<p>^^ Granted, but Libertarians don’t win elections around here. Republicans tend to win local elections, so if I want a voice locally, I need to be registered Republican and vote in the primaries. </p>
<p>Statewide it can go either way, but Libertarians still don’t stand a shot.</p>
<p>I tend to brand myself moderate conservative, but I always vote based on business/economic issues as best I see them and I choose among candidates that have a likely chance of winning, otherwise, I figure I essentially voted for the other person. Others can choose their topics of concern or if they’d rather their vote made a statement. We all have to if we vote. But that’s a whole different thread. </p>
<p>My thoughts were put on here purely to offer a suggestion to the OP IF they get a chance to politely offer it up in conversation with grandma + grandpa.</p>
<p>Consider that I’m so liberal my ideas border on socialist. I believe it’s morally wrong to hoard absurd amounts of money, even if you’ve “earned” it, because when you hold onto it, it’s not going back into the economy and hurts everyone. People who feel entitled to huge amounts of money annoy me. (By “huge amounts” I mean the multi-millionaires and billionaires, though the same case could be made for some sub-millionaires.)</p>
<p>I’ve also planned on starting my own company once I finish my PhD and intend to keep enough to live comfortably; the rest goes to philanthropic purposes. I seriously doubt that will change, because I have long lived my life a specific way and prefer it like that, as I’m far from materialistic. I also care quite a lot about specific issues, like the relationship between poverty and higher education, so that’s where my excess wealth would go. The world could do with a few more socialists like me (and with fewer conservatives who assume everyone is greedy). ;)</p>
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<p>And abortion, and evolution, and gay adoption, and books that don’t adhere to their moral standards…</p>
<p>Nobody with large amounts of money “hoards” it. They invest it–in large and small companies and provide much of the start-up capital in the US. Then many of them donate absurd amounts to colleges and other public good entities. Gates does his health and education stuff. These are way those $50 Million dollar college donations come from.</p>
<p>Unless you bury your money in your backyard, “storing” it in typical investments does contribute to the economy.</p>
<p>Also, people do need to save money for their own retirement, their children’s university education, to make large purchases, to start businesses, and for unexpected needs (e.g. unanticipated medical expenses).</p>
Being anti-abortion isn’t merely a religious conservative stance. As a communist, I doubt anyone will be calling me conservative, and I have never used religion to oppose abortion. Rather, I go about it with formal logic.</p>
<p>[Argument redacted. Forgot about rules.]</p>
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Since most conservative seem to be Christian, it’s worth noting that Jesus said rich men can’t go to Heaven. And since He never really mentioned purgatory or anything, it’s safe to assume he meant the rich are going to Hell. He was, after all, poor and preaching to/for the poor.</p>
<p>Wow, some generalization going on here. Can we allow for shades of grey? I know some mighty “religious” people who live according to conservative principles but don’t “[try] to push their own religion-based rules on others.” Some of you may mean extremists. Isn’t one point of this thread’s development that neither side can absolutely be painted in black/white terms?</p>
<p>who cares what political type you are it’s a college. If you like the college then it is your decious. Plus if you go to a liberal college you’ll be able to better argue with people with different views.</p>
<p>That’s not true. Sure, they invest, but for the top 5% of the wealthiest Americans, or top x%, there’s a significant amount of liquid wealth that’s not invested but simply hoarded.</p>
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<p>Of course - but still plenty of people hoard large amounts of money in excess of those expenses.</p>
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<p>I wasn’t saying that you can’t oppose abortion without resorting to religious principles, but the comment I was replying to specifically mentioned issues where conservatives root their views in their religious beliefs and attempt to impose those beliefs on others (e.g. by making it law). In other words (if you want formal logic) A -> B is true but B -> A is not necessarily true. ;)</p>
<p>FWIW you can also be pro-choice and go about it with “formal logic.”</p>
<p>If these posters are anything like I was at a young age, no amount of logic will ever work to change their mind - only experience. I quit trying logic long ago. It does, however solidify my intent to send my kids and what money we pay to a college that doesn’t rank red on the liberal scale.</p>
<p>Having a diversity of opinion can be good. Having it overwhelmingly one sided has its issues.</p>
<p>I agree. I was anti abortion when I was liberal and I still am now that I’m conservative. It’s definitely an area where I break from the libertarian vibe and always will.</p>
<p>This is one area where how one feels totally depends on whether one considers the unborn a person or not. I do, and there are VERY limited reasons where I can justify murder. My party affiliation or how I feel about gay rights/marriage or whatever have no connection to how I feel about abortion. To me, that just isn’t a “live and let live” deal. Physician requested/assisted suicide is, but killing someone else is not.</p>
<p>But wow, we’re a long way from the OP’s question, no? ;)</p>
<p>OP, any progress or have you shelved the issue?</p>
<p>@ OP – you have family members offering opinions about a situation where they should keep their opinions to themselves. If they were helping to finance your education that would be one thing, but they aren’t. They seem to think they should have a say in where you go to college and I’m willing to guess that the notion that it is your decision has not occurred to them.</p>
<p>This would be a good time for you to learn to set boundaries. If they offer an opinion just give some polite, brief answer or don’t say anything, just smile. Then don’t consider anything that they have said, make the decision based on what you want factoring in your parents wishes if they are helping to pay. Down the road you don’t want to have your relative’s opinions about who you should marry or where you should live or where you should work or when to have kids or so start setting some boundaries now.</p>
<p>If your financial need is great then I think you’ll have to base your decision on where you receive the best financial aid package. Good luck.</p>
<p>Creekland, would you stop being patronizing? It’s really asinine.</p>
<p>I seriously doubt my ideas on this will change - having come from an extremely impoverished background, I actually care about helping others and not just myself. But please, continue to assume that you can predict to perfection the changes in a stranger’s ideas (I mean, it’s not like there’s anyone over 30 who’s economically liberal right?), that I’m just another wide-eyed young whippersnapper who will lose his soul eventually and become a greedy conservative, etc.</p>
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<p>FWIW, I held these beliefs before I went to “ultra liberal” Stanford, and they haven’t changed after graduating (even though most at Stanford wouldn’t agree with me on these ideas). And I’m reasonably certain they wouldn’t have changed had I gone to a conservative school. Believe it or not, a student can hold firm to his/her beliefs regardless of the cultural milieu at his/her school (and still get this “diversity of opinion” you speak of), which is why I say parents should have faith in their children’s intelligence.</p>
The subject hasn’t really come up again but when it does, I’m pretty sure I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing… listening to what they have to say, but not taking in the message they’re trying to instill.
Very good points. I’ve been doing exactly as you suggested… letting them talk but not letting it get to me, not even letting it change my line of thinking.
Definitely another important point that I don’t think my extended family has realized either. Where I go to college is going to ride 98% on the offers I get, and 2% on all other factors, including desirability and preference. There’s really no “room” to weed out the good institutions to avoid liberal atmospheres because they could potentially offer great aid. I’m not forfeiting a decent education to go to a conservative school just to appease family members who aren’t paying for my education and who are only interested in preserving the ideals that they have raised me with. (Yes, they do want me to have a decent education, but I can tell that a lot of their motive is about keeping my conservatism.)</p>
<p>Thanks again everybody for the input, I’ve been reading it all. :)</p>
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