"It only takes twenty years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea."
- Robert Anton Wilson (1932-Never), scientific philosopher
Beverly Crane, writing commentary for The Christian Science Monitor, expresses dismay at how liberals are getting a bad rap. Ms. Crane tells us the popular definition of a liberal has come to mean people who are "generous with other people's money (as in raising taxes) and are always complaining and blaming someone else for their problems." Having said that, she proceeds to elaborate on where she stands on a number of issues:
"While I think that some taxes are necessary for a civilized society, I am appalled by governments that feel they must spend more than they take in...While I believe that government policies can be instrumental in improving people's lives across the economic spectrum, I also believe that giving people money outright with no work in exchange is just as bad for the recipient as it is for the taxpayer who provided it...While I am dismayed by the easy access people in this country have to handguns and by the ability to hide guns legally on one's person, I am a hunter and own a beautiful 20-gauge shotgun."
As I read through her column, I realized that she and I share lots of common ground, which is her point. Quizzically, she asks:
"How can someone who deplores deficit spending and government intrusion into personal affairs, opposes giveaway welfare, believes in fiscal responsibility and self-defense, supports the military and hunting, and views the future optimistically be a liberal? Maybe liberals and conservatives aren't so different after all."
Indeed. I can't say I disagree with any part of her summary. Certainly those who call themselves liberals, or conservatives, wouldn't subscribe to all her views, but I would imagine many would feel she's right on in a lot of them. That being the case, it would seem that we could agree more often, and advance the cause of the country over our partisan differences. Don't you think?
1 comment:
I've been struggling with this the last couple of days. I've been writing a long essay about my political philosophy and how everything doesn't fit into the box. Someday, I may finish it and post it in my journal.
Does wanting a balanced budget or a slightly less unbalanced one make you a conservative? I seem to want one more than Bush does. Can you be morally opposed to abortion and still want women to have the right to choose for themselves? Hmmm?
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