message from david usher

posted on his forum in response to a raging debate about what some people have assumed to be his beliefs.... thought i'd post it here, because it's interesting... and this is my space to do with what i will!
may 23/2005

hi all
sorry its been so long since ive posted
but things are really busy right now
funny how people can assume so much
last time i checked democrats were capitalists as well as republicans
i just think that the people who have benefited the most from a society and an economy should give back to help those who havent done so well
i think there should be a strong separation between church and state
to have equality in a nation, religous rights of the individual citizens must be protected ie if the government and legal system represent one religion, then by default other religions or those that dont believe become second string
the idea isnt to persecute the religious, it to create a level playing field by keeping religion and politics separate

and lets be clear, bush did not go to war in iraq to bring democracy
his reason and the one he tried to sell to the american people and the world was iraq had weapons of mass destrution and was somehow linked to 911
both of which have now proven to be false
if you want to say its now about bringing democracy to a third world country thats fine but that is not the reason bush invaded
now that we are there i think everyone wants and needs democracy to flourish
you seem quite religious so i should probably let you know i believe
a woman has the right to an abortion if that is her choice
gay people should be able to marry and have the same rights the rest of us have when they do
and we should live in a capitalist society but with social programs like health care and daycare to help the most vulnerable segments of society.
i think the great thing about living in a capitalist society is that you can do well and prosper
but when you do you should give back and help single mothers, kids, the elderly, the poor etc. its really not that difficult an idea
i like this kind of debate on the board, because even though we may not agree at least we are talking about something interesting
debate will always be welcome here
the only thing that i wont tolerate are racist sexist or homophobic comments
im glad you guys are talking
xo
david
***********************************************
and then debate raged on.... prompting david to post again later that day :

you jump so far so quickly
social programs for the most vulnerable segments of society to marx and the communist system is a pretty big leap
there are a lot of shades of gray between those 2 things
i actually think canada has a pretty good health care system
its not perfect and could use improvement but at least everyone is insured
40 to 50 % of americans are not and they do not qualify for medicare
for my family to get coverage in NYC costs $1000 a month
not very affordable
do you really think the waiting lists are shorter for someone on medicare

the separation of church and state
i love the use of sensationalist examples “the kkk”
the reason i dont want god in the capital is because i feel the government and legal system is suppose to represent a broad range of individuals that make up the nation
if a buddist goes into a public school where the money comes from tax dollars that are paid by people of different religions they should not have to say the lords prayer
we have great diversity in north america and thats the amazing thing about it
the idea is to find ways of living together without trampling on each others beliefs

to allow gay marriage doesnt mean you have to have a gay marriage
it means 2 consenting gay people can get married and get the same rights and protections under the law that the rest of us have
why such extreme examples “muhammad had 13 wives”
christians had the crusades, the inquisition and burning women at the stake, so what

we are just going to have to disagree about wmds

i find it interesting
-you dont support social programs and think social programs are “marxist”
-but you would like to force women to have babies they dont want to have
-and dont want to help raise these kids when they are born
interesting logic


good chats, gets my blood flowing

ps

i support my mothers right to choose
xo