Political Spectrum

In every single test I took I turned out to be a Libertarian. This actually surprised me a bit, I knew I was definitely a liberal, but I didn't think I was quite that far left. I've always known, however, that I would prefer a much more individualized and smaller government as well as preferring maximum liberty in personal matters. One of the tests, however, said that I was one point more liberal than Bill Clinton. This really surprised me because when I think of Bill Clinton, I know he's liberal but I always considered myself much more liberal than him. I believe, however, that due to the bias in the test I may have allowed myself to be swayed in my beliefs by the wording and whatnot. The first test said I was very near to the beliefs of Ghandi, and this didn't surprise me whatsoever. I've always believed in the value of the individual same as Ghandi. I also thought some of the question should have been weighed more heavily than others. The big issues such as death penalty or abortion are much larger issues and should be weighed more heavily than others in the calculations of where we stand in the political spectrum. I, personally believe in the death penalty under most circumstances and this would have most likely had a larger effect on the outcome if it was taken in with its full magnitude.

Inherit the Wind

The title Inherit the Wind is a symbol of new ideas. I perceive the wind as a force bringing forth new ideas, new found creativity, and a new understanding of the world around us. At the time this book took place, we were solely centered on the concept of religion and not at all on science. Unfortunately, when new ideas were brought forth for others to examine, they were laughed off and called blasphemy against the church. I believe the title was chosen because the main character was bringing forth new ideas and challenging the conservative thought rather than just resting on what was commonly believed as the truth. The wind represents the new found liberalism that Bertram Cates was trying to bring forth into mainstream American society rather than just shoving it under a rug.

Intelligent Design

I spent most of my formative years getting my education in a Catholic school. Of course, we were taught the normal evolution explanations, however some way or another God was always involved in it somehow. (Yeah, I still don't understand that) I am, however, fortunate that I was taught both evolution and creationism. Now why creationism and intelligent design are not the same, I feel I benefited from having both in the curriculum. Our education is supposed to be as complete as possible. By not including intelligent design I feel we are in some ways being cheated. I don't understand what the big deal about teaching intelligent design is. It is not saying that God made the world in seven days and things like this. There is no issue with separation of church and state because intelligent design doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the church. By being exposed to both theories of evolution and intelligent design, we as students would have a more thorough education as well as being given the option of which theory we agree with. The fact is, most of my science teachers, even in public high school, have had a Christian background and believe in theories closer to creationism or intelligent design, however as long as their beliefs don't get in the way of unbiased teaching, I see no problem with the teaching of intelligent design.

Marriage Amendment

I thought it was really interesting that the state of Wisconsin was evenly split on the subject of a gay marriage ban. In my generation, I can see a definite shift in favor of approving gay marriage, however, in the older generations the farther back you go we can see a definite more conservative outlook on the issue. The main fact that will alter the future of a gay marriage ban will be which group turns out with a larger population. If my generation comes out in full force and votes we will likely see the gay marriage ban get put down, but if my parents' generation has a larger voting population the gay marriage ban will more likely be approved. I also thought the fact that depending on who sponsored the studies will sway the results is quite comical. It is unfortunate that these national studies are biased because they misinform the public. These statistics could affect the outcome of the vote due to the majority vs. minority squabbles.

P.S. Scattergood could quite possibly be the coolest name ever.

Death Penalty?

I am, personally, one of the 41 percent of Democrats in favor of the death penalty. None of the statistics really surprised me at all, however. The fact that Wisconsinites are in support of the death penalty seems to make the possibility of reinstating the death penalty more likely. Also, because the study was done twice by two separate organizations and both studies had the same results adds a sense of being fair and precise. Wisconsin has spoken.