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What Makes Me a Liberal?
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What do I mean when I say "I'm a liberal?"
- I think large corporations have too much power, and our government ought to be a counterbalance to this.
- I think the wealthy are under-taxed, and that this goes a long way in explaining the widening disparity between the wealthiest few percent and everyone else.
- I think strong unions are a good idea, as another way of balancing out the inordinate influence of "malefactors of great wealth." I think "right to work" (that is, anti-union) laws ought to be abolished, and strong card-check legislation is needed at the national level. (Side note: I’d love to see legislation that specifically forces Walmart to accept full unionization - just shove it down the Walton family’s throat...)
- I think US foreign policy has gone way, way too far down the road to imperialism (a highly placed Bush administration official, who is rumored to have been either Cheney or Rumsfeld, went so far as to say "We’re an empire now..."). I think the US as the world’s policeman/babysitter/emperor is arrogant and undemocratic, and will lead eventually to despotism here at home. I favor an international order built on consensus and cooperation.
- I think a too-cozy relationship between church and state lends itself to horrendous abuse, and thus I favor separation of church and state as outlined in the US Constitution.
- I believe that diversity, racial and otherwise, makes a nation stronger. It’s worth pointing out that most of what is considered "pop culture" (music and youth fashions) in the world is, or is derived directly from, African-American culture. Problems in our ghettos are complex, and have to do with, among other things, racism and the legacy thereof, poverty and the effects thereof, and with a breakdown of black families and the effects thereof.
- I think the appalling situation in which 1 percent of the US population is in prison is a grave injustice, and an indication of a massive failure of our society to care for its members.
- Generally speaking, I’d like my government to use its power to help people through social programs and wealth-redistribution; I’d like to minimize the government’s use of power along coercive lines (militarism, various police powers...the guys-with-rifles things.)
What makes you a liberal?
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Comments (2)
I believe in the concept of the common good.
Everything else can be explained by that one concept.
May 5, 2008 10:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I do not believe the following are "liberal" values as much as they are human needs and wants. Our sense of humanity's connectivity is vanishing. Caring about one another are Human values.
So theretofore if the following list contains liberal values and beliefs, humanity is indeed in trouble:
Enforce Social Justice, human and civil rights.
SCOTUS and the lower courts protect individuals.
The President is not a CEO
Absolve unitary presidential powers
Co-equal branches of government
End corporate welfare.
End Government for profit
End the politicization of the courts
End the privatization of the military
End privatizing our infrastructure (especially foreign ownership)
End wars of attrition for regime-change and/or stealing other countries resources
End US occupation in countries that do not want a foreign presence
Stop selling publicly-owned lands to corporations
Stop allowing business mergers to become monopolies
Stop deregulating media ownership
Stop de-forestation
Stop killing human beings for gain
Stop allowing corporations to pollute the soil, rivers and seas with toxic waste and poisons
Government transparency is a must
Government oversight
Hold elected officials accountable
No one is above the law including the President, the VP and cabinet members
Protect small businesses
Promote competition
Promote Fair trade rather than free trade agreements
Enforce strong labour & consumer laws
Enforce federal regulations that protect the vulnerable -- humans, animals, the environment, et al
Enforce laws that put the onus on corporations to clean up their own waste
Fund R&D programmes for technology, science, medicine -- stem cell research
Fund and encourage better education that includes art, literature and sports
Initiate ways to clean the air and water
Invest in re-building America's infrastructure (provides jobs)
Reinstate social safety nets
Use government power for creation not military conquest, death and destruction
Make government work for and protect the people
When America's leaders started to prioritize advancing business interests abroad it became necessary to use the military to protect US businesses. Viola: wars for American imperialism.
Meanwhile as corporate power expands simultaneously the erosion of social justice along with human and civil rights, human dignity exponentially diminishing, the voice of the people is but a whisper. If humans were meant to be enslaved as worker-bees we would not have been given free-will nor intelligence.
Should profit come at the expense of the health and welfare of all living things including Mother Earth and that of future generations? Equally important to consider is that free and open societies are becoming the exception rather than the rule. Diversity, tolerance, acceptance on every level are being replaced with their counter-points. Profit and freedom are not mutually incompatible.
Today every thing is out of whack. The imbalance is causing chaos and insecurity. Things just need to be re-prioritized and re-aligned. Balance is the key.
Government is supposed to ensure our rights are protected, not taken away. Government is supposed to work for the people not enterprise.
But ....
I suppose it really boils down to which you believe:
Does business exist for society?
Or does society exist for business?
If the latter, would it be safe to say government is created to protect and subsidize large enterprise? [Apparently that seems to describe the "republican" (RINO) platform of today].
So where does that leave humanity?
If we truly value humanity shouldn't bettering the human condition be our priority despite the "liberal" label?
This is something all of us must contemplate and decide soon.
I believe all of us share a common goal: bettering the human condition. After all it is about us, we, the people. The manner in which we live, do business, treat one another are not separate, but parts of the sum -- each a reflection of something bigger than ourselves.
May 6, 2008 3:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
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