Kaspari+Modin

POLITICAL TOLERANCE: I think that since I am not a perfect person, I do not have the right to judge another or keep them from exercising their first amendment right. People all around talk about their religious differences if they're Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., so why should it be any different if someone is an atheist or anything else? Yes, communism and terrorism are difficult topics for Americans especially due to our history, but everyone has the freedom to choose what they want to believe. That is the beauty of this country; America prides itself on the personal freedom that is allotted to each individual. I don't believe that that should be taken away. Most people would probably disagree with me especially if it deals with the freedom of speech of a communist or a terrorist. I think that most people would probably want to prevent a person with one of those belief systems or something similar to keep their ideas to themselves so that more people don't jump their bandwagon.

POLITICAL TRUST: A) I would say that I have quite a bit of trust in our government as a whole. However, sometimes parties in themselves sometimes can worry me. Probably one of my first political memories was that seemingly hateful attitudes some Conservatives and Liberals have for the other. I used to always wonder how a government that allows such vicious competition (especially with the televised smear campaigns and push polls) could get anything agreed upon. B) My level of trust in "political actors" is fairly high. The only thing that does make me worry is if a politician passionately fights for something that I don't necessarily agree with. for instance, I am not for universal healthcare, and Obama was incredibly in favor of it. I think that most Americans don't think about whether or not they trust the government. I think that people are comfortable and feel safe in this country, so they do have a certain content level of trust. It is that American way, however, to complain about policies and politicians and say "Bahumbug" when a new bill is brought up. As for trust, I think that people trust that the government always works to do what it thinks is right and that is a comforting feeling for everyone because it's one less thing to worry about. C) I think that I trust government policies because they're not taken lightly. With so many checks and balances, I think that public policy is always closely monitored. We have a culture that fights against our government, so if a policy is adopted, I think that for the most part, it can't do the type of damage that would be required to make me not trust it.

POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION: I think my first political memory was the 2001 Bush/Gore election. I remember my mom had a coffee mug promoting Bush's hopeful presidency. I also remember that on the drive to school every day, my mom and I would count the number of Bush signs in yards, and whoever had the most on their side by the time we arrived at school won. I'd say that the biggest agents of socialization would have to be my family, friends, and my religion. My family is incredibly republican and religious. I grew up hearing about republican politicians and how much better they were. I have many, many democratic friends. Listening to them gave me an entire new perspective on political parties. As a result, I have my traditional values along with values that go along with my own personal morals. I'd say that my religion plays a role in my morals and political beliefs. With many issues, I root back to the old, traditional values. My morals and values give me my belief system, and I lean more towards freedom on most levels. I don't believe in abortion, but I believe that everyone has a right to choose if they want to have one. I am religious, but I can't being myself to be against gay marriage because people deserve the freedom to choose their sexual orientation. I don't want anyone to keep me from my personal freedoms, so I don't keep others from theirs.

IDEOLOGY: I took a lot of tests to find out what exactly is my ideology. I had tests tell me I was an Upbeat, a Centrist, that I lean more Republican, and that I lean more Democratic. Finally I took a test that told me I was a Libertarian, and I truly believe that that is what I lean towards. I never realized it before, but I believe in personal rights more than government intervention on most issues.
 * I believe that government shouldn't control business or whether a person chooses to marry someone of the same sex as they are.
 * I consider hospitals more of a business and I don't think that universalized healthcare is a good idea.
 * Yes, I think that a woman ultimately has a choice in deciding whether or not they want to have an abortion (not because I am a person who favors legal abortion, but there are special circumstances and the pro-choice route is more "humane", and it's not my job to go against someone's personal freedom).
 * I don't believe that the death penalty should be legal because it's wrong to take away someone's life.

POLITICAL EFFICACY: Internally, I'd say that I have a high level of political efficacy. I do believe that my views can impact people when I choose to speak them. Externally, I think that the government does hear issues left and right from all sides of the spectrum. I do believe that in this country, one's voice can be heard if it makes itself audible. Therefore, I do believe that I have eternal efficacy that is quite strong,