Dealing With Negativity

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
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<p>The Roosevelt "Man in the Arena" quote is on my senior profile in my yearbook. :) I love that quote. </p>

<p>Most of the people in my school are liberals AND hippies. I wasn't really thinking of the politically correct term when I used the word "liberal." People in my school generally just have the view that it is an absolute disgrace to be a republican/conservative/whatever label you prefer. They don't pick and choose what they believe in -- they merely take the stance of every position that would be considered "left" (anti-war, large government, welfare, universal healthcare, pro-immigration, environmentalists, pro-choice, gay marriage, etc). </p>

<p>There are a decent ammount of students, however, who have very good reasoning to their beliefs and I respect them. We have very deep discussions and often times arguments over our positions. Politics and the current election are very big in my life at the moment (I volunteer for a campaign). I don't care whether someone is a republican, democrat, conservative, liberal, whatever... just as long as one can give valid justification for one's beliefs. I am by no means trying to "put down" liberals. If I hated liberals/democrats/hippies/whatever, I would have no friends at my school. </p>

<p>I just realized I went slightly off-topic, but I guess that's okay.</p>

22

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<p>"If you are 20 and not a liberal, you have no heart. If you are 40 and not a conservative, you have no brain." :D</p>

<p>(mistakenly attributed to Winston Churchill)</p>

23

<p>Yeah that whole taking the party line hook, line, and sinker is kind of frustrating to me to. It seems like all you hear is "War is bad so I hate Bush", and people can't seem to grasp the greater good of the whole idea. I will also listen to reasonable arguments and will openly debate with most people. I do, however, hate it when people use no logic. I won't criticize anyones views unless they can't back them up.</p>

<p>Most high school students aren't mature enough to deal with the fact that military service is an honorable thing. Every day I hear things like "Why would you want to the Naval Academy when you could go do any other school?" or "You are going to have no fun in college and then you are going to die". I just wish that more high school students would realize that it is always a good thing to stand up for what you believe in and that serving your country is not a bad thing. I think that they will get it eventually, but for now I will just remain frustrated.</p>

<p>Go Navy!</p>

<p>P.S. Man in the Arena quote is awesome! I also really appreciated that John Stuart Mill quote because now when my extremely "liberal" government teacher goes on one of his rants I can throw some philosophy back in his face. I am looking forward to it already :-)!</p>

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<p>
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I just wish that more high school students would realize that it is always a good thing to stand up for what you believe in and that serving your country is not a bad thing. I think that they will get it eventually, but for now I will just remain frustrated.

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<p>Coming from a very liberal school - yes ultra democrat and left leaning. I would have to disagree with the above statement. Most of the kids in our school have utmost respect for those serving and those about to, it is just not "cool" to state it. See what happens at your award ceremony with your fellow students - I think you will be very surprised at the "support" you will receive. </p>

<p>As for "if you are 20 and not a liberal you have no heart - personally if you are 50 and not a liberal you really do not have a heart, you have a brain granted but for many it is about providing for themselves or their immediate community from which they personally will benefit rather than those who need it the most. Seen it over and over in our community. Many of the ultra conservatives are the "me" generation. Somewhere there has to be a middle ground but for those of us who are moderate - in the middle so to speak, we truly have no place in todays political arena.</p>

<p>Wait until you have gov't at the academy - Son loved his professer who to was extremely liberal!</p>

25

<p>Whenever I inform people that I want to go to the Naval Academy, the response is invariable: "You WANT to kill people?" Major eye-roll.</p>

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<p>Yea, but Atlanta's alot different than Boston or NYC or San Fran or LA in that regard. If they really believed it was cool, then why would they shun saying so? That makes little sense to me ... but then I'm an unenlightened, mindless, heartless 50 year old who believes our govt is the single most wasteful entity in the history of the world, bar none. Being moderate means essentially nothing, imo. It's a media-generated term for not knowing what one believes. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, the tenuring process in higher education has sorely served to refine the myriad of academic disciplines, most notably the social sciences with mind-numbing liberals fully persuaded their intellectualism and "goodness" trumps reality and the notion that government's primary role is not to dole out handouts but to free men and women to pursue their own prosperity in lieu of redistributing that of others. Tenure, a de facto lifetime contract demands that the liberals already in the academic tree allow only those of like mind up the ladder as lifetime colleagues. It's an obscene sort of refining process that does anything but allow for academic freedom. Conservatives are well hidden on campus, usually in student dorms with their fellow undergrads, preparing to go out and make a living in the free world. </p>

<p>btw, my Mid had a similar experience, loved the prof, but that did not in any way buy into the company line. Fortunately and to the prof's credit, mine was not penalized for taking an alternative view. A rare event on many college campuses, for sure.</p>

27

<p>
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Personally I am very offended by people who live under the blanket of US freedom but then question the actions that the military takes to defend it.

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<p>Im guessing your also a fan Jack Nicholson quotes as well?</p>

<p>I will add that when I graduated high school both parents and students thought it was entirely honorable what I was doing... that being said it was just as the Iraq was starting to kick off, and public sentimates have definitely changed</p>

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<p>I knew I had heard that quotes somewhere but I couldn't put my finger on it. Lol</p>

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<p>
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that being said it was just as the Iraq was starting to kick off, and public sentimates have definitely changed

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<p>the omission of the word "war" after Iraq in the above quote was a mistake....</p>

<p>Sorry, I just had to stop myself from sounding like miss teen south carolina during her explanation of the state of the world's education.</p>

30

<p>When my mid attended Summer Seminar at the Naval Academy as a rising high school senior, a colorful poster in one of the faculty offices depicting the four main characters in "The Wizard of Oz" caught her eye because the actors' faces had been replaced with head-shots of Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, and Karl Rove! Guess who was the Tin Man? I felt better letting her leave for I-day after I heard about the Oz poster. :)</p>

<p>Conservative/Liberal, as shogun and profmom have pointed out, are tired stereotypes. Furthermore, last year Military.com reported that for the first time in recent history the majority of American servicemen/women are registered Democrats. Makes sense doesn't it? Most of us probably embrace a combination of liberal/conservative values--that is unless you're Dennis Kucinich or Fred Thompson/Pat Robertson. ;)</p>

31

<p>"government's primary role is not to dole out handouts but to free men and women to pursue their own prosperity in lieu of redistributing that of others. "</p>

<p>A teacher in my school asked me why I was a Republican, and I told him that my basic core was that I believe the government should not provide people with handouts, but instead provide the oppurtunity to succeed (the whole give a man a fish / teach him a fish concept).</p>

<p>Do you know what he said to me? He asked me who pays for my USNA tuition. I said taxpayers. He then said, "And that's not spoonfeeding YOU?"</p>

32

<p>President Clinton signed welfare reform into law and balanced the budget leaving a hefty surplus to perhaps transition Social Security into a hybrid retirement system. The current administration not only squandered the Clinton surplus but has saddled your generation AND your children's generation with a staggering debt to pay off. Imagine a rich aunt not leaving you a million dollar inheritance, but instead a million dollar credit card bill to pay off--not only in your lifetime, but your children will continue to pay off your aunt's excessive credit card bill=Bush economic policy. Certainly NOT my definition of 'conservative.'</p>

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<p>... Has anyone said anything about the current adminstration and whether or not it is conservative or fiscal?</p>

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<p>OK first of all, Clinton had a budget surplus, but he did not get us out of debt. We have been in debt to various foreign nations and to our own citizens through bonds since the war of 1812. While it is true that Bush did run a budget deficit, it is arguably hard to compare the times that Clinton ruled to the times that bush is ruling in. Post 9/11 comes with a whole different set of problems that are a lot more costly to deal with than those that Clinton dealt with. This is not to say that Clinton was a bad president, but comparing his presidency to bush's is like comparing apples to oranges. I would also like to say that I agree with that whole give a fish vs. teach to fish concept. And to your teacher who criticized your education. Ask him how much he values being able to live in a safe and secure country with the freedom to do what he wants. If he doesn't that that is worth your education, then their is something wrong with him.</p>

<p>Also, Bush is most definitly a conservative. Not only had he taken steps to reduce government size and power prior to 9/11, but also has set out a plan that will eliminate the national debt in the coming years (certainly not any time soon though). He has reduced unnecessary government spending, but it is not easy while you are still fighting costly wars on two fronts. However, you have to do what you have to do.</p>

35

<p>
[quote]
Do you know what he said to me? He asked me who pays for my USNA tuition. I said taxpayers. He then said, "And that's not spoonfeeding YOU?"

[/quote]
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<p>Actually, that is a great example of the government not giving handouts, but instead teaching the man or woman skills that will allow them to earn a living for the rest of their life. Its simply a type of public education...</p>

<p>Im a bit appalled that teachers would take that approach. They should check their political affiliations at the school house door.</p>

36

<p>I hate to say this, but the majority of our country's colleges lean left. I don't remember where the study came from, but it showed that 70-80% of college professors vote democrat, and talk about their position in class. Due to tenure issues many of these profs cannot be fired. Think about the guy from Colorado and his nazi comments, or the fact that Columbia invites Alhmendijad to speak using university funding, but will not allow ROTC on campus, or Young Republicans ... and this is one of our finest universities in the nation</p>

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<p>The only difference between our current political parties is the faces and names of the special interest groups they serve. Our government has evolved into an entity whose primary function is the redistribution of wealth; who pays and who prospers is all that changes when the parties exchange positions. </p>

<p>With regard to the "Clinton Surplus" to be fair you have to consider two things; taxes were raised just prior to his election and perhaps of greatest importance; we had a divided government during much of his tenure. If you look at the spending levels of our government over the past half century you will see that the only time spending was held in check (and by that I mean the rate of increase more closely matched inflation) was during periods of divided government and the associated stalemate of legislation. </p>

<p>As far as the “conservative polices” of Bush ’43, I will first acknowledge that I held my nose and voted for the man; twice, so I have to share in the blame. There is also no doubt in my mind that he will enjoy the notoriety and distinction (along with congress) as the President that did more damage to our state of indebtedness during his tenure than any President or even combination of Presidents that have ever lived. I am not aware of any President in our history that failed so miserably to protect us through the veto of legislation containing the kind of obscene pork barrel spending that would send a “real conservative” into convulsions. I will agree you can point to 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq etc as legitimate contributing factors that have added dramatically to the bill. </p>

<p>As far as dealing with negativity, as a nation we may be guilty of many things, actions in pursuit of our foreign policy that "liberals" like to reference as evidence of our nations failings and shortcomings. I don’t know what it is about educators in particular, but there seems to be an inverse relationship between the level of education of an individual and common sense and naivet</p>

38

<p>I suspect, GK, the primary reason, if the truth be told, you call yourself a Repub is because your parents call themselves Repubs.</p>

<p>Call back in ten years after you have graduated, gotten a job, gotten married, had kids, lost a job, lost your health insurance, tried to get a new job and couldn't, paid property taxes, paid income taxes, been robbed, fought mindless bureaucrats over nothing, paid fees to large corporations over nothing, paid for braces, tried to save a little money for a down payment and coudln't, wondered why the rich get richer when you were the one "serving your country", been mugged on the street and had the mugger go free, been stopped for speeding when you weren't, been injured by poorly designed equipment or by a doctor and realized that no compensation was due to you, tried to qualify for medical disability and been denied, and, generally, realized some of the inequities of life. </p>

<p>THEN, when you realize that BOTH parties have failed this country miserably and you have no other voting options, THEN figure out what you are.</p>

<p>The Republicans would do well to embrace their gay, boy-loving, abortion-seeking, wife-cheating, members a bit more tightly. They certainly seem to have enough members who seem to get arrested/accused of moral crimes and forget that Jesus might approach government a bit differently than they proclaim.</p>

<p>The Democrats, likewise, would do well to embrace their corrupted, graft-taking, contribution-seeking members, over-spending, high-living, sanctimonious-you-should-live-a-spartan-life-while-I-enjoy-riding-in-my-private-jet members a bit tightly also. Considring the number of Democarats in jail or that need to be in jail for corruption, perhaps a bit of self-inspection would be good.</p>

<p>I recently told a conserative [ultra-conseravative], bible-thumping friend of mine that I would be voting for the candiate who offered up a plan for national health-care. He responded, as might be reliably expected: "As long as it wasn't socialized medicine."
I asked him if he was against Medicare, Medicaid, Emergeny Room Care for the unisnured, and/or Veterans Administration care. Of course not, he declared.
Well, seems to me these are forms of "socialized" medicine. That is, distributions [re-distributions] of wealth [benefits] controlled by the community.
But, "I earned" those benefits he argued. Perhaps. But almost certainly, some did not pay enough for the benefits they will recieve and others paid more. A classic example of "socializing" a benefit. In this case, medical care.</p>

<p>GK, your comments, then, would lead to the elimination of all "handouts." So, you are against any payments to others that exceed what they may have paid for them.
Thus, using my example above, you should only receive the medical care that can be actuarily justified?
You should only receive the retirement benefit that can be actuarily justified?</p>

<p>If you are old, poor, sick, dumb, blind, retarded, or mute and cannot earn your way, what would you do with these members of our society? Tough? Have a great life? Can't earn, can't learn, go about your own way. . .
If you ahve a child who is born with Muscular Dystrophy, should you pay for your own research to find a cure? Should government get out of the research business?
Should government--as Ron Paul attractively says--only protect the borders and nothing else?</p>

<p>Is this what you mean? Let's hope that no mis-fortune befalls you and that you are always able to pursue your own prosperity w/out the benefit of government to support or hinder you.</p>

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<p>I am really enjoying these posts! Thanks to those who are informed and involved!</p>

40

<p>
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I suspect, GK, the primary reason, if the truth be told, you call yourself a Repub is because your parents call themselves Repubs.

[/quote]

I am not so sure about this - am curious though. I myself - in my younger days - a "fierce" Democrat and quite liberal with a staunchly conservative father. Then I became a Republican - sort of - and my two oldest kids are quite liberal. </p>

<p>Other than that - as much as I hate to say it ;), Bill - I agree with all the rest!
Amazing.
Ditto - usna09mom - very insightful discussion.</p>