That's why I'm politically an Independent. I have some conservative leanings, like:
Favor death penalty and harsher first-offense sentencing: make the penalty such that the person doesn't want to risk having to go through it again, and if they are are so predatory as to be a continuing danger to society, they need to be eliminated.
Favor lawful gun ownership. I think that if everyone were armed, people would be a hell of a lot more polite
, and I say, if you choose to break into my house, you're taking your chances.
Favor child discipline ("discipline" isn't "abuse" no matter what the liberals say)
Favor military funding and readiness
anti-quota (I think it should be on merit, regardless of race, sex, religion, or sexual preference)
and I'm "liberal," I guess, when it comes to:
vegetarianism: I've seen animals on commercial farms, and I've seen them slaughtered, and it's inhumane, as are the farm conditions. In my opinion, I don't have the right to use something for food merely because it's a "lower life form." I figure, if I can't kill it myself, I don't need to eat it. But I don't push it on everyone else, or consider myself superior because I don't eat meat.
equal rights for EVERYONE (like, gays should have the same rights as everyone else, for instance)
Animal rights: Someone needs to protect them from human beings who would experiment on them (that's what death-row inmates are for), torture/harm them in other ways (like dogfighting or abandonment, or decimation through fur hunting or destruction of environment). Like I said, for me, I feel that we have a responsibility to take care of our resources, not squander them merely because we're a "higher life form" (which, in the case of some people I've seen, is a matter of opinion)
More funding for education: there are entirely too many uneducated people out there, and teachers have too much to deal with, danger-wise. They should be paid commisurate with their ability, and maybe more of them would give a shit.
Sex ed in schools: kids are gonna do it. giving them condoms isn't going to encourage something if they don't plan on doing it anyway, and if they DO, they'll be protected from disease.
and as far as sexuality in schools ("Heather has two mommies" and "daddy's roommate" being required reading for 2nd graders--in NY, I believe) and religion in non-parochial schools (school prayer) I'm against both. That's something the family should be responsible for, not the schools.
I'm pretty moderate on all of it. I practice what I preach, but I don't require that everyone else conform to my beliefs, as long as they respect my right not to conform to theirs, or have my child have to deal with forced exposure.
Sidhe