mormon matters: Taxes = Satan?

Do taxes rob people of their free agency and subvert the Great Plan of Happiness?

Here's a common LDS sentiment that I seem to have a hard time avoiding:

“[Forcing] me to pay for the upkeep of another is simply the application of Satan's plan here on earth.”

Read my post here.

Wall-E: Clever installment from Pixar, or leftist propaganda?

In a recent post I compared some of my views with Glenn Beck’s to see how moderate I am. I found that I agreed with him maybe half the time; that like I thought, I am somewhere in the middle politically. Recently I saw the movie Wall-E. Very enjoyable Pixar movie, and more unique then most anime fare. In fact, it has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is extremely high.

Well, yesterday I was talking to a friend about it and he asked me about the apparent liberal/political bent that the movie has that conservative radio has been buzzing about. My response: "huh?" 

I didn’t notice it. Honestly I thought there were more similarities to The Matrix than An Inconvenient Truth (which it is being compared to). In the movie Wall-E is a trash-compacting, Hello Dolly-loving mini-robot trying to clean up the mountains of garbage that humanity has left behind (humans are now living on a space station, owned by the same corporation that produced most of the garbage). His only friend is a cockroach, of course.

So where is the political propaganda? I didn’t see it. Sure the movie has a pro-environment message, but really, who isn’t pro-environment? Everyone likes trees and clean water and other living things. We’re all environmentalists to some extent (please vote in the poll to the left), and I think Wall-E is a fun movie for all ages that is NOT going to make or break the election this November, or convert any of our nations youth into Al Gore worshipers.

Some quotes:

"The environment talk started to freak me out… I don't have much of a political bent, and the last thing I want to do is preach. I just went with things that I felt were logical for a possible future and supported the point of my story, which was the premise that irrational love defeats life's programming, and that the most robotic beings I've met are us." ~Andrew Stanton (Pixar)

“From the first moment of the film, my kids were bombarded with leftist propaganda about the evils of mankind.” ~Shannen Coffin

“And I just see Wally and he's on the Earth and he's cleaning stuff up and I looked at my wife and I said, it's a frickin' global warming movie…” ~Glenn Beck

“Conservative bloggers have dismissed the film's environmental bent as left-wing propaganda, while eco-lobbyists are suspicious of a pro-recycling film that will generate mountains of disposable Disney merchandise.” ~The Independent

I can see the irony of the last quote, but I don’t think Pixar is blind to the fact that they too are a big corporation, and there will be a lot of Wall-E toys in landfills in the near future.

What do you think? Did you see Wall-E and think it was propaganda? Am I more liberal than I thought?

Glenn Beck's Conservatism or: Am I Really a Moderate?

As a former democrat, current so-called "conservatively liberal moderate," and member of the "Vague Center" on the Bloghive, I have often wondered if I'm not really just a wolf (or donkey) in sheep's clothing (what is the animal for moderates anyway?)  A church-going, ban-prayers-in-school believing, birth-control supporting political fugazi. I recently read this article by everyone's favorite (lol) Glenn Beck, on what conservatives believe. I decided to put some of my thoughts next to his to see just how moderate (conservative?) I really am...

1. "A conservative believes that our inalienable rights do not include housing, healthcare or Hummers."

I believe that there should be no poor among us, that government should not have to step in with their flawed programs (like Medicaid), that we should all be picking up our neighbor when they fall. However, this is obviously not happening. Too many of us are selfish, and too many are lazy. I do think we all have a right to a new Prius, however. Or maybe just a Segway.

2. "A conservative believes that our inalienable rights DO include the pursuit of happiness. That means it is guaranteed to no one."

I agree with this, sort of. I believe happiness is not a right, and is developed in the mind once one's basic needs are met. I think basic needs are a right, according to one's ability.

3. "A conservative believes that those who pursue happiness and find it have a right to not be penalized for that success."

I do not believe that wealth = success. And those who follow this Epicurean mantra will never be satisfied (just ask my wife about my DVD collection). Also, if the wealthy are not sharing willingly with the poor and the widows and the orphans, I have no problem with some of their wealth being taken from them.

4. "A conservative believes that there are no protections against the hardship and heartache of failure. We believe that the right to fail is just as important as the chance to succeed and that those who do fail learn essential lessons that will help them the next time around."

I agree, to an extent. We must have the freedom to fail. We must not take away life lessons from our children, or anyone else, for that matter. However, when does failure become a destruction of one's life?

5. "A conservative believes in personal responsibility and accepts the consequences for his or her words and actions."

Me too.

6. "A conservative believes that each of us has a duty to take care of our neighbors. It was private individuals, companies and congregations that sent water, blankets and supplies to New Orleans far before the government ever set foot there."

YES!!!! The only problem is, many do not have decent neighbors. Or their neighbors are in the same condition they are.

7. "A conservative believes that debt creates unhealthy relationships. Everyone, from the government on down, should live within their means and strive for financial independence."

YES! Anyone listen to Dave Ramsey?

Lastly, if anyone has any sort of "Liberal" or "Progressive" creed that I could do a similar exercise with, please let me know.