discussion title:
What are your hot button issues? Why?
There are many many issues that might fall under the scope of Liberal politics but I know for ME my hot button issues are health care/health insurance and poverty. These are the issues I am most passionate about, that I read the most about and that I comment on the most often.
I think they are MY issues because they are the two that have most impacted my family / people in my circle (including students). I've gone with out health insurance which was a terrible place to be, I've seen what happens to family when health care costs are out of control or when they were unable to have health insurance (many people I know have been in the position of working for companies that did not offer insurance, being too poor to afford premiums for private insurance but not qualifying for medicaid). I've had to choose between filling prescriptions and buying groceries.
And with poverty - I really at the end of my patience hearing about people on welfare with X,Y, Z "luxury" items - or people being lazy / not being OUR problem, etc. There is a large population of disdavantaged students at my school and the reality is the VAST majority do NOT have ANY luxury items. No fancy cars or shoes or cell phones or expensive clothes or hair styles or manicures. Not the kids, not the parents when they come in. The level of disgust and contempt for the poor that I have seen online and in real life sickens me. And some of it makes NO sense! I still read diatribes against cell phones - a cell phone can be MUCH cheaper than a landline and far more convenient. Maybe not 15 years ago - but now, esp. with so many pay as you go options it may be the smarter choice for a low income person. In my state I just saw a news story on how the phone companies will be raising rates - the average bill for a landline is $70/mo. My cell phone is much cheaper than that!
OK - rant off lol - but what are YOUR hot issues and why??
