to get its huge nose out of education and allow teachers to teach students skills and critical thinking instead of how to fill in a stupid bubble test.
I support charter schools, but not vouchers.
I also support teachers' unions (and other types of unions); having taught in one state with and one without (or at least without collective bargaining rights), I can say that I will never teach in a non-union state again. That's not to say I always agree with them (see my previous comment).
I am less concerned that American kids don't do as well as Asian kids on math tests and more concerned that children of all income levels think they deserve an A just for showing up to class.
I think the free exercise clause is just as important as the establishment clause. It is this that causes me worry vis-a-vis the gay marriage debate. Frankly, I don't care who can get married. However, I don't want religious institutions to be forced to perform marriages they disagree with.
I could go on, but I have a pile of essays to grade. Suffice it to say, the reason I turned away from the Republican party in my college years was that I couldn't figure out why it was important to protect the life of a fetus, but no the life of an adult. I couldn't figure out why the same people who were so concerned about an unborn baby were so unconcerned with a 5-year-old who was going to school hungry each day. I never have understood the link between being opposed to abortion and being opposed to taking care of this amazing stewardship we have in the Earth.
At the end of the day, there is not a political party in existence that represents my point of view.
End rant.
