Why I am a liberal
Been thinking about this freshly in response to the torture issue and the Sotomayer nomination and many other things. And, it made me think afresh about why I am liberal, having grown up in a conservative family. It's not a kneejerk reaction to Bush's presidency. Nor is it solely a product of me having gone to Harvard and then living in Madison, both really liberal places. Some of it is me getting more liberal as I see some of the crazier stuff some conservatives come up with. But, in all honesty, it's just an aligning of my own long-held beliefs.
I believe:
-That, while if isn't broke you don't fix it, that if it is broke, you fix it! This entails trying something new, and it involves embracing and proposing change. Not every change will work out right, but if you're afraid to try, you'll never improve. In chemistry there's an adage "insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different outcome". Sometimes those resistant of change would do well to heed those words.
-That while private charity is praiseworthy, worthwhile, and valuable, the government needs to be there to fill in the blanks where private charities aren't sufficient. Someone needs to be the advocate for those groups whose causes aren't sexy.
-That the zip code or socioeconomic status of your birth should not dictate your life. Giving people the tools they need to escape poverty is not a waste of government money, it is an essential human right. Programs to ensure equal chance are valuable and are not reverse discrimination, IMO.
-That the right to basic health care is a right, not a privelage. It's a national travesty that 40 million are uninsured, and they seem to be concentrated in areas dominated by conservative ideolgy.
-That we need to be good stewards for our planet, and that it's not mutually exclusive to protect the environment while protecting the economy. I've seen liberals taking the lead on environmental issues, and I agree with more of the actions of liberal politicians here.
-That life should be protected. This includes being against abortion except perhaps a few extreme situations, being against the death penalty, and being against any policy which results in increased mortality. *cough lack of health care cough*
-That diplomacy has a place in foreign policy. We should speak openly and honestly with all nations, including our enemies, but after the dialogue fails we should be ready to back it up. Sometimes I feel that conservative foreign policy skips the talking and goes straight to the walking.
-That we should not be afraid of taxes, but we shouldn't have extreme taxation. This is why I think that Reagan was right to reduce the highest tax rates to 40ish percent, but that it was wrong to bring them down further.
-That basic human rights includes the right to be with whoever you want without state interference. I'm looking at you, gay marriage!
-That judges should overturn legislation that discriminates unduly against any group - white, black, hispanic, asian, gay, straight, short, tall, etc. A common sense rule should apply here, too, though I realize that we all define our own definition of "common sense".
-That without judges and legislators realizing the limits of the constitution, it would still be constitutional to discriminate against women and minorities. See "common sense" in above
I'm sure there are more, but the sum total here points to "liberal". If the Republican party started to take on some of these ideas I'd happily jump over, but I don't see that soon.
On some issues I am more passionate than others. Currently, global warming, poverty, and health care are my most important, and on each of those I am firmly a liberal. I'd love to see better ideas coming out frm either side, but right now the liberal side seems to have the best ideas.
And, finally, would love to hear others' "why". It's interesting to see how we get to who we are.
I believe:
-That, while if isn't broke you don't fix it, that if it is broke, you fix it! This entails trying something new, and it involves embracing and proposing change. Not every change will work out right, but if you're afraid to try, you'll never improve. In chemistry there's an adage "insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different outcome". Sometimes those resistant of change would do well to heed those words.
-That while private charity is praiseworthy, worthwhile, and valuable, the government needs to be there to fill in the blanks where private charities aren't sufficient. Someone needs to be the advocate for those groups whose causes aren't sexy.
-That the zip code or socioeconomic status of your birth should not dictate your life. Giving people the tools they need to escape poverty is not a waste of government money, it is an essential human right. Programs to ensure equal chance are valuable and are not reverse discrimination, IMO.
-That the right to basic health care is a right, not a privelage. It's a national travesty that 40 million are uninsured, and they seem to be concentrated in areas dominated by conservative ideolgy.
-That we need to be good stewards for our planet, and that it's not mutually exclusive to protect the environment while protecting the economy. I've seen liberals taking the lead on environmental issues, and I agree with more of the actions of liberal politicians here.
-That life should be protected. This includes being against abortion except perhaps a few extreme situations, being against the death penalty, and being against any policy which results in increased mortality. *cough lack of health care cough*
-That diplomacy has a place in foreign policy. We should speak openly and honestly with all nations, including our enemies, but after the dialogue fails we should be ready to back it up. Sometimes I feel that conservative foreign policy skips the talking and goes straight to the walking.
-That we should not be afraid of taxes, but we shouldn't have extreme taxation. This is why I think that Reagan was right to reduce the highest tax rates to 40ish percent, but that it was wrong to bring them down further.
-That basic human rights includes the right to be with whoever you want without state interference. I'm looking at you, gay marriage!
-That judges should overturn legislation that discriminates unduly against any group - white, black, hispanic, asian, gay, straight, short, tall, etc. A common sense rule should apply here, too, though I realize that we all define our own definition of "common sense".
-That without judges and legislators realizing the limits of the constitution, it would still be constitutional to discriminate against women and minorities. See "common sense" in above
I'm sure there are more, but the sum total here points to "liberal". If the Republican party started to take on some of these ideas I'd happily jump over, but I don't see that soon.
On some issues I am more passionate than others. Currently, global warming, poverty, and health care are my most important, and on each of those I am firmly a liberal. I'd love to see better ideas coming out frm either side, but right now the liberal side seems to have the best ideas.
And, finally, would love to hear others' "why". It's interesting to see how we get to who we are.