Where are you politically?

[ila]

Originally Posted by Bionca

What I find interesting about the US 2-party system is the division of economic and social issues and how the division is pretty contradictory. For example..

The "Right" values little government influence in regards to business and feels that private charitable institutions are better able to handle social welfare needs. In essence a Conservative in the US would like to see less taxes and less government involvement in the private sector....

Until we come to social/personal issues. Then we have the "Right" fighting against Gay Marriage (or any legal recognition of the relationships), fighting against Trans* folks getting the legal sex changed on their documentation, wanting government policy to dictate legal sex acts and partners, and having authority to determine what medical options are available to people with HIV, and having a say as to whether a pregnancy comes to term or not.

And the "Left" here takes the opposite - strong government influence in business and taxes and social welfare with a "hands off" approach to personal/social issues. No wonder people think Americans are nuts!

In a functioning democracy the right and the left will always oppose each other, but at the same time they will find elements in each others' ideology that they can support for without support from the opposition issues would not move forward to the satisfaction of the majority. In this you will find what appears (or is in fact) the contradictions of left wing ideologues sometimes espousing what most people think of as right wing and of right wing ideologues voicing what most people consider left wing ideas. Democracy needs these apparent contradictions in order to function.