Brad Nims

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42 COMMENTS

  1. This is the first one I’ve seen that lines up exactly with my views. It’s good to know there are more out there, but I guess that’s the point of this little experiment.

  4. Is it possible to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative? Like you support tons of government programs, welfare, healthcare etc but you dont support the taxes to pay for them? Or do you mean you are morally liberal but fiscally conservative?

    • I think morally, not in terms of social programs. ie pro gay-marriage, pro cannabis legalization, etc.

      • Maybe ‘socially tolerant’ is a better term, ‘liberal’ has come to mean ‘in favor of government handouts’.

        If it doesn’t break my leg or pick my pocket, why should I care what the neighbors are up to?

    • Yes, it is in fact entirely possible to be both simultaneously. I’m socially liberal in the sense that I want more freedom for people to interact with society as they wish as long as their activities don’t interfere with the rights of others.

      I’m fiscally conservative in the sense that I believe in allocating the proper amount of funds and resources to programs that deserve to exist. Welfare for example, I believe has value BUT the way it operates needs to be completely overhauled and given to people who actually deserve to be on welfare.

      • The Fact is:
        Every American can be what ever the heck he/she want’s to be!
        That is the Central, Core Belief OF AMERICA!

  5. those libertarians. They’re actually happy they don’t get free crap from the government. wtf.

    • I am a Brad of the world. I am a socially tolerant, fiscally conservative, American Jew. I am a husband, father, friend of many. I am Jewish. I own several guns. I train with my guns so if the need ever arises, I am proficient in their handling and care.

      – Brad

  7. Good on you for giving it straight. That last line sums up the underlying effect of gun control: presumed guilt based on others’ actions.

    Just curious, why don’t you trust libertarians? Seems they’re the “follow the Constitution and leave everyone alone to live their lives” crowd.

    • While I do respect a lot of what the libertarians believe, a politician is a politician. I suppose for the most part I would call myself a libertarian but their economics is a bit iffy to me.

      I’m not totally opposed to taxation but if it were up to me I’d start a opt in/out tax system wherein if you want to get the benefits of government funded programs you would voluntarily participate and decide specifically where you want your money to go. If you want to opt out then you would be free to do so but could not benefit from the programs you don’t wish to fund. I think this is fair and sound!

      If the country doesn’t desire war we would say so by de-funding military programs. If the country wants universal healthcare we would say so through our dollars.

      • Brad, I like your style. You are the embodiment that believing in the 2nd Amendment crosses all boundaries.

        Here is my take on taxation. I believe we as citizens should get the opportunity to direct where our tax dollars go. On our tax returns, we could designate the part of the government we wish to fund, and the percentage of our tax dollars.

        People who want to fund social programs and welfare are free to check that off. Same with the military, education, etc.

        Departments would have to live within how much they were allocated each year. It would be interesting to see what the citizens want to actually pay for.

        • That is precisely how things should be! Money is the fuel that powers governments. The people will never have true control if they don’t directly choose how much and where the money goes.

      • Under their beliefs and traditions, the Amish do not agree with the idea of social security benefits and have a religious objection to insurance. On this basis, the United States Internal Revenue Service agreed in 1961 that they did not need to pay Social Security related taxes.

  8. Good going Brad, its been quite some time that I have seen anyone with their head on that straight, Randy

  12. This is my take on LoLbertarians.

    “Like Marxism, libertarianism offers the fraudulent intellectual security of a complete a priori account of the political good without the effort of empirical investigation. Like Marxism, it aspires, overtly or covertly, to reduce social life to economics.”

    Marxism of the Right
    http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/marxism-of-the-right/

    Or, in my own words:
    1. They ignore a lot of evidence-based reality.
    2. Economics is their religious fetish.

    But most of them I know are still good, decent people.

    • Respectfully, in my opinion your perspective of libertarianism is a bit skewed. True there are some (two of my housemates included) that dwell way too heavily on economics. However, there are those like myself, a staunch libertarian, who believe that that economics shouldn’t be legislated, but rather left to run its course naturally via laissez-faire capitalism. (sans political coercion-ism, collusion-ism, and lobbying) Economic opinions aside, the fundamental concepts of libertarianism are unobtrusive government and pro-liberty in everything. This generally translates to pro-choice. If you don’t agree with something, you have the ability to not exercise your right, but at least you have the option. If you don’t like guns, don’t own them, but don’t try to tell other that they can’t. Our social perspective is that of personal responsibility and accountability. We believe in working hard to earn what you make, not getting it from a government handout or by scratching the back of a politician. What’s not to trust?

  13. I too am socially liberal and fiscally conservative. The government should not regulate the personal lives of people. What a person decides to do with their body or their lives is their business and no one else. This relates to all things from lifestyle, health, or cultural practices as long as it does not directly impede on another persons rights (the fetus is a person is an argument for another time and another website). In cruder terms it is “don’t tell me how to live and don’t bug me for money”. Isn’t that what most of us want?

    • You sound more like a social conservative to me. You didn’t buy into all that “War on Women”, “they gonna put y’all back in chains” and homophobic crap the Progressives were pushing about Conservatives in the election campaign?

      • I don’t identify with the social conservatives either. They seem to push the family values and to me values should be identified by internal and not external forces. Plus they also appear to be based in religious traditions and that does divert in various ways from my disagreement with most theological arguments. Basically I am politically aware and participate in elections, but have never identified with any party. Many times it comes down to choosing the closer candidate even though I would not make that person my “first” choice.

  14. Good to have you Brad. While I’m not an atheist I’m not a true believer either. But there’s enough room in this world for all beliefs, including none. If I want to live my life without being interfered with and I give the same respect to my neighber does that make me socially liberal? I just want to be able to run my life as I see fit.

    As for taxes. Would a simple sales tax generate enough income to run the G properly? An across the board tax on everything except food.

  15. Brad, you look WAY too much like me… It’s spooky, man! I freaked at first, thinking you really were me… If I ever need a body double, I’m hitting you up! I’m going to send in my “I am a gun owner” shot to RF, & maybe it’ll be posted. Been meaning to do that for awhile now anyway.

  16. Every American can be what ever the heck he/she want’s to be, believe what they want, Worship as they chose, work where they chose, raise their children as they will!
    That is the Central, Core Belief OF AMERICA!

    Pre-supposing that you are not subverting the US Constitution and not engaged in overt/covert acts that would in their end-state destroy the system that by it’s very being liberated 100’s of millions that previously, in their own country lived in a state of virtual slavery.
    The USSR does come to mind

  18. I am amazed at the bravery of the people posting their images like this. (Let me be clear that this is not a sarcastic statement.)
    I prepare and practice and I hope that when the moment of truth comes that I can be brave as well, whether that be fighting the tyranny of the one murderer or a tyranny of larger proportions.

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