I am a liberal

[look.a.liberal]

I came here to understand the conservative point of view. I've lurked for a while now. I decided it'd be appropriate for me to say a few words.

I think that you are patriotic Americans. I am a patriotic American too. It is our right and duty as Americans to vehemently disagree with eachother about how this nation should be governed. It is also our right to call into question the patriotism of those with whom we disagree, but it is our duty not to. It was patriotic to protest the government four years ago, and it is patriotic now. I thank you for this patriotism.

Here are some of the things that I believe:

I support the constitution. I support second amendment rights as well as first amendment rights. I think that it is necessary and good that a court interpret these amendments, but I am as appalled by the notion of a free speech zone as I was by DC's handgun ban. I'm angry about the recent encroachment against the fourth amendment, and the steady erosion of the tenth. It affects blue states as much as red ones. I don't care for drugs, but you tell me how the interstate commerce clause empowers the federal government to keep my neighbor from growing and then smoking a plant without leaving his back yard.

There is little doubt that the federal government exercises more power than it is allowed by the constitution. On the other hand, I think that the infrastructure of a modern country demands more federal powers than are described in the constitution. Instead of amending the constitution, we allowed more and more powers to be read into it. Now it's a status quo that we can't easily abandon.

I support abortion rights, but I think that the opposite position is also very reasonable. If abortion is murder, then there is no question that it should be banned at the federal level. If abortion is simply a medical procedure, then it is tyranny for the government to forbid it. Either way, it would seem that the question should be decided on the federal level. Yet, if we can't reach a consensus about something as basic as whether abortion is murder or an operation, how can we choose to forbid or protect it? I think abortion is a federal-level question that for the moment must unfortunately be decided at the state level.

I am a liberal. I don't think Obama is more tyrannical or arrogant than past presidents. I think a government health-care option would be good for Americans. I don't care that Bush wasn't eloquent, and I also don't think that intellect in the narrow sense is the most important quality for a president. On the other hand I think that the Iraq war was a catastrophic mistake that America won't live down in my lifetime. It weakened America financially, diplomatically and militarily. So, I am very much a liberal. Still, I think we have some common ground.

I'd like to say something a bit more personal. I'm an academic. We spend a lot of our lives thinking about very abstract, technical things. This makes academics prone to elaboration and understatement in our area of expertise, and simultaneously to oversimplification and overconfidence outside of it. We can be short on common sense, but we can have counterinuitive insight in technical matters. It takes academics, entrepreneurs, and factory workers to make a plane fly, and it takes all of us to make the right decisions for America. I think that anti-intellectualism marginalizes an important part of American society, and I think it's destructive. To those who say that small businessmen have nothing of value to say about the US economy, I say you're wrong, and to those who say that academic economists have nothing to say about the US economy, I also say you're wrong.

Please leave comments if you'd like. I'll try to respond tomorrow.

We, Americans, conservative and liberal, need to figure out our own compromises, because our media and our politicians sure as taxes won't do it for us. Like it or not, we're in it together.

[Rockingham]

Perhaps. Many liberals though like to think of themselves as independent minded types and take pains to appear that way to conservatives.

[listenhillary]

Intellectuals never have to say they are sorry. They just move on to the next great social plan to implement top down with their statist allies.

They fail to see the havoc left in their wake. The totally destroyed black families in America are a direct cause of intellectuals who thought that eliminating poverty by redistributing wealth would lead to social justice.

What we have as the result is four generations who have no idea of existence and way of life other than looking to the government to give them stuff. Most have no marketable skills, unless their drug dealing acumen can carry over into a sales job. They no longer no how to produce or create, unless you consider out of wedlock babies.

I am painting with a broad brush here and I realize that some do rise out of this and become productive and creative citizens that contribute greatly. The intellectual redistribution of wealth has stacked the deck against them succeeding.

The same behavior used by a mother that carries her child everywhere refusing to let the child learn how to walk would be looked on as an abusive whacked out mother, to the liberals and intellectuals, this is their definition of compassion.

[Gay State Conservative]

Say hello to your good friend,Bill Ayers,for me.

[listenhillary]

I forgot to bring your attention to my tag line. Don’t miss it.

[paulycy]

If a person is sitting on a political fence, you do not want to shove him to the dark-side, challenge him to explain why he's on the fence and show him the light :-)

Hear, hear! Exactly right.

This person is a serious searcher, not a mole or plant or troll. Let's teach him/her a few truths and we can all learn something along the way.

[xsmommy]

a fellow academic is here, maybe you would care to respond?

[MindBender26]

Welcome.

Although I do not agree with some of your positions, I'm glad you are here. Respectful debate with whom we disagree helps us sharpen our arguments and our thinking. A constant chorus of only “Me Too”s often just adds to the beer consumption.

A few important points: Some of what you read here will be disturbing, and on occasions, even painful.

On occasion, that will because some FReeper will post a position so far out of the norm that it discourages even the rest of us. We sometimes call them, with some degree of accuracy, the FRaliban.

Something else will be much more disturbing, however. As a liberal in academia, your have been spoon fed a foundation of socio-economic-political beliefs that simply do not pass the test of reasonableness or reality once they are removed from the Ivy Covered Halls where everything is theory and nothing is real-world reality.

It's sort of like an adult child of an alcoholic realizing that most of whet he was taught about life, the fundamental elements of his character and behavior, are simply not true, not productive, not ethical. Discovering the truth about rampant liberalism is akin to waking up one morning and discovering 2+2 does not equal 7.

Welcome. To paraphrase the Chinese, you will be living in interesting times.

[ontap]

Welcome to FR....develope a very thick skin.....you’re going to need it!

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Wow! Where do I start?

I'll just jump into the middle and comment on your convoluted attitude about the Iraq & Afghanistan wars. Of course we expect your unrealistic, regurgitated Liberal response. But in reality, let's be sarcastic for a moment and say you are correct.

Compare World war 2 to our current situation if you will. We spent over 4 Trillion dollars to win that war, over 60 million soldiers, civilians (women, children and elderly included) died for the right to remain free from a tyrannical totalitarian government.

Just 5 years after WW 2 ended, things were still a chaotic mess, but the result slowly started to mend itself and fostered a free World with prosperity included, like the World has never seen before.

Of course, being the Liberal that you are, you would more than likely pick this vast prosperity apart as some form of evil that has fostered pollution, climate change, mass population explosions, starvation, oppression and Imperialist greed. But the result speaks for itself. Without such dramatic prosperity and the better life that was created under liberty and freedom, such prosperity would never have happened.

There is so much more to say, but I will end this brief comment by saying this; You really have not learned much about Conservative Principles contrary to what you claim, because you still hold your convoluted belief system that Government should handle all of our needs. This in and of itself is the very root of tyranny and has repeatedly demonstrated that fact all through the history of the human world.

In short, you have not learned much of anything by lurking here have you? Mainly because you had no intention of understanding our philosophy in the first place.

[SERE_DOC]

Welcome, really welcome. The greatest thing about America is we can be on opposite sides and still have common ground. I may disagree with you on "perspectives" but that doesn't mean that I will discount your opinion, rather agree to disagree.

If one can have an open mind then there is nothing that can not overcome.

Now you will be attacked as a troll to those (and understanding that this is not my board) I would say to those to back off. Here is a fellow American that has a differing point of view and is honest enough to just say that, I think it is refreshing that your honesty and maturity is self evident.

You must also understand that there are some on the rabid left will post stuff just to jerk the chains of the rabid right (and it is done on shall we say left leaning sites. It does not make it right but it does happen.

I hope that there is a modest bit of decorum with respects to differing opinions, and I hope that you understand (at least in my mind) your statement that this administration is no different from previous administrations is in some ways a correct statement IMO. Where we may differ is again perspective.

The problem that I see is the veneer is coming off the elected officials of (for lack of a better term) bi-partisanship (on both sides) and there is little difference. to quote someone far smarter than I "absolute power corrupts absolutely" I do not believe that we are being governed by non-power hungry people.

The ability of DC to destroy this country is becoming self evident. They have forgotten that they govern by the consent of the people, when they will not listen (and I have seen little in their ability to actually listen) we cease to be a Republic, and become little more than a chaotic mass of serfs to the ruling class.

Not rich, not poor can stand up to a government that will do anything to control you and I, until such time as the people throw off the shackles of a tyrannical government.

Fortunately with our form of government, we get to hold a bloodless coup every 4 years. Unfortunately both houses can stay in for life. What I would like to really know is how many people get elected that are of modest means, and leave millionaires, if you can get them to leave.

That really sounds like a RICO or Conspiracy case waiting to happen.

But heck they won't even prosecute a voter intimidation case, so my faith in the rule of law is a bit lacking.

Well, welcome, I hope to chat with you in the future.

PS if your easily offended, be a bit open minded and realize that there are people with differing perspectives.

[OKSooner]

As has already been noted, if you support the First, Second, Fourth and Tenth amendments you're most certainly not a modern liberal by any stretch of anybody's imagination. You were sounding to me like an open-minded, Jeffersonian liberal until you said this:

"I am a liberal. I don't think Obama is more tyrannical or arrogant than past presidents. "

Whatever your political philosophy is, you're just plain ol' not paying attention.

[red tie]

Yeah, just to polite to hold any real positions.
How can someone be a fence sitter on abortion?

[BfloGuy]

You claim to support the Constitution but admit that we’ve strayed from following it. We’ve strayed so far that you think we can’t or shouldn’t go back.

You also think we need a national health care system, which amounts to straying even farther. I think you should examine your belief that you support the Constitution, because your statements show that you don’t — in practice at any rate.

[kidd]

Welcome.

First, you differ from most self proclaimed liberals that appear on this website in that your demeanor is pleasant and you have avoided the use of coarse language. You lack any signs of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome)

Second, I sense that you have a firm respect for the Constitution.

However:
- you support optional infantcide (on the grounds that the government should have no control over our bodies)
- you support universal healthcare (so that the government CAN have control over our bodies)
- do not support the enforcement of the Gulf War cease-fire terms (AKA the Iraq war).

You happen to hold precisely the same points of view as Arnold Schwarzenegger.

You sir, are no liberal.

[kara37]

I remember a poll that came out that stated a majority of liberals held post graduate degrees, but also had the highest percentage of high school drop outs.

A majority of conservatives were high school graduates and college graduates.

I thought that pretty much summed up what I already knew. The more education seems to equal the less common sense.

I think it pretty much confirms the term... educated idiot.

[BulletBobCo]

[JenB987]

Nope. If you believe in the Constitution, you cannot support a public option or Obamacare.

You claim to be an “academic”. Well, color me impressed. /sarc

That being the case, I would hope you’d be able to think abstractly and technically (as you claim) about the perils we will endure with a government controlled healthcare system.

Tell me, do you support having your money stolen from you, as long as the person doing the stealing needs it more than you?

Also, I’m having trouble understanding your lack of understanding on abortion. When does life begin, in your mind? Or, more pointly, how is it justifiable to kill a baby...from a liberal perspective?

Sorry, but I cannot find much reason to be kind to someone who fundmentally believes in the opposite of what I believe. I do not want to get a long with you. I don’t want compromise...not on the specific issues you’ve brought up. When “compromise” is introduced on basic human rights, I will always spit in the face of it.

[paulycy]

How can someone be a fence sitter on abortion?

It is possible to be personally completetly anti-abortion (I am), believe the current law ought to be changed (I most certainly do) and still feel compelled to respect *the legal right* of others to follow the law as currently written and enforced.

That is one answer to your question.

[Fintan]

You've got guts, I'll give you that.

 

[Phlyer]

I support the constitution. ... I don't care for drugs, but you tell me how the interstate commerce clause empowers the federal government to keep my neighbor from growing and then smoking a plant without leaving his back yard.

There is little doubt that the federal government exercises more power than it is allowed by the constitution. On the other hand, I think that the infrastructure of a modern country demands more federal powers than are described in the constitution. . . .

If abortion is murder, then there is no question that it should be banned at the federal level. . .

I'll join in by suggesting that you read the Constitution, and then reconsider your statements. I think you pay lip service to the Constitution, but then ignore it except as it supports your preconceived positions. You at least (appear to) have the intellectual honesty to allow others the same privilege - of hypocritically claiming one thing while advocating another. But that doesn't make it right.

The Constitution does not provide to the Federal government the authority to address abortion, any more than the commerce clause provides to the Federal government the authority to regulate strictly intrastate activities like growing drugs in your back yard. And therefore - per the 10th Amendment - the Federal government is explictly prohibited from exercising power in those areas.

You either support the Constitution, or you don't. If you want to pick and choose the parts to support, then you're declaring that your own opinions supersede the Consitution.

So, reread your own posting from the perspective of what the Constitution actually says. If you are intellectually honest, you will either delete a lot of what you're written, or you'll delete the line that says you support the constitution [sic]. Make your choice, and be honest about it.