2024 Election - What are your key issues, if you are voting?

[Chris2055]

Absolutely not. I oppose universal healthcare completely, I want the military budget to be decimated (as in, reduced to 10% of what it is today), and if you want childcare, you can pay for it yourself.

I DO support specific programs to help people attend college, with a lot of stipulations and changes to be made. First and foremost, no more Houghton-Mifflin stranglehold on textbooks. No more "patents" on public education. All of the textbooks for all students in every grade in every school should be completely subsidized and absorbed into the same budget that the rest of our education budget goes into, by taking away the massive salaries of some of the highest-end that are way too overpaid for what they do.

Part of the military budget can be appropriated and used instead to provide a few options.

1/ Free trade school for up to two years for any American citizen, regardless of criminal history or educational background.
2/ Free four-year college tuition to ANY school in the country, for anyone who enlists in the military, or serves at least a full year as a full-time volunteer for various social programs.
3/ Room and board to be subsidized by again taking money from the military and putting it towards education.

We HAVE the money to do this already. We're just wasting it on perpetuating the Military Industrial Complex and the Permanent War Economy.

I do not agree with anything, ANYTHING, for "free". You earn it, or you don't deserve it. Period. Everyone can contribute in some way. If you won't hunt or gather, and if you WON'T contribute, then fuck you. Starve.

Doesn't sound like you believe in life after all then. Or the pursuit of happiness since you can't pursue anything if you die of starvation. Or liberty since you want the military budget to be dropped to less than a third of what China spends.

 

[EthanB]

Oh dear

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

Doesn't sound like you believe in life after all then. Or the pursuit of happiness since you can't pursue anything if you die of starvation. Or liberty since you want the military budget to be dropped to less than a third of what China spends.

I totally believe in life. Go live your own! Do what you like! If you wind up dying, and I don't know you, then, so what? Not my problem; it's YOUR life. YOU defend and protect it. If you need help, feel free to ASK me, but don't try to legally mandate that I give a shit about you.

I still won't interfere with your pursuit of staying alive, by any means. I want you to have that liberty.

You can pursue happiness if that's what you want to do. And if you don't want to starve, you can pursue food. Not everyone is going to get it, though. That's fine, too. I have no problem with that. Genuinely don't care.

The point is, you had the liberty to make all of your own decisions, without being harmed along the way. If your decisions result in you suffering or even dying, well... those were all your choices, that you were free to make.

Supporting your liberty doesn't mean that I have to carry you as a burden. I am not here to ENSURE your happiness, or your life. If I LIKE you, I will probably fight for you. If I choose to. Your liberty is your own, and THAT is what I will fight for above all else. The rest is up to you.

No country on this planet is going to ever step to America. Our liberty is just fine, my friend. You can sleep easy tonight. They aren't that stupid.

 

[Xzi]

Absolutely not. I oppose universal healthcare completely, I want the military budget to be decimated (as in, reduced to 10% of what it is today), and if you want childcare, you can pay for it yourself.

Bruh, if we cut the military budget down to 10% of what it currently is, we'd have enough federal funds to not only implement premium universal healthcare, but also give everybody in the US a pony and a million dollar house. And still have a ton left over. We could put Sweden and Denmark's social safety nets to shame.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

Bruh, if we cut the military budget down to 10% of what it currently is, we'd have enough federal funds to not only implement premium universal healthcare, but also give everybody in the US a pony and a million dollar house. And still have a ton left over. We could put Sweden and Denmark's social safety nets to shame.

I want to argue with you and cannot, with any integrity.

I still have to throw a BUT in there.

Look at Canada, man. Look at how overrun their system is. That produces much shoddier care, HUGE waitlists, and people literally die for want of "free healthcare".

I really don't have a fucking argument against it, if we took the entire budget from the military and used it properly. I just don't like you winning, ever. Had to throw something out there.

I DO want my pony.

 

[titan_tim]

Look at Canada, man. Look at how overrun their system is. That produces much shoddier care, HUGE waitlists, and people literally die for want of "free healthcare".

Canadian here. You will NEVER find a single Canadian that would give up their health care. We look at you guys and roll our eyes at the waste and price gouging you have to endure.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

Canadian here. You will NEVER find a single Canadian that would give up their health care. We look at you guys and roll our eyes at the waste and price gouging you have to endure.

A huge part of that, though, as you likely know, is the actual medications. Your patent laws aren't refuckingtarded like ours are. You don't gouge the fuck out of insulin patients. You don't jack the prices of brand-name designer drugs by 20x the component costs for twenty full years before you allow a generic equivalent on the market. This is why you have prescription tourism in Canada.

Here, we have sycophant doctors with Pfizer clipboards, and wall-to-wall advertisements every time a new drug that they can foist off on the public gets approved. Hell, look at the ads you see on the internet all the time. "Ask your doctor if Buttfuxia is right for you".

That's ANOTHER thing we could break in America. Absolutely destroy Big Pharma. Rewrite every last one of their laws when it comes to creating new medicines and making them available to the public without putting people in lifelong debt.

There is a cure for Hep C, for example. It takes three pills to CURE it. And each pill costs $10,000.

Jonas Salk would weep.

 

[KingVamp]

We need somebody who will destroy the uniparty, military industrial complex, and the media industrial complex and get us off this fiat slavery system built on debt. When that is done, everything else will fall into place.

This requires a populace that is awake and engaged. A population that can also see through the propaganda of the billionaire corporate media. A lot of people are there. It's not hard to see who isn't there yet.

People who say this, but still vote for the worse kind of people, people that only make things worse, are either highly confused or really dedicated bad faith actors.

 

[titan_tim]

A huge part of that, though, as you likely know, is the actual medications. Your patent laws aren't refuckingtarded like ours are. You don't gouge the fuck out of insulin patients. You don't jack the prices of brand-name designer drugs by 20x the component costs for twenty full years before you allow a generic equivalent on the market. This is why you have prescription tourism in Canada.

Yep, and that's due to government intervention. The thing you seem to hate more than anything.

My main way of thinking is to strive for the country to be as close to a utopia as possible. You can say that a utopia is an impossibility, and you wouldn't be wrong. But you still need to work towards being as close as possible as you can. That being said, a utopia needs to have universal health care (Or a system where everyone has enough money to be able to take care of any health emergencies at any time).

 

[Chris2055]

I totally believe in life. Go live your own! Do what you like! If you wind up dying, and I don't know you, then, so what? Not my problem; it's YOUR life. YOU defend and protect it. If you need help, feel free to ASK me, but don't try to legally mandate that I give a shit about you.

I still won't interfere with your pursuit of staying alive, by any means. I want you to have that liberty.

You can pursue happiness if that's what you want to do. And if you don't want to starve, you can pursue food. Not everyone is going to get it, though. That's fine, too. I have no problem with that. Genuinely don't care.

The point is, you had the liberty to make all of your own decisions, without being harmed along the way. If your decisions result in you suffering or even dying, well... those were all your choices, that you were free to make.

Supporting your liberty doesn't mean that I have to carry you as a burden. I am not here to ENSURE your happiness, or your life. If I LIKE you, I will probably fight for you. If I choose to. Your liberty is your own, and THAT is what I will fight for above all else. The rest is up to you.

No country on this planet is going to ever step to America. Our liberty is just fine, my friend. You can sleep easy tonight. They aren't that stupid.

You're interfering with the right to life if you (society) can save someone but choose not to because of ideology, money or politics. If you don't support universal healthcare for your own reasons, that's fine, but you don't believe in the right to life if you believe health care should be limited to those that can afford it. That's not a right, that's a purchase.

There is more than enough food in supply on the earth to feed every single person so if not everyone gets it, it will only be because people like you have more than they need and don't want to give it up for reasons they can't even explain to themselves.

You can't have liberty if your military budget doesn't support maintaining the sovereignty of your country. No country will "step to America..." but I wonder why? Do you think it might have something to do with the $877 billion annual military budget and the relationship that such power affords us with the rest of the world?

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

You're interfering with the right to life if you (society) can save someone but choose not to because of ideology, money or politics. If you don't support universal healthcare for your own reasons, that's fine, but you don't believe in the right to life if you believe health care should be limited to those that can afford it. That's not a right, that's a purchase.

There is more than enough food in supply on the earth to feed every single person so if not everyone gets it, it will only be because people like you have more than they need and don't want to give it up for reasons they can't even explain to themselves.

You can't have liberty if your military budget doesn't support maintaining the sovereignty of your country. No country will "step to America..." but I wonder why? Do you think it might have something to do with the $877 billion annual military budget and the relationship that such power affords us with the rest of the world?

No, I am not. They still have their right to life. NO ONE has the "right" to another person's care. You cannot command anyone to care, or provide care. Yes, that is IDEAL, but you don't own slaves, and you can't command people to do anything.

You have the right to life. Not to other people's services. No one else is responsible to keep you alive. We ALL have that same liberty. If people want to help, they have that liberty, too, but you cannot DEMAND that someone else sacrifice to keep you alive or happy. Doesn't work that way.

Yup, plenty of food. And if you can move, you can go get food. If you can move, you can earn it somehow. And if you can't, well, we're animals. Survival of the fit-enough. I am cool with that. Crystal cool.

BUT, since you said that, I am going to hold you to what you believe. I have the right to food, right? If you deny me food, you are denying me my right to life, right? So, if I come over to your house, I can just say, "I am alive, and I am hungry. You have food. You MUST give it to me, or you are depriving me of my right to life. Which includes YOUR stuff that YOU paid for. I will never pay you for it, and I will never pay you back. Now, give me your food.". Right? You'd be cool with that?

Okay, Negan. YOU decide "what's half", right?

We have the largest military budget in the world, and we can't even protect our southern border. Seems like a waste of money, to me. No one is going to attack us. Again, you can sleep soundly tonight. Russia isn't coming over here with their jets that can't make it across the ocean, and China knows better.

You want to rule the world with military might and dominance. I want the world to be free to do as they will, and do no harm. We need thinkers and creators, not kids barely out of high school with deadly weapons going off to kill other people they don't know.

 

[Chris2055]

No, I am not. They still have their right to life. NO ONE has the "right" to another person's care. You cannot command anyone to care, or provide care. Yes, that is IDEAL, but you don't own slaves, and you can't command people to do anything.

You have the right to life. Not to other people's services. No one else is responsible to keep you alive. We ALL have that same liberty. If people want to help, they have that liberty, too, but you cannot DEMAND that someone else sacrifice to keep you alive or happy. Doesn't work that way.

Yup, plenty of food. And if you can move, you can go get food. If you can move, you can earn it somehow. And if you can't, well, we're animals. Survival of the fit-enough. I am cool with that. Crystal cool.

We have the largest military budget in the world, and we can't even protect our southern border. Seems like a waste of money, to me. No one is going to attack us. Again, you can sleep soundly tonight. Russia isn't coming over here with their jets that can't make it across the ocean, and China knows better.

You want to rule the world with military might and dominance. I want the world to be free to do as they will, and do no harm. We need thinkers and creators, not kids barely out of high school with deadly weapons going off to kill other people they don't know.

The right to life becomes meaningless in that context because if the right to life doesn't require anyone else to do anything or sacrifice anything, then why define it as a belief?

"Go get food". --- How, just take it or what?

BUT, since you said that, I am going to hold you to what you believe. I have the right to food, right? If you deny me food, you are denying me my right to life, right? So, if I come over to your house, I can just say, "I am alive, and I am hungry. You have food. You MUST give it to me, or you are depriving me of my right to life. Which includes YOUR stuff that YOU paid for. I will never pay you for it, and I will never pay you back. Now, give me your food.". Right? You'd be cool with that?

Okay, Negan. YOU decide "what's half", right?

Apples and oranges comparison that was honestly so dumb it made my head spin for a minute.

• I never said people have a right to food or life, life was your belief that I was holding you to task to defend, which I knew you couldn't since it's intentionally vague (you basically just quoted it from the preamble).
  
  
• Personalized theft/robbery of an individual vs. socialized funding of resources through society.
  
  
• The concept of payment for anything is part of our capitalist system which has nothing to do with rights or beliefs.

"Survival of the fittest." --- Sounds like neanderthal ideology.

Our southern border is not being attacked, immigration is not a hostile invasion. You want to militarize the border...?

China knows better? Why is it better if we have 10% of our usual military budget?

Sounds like you just want to dissolve society tbh.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

The right to life becomes meaningless in that context because if the right to life doesn't require anyone else to do anything or sacrifice anything, then why define it as a belief?

"Go get food". --- How, just take it or what?

"Survival of the fittest." --- Sounds like neanderthal ideology.

Our southern border is not being attacked, immigration is not a hostile invasion. You want to militarize the border...?

China knows better? Why is it better if we have 10% of our usual military budget?

Sounds like you just want to dissolve society tbh.

No, it still has meaning. You have the RIGHT to BE ALIVE.

It's pretty simple. That's it. That's all. You have the right to not be unalived by another person. You have the right to LIFE, itself.

Not perpetuation of that life. You are entitled to NOTHING. You have the RIGHT to live, but you are entitled to absolutely nothing besides other people not preventing you, actively, from remaining alive.

Yes, go get food. Same way everyone else does. If you cannot, you will starve. That's how life works. You still have the liberty to pursue it.

I didn't say "survival of the fittest". That's a stupid concept. Only ONE can be "the fittest". I said "survival of the fit-ENOUGH". You don't have to be faster than the bear chasing you and your friend through the woods. You only have to be faster than your friend.

Yes, our southern border is absolutely under attack. 200,000 new criminals entered in September. All of them are homeless, in America.

The entire state of California has 171,000 TOTAL homeless people. And those are American citizens. And that's the whole country. And it took DECADES to get that high.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/us/sacramento-homelessness-crisis.html

But, 200,000 more illegal immigrants surged across our borders LAST MONTH, mostly winding up in New York, which now is paying $1 billion per month to house, clothe and feed these criminals.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/border-crossings-september/index.html

I don't think we need to militarize the border. We just need about a hundred or so snipers with full legal authority to use lethal force. A month or so of that, and they will stop invading. Not kidding, not being cute, not trying to be funny. I support the use of lethal force to prevent illegal invasion, 100%.

I AM a misanthrope who hates humans. That might shade some of my opinions, here. I am still hoping COVID comes back and pulls a Captain Trips on all of us. The world would be better with 99.7% fewer humans. Again, not joking.

 

[Wolfy]

Key issues I'm looking to vote for, reduced foreign aid as we have enough issues here in the states that we can't be spending it all on other nations' well beings. Better border control, actual department of education changes because its a shitshow. Nuclear power plans would be nice, but I doubt it as the energy industry is still heavily lobbied. And the last thing isn't even something you'll be able to tell until they do it, actual care for the veterans, because the VA is fucked, the disgusting withdrawal from Afghanistan killed me to hear about and nothing else he's done during his presidency has made it better.

 

[Chris2055]

No, it still has meaning. You have the RIGHT to BE ALIVE.

It's pretty simple. That's it. That's all. You have the right to not be unalived by another person. You have the right to LIFE, itself.

Not perpetuation of that life. You are entitled to NOTHING. You have the RIGHT to live, but you are entitled to absolutely nothing besides other people not preventing you, actively, from remaining alive.

Yes, go get food. Same way everyone else does. If you cannot, you will starve. That's how life works. You still have the liberty to pursue it.

Yes, our southern border is absolutely under attack. 200,000 new criminals entered in September. All of them are homeless, in America.

The entire state of California has 171,000 TOTAL homeless people. And those are American citizens. And that's the whole country. And it took DECADES to get that high. But, 200,000 more illegal immigrants surged across our borders LAST MONTH, mostly winding up in New York, which now is paying $1 billion per month to house, clothe and feed these criminals.

I don't think we need to militarize the border. We just need about a hundred or so snipers with full legal authority to use lethal force. A month or so of that, and they will stop invading. Not kidding, not being cute, not trying to be funny. I support the use of lethal force to prevent illegal invasion, 100%.

I AM a misanthrope who hates humans. That might shade some of my opinions, here. I am still hoping COVID comes back and pulls a Captain Trips on all of us. The world would be better with 99.7% fewer humans. Again, not joking.

So let me get this straight. You believe I have the right to life, but don't believe anybody should do anything to help keep me alive aside from not killing me.

You believe I have the right to liberty, but will do nothing to ensure it.

In the context of society, it sounds like you believe in nothing.

I wonder if you are dogmatic in these views. Do you believe those rights apply only to Americans or are inherent in all people? Because if it's the former you'd be out of step with the founders that you quoted since they believed those rights were inherent and inalienable to man. If you believe the latter I wonder why you support snipers offing people at the border, that seems to violate your beliefs in the right to life and pursuit of happiness.

And your framing of immigrants is disgusting and objectively wrong.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

So let me get this straight. You believe I have the right to life, but don't believe anybody should do anything to help keep me alive aside from not killing me.

You believe I have the right to liberty, but will do nothing to ensure it.

In the context of society, it sounds like you believe in nothing.

I wonder if you are dogmatic in these views. Do you believe those rights apply only to Americans or are inherent in all people? Because if it's the former you'd be out of step with the founders that you quoted since they believed those rights were inherent and inalienable to man. If you believe the latter I wonder why you support snipers offing people at the border, that seems to violate your beliefs in the right to life and pursuit of happiness.

And your framing of immigrants is disgusting and objectively wrong.

Correct. You have the right to your own life, without anyone killing you. That's EXACTLY it. You got it, champ.

Correct. You have the right to your own liberty, AND the liberty to defend it yourself, because I don't care about you, and I have the liberty to feel zero obligation towards you. Non-interference. That's what liberty is about. Now, if your liberty is being infringed upon, you have the liberty to ASK me to fight next to you, and I have the liberty to accept or decline. It's still ultimately YOUR responsibility to take care of yourself, in all things, in all ways.

I'm not that likeable. I could be dying in front of any of you, and I wouldn't expect or demand help. I might ASK, but I wouldn't be offended if you let me die right in front of you. You don't owe me anything. You can say NO.

In the context of society, I believe that every man and woman should be free to pursue whatever makes them happy, as long as it causes no harm to any others.

It doesn't need to be any more complicated than that. Everything I have said aligns with that single principle.

Having studied other world cultures, religions and histories, I know my views aren't exactly sanguine with a lot of religions or philosophies, and I am cool with that, too. My course is one of non-involvement. Don't involve me. I won't involve you. We can work together towards our common benefit IF WE CHOOSE TO, but no man is beholden to any other, unless that is their direct choice, or the consequence of one of their actions that harms another member of society.

I have zero problem with immigrants. I DO have a problem with intruders, invaders and criminals. Immigrants don't try to sneak in. America was built by immigration, and I am a great lover of sociology and world history and culture. I believe we are enriched by as many cultures as we can absorb, that also assimilate into our own unique American family and culture and identity.

I want everyone who wants to come here legally to have that chance, and will fight for them to be here. But, try to sneak in? Try to cheat? Lie? Steal? Oh, no. No, no, no. You've already proven with the very first step you took on this soil that we cannot trust you.

I wouldn't let you be my roommate if I walked into my house, found you on my couch, eating my Pringles, and then you demanded to stay without paying rent. If a LANDLORD wouldn't be okay with that, why should America?

Do you support squatters? The folks who just steal other people's homes? It's not exactly a huge leap, there. Just because it's not YOUR home.

You should be treated the same as any enemy of the state, foreign invader or hostile non-American party. You forfeited any of your rights the moment you decided to invade a sovereign nation, as would be the right of ANY nation on the planet.

So, come here the right way, and we will welcome you with open arms and throw the door wide. Criminals can face the consequences.

 

[EthanB]

No, I am not. They still have their right to life. NO ONE has the "right" to another person's care. You cannot command anyone to care, or provide care. Yes, that is IDEAL, but you don't own slaves, and you can't command people to do anything.

Well Doctor's have to take the Hippocratic Oath so you kinda can command someone's care. The US is a strange one where it runs medicine for profit.

 

[WalterSlovotsky]

Well Doctor's have to take the Hippocratic Oath so you kinda can command someone's care. The US is a strange one where it runs medicine for profit.

That oath is voluntary.

 

[TraderPatTX]

People who say this, but still vote for the worse kind of people, people that only make things worse, are either highly confused or really dedicated bad faith actors.

Which category would the people who voted for the current guy fall in?

 

[Wolfy]

Which category would the people who voted for the current guy fall in?

You already know the answer, which makes the statement that much funnier.