Mods, I posted this before a long time ago, just extensively updating it. Hope you don't mind.
The Goober Frequently Asked Questions!
Or, the "Get to know Goober" Post
Ok, time to answer some things about me, as others have done. Goober is a work nickname that I liked. I know that it means Peanut down South, and I am aware, but don't care, of the other meanings for it.
Where did I get my Avatar?
Many of you might remember me having the Peanut and Leaf avatar long ago. Well, I got tired of that one day, and was cleaning out my PMs about a month or 2 ago, when I found a random PM from Gogf about an Avatar that I might like. So I checked it out, and it linked me to one of the billion and a half pages in the Avatar Thread. Apparently the nice folks there were making Canadian Avatars, and Gogf thought I might like this one. i did. So now I have it. It is the Canadian Coat of Arms on top of a waving Canadian Flag, in case you were wondering. And stormy is different then Stormy, for the record. I am referring to stormbind as stormy, versus Stormy as Stormbringer, the mod extraordinaire.
Who am I, what is my background?
Well, i am not giving out my real name, but I am from a smallish city called Victoria, in Canada. Its on that island just above Seattle on the map. The Southern tip of the Island in fact. I have lived there since, well, living memory, moved there when i was 6 or something. I like it, its small, around 350,000 peole, but its my size. Its a nice place, quiet, small, full of retirees. My background is that I am 18 year old male, gay, non-denominational christian. I say non-denominational because I believe in God and Jesus, but I don't believe in attending Church or praying or anything like that. So I am Christian, just not the church-going sort.
What are my political views?
I used to be a hard-line Communist, believe Communism was the true thing and everything, back when I was 13ish. 6 years later, I have changed quite substantially. I am now center-right leaning in my views (for Canadian politics), but VERY fiscally Conservative. Here are my views on certain issues:
- Abortion - Pro-choice. Its the women's body, she can do what she wants with it. In Canada, this is a done and settled issue, which is why i wonder why all you Americans have endless debate about it. However, I do believe that too many women are using Abortion as a form of Birth Control. I would like to see there be more hoops to jump through before Abortion takes place. Women should use pills, or other contraceptives to not have a child after sex, not Abortion as birth control.
- Fetus->Human - In my view, the fetus is not human until the cord connecting the fetus to the mom is cut, and the fetus breathes etc. on its own. Up until that point, abortion is fine. I treat the fetus as an attachment to the mom, like an arm or a leg (yes, some will want to throw up right about now).
- Homsexuality, and Marriage thereof - Like i said, I am gay. Anybody who discriminates against Homosexuals is committing a crime, IMO, and that includes the Government. I believe Marriage is fundamentally between 2 persons who love each other and want to be with each other for the rest of their lives. I also believe it to be a Human Right, but, in the grand scheme of things, its not the most important issue. I also believe that the Government doesn't really have the right to define marriage. They can provide benefits for married couples, but only people can, to me, define marriage. Homosexuality is not a choice thing, its in your genes. you do not choose to be homosexual. This is science, if you do not believe that, then you need help.
- Taxes, budgets, etc. - I know little of taxation and stuff, but i do know the basics. Taxes, I believe that Government should take only what it needs and no more. The Government should be fiscally responsible, that is, have no deficits. If a Government runs a deficit, then they are failures as politicians, and should go home, only change is during war. I believe a balanced budget is one with no surplus and no deficit. A good politicians should account for everything, and have a balance of 0 in their budgets
- The War on Terror - I am not an American, therefore i will never know what it is like to be attacked by terrorists. My country was not attacked. But, my way of living was, in fact, by attacking the USA, the terrorists attacked all of our way of living, and our fundamental right to be free peoples. We must defend that. I therefore support the War on Terror, although a War is probably not the best way to do that, it has worked, hasn't it? Canada's contribution is small, considering out crappy military, but we have helped.
- The War on Iraq - This was useless, IMO. This was about Al-Queda, and terrorism in general. Al-Queda was not hiding in Iraq, if they were, Saddam didn't know. Saddam was not a true muslim anyway, he used it when it suited him. Osama is a fundamentalist. No way that they would work together. But, Saddam did help terrorist groups, like Hamas, etc. Second, Saddam never posed a threat to the USA. He never had Nukes. he could not physically harm the USA in any way, shape, or form. I believe that attacking him was the wrong thing to do, Iran and Syria, among other nations, probably helped Al-Queda a lot more then Iraq, not to mention Saudi Arabia. IraqII will be another Vietnam, i think, and is Bushes second biggest mistake as President.
- Canadian Military - It sucks. Badly. Leaky Subs, Kamikaze helis, and '60's Tanks, to name but a few. We need to ensure that we have a decently sized armed forces to protect Canada's Artic and to projeect Canadian values around the world.
- HealthCare - I am a proponent of 2-tier healthCare. Clearly, our system costs way too much, and is not very effective. The American system costs, in the end, more, and is worse, but delivers more timely care to those who can afford it. Therefore, I believe that we should have a 2 tier system. The Government runs services for those taht cannot afford it, and private companies for the rest.
- Unions - I believe that they are necessary to protect the rights of the worker, but that they have become too controlling today. Everywhere, in Canada, Unions and Government constantly duke it out, Unions strike, disrupt services, then Governments dish them out more money. We need to change this, and now.
- Drugs - IMO, people should be able to consume all the drugs that they want. Drugs should be legalized, the Government grows them and sells them, but people can only consume them in certain locations, otherwise, harsh penalties. But, before they do so, the users must be aware of the risks. if people wanna kill themselves, fine, let them. But, offer information, and services to help them when they realize the effects, and wanna stop.
- Euthansia - It should be allowed to everybody. I would ideally like a system where anybody can walk in, say they wanna die, fill out the forms, have a month or 2 to change their mind, and get their affairs in order, then walk in, and never walk out again. Much less costly and more effective then suicide. Realistically, Euthansia for those with Terminal Illnesses is probably as far as we shall get.
- Environment - I am not a hard-line Environmentalist. but we should make sure that we are devloping cleaner technologies and such. Kyoto is the wrong direction, I think. We need to worry about pollution, not greenhouse gasses. Pollution should be dealt with, that is my only environmental belief.
- Death Penalty - 100% against it. Terrible thing, putting people to death. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth just leaves everyone blind and toothless". It costs more to put someone to death rthen keep them in jail for the rest of their life. No, I believe that this causes more problems then it solves.
What are my plans for the future?
I am currently taking Accounting courses at my local College. I plan on becoming a Chartered Accountant, get my designation, and work in one of the big accounting firms. I hope to get a Boyfriend, perhaps a husband, depending on how things work out.
If there is anything you want to know, just ask!
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