I never thought I would describe myself as Liberal......

I believe that women have the right to make their own choices regarding their bodies, health, and welfare. It's between a woman, her doctor, and her spouse or significant other, period.

I believe that everyone, regardless of race or gender, has the right to live their own lives and be happy. If two consenting adults want to marry, absolutely no one has the right to deny that. Just because you might not agree with it doesn't make it wrong.

I believe that everyone is valuable. I don't care what your occupation is, what your ethnicity is, what religion you follow, or where you live.

I believe that diplomacy trumps force. We absolutely should be trying to talk out differences of opinion before ever considering military action.

I believe in the Affordable Care Act. I have said many, many times that it's not perfect. But it's a good start. And with over 7 million people having signed up, it is absolutely working.

I believe in equal pay for equal work.

I unequivocally believe in the separation of church and state. Our judges and lawmakers put their hand on a bible and swear to uphold the Constitution, not the other way around.

I believe we should be doing everything we can to help those less fortunate, not persecuting them.

I believe that your religion should be between you, your family, your clergyman, and your God. If you feel the need to use your religion to hurt others you're using it wrong.

I believe that education in this country should be our NUMBER ONE priority.

I believe in practicing random acts of kindness.

I believe in common sense gun laws. Should you be able to "open carry" in a bar, a school, or a shopping mall? Absolutely not! Do I think anyone needs to own an AK47? Again, absolutely not. This idea that the second amendment gives you the freedom to own an arsenal is absurd.

I believe in working hard in order to improve your life. I do think there are those that need assistance at times, and most of them are hard working people who want to better their lives. I also know that there are many people who take advantage of the system and stay on welfare, having more kids, without any thought to working their way out of their situation. I don't know what the solution is, but I certainly don't think that cutting welfare benefits and ending unemployment benefits is it.

I believe that all drugs should be decriminalized and addictions should be treated as diseases. Before you get your knickers in a twist, look up the data on that and see what happens when other countries do it.

I believe that there is a large "good-ole boy" network working furiously to prevent any and all changes from happening in this country. These old white men are out of touch with reality and with the voters.

I believe that lobbying should be completely outlawed. There should be no lobbyists in Washington at all. Legislation should be made based on the will of the people, not based on money from corporations.

I believe that every single Congressman should have to hold a "town meeting" of sorts in their districts once a month. Anyone who has a question or comment should be heard.

I absolutely believe in supporting our military. Whether it's our troops overseas or those who have come home, we owe our respect and gratitude to each and every one of them. The idea that any military veteran goes without food, medical necessities, or much less a home is appalling.

I believe in working to make sure my two daughters have the freedom and the opportunity to be whomever they want to be. This includes making sure they have access to appropriate health care, they have the opportunity to attend college, and that their worth is NOT defined by their gender.

I believe that we have a responsibility to ourselves and the generations that come after us to take care of our planet. At what point do we decide to use common sense? Solar power and wind power come from infinite resources, not so much with fossil fuels. The first thing I would do if I were president would be to install solar panels on the White House.

I believe that the office of the President of the United States deserves respect. You might not agree with his policies, you might not even like him (which is funny, because I'll bet you've never met him in person). But this constant barrage of disparaging remarks, disrespectful memes, flat out lies, and smears upon his character is just embarrassing. The rest of the world is watching, people.

I believe that the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" applies to EVERYONE, not just a select few.

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If all of this makes me a liberal, so be it. I can live with that.

Don't get spun by Internet rumors. (From www.factcheck.org)

Words cannot express how tired I am of the drama. Watching and listening to these politicians is worse than nails on a chalkboard. I am amazed that these right wing nutjobs claim to be pro-life, and yet many of the victims of this shutdown are children. The propaganda being spewed by those against the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT is mind-boggling. What's even worse is the number of people who actually believe most of it. And the birthers.....holy crap. Obama is not Kenyan, his ancestry is from Kenya. And unless you are 100% Native American, your ancestors weren't from here either. He is also not Muslim. And even if he were, that would not preclude him from being the President of the United States.

Seriously, people......the Koolaid is BEYOND tainted and you shouldn't be drinking it. And you look pretty silly in those tin foil hats.

Just sayin'.

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From www.factcheck.org:

Don’t get spun by Internet rumors.

Just because you read it on somebody’s blog or in an email from a friend or relative doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s probably not, as we advised in our special report “Is this chain e-mail true?” on March 18, 2008. On this page we feature a list of the false or misleading viral rumors we’re asked about most often, and a brief summary of the facts. But click on the links to read the full articles. There is a lot more detail in each answer. If you’re looking for articles about other viral claims, please use our search function.

Will doctors be required to ask patients questions about their sexual history under the Affordable Care Act?
No. A program created by the stimulus law – not Obamacare — encourages health professionals to use electronic records. But there is no requirement in the program to ask anything about sexual history.
Oct. 1, 2013

Does the health care law contain a “hidden” tax on hunting and fishing equipment?
No. There is a 2.3 percent excise tax on certain medical devices. Cabela’s, a Nebraska sporting goods company, applied the tax to some of its customers’ purchases by mistake.
Sep. 18, 2013

Will there be forced home inspections under the Affordable Care Act?
No. The law provides grants for state home-visiting programs for expectant and new parents. The programs are voluntary and participants can opt out any time.
Aug. 26, 2013

Is it true that there are bills in Congress that would exempt members and their staffs and families from buying into “Obamacare”?
No. Congress members and staffers will be required to buy insurance through the exchanges on Jan. 1.
May 3, 2013; Updated on Aug. 7, 2013

Do 11 states now have more people on welfare than they have employed?
A viral email making this claim is off base. It distorts a Forbes article that compares private-sector workers with those “dependent on the government,” including government workers and pensioners, and Medicaid recipients — not just “people on welfare.”
Jan. 11, 2013

Is President Obama honoring Jane Fonda as one of the women of the century?
No. That was done 11 years ago by Barbara Walters of ABC News.
Nov. 22, 2010

Did Muslim terrorists stage a “dry run” on AirTran flight 297?
The airline and an eyewitness say this e-mailed claim is “an urban legend” spread by persons who “live in a fantasy world.”
Dec. 14, 2009

Are Obama’s early records “sealed”?
No. Many records that presidential candidates don’t ordinarily release do remain confidential, but they are not “sealed” by a court. The 16 claims in a widely distributed graphic are mostly false or distorted.
July 31, 2012

Does the Obama administration intend to “force gun control and a complete ban on all weapons for U.S. citizens” through a United Nations treaty?
No. The administration plans to negotiate a treaty to regulate the international export and import of weapons. It says that it won’t support any treaty that regulates the domestic transfer or ownership of weapons, or that infringes on the Second Amendment.
June 27, 2012

Did Barack and Michelle Obama “surrender” their law licenses to avoid ethics charges?
No. A court official confirms that no public disciplinary proceeding has ever been brought against either of them, contrary to a false Internet rumor. By voluntarily inactivating their licenses, they avoid a requirement to take continuing education classes and pay hundreds of dollars in annual fees. Both could practice law again if they chose to do so.
June 14, 2012

Is it true that members of Congress, their staffers and their family members do not have to pay back their student loans?
Not true. Some congressional employees are eligible to have up to $60,000 of student loans repaid after several years — just like other federal workers. But that’s not the case for members of Congress or their families.
Jan. 6, 2011

Is there any truth in the e-mail claiming to give “a few highlights from the first 500 pages of the Healthcare bill”?
Barely. We examined all 48 claims, finding 26 of them to be false and 18 to be misleading, only partly true or half true. Only four are accurate.
Aug. 28, 2009

Will Muslim Americans be exempt from the mandate to have health insurance? 
The Muslim faith does not forbid purchasing health insurance, and no Muslim group has ever been considered exempt under the definitions used in the health care law.
May 20, 2010

What about the “Congressional Reform Act of 2011″?
A viral e-mail calls for fixing some abuses and excesses that don’t exist, repeating misinformed claims that we’ve addressed before.
March 18, 2011

Does Illinois pay a grandmother $1,500 per month per child to be the foster parent to her eight grandchildren?
No. State officials have no record of such a case, and state law would not allow it. This second-hand story spread by a Danville urologist isn’t true.
Dec. 10, 2010

Has President Obama canceled the May 6 National Day of Prayer?
No. This widely circulated falsehood echoes similar claims made last year when the president issued a pro-prayer-day proclamation but didn’t hold White House services as President Bush had done.
April 29, 2010

Is the ACLU suing to have cross-shaped headstones removed from military cemeteries?
The ACLU has filed no such suit, and it hasn’t sued to “end prayer from the military” either.
July 5, 2009

Has a “smoking gun” been found to prove Obama was not born a U.S. citizen? Did he attend Occidental College on a scholarship for foreign students?
This chain e-mail is a transparent April Fools’ Day hoax. It fabricates an AP news story about an nonexistent group, and makes false claims about Obama and the Fulbright program.
May 7, 2009

Is Congress about to give Social Security to illegal immigrants?
No. Congress hasn’t voted on any measure to pay benefits to illegal immigrants, and has no plans for any such vote.
March 1, 2009
(This long-standing falsehood was bandied about back in 2006 and again during the 2008 presidential election.)

Was Obama born in the U.S.A.?
Yes. We give you the truth about Obama’s birth certificate.
Aug. 21, 2008
Updated Nov. 1, 2008

Is there a connection between FactCheck.org and Barack Obama or Bill Ayers?
None, aside from benefiting at different times from the charity of the late publisher Walter Annenberg. We are a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and get funding from the Annenberg Foundation, created by Walter Annenberg in 1989. Ayers was one of three Chicago educators who applied for a grant from the Annenberg Foundation in 1995, which was one of 5,200 grants the foundation made during its first 15 years. That $49 million grant, plus additional funds raised locally, funded the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which sought to improve Chicago public schools. Obama was selected by Chicago officials (not Ayers) to chair the board set up to administer Annenberg Challenge funds, and he headed it until 1999. FactCheck.org came into being in late 2003. For other details see our Oct. 10, 2008, article about Obama and Ayers, which includes a sidebar: “FactCheck.org and the ‘Annenberg Challenge.’ “