• jmankman@lemmy.myserv.one
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    7 days ago

    I think in terms of American politics this means you are buying the shit that both sides are peddling to distract you from what the actual problems are and what is actually causing them

  • neons@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    7 days ago

    As someone who calls himself that:

    “I am a liberal but the liberal want to go after the upper middle class instead of after the top 0.1%”

    P.S: I’m from Switzerland, so don’t tell me about Trump. I knoe he’s a fascist and I would have voted against him. But here in Switzerland we have more moderate choices.

  • AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    “I’m an uninformed idiot.”

    Conservatives are fiscally reckless. Look at every conservative president’s deficit spending, and economic crashes. Look at the states most dependent on federal funds.

    Even if you had zero morals and voted 100% on fiscal policies, the best choice is very clearly not conservative.

      • Singletona082@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        Hence why republicans want to get rid of Wikipedia. For all of its faults they generally do a decent job of going slash and burn on any editors that cannot fully back themselves up or have clear political alegances.

          • thevoidzero@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            Anything that keeps a clear record of what people say or believe in, without that changing based on someone’s mood on a particular day is going to be a flop on that side of the spectrum.

            • meco03211@lemmy.world
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              9 days ago

              I love yelling at my Facebook “friend” whenever gas prices go up a cent now. Under Biden it was all the damn time he’d cry about that but never acknowledged of it went down.

          • DigDoug@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            Poes Law very much applies, but I’m pretty sure Conservapedia is a troll. Just look at their list of “Greatest Conservative Songs”.

    • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@slrpnk.net
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      9 days ago

      Don’t confuse “Republican” with “conservative”, especially on economic matters. Republicans are historically economically liberal, ie. they are for unregulated markets. A fiscal conservative likes to cut spending, yes, but not to cut revenue.

    • Zak@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      Does the fact that American “conservative” politicians are lying about it make it an invalid position to take?

    • fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com
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      7 days ago

      Having grown up in a conservative household in a red state (US), and having thought this as I transitioned away to more liberal stances as I learned more about the world, I have to say: Spot on. I was an uninformed idiot.

      • AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        The worst idiots are the ones who never admit when they’re wrong. Having the backbone to admit an error, change, and and move on speaks volumes.

        • fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com
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          6 days ago

          True, I went through that phase as well. It usually came with a side of insecurity. Just happy to have grown in more than just age.

    • Lizardking13@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Look, I think there is something to it, but you really have to give details. I’m good with free access to healthcare, good with people marrying whoever they want (over the age of 18), transgender rights, etc.

      All of that. I love it all. But I’d rather not be taxed to hell and have those funds horribly mis managed. I’m okay with taxes but I know there is so much waste with my funds. That’s where I’d like improvement. I suppose in some eyes that would make me slightly fiscally conservative.

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        8 days ago

        No, that means you just like a functioning government. That has nothing to do with fiscal conservatism.

        If you were a fiscal conservative, you would be against spending any money on healthcare, let alone giving “free access” to everyone.

  • vvilld@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    “I don’t hate you because you’re a POC, a woman, or queer. I hate you because you’re poor.”

  • DigDoug@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Either “I hate poor people but I love weed” or “I’m lying because my actual views would scare people off”.

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Conservativism, in all forms, is not a real ideology. It’s narcissism. A conservative will redefine conservative values based on their own identity.

    So the “socially liberal, fiscally conservative” idiot is lying to themselves about who they are. They want fiscal policies that benefit themselves, and they don’t want to be labelled a bigot, but they are fine with bigots in office as long as they get the fiscal policies that benefit themselves.

    Ask them what they mean by “fiscal conservative,” and they will probably vaguely gesture and say “lower taxes.” What they mean is “lower taxes for me.” Fiscal conservatives still want to spend government money on programs they like. They want boondoggles in their backyard, earmarks and pork barrel projects, and social safety nets as long as they are the recipient (Medicare, Social Security, Veteran benefits, etc.)

    They want to frame it as responsible restraint. Pull funding from programs they don’t understand, like scientific research, or don’t like, like foreign aid (except of course if strong ties to their home country).

    And when they say lower taxes, when pressed, they will describe how their property tax or income tax or capital gains tax or death tax is really bad “for the economy.” They want good schools and roads and infrastructure, but they want someone else to pay for it.

    Calling themselves conservative gives them license to be as selfish as they want to be without having to admit that they don’t actually have any values.

    • unmagical@lemmy.ml
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      9 days ago

      The hatred of property tax really pisses me off.

      I have a mortgage on the house in which I reside. I have to pay property tax on the house in which I reside. My annual property taxes are less than half the minimum monthly payment for my mortgage. If I can afford my monthly payment I can afford my taxes. If I can’t afford my monthly payment the taxes aren’t the problem.

      And what do I actually get for that less than half a monthly mortgage payment in annual taxes?

      • 2 large parks with miles of walking paths, a playground, a basketball and a soccer court, all maintained and within 2 blocks
      • maintained roads to my house that are cleaned regularly
      • decent schools nearby

      Yes, I recognize I got lucky and am privileged enough to have, not just stable housing, but that which I “own,” but that just makes my distaste of the hatred of property taxes all the greater.

      • afk_strats@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        My problem with property tax is that (in the US) it creates a system by which areas with high property tax revenue (rich areas) recieive more money for schools. This is not bad on its face, but in the long term, it creates systems where poor neighborhoods have bad schools, can’t fund improvements, can’t attract good teachers, can’t attract residents, lose on tax revenue… and it cycles.

        Hawaii has an interesting sysyem by which residents only pay tiny property taxes IF their primary residence is their only livable real estate.

  • Brotha_Jaufrey@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    “I don’t hate women and minorities but I don’t see anything wrong with an economy built off of their exploitation.”

  • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    8 days ago

    “I vote Republican, but I’m self-aware enough to know that I should be embarrassed about it.” (In the US)

    • Mallspice@lemm.ee
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      8 days ago

      I’ve heard it more the exact opposite way. “I vote Democrat but I am really tired liberals doing nothing to curb government corruption or tax the rich more.”

  • beefnugget@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    “I don’t actively hunt members of marginalized communities with one of my many obnoxiously customized firearms but I still have a weird kink for giving tax cuts to billionaires in exchange for a worsened quality of life because I have a 12 year old’s understanding of how the world works.”

  • BaumGeist@lemmy.ml
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    8 days ago

    “I pay lip service to minorities, but don’t want to allocate resources to their needs”

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    If they’re American I would point out that they have no representation for their conservative views because there is no fiscally conservative party in the United States.