What's your "hot button" political issue? Mine is political corruption...

[FormerRepublican]

Seeing all the dirty stuff going on, and being paid for with our tax dollars, makes me go ballistic. I'd like to see every criminal Republican spend heavy time in the slammer. And if the Dems are involved and I have yet to find out about it - well, they should reside in the cell next door.

What's your hot button issue? What's your preferred solution to the problem?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Mine is republicanism. nt.

[FormerRepublican]

3. LOL! Now why didn't I think of that?

[Mira]

7. Dirty Elections N/T

[FormerRepublican]

12. Agreed. If they're willing to steal our vote, is there anything they...

...AREN'T willing to do to us?

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Corruption and torture

we are no better then the Nazis when we kidnap people, put them in secret prisons and use brutal interrogation methods.

[FormerRepublican]

6. I agree. If it were isolated to folks like bin Laden and Zarqawi (sp?)...

...I'd find myself struggling to object, although I know that's wrong. But Bush and his minions have turned the thing into a nightmare, just grabbing any ol' person off the street for a good year long torture session. They've embarrassed us in front of our allies by doing it blatantly and without apology when innocents were involved. That's why I often say they enjoy it - that I think they get off on it - it's because they're so indiscriminate.

Grr... Well, I guess I'll just say I know how you feel.

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. I think they are addicted to it

Like a drug, then need to get regular doses of death and destruction in order toe confirm their power. These bunch is evil to the core.

[Lerkfish]

14. agreed, but rearranged: Torture and corruption.

my biggest issue is Torture. Americans have no business being in the business of secret torture in secret prisons. how anyone can condone or ignore that is inhuman.

Second is corruption, but that includes so many things: lying to enter into a war of naked agression, on down the line. Corruption covers it all.

[FormerRepublican]

18. True. Isn't it odd how we replaced the torturer Saddaam with ourselves?

The Iraqis certainly didn't get much out of the deal, did they? They traded one oppressor for another.

And Rumsfeld is yakking all over the place, trying to grow support for more...

We won't even talk about that evil SOB, Cheney, and what dark acts he dreams about at night.

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. Corruption covers it all

that was why I put it first. Torture is one of the manifestations of their corruption.

Funny, I've been reading some of the Nag Hammadi library and they mention corruption and the 'corrupt ones' a lot. I get the feeling to political climate between now and then wasn't that much different.

[MasonJar]

4. Environmental destruction...it is forever.

[FormerRepublican]

8. Global warming certainly makes a person go...

:scared:

And the feeling that we're looking toward the inevitable doom of the human race...

[kitkat65]

5. Corruption seems to be the root of all of it, doesn't it?

The cryptoquote puzzle had a good one recently:

"In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot."
- C_eslaw Milos_ (I was too tired to finish)

With Murtha so talked about in the news, it seemed really appropriate.

[FormerRepublican]

15. Excellent quote, and so true.

[NanceGreggs]

10. With everything this Administration has done ...

... and continues to do, it's hard to narrow it down to one thing. That, in and of itself, speaks volumes.

But if forced to choose one thing, it would be mistreatment of our fellow human beings, be it torture in secret prisons, Gitmo, Abu Gharaib, the deaths of innocent Iraqi civilians, AND MOST OF ALL the torture that has been perpetrated, and continues to be perpetrated, against our fellow US citizens from NOLA and the other Katrina-affected areas. THAT IS, IMHO, THE ULTIMATE SIN OF THIS ADMINISTRATION.

[FormerRepublican]

16. Katrina is certainly a major, huge, horrendous biggie that gets my blood..

...boiling. Funny, but sometimes it takes the thoughts of others to remind me of all the things the Bush Administration does that I really, really, REALLY, REALLY hate!!!!

Oh, you know what I mean. ;)

[shoelace414]

11. Campaign Financing and Gerrymandering

Those two things cause all the problems including the corruption.

[FormerRepublican]

20. Wouldn't it be nice if we could put Delay in jail for a long time over...

...this? His actions weren't inadvertent, they were deliberate. How many voices were silenced and disempowered because of him?

[TheCowsCameHome]

13. Conservatism really gets by blood pressure cookin'

[FormerRepublican]

21. I find the sheer blindness of the philosphy enraging.

You can't reason with them. They don't listen to logic. They just spout their talking points like they're facts instead of lies.

[TheCowsCameHome]

38. They never let facts get in the way of a good, juicy lie.

[FormerRepublican]

41. The Bush Rule! Everything they say is a lie!

;)

[TheCowsCameHome]

45. Only when their lips are moving. Or breathing. Or in the room.

[FredM]

39. Hot Button Issue? The Christian Right!

The Republican party has so obviously been hijacked by the likes of Pat Roberts, Jerry Fallwell, James Dobson and the rest of these phony hypocrites. These people are not Christians. Since when was Christ in favor of using revenge for 9/11, as a phony pretext for a war? These people are out to turn our democracy into some kind of sick fascist theocracy. Take a look at the Ltn. Governor Blackwell, in OHIO, He is fronting a "Conservative Christian" take over of our secular democracy.
Blackwell is raising huge amounts of cash, by way of "Patriot Pastors," Evangelical churches who now want to ban Science in our schools, and replace it with this idiotic, absurd "Intelligent Design" nonsense. Creationism in a new religious package. Make no mistake, these people are dangerous. Support the Hackett candidacy in Ohio, before these morons bring our government to it's knees in phony religiosity.

[FormerRepublican]

44. Agreed.

The rise of the religious right was one of the primary factors that drove me to switch parties (although I still register as a 'puke - and don't it get 'em all riled!).

[tilsammans]

17. My hot button is what gave us what we've got . . .

. . . election fraud. :grr:

Would we be in this mess if Al Gore/John Kerry had been holding the office to which they were elected?

For us Americans, if we cannot vote, and have those votes counted and recorded accurately, there isn't much hope of improvement.

[FormerRepublican]

22. Agreed. We need to get more aggressive about getting the word out...

...on this so the general public knows that their vote is being redirected. If they're willing to steal our vote, is there anything they AREN'T willing to do?

[blm]

23. Well, since that is your issue of interest, what have you discovered about

the last 40 years of Republican dominated government that you could share with the rest of us?

[FormerRepublican]

27. They're crooks and I wouldn't vote for them again on a bet!

There are actually times when they're fairly centrist, and one of those times is when I got involved with the party. They've gone heavily down hill since then. But they have a very effective criminal enterprise, and we need to take that seriously and develop effective strategies to defeat them. If we don't, we'll be forced to live with the consequences - people starving in the streets, torture, reversal of civil rights and employment protections, increasing involvement in global wars, etc.

[blm]

29. And what about those you observed who worked to uncover the corruption?

.

[FormerRepublican]

32. In the Republican party? You jest.

[blm]

35. Those lawmakers (in general) who targeted corruption while in office?

They must have stuck out like sore thumbs to anyone watching the corruption for so many years.

[FormerRepublican]

40. From my old 'rightie' days...

I know better now, but back in the bad old days, I used to like some of these folk:

Colin Powell (I know, he was involved in some filthy stuff in Viet Nam, but that wasn't exactly trumpted in the public.) I was actually trying to get Colin Powell to run for President instead of Bush, and I personally think we would have been better off if he had, regardless of how you feel about Powell. ANY option would have been better than Bush.

John McCain, before he went wacko. Now he's a real righty righty, which turns my stomach. McCain did try to reform political funding before he got skewered, tho.

I used to like Phil Gramm because he supported balancing the budget (but I liked Clinton better, because he actually did).

I never liked Reagan all that much, even tho everyone else did. Hated Ford, hated Nixon, hated poppy Bush. I liked Barbara Bush when she was first lady, which just goes to show what spin can do for you. I absolutely ABHOR her now!

I liked some of the local candidates.

I guess I had a short list of those I liked, and most of them I felt wishy washy on.

I liked Clinton a lot, except for the sex scandal thing, which I personal feel should have never been made public. Maybe that was part of my turning towards the Democrats, too.

I've always been kind of in the middle politically, but it's the corruption and total lack of moral values in the Republican party that turned me to the left. You may laugh at me saying the 'pukes lack moral values when that's the very thing they trumpet 24/7, but if they can kill a woman to deny an abortion, leave people to starve in the streets, punish the disabled, and all the other morally reprehensible things they do - well, what moral ground do they have left to stand on?

[blm]

50. I don't think you understood my question.

There have been lawmakers who targeted government corruption and went through alot of personal hell and ostracization in DC to expose it where they could. Surely those lawmakers would have made you sit up and take note.

[FormerRepublican]

51. To be honest, I didn't see a lot of them.

Perhaps it's because I'm fairly recent in my deep interest in matters political.

I do remember the giant fuss in the Republican party when John McCain tried to reform campaign financing. It wasn't that big a deal for the rest of the public, but in the party it was big. There were also a number of people who pushed for term limits who later were skewered. One of the reasons I used to like McCain is because at the time he used to be a pol who stood for integrity, and he took on the rest of the party to make it happen (which is why he was called a Maverick by fellow Repubs). It's probably what drew me to Powell, as well. Sometimes things look different in the party than they do from the outside, because of what people say about the candidate.

So yes, I was trying to answer your question as best I could.

I wish I could recall crusaders who were out to clean up the mess. But all too often, everyone seems to look the other way. That punishes us, the American public. Perhaps being a pol is incompatible with integrity, but I hope not. Woe for us if that's true.

[blm]

55. May I suggest you look into what BCCI was REALLY all about?

Put it this way - Had BCCI been fully revealed, 9-11 wouldn't have happened and we would not be in Iraq right now fighting for BushInc's Oil region policies.

[BOSSHOG]

24. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

if that one does not get resolved it won't matter what the other issues are.

[FormerRepublican]

28. Agreed. I don't want someone legislating MY religious beliefs.

And I have the sneaky suspicion it's all about money anyway. The fundies don't have enough $$$ they can misuse, so they need the government to give them muscle to extort more.

And they can't perpetuate their power without enforcing the worst of their controlling dogma.

[SteveG]

59. That's my big issue as well

Separation of Church and State is essential to liberty. To that end I am a card carrying member of both the ACLU and Americans United, and have been for the last 20 or so years.

[AZBlue]

25. Social security/care of the elderly.

With two elderly parents I've become so much more aware in the recent years about the lack of care available for them. Not only health care but resources - housing, food, clothing. There's no one out there who takes the time to help them, to guide them and tell them where to look for answers. The best example is this new medicare program - the big "help" that the govt is giving them is to look on their website. Most elderly don't have a clue how to work the internet and many don't even have access to a computer! Plus, we are a society that forgets its elderly. Many other cultures revere the elderly and realize what a wealth of information and wisdom they are. We just shut them up in nursing homes and visit them on Christmas and their birthday.

[FormerRepublican]

31. The 'puke attitude is "let them die in the streets."

I ran into that attitude first hand when I called Senator Hatch on this very issue, and when I asked "what are you going to do next, execute people?" (as in the poor and disabled) And his aide replied "I'd press the button."

That's the kind of people we have running our government. :mad:

[AZBlue]

36. I've always said the Repubs want to eat the poor.

I thought I was joking.

WOW. That's absolutely one of the most frightening things I've heard any of them say. I mean, there's a HUGE difference between thinking it and saying it out loud!!!!!! Just when you think you've heard it all....

[dad]

26. The war in Iraq

Although I agree with all the other issues posted here, for me our pre-emptive war with Iraq has been the one issue guaranteed to drive me most bonkers regarding the Bushy crew. Ever since the day the neocons drew up the plans it has been a transparently corrupt, pointless exercise, damaging to our interests and our country in countless ways. The worst part about it is that so many of our Democratic politicians are still on board with the whole thing, even after all this time, and all the lies that have been exposed.

[FormerRepublican]

33. The PNAC plan in action.

Too bad they didn't have the brains to think it through first, and realize how SCREWED UP it was.

No wonder Bush needed a second brain. A generalized problem in the Republican party, I fear.

[TriMetFan]

30. My Hot Button is......

the whole F*cken Republican Party and the Christian Right. :mad:

[FormerRepublican]

34. The Religious Right is what drove me from the party in the first place.

When they put a plank in the platform that a woman didn't have the right to an abortion when it would save her life, I just lost it. I realized then that Republicans were completely and totally morally corrupt and insane.

[TriMetFan]

48. I left the Republican Party when the Christian Right started taking

control.

[Catchawave]

37. Negative campaign ads on both sides !

On air, in print and in my mail !!! Tell them to stop it !!!!!!

Ahhhh, I feel better now :hi:

[FormerRepublican]

46. They are annoying, aren't they?

[Catchawave]

53. Annoying? You betcha'... It kept 75 million voters home....

in 2004 ! It's the root of apathy! I hate those ads too, we need to change the rules to something simple like, maybe, what the candidates stand for ?

[blindpig]

42. Environment, it's the Bottom Line. n/t

[FormerRepublican]

47. We're headed toward a cliff, and we don't seem to be doing much...

...to stop it.

[dae]

43. Corruption.

Plain and simple.
I was going to say "Corporate Welfare" but it can be tracked back to political corruption. Then the religious right have twisted their alleged "Moral Superiority" by not recognizing the corruption of their own values. Such as: Greed is Good, instead of, God is Good; Do Unto Others Before They Do Unto You, instead of, Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You; Thou Shalt Kill, instead of, Thou Shall Not Kill, and on and on.
Corruption, it's not just for the wealthy anymore, but the weak-minded as well.

[FormerRepublican]

49. Isn't it amazing how willingly the so called "religious" right give up ALL

...their morals to grab power?

Why does God need power? Doesn't He have enough of His own?

[Jamison]

52. The economy & lack of jobs and opportunity. n/t

[FormerRepublican]

54. Ain't it the truth. We're closer now to a depression than we've been...

...in many, many years.

[distantearlywarning]

56. Separation of church and state.

Also torture, removal of due process, "camps" and anything else that is generally associated with a totalitarian state rather than a free and democratic society.

[Kablooie]

57. The Staples 'Easy' button. Drives me nuts.

[Jim__]

58. The war in Iraq.

When I was in school and they taught us about nazi Germany, they always said that the German people were responsible because they could have stopped Hitler. Well, I have to believe that the American people have the capacity, and also the moral obligation, to stop bush.