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What is the most important political issue of our time. This is from primarily an American point of view but all comments/opinions are welcome.

Define "our time". Year? Decade? Century?

in the states, in general, for the left the most important issues seem to involve countries where the most people are dying needlessly. for the right it seems to be where people are not accepting of christian morality. strange how they are not one and the same......

Originally posted by PVS
in the states, in general, for the left the most important issues seem to involve countries where the most people are dying needlessly. for the right it seems to be where people are not accepting of christian morality. strange how they are not one and the same......

+

"Here it is: for those people who think smoking, drugs, abortion, and prostitution should be legal and available - make them legal and available. And for those people who think smoking, drugs, abortion, and prostitution should NOT be legal and available - they're not, they never were, don't worry, we're cracking down. There. That way, the world would remain exactly as it is now, only without the onus of guilt, shame, and legality." - Bill Hicks.

Now that's an idea of freedom I would ascribe to. They are also political issues that shouldn't be so; when freedom is subjected to political manipulation then surely it ceases to represent what it actually is.

All of them are important. I can really pick one over the other. Now, what I think is the one that affects people directly is the fuel issue. We're all connected to gasoline prices. Even if you ride the bus you still pay a percentage of gasoline when you buy a ticket. I wouldn't it's the most important but is the one that affects every consumer.

Iran and North Korea are extremely important at this time. While President Bush and his dipsh!t administration focused on Iraq, which was definitely not an imminent threat, Kim Jong Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad both had active nuclear programs, with intent to weaponize it. What the fcuk was Bush thinking? And why isn't he cracking down on it now?

Originally posted by xmarksthespot
Define "our time". Year? Decade? Century? I would assume that it meant the most important issue of the elections this year and in '08. I usually think of important issues in relation to the president involved.

Originally posted by Soth
I would assume that it meant the most important issue of the elections this year and in '08. I usually think of important issues in relation to the president involved.

...very US American, if I may say so....which I may.

yup, typical us

Originally posted by Soth
yup, typical us

Well, it is though.

Originally posted by Bardock42
...very US American, if I may say so....which I may.

Very European of you.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Very European of you.

Certainly was..well..I guess very not US American would be more appropriate...

Originally posted by Darth_Erebus
What is the most important political issue of our time. This is from primarily an American point of view but all comments/opinions are welcome. What about Israel and Lebenon?

Originally posted by Bardock42
Well, it is though. I know...I was agreeing with you

While all those things are big issues, I still think that globalization is one of the most important and will have the most lasting effects on the globe.
Followed closly by global warming, but thats not really a political issue, more of a denial issue...

Why are abortion and gay marriage presented as "gay marriage/abortion" ?

Gay people being allowed to get married has nothing to do with ending the life of a fetus.


Some people who are concerned about one issue may care little to nothing about the other.

I think this comes from a liberal bias, which you show by grouping them together, in what may as well have been an option to vote for "Christian Issues".

Abortion and gay marriage are 2 completely seperate, different political issues of our time.

*whew* (rant over)

I voted for War on Terror/Radical Islam.

Originally posted by PVS
in the states, in general, for the left the most important issues seem to involve countries where the most people are dying needlessly. for the right it seems to be where people are not accepting of christian morality. strange how they are not one and the same......

Bah, Christian morality so rarely seems to line up with the rights of people, or with their well being.

As to the most people dying, I think it is more media related. Technically there are certain places with huge death tolls that even the left often seems ignorant of. So much of the left is focused on the big news humanitarian crisis.

As to the question - it very much depends on where in the world we are talking about. What gets the undergarments of frothing liberal/conservative citizen in the US or Italy or wherever all knotted up doesn't always have the same potency in other nations. Likewise "important" is very situational - such as do people actually have to care or pay attention for it to be important? So many issues become so much bigger then they are when very loud people argue for or against them - creating the disproportionate image of more people being involved then are.

Global Warming - Hmmm. Could be very important in the near future especially as it has implications on the fate of the world (maybe), industry (maybe), developing nations (maybe) and business in general.

Globalization/Free Trade - It has been around for a long while, and is an inevitability I feel, and not necessarily a bad thing if done right. With the rise of the transnationals and multinationals, and the shift economically and industrially to China I think this has the potential to be a big issue.

Iraq War - In all honesty, despite being serious and of concern, Iraq will only be a real political issue if it falls or is subsumed by Iran. At the moment it is a hot topic for reasons other then political vitality (except in coalition nations where commitment to the war affects political leadership.)

Iran/North Korea - At this point in time I say no.

War on Terror/Radical Islam - Obviously big, but to early to tell. I don't believe it qualifies as a big political issue, yet, due to the lack of politics involved. Far to messy.

Energy Situation - Far more so in the near future with all the predictions of the coming oil shortages, rising populations, etc.

Immigration - It will be hot and angry soon, and very important. Why? The aging population problem, low birth rates etc - in many western nations apparently we are fast approaching a potentially crippling man power shortage. The only answer eventually going to be massive increases in immigration. Japan alone is apparently going to need to import *millions* of people in the next hundred or so years to keep it going as it is now.

Gay Marriage/Abortion - Emotional issues, not large enough to qualify as " the most important"

Gun Control - Ditto.

Energy Situation.

Originally posted by sithsaber408
Why are abortion and gay marriage presented as "gay marriage/abortion" ?

Gay people being allowed to get married has nothing to do with ending the life of a fetus.


Some people who are concerned about one issue may care little to nothing about the other.

I think this comes from a liberal bias, which you show by grouping them together, in what may as well have been an option to vote for "Christian Issues".

Abortion and gay marriage are 2 completely seperate, different political issues of our time.

*whew* (rant over)

I voted for War on Terror/Radical Islam.

I put them together because of the limited poll options available. I basically consider them non issues compared to far more serious things like Global warming and Globalization but I know not everyone feels that way. I do know politicians use these two issues to distract people from what's really important, especially at election time.