You sound very Calvinistic for an Armenian, Rick

Politics in action, much pipe adding, same old leak.

Billions with an “s”. There’s a real sleek system!

BTW – The National Treasure movie doesn’t reveal to you one startling fact about the Declaration of Independence. It wasn’t written by Jefferson, it was written by Maureen Dowd’s ancestors!

1. Whether or not you thing the Constitution is relevant, is irrelevant. As far as founding documents go, it’s pretty freaking perfect. Not because it covers ever single possible problem the country could face, but because it grants rights to the people to amend it if necessary.

2. “Basic Human Rights” is the most oft-used, and scarcely understood principles ever concocted. Please stop claiming that everything under the sun is a basic human right.

3. Republicans aren’t conservatives. Don’t for a minute think that pointing the finger at GWB and saying “he does it too” works as an argument for liberalism. Republicans are slightly more conservative than Democrats, but only slightly.

4. State government is the primary intended solution to most problems. The federal government was intentionally given limited power.

5. Taxes are the most modern iteration of Robin Hood pragmatism. Taxing for the purposed of funding a government function is fine. Taxing in order to simply give the money back out is not fine.

6. Rights don’t change with the centuries. If you didn’t have the right to clean water in 1800, then you don’t have the right to clean water in 2008. As far as the Constitution is concerned, you don’t have the right to water at all, just the freedom to go find it.

7. People are lazy by nature. Big government always makes them lazier.

8. There will be some who cannot work, and therefore cannot help themselves. We have individual, moral responsibilities to help them. Contrary to what was said earlier, it’s an oxymoron to say “We have a moral responsibility to steal from those who have, and give to those who have not”.

9. How much good could you do if you had 1/3 more money in your paycheck? Who do you trust more to do good with that money, you or the government?

10. Military spending is overblown. We maintain a half-trillion dollar per year military budget (plus the war), and it needs to stop. Many liberals say we need to cut that back and spend it at home, but I say we need to cut back period. No need to spend that money at all. Just give it back to the people who paid it.

Finally, if any liberals think we are in any position to spend any more money on any new programs, just know that we have a 9.4 trillion dollar national debt. You don’t buy new things until you pay off the things you already have.

Please stop playing games with other people’s money.

and a whole other one to say it is an economic issue when you’re actually pregnant and scared out of your mind.

well, i was kinda addressing one part of the issue…

but you know that

however, I would say (not to pull the “I’m a woman” card) that becoming pregnant in not the best circumstances (even while married!) as made the issue of abortion look way different to me. Not that I’m saying “Hooray! Abortion!” but it’s one thing to say it’s a spiritual/moral subject when you’re not pregnant… and a whole other one to say it is an economic issue when you’re actually pregnant and scared out of your mind.

you’re right that there’s not a silver bullet, but the thing with the education is that kids need to know EXACTLY how to prevent pregnancy. (and that includes more than “don’t have sex.” because some of them are going to.)

this is just an isolated example, but i alluded to the Christian kids above who got pregnant when i was in HS. obviously their parents never took the time, because they probably thought “well, surely, MY kids aren’t doing this, i mean, we’re strong Christians! and the Bible study meets at our house all the time!” well, kids can get caught up in myths like “well, it’s not sex if X.” ” you can’t get pregnant if Y.” and as you well know, i’m sure, when kids are responsible for teaching kids, it’s the blind leading the blind.

these two didn’t have an abortion, by the way. but some in the same situation do.

i just think that, as a society, we need to make available to people ALL of the education they might need, and ALL of the “implements” they might use, if they find themselves in a situation where, “i was planning to wait for marriage, but WHEEEE!”

oops. pregnant.

y’know?

and i agree that abortion is heinous.

that’s another one of the myths i think has taken hold, perhaps partly due to some of the tactics of activists on the pro-choice side of things: i think you’d be hard pressed to find somebody (who is, like, sane) who would actually say, “oh, abortion? i love abortion!”