how interesting that this post has had at least 6 votes and has now returned to zero. I guess like in this year's election, people's opinions here are very well dispersed and balanced. Weird. (in other words, it's a palm beach node)

disclaimer: I am a horticulture major, not a pol-sci major. Therefore, I may be wrong in some of my assertions here. I'm not saying anything about Democrats now because it would take another huge node to complain about them. These comments only apply to the US republicans although i'm curious if other 'conservative' parties in other places differ. I'd like to hear people's ideas, and if i am blatantly wrong, please MSG me instead of (or in addition to) downvoting me. When stuff is as weird as it is now its good to keep a dialogue open.

A lot of people seem to vote Republican because they hold to conservative ideals, like personal freedom, absense of big government telling us to do, conserving old values and appreciating the past, etc, etc... Well, i was thinking about this and the Republicans, at least the ones around now, don't seem Conservative anymore. If they were, I might very well be a republican. But first of all, how can the Republicans say they are against big government? They want to have huge wars against illegal drug use, even though Bush used drugs extensively in the past. They want to make marijuana illegal, make abortion illegal, hell, even in some cases make speaking other languages illegal. (yeah i know it was more buchannan but it does come up with some republicans) How the fuck does this equate to 'less government'? What it is is MORE big government! I don't smoke pot, speak any other languages, dont have any great love for abortion.. but i DONT think the government should be nosing in on these things.
Also, the republicans seem to want to restrict the rights of women, minorities, young people, the poor, etc. (note: I don't think that giving special privelidges to minorities is right either, its one of the problems i have with the Democrats. However, i do think the republicans often have racist tendencies, or at least tend to force Christian beliefs on others How is this freedom? It seems to me that the Republican party, at least right now, offers 'freedom' only to rich male WASPS. THIS ISNT 'CONSERVATIVE'! And how is big business part of 'conservative' government? it sure plays a big part in the Republican party! The Republicans seem to think that these huge corporations ruling us are better than the government.. at least the government isn't usually trying to turn a profit! And why do farmers and rural people support Republicans so vehemently? The republicans would have rural areas turned into subdivisions and a few huge corporate farms.
The word 'conservative' implies that the Republicans might want to conserve the good things we have here. Then why do they want to scrape all the trees off of the land and run out of lumber in a few decades? Why do they want to keep running on oil instead of finding something better? Why do they support unsustainable grazing? For all the isolationism talk, whyt do the Republicans want to doom us to dependence on the Middle East? it isnt Conservative ANYTHING! it's MONEY! If the republicans are so conservative why do they ruin soem of the most beautiful, intact places in the world, which we are blessed with having right in the United States?

Seriously.. i don't get it. Long ago the Republicans were very different - they WERE conservative. They were the first to establish national parks, oppose slavery, support women suffrage, etc. What happened?

Before anyone responds that the democrats arent liberal, I agree. Both parties suck.
However, the Republican party is the one which will probably have total control over our government soon
So i think they are more of concern at the moment

to those people who responded: first of all, i agree that not ALL republicans think the way that the 'party' does. I've known plenty of cool, reasonable republicans. Unfortunately, they rarely get into office. As for abortion, i wasn't really trying to take sides on the issue, because i have mixed feelings about it anyway, just make a point that that particular issue doesnt correspond with other Republican issues. My friend's brother once said, 'Republicans will absolutely, resolutely, fight for your rights, until you are born'. Also... if people are against killing fetuses, why why do they fight the pill which aborts them long before they are a 'fetus'?

I think that the "conservative" in "conservative republican" refers to economic policies. Someone who supports conservative economic theories believes that the flow of money between the individual and the state should be kept as low as possible ("Read my lips."). This is in accordance with the idea of a free market. A conservative government will tend to take less money from its people and in turn make less provisions for its people. They believe there should be less welfare, etcetera. Contrast this with "liberal" economic theories, which are closer to socialistic ideals. A liberal government will want to have more control of the money in the state it is governing, and will tend to redistribute the wealth among the people of the state. Tax systems under liberal governments try to drain wealth from the wealthy and give it to the poor (in a nutshell).

As for abortion, the environment, gun laws, etcetera there is, I think, little natural disposition towards agreeing with ALL the opinions of some hypothetical average republican (or democrat). However, long before we make up our own minds on such matters we are lectured on what these two "parties" believe. The media would have us believe that there are two mainstream trains of thought. We are led to choose one, and defend it with passion.

Be brave. Break the mold.

I don't think Republicans want to limit the rights of minorities, youngins and women, no more than democrats.

Abortion is no more a right to women than suicide or illegal drug use is. All of them are the women doing things to her own body. Two of them are illegal. One is not. Nonetheless, just because someone is in your body, does not mean they are your body. That is another human, like you in there. If we have sex, you do not have the right to detach my member, even though it's inside you.

In terms of minorities, it is the Republicans who want equal rights. The Democrats want to cater to minorities by giving them special rights. Hate crime laws? Having hate crime laws in existence is federal racism at its finest. Black history month, the NAACP, slave reparations, affirmative action in general... this is racism. Imagine the uproar that we'd have on our hands if their was a white history month. Yet that's no different than black history month, except that it would be viewed as racist.

Limited rights for young people? Absolutely. Otherwise, let's abolish the concept of legal adulthood and alcohol age limit.

I'm not trying to preach. I'm just trying to bring up a couple of points on what kind of actions liberals and conservatives take.

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