It's the same way with me.

What I think is really going on is that, nobody really wants to be the first one to speak up. Not actually talk about the issue, but broadcast the issue. The second thing is - is that I think everybody already knows what needs to be done, just nobody knows how to go about doing it.

The people are not as divided as people would like to think, people are just afraid to talk about it. Things are getting to the point where it's just going to boil over and nothing is going to contain it and it will be the likes of which has never been seen before.

The media is trying to play their games, but people have more in common than people are willing to admit and talk about, because of things like Political Correctness. People are to afraid to offend people.

Spot on.

First 2 posters starred by me. Well Said Great Topic.

Thanks Hastobemoretolife and 2shores.

It always amazes me that we can be divided on such trivial issues, but be perfectly in sync with the real big important ones.

The big important ones never get talked about in the Media, only the trivial divisive ones

More proof that we're all actually on the same page about a lot of things! I would like to hear some input from people who identify as Republicans and Democrats

Maybe the most massive conspiracy of all is how we've been pitted against each other for decades, while the big issues that we all agree on slide right through unnoticed!

Well, as token extreme liberal, I think more Government is good in certain cases.

But my best friend is Libertarian, my dad's Republican (registered as one, anyway) and mom is a Democrat. I'm still deciding between Democrat and Green but I'm registered as Democrat.

And my boyfriend hates politics, so who knows.

But generally all of us agree on things except my best friend but I think it's more because of her family's financial status and employment status as opposed to mine, and less because of her political stuff. She's not that into politics, anyway.

Originally posted by Kaytagg
1) Less government
2) Less spending
3) Lower taxes
4) Use war as a last resort only

Wait a minute?

Did you get these from talking to citizens?

You know you aren't supposed to take what the citizens want into account. That would put a stop to nearly everything the Repdemconlibocrats are getting away with!

Very irresponsible of you to bring these points up in a public forum.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Hey. I don't like how you specifically leave out independents in your thread. What about us? We exist too you know!

I don't like always being left out of political discussions. People are always like- Democrats say this- and Republicans say that.

What about the independent party?

The federalists and the cons are just... they're making a big mess out of everything. What can I say?

I say that both parties are in bed with each other. No one is against each other really.

You see that all the time.

May I ask why you forgot about us here? We exist too!!

I remember in 1980 listening to and agreeing with an elderly Republican woman who was on the radio from the Republican convention. However, she sighed and said views like hers were no longer being listened to at the convention. (And I haven't heard them since from the GOP.)

I came from a time when there was a slogan, Want to live like a Republican? Vote Democratic. I came from a time when one did not always vote a "straight ticket" but would "cross over" at times. Even Nixon founded the EPA!

This nation became separated over social issues, and once that voting block was attained, non-social issues could be grafted onto them. What has lower taxes got to do with abortion or gays? Yet, when voters went to the polls over social issues, they granted power to politicians who did as they please on other issues that affected their voters in practical detrimental ways (loosening regulations on financial dealings, eg. 1980's to now; keeping a national energy policy on oil, e.g.; refusing to hold corporations accountable to the law in hiring illegal workers).

This division was created politically and picked up by the msm, who was becoming less investigative and more lap dog. It was easier to show a map of two colors than a map of diversity (a "dirty word"). In a time of "you're either with us or against us", voters were divided accordingly.

1) Less government...but whose ox would be gored?
2) Less spending...the dirty secret--Republicans spend as much as Democrats, just on different things
3) Lower taxes...but institute "user fees", until one realizes that they can't get something for nothing, such as less taxes for public education but now the family must write a check to pay the bus fee, or the classroom material fee, donate classroom supplies, etc.
4) Use war as a last resort only...definitely there.

As I've said somewhere else, Americans need to not vote Ralph Nader for POTUS but rather join his organizations. Fight the corporate "special interest" control of Washington, and unite in citizen, truly grassroots "special interest" groups. Let your elected official know what you want from them. And understand this is work and there's no "timeline"...it took us 30 years to get to this point and the wounds will take time to heal.