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Usedtoknowsomeone46 t1_ix71ufs wrote

Reply to comment by LemonyOrchid in Democrat Chris Poulos Won His Connecticut House Race by a Single Vote by poliscijunki

Newtown goes republican all the time. Crazy town.

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IrishWithoutPotatoes t1_ix91mkr wrote

Not surprising tbh. I always get funny looks at the bars when people find out I’m actually a liberal.

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giant_toad42 t1_ix9k7hu wrote

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism_in_the_United_States

Got some bad news for you and them. We all have far more in common than we know.

We are all .. pretty liberal. The United States is founded on .. liberalism. We progressed due to .. liberalism. The robber barons were made rich by .. liberalism.

Surprised Pikachu - "We're all liberals?!" .. yes. In different degrees, yes. The idea of "conservative" has shifted .. very far from what it once was. All along .. we have been fighting with friends, and friends have lost their way because they no longer see OUR perspective: empathy has died in internet echo chambers. < This is an idea I first heard on NPR - and, of course the story has been BURIED and is invisible. If I try to find it now, I get: "Echo chambers are a myth" --- no, they're not.

Democrats and Republicans aren't a threat to democracy and rule by the people. Echo chambers are.

https://www.fairobserver.com/devils-dictionary/has-democracy-become-a-threadbare-reality/

>Democracy has always been about debate. But debate has all but turned away from its original model, human dialogue aiming at the intelligent sharing and exchange of information. Dialogue implies seeking some form of mutual understanding to mitigate conflict, a state that if allowed to fester can only be resolved by the victory of one side and the defeat of the other. At a time when the White House and the official theoreticians of security in the United States evoke a “battle brewing between authoritarianism and democracy,” the confusion about what democracy means and how it translates into government has never been greater. Contemporary democracy appears to have cultivated a taste for conflict and the minimizing of dialogue.

We are all headed down a dangerous path. Like our need to vote - our need to resist the temptation to be ignorant of the opinions of others .. is equally important. It is how our nation was founded. It is how our nation became great.

Straying from our core values is how we die as a civilization.

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LemonyOrchid t1_ixa31ua wrote

There are actually more registered Dems than Republicans in Newtown as of just a few years ago. However the majority of voters are unaffiliated and I think the majority of them are Republicans. Where are you going? My Place and Cover? Lol

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IrishWithoutPotatoes t1_ixa36x6 wrote

…don’t hate on my bar choices. I go to Barnwood sometimes…

I should also add I don’t go to Newtown as much anymore because I now live in Fairfield (how dare I)

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LemonyOrchid t1_ixa3hau wrote

I’m not hating! Lol. Just a wild guess based on your comment.

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IrishWithoutPotatoes t1_ixa3n70 wrote

Lol maybe I need new Newtown bars. But all the staff at the places I go to don’t hate on my political preferences, just some of the other patrons.

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Uharugger t1_ix93edh wrote

It's full of socially liberal, fiscally conservative people. Even the first selectman, who is a democrat, is fiscally conservative, which allows for more social programs etc.

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Barrayaran t1_ix9f83s wrote

I'm not sure I follow -- you're saying being fiscal conservative "allows for more social programs"? I ask because most uses I've read of "fiscally conservative" are specifically about not spending on social programs in order to keep taxes low.

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Uharugger t1_ix9gxml wrote

Fiscally conservative in this context is just trimming excess where necessary. Making sure funds aren't misappropriated and then distributing them where needed. An example would be, under the old selectmen, the new high school greenhouse (at the time) was allotted $300,000. The person running it said they only needed $100,000 but the school was still given the $300,000. The other $200,000 was no where to be found. This was years ago but that was the kind of bs going on in town for years. The current selectman, who is a democrat, could be considered fiscally conservative. He's great about making sure projects are appropriately managed from a money stand point. Which allows for more funding for social programs, infrastructure projects etc.

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giant_toad42 t1_ix9nu25 wrote

There is nothing wrong with reallocating money to do maximum good.

Where we deviate from fiscal conservatism - is when the greenhouse is allocated $300k, but only needs $100k - and the director of the greenhouse replaces the windows every year to make sure that the excess $200k is retained in budget.

The additional $200k could have been saved as surplus or reallocated to different programs. I'd prefer it were saved as surplus for when economic downturn hits .. so cuts are not necessary.

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giant_toad42 t1_ix9mosz wrote

I am fiscially conservative - and my definition of that is - when I expend revenue it must go to something I get a return on. It also means acting ethically and responsibly with the money of the people of the United States.

It's a misconception that "fiscially conservative" equals "no social spending at all". I see social spending as an investment and I demand to see a return on investment. If there is no return, there is no spending - programs should do quantifiable good.

I am willing to pay for free college - for students who take college seriously. Those who do not succeed should be quickly removed from classes and pushed into vocational programs. ( I know a load of very well-to-do plumbers, landscapers, and electricians. )

I am willing to support SNAP/Rent subsidy.

I am not willing to support no-strings-attached SNAP/Rent subsidy for healthy people capable of working.

I believe laziness is real and should not be subsidized.

I do not believe people who are of working age and are "out of the workforce" should be excluded from unemployment numbers.

I believe teachers should be paid more, and pre-k/childcare should be heavily subsidized.

I believe tax excessive loopholes for corporations are irresponsible.

I support a global (worldwide) minimum corporate tax.

I am very willing to spend on infrastructure and reliable high capacity public transit ( EG: bringing back light rail. )

I am willing to allow familes on state aid to receive a graduated standard of living based benefit vs income-based benefit with a hard cut-off.

I am not willing to increase welfare cash benefit / discretionary spend, nor do I support "UBI".

I believe politicians who abuse their power for profit should be prosecuted. ( This includes people on both sides. )

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