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I am a Liberal

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1I am a Liberal Empty I am a Liberal 2/17/2020, 5:36 pm

Floridatexan

Floridatexan


From a FB friend:

Copied from someone else who said it all
"Spoiler alert - this is a shared post, but I agree with the vast majority of it.

🔴 My Belief System 🔴

I'm a liberal, but that doesn't mean what a lot of you apparently think it does. Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines:

1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. PERIOD.

2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that's interpreted as "I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all." This is not the case. I'm fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it's impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes "let people die because they can't afford healthcare" a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I'm not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen.

3. I believe education should be affordable. It doesn't necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I'm mystified as to why it can't work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt.

4. I don't believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don't want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can't afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist. (Or socialist ... take your pick).

5. I don't throw around "I'm willing to pay higher taxes" lightly. If I'm suggesting something that involves paying more, well, it's because I'm fine with paying my share as long as it's actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare.

6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion-dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn't have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live.

7. I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. (BTW, prayer in school is NOT illegal; *compulsory* prayer in school is - and should be - illegal). All I ask is that Christians recognize *my* right to live according to *my* beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I'm not "offended by Christianity" -- I'm offended that you're trying to force me to live by your religion's rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia law on you? That's how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don't force it on me or mine.

8. I don't believe LGBTQ people should have more rights than you. I just believe they should have the *same* rights as you.

9. I don't believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they're supposed to be abusing, and if they're "stealing" your job it's because your employer is hiring illegally). I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc).

10. I don't believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It's not that I want the government's hands in everything -- I just don't trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products/practices/etc. are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they're harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation.

11. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.

12. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege -- white, straight, male, economic, etc. -- need to start listening, even if you don't like what you're hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that's causing people to be marginalized.

13. I am not interested in coming after your blessed guns, nor is anyone serving in government. What I am interested in is the enforcement of present laws and enacting new, common sense gun regulations. Got another opinion? Put it on your page, not mine.

14. I believe in so-called political correctness. I prefer to think it’s social politeness. If I call you Chuck and you say you prefer to be called Charles I’ll call you Charles. It’s the polite thing to do. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you're using, you now know better. So why not do better? How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person?

15. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.

16. I believe that women should not be treated as a separate class of human. They should be paid the same as men who do the same work, should have the same rights as men and should be free from abuse. Why on earth shouldn’t they be?

I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I'm a liberal because I think we should take care of each other. That doesn't mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don't believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved."

Copy & paste if you want. I did.

2I am a Liberal Empty Re: I am a Liberal 2/18/2020, 2:30 am

RealLindaL



Pretty good, and pretty close to where I am, except I'm not willing to concede that the middle class needs to pay more taxes to make health care, education etc. more affordable -- certainly not before the existing huge tax inequities are seriously addressed and we see how much more revenue that will generate before tapping into my pockets and yours.

3I am a Liberal Empty Re: I am a Liberal 2/18/2020, 11:31 am

zsomething



Excellent. Smile I agree with pretty much all of that. I don't know if I'm a "liberal" (whenever I do one of those political tests I come out as "moderate with libertarian leanings") -- I'm more of an anti-conservative, because I've known too many of 'em and I've seen what their policies do to states like mine. It's not that I'm in love with Democrats... I just fucking hate Repubublicans.

There are things on the left that irk me, but they are, by far, the less-stupid party. It's not even close. The right now runs almost entirely on "faith" and propaganda... they believe things that aren't even close to the truth, and I just can't buy into that. And a lot of the stuff they believe is about liberals. They have very cartoonish images of what a liberal is (usually based on guys like Michael Moore), which very seldom fit the reality. They think we don't own guns, they think we're all anti-death penalty, they think we're all obsessed with pronouns just because we think trans people should be treated fairly, etc. They're fighting an extreme effigy because they can't handle the real thing.

4I am a Liberal Empty Re: I am a Liberal 2/18/2020, 1:51 pm

Floridatexan

Floridatexan

RealLindaL wrote:Pretty good, and pretty close to where I am, except I'm not willing to concede that the middle class needs to pay more taxes to make health care, education etc. more affordable -- certainly not before the existing huge tax inequities are seriously addressed and we see how much more revenue that will generate before tapping into my pockets and yours.

I also believe the middle class should not be stuck with higher taxes.  It would definitely even things out if our global corporations paid even close to their fair share, if R's quit stealing from companies through "vulture capitalism", if the uber-rich weren't able to easily offshore their wealth, and if CEO's weren't paid exorbitant salaries and perks even when their policies cause harm to the businesses they run into the ground, and if insurance companies and banks quit stealing from our pockets.

I forgot to mention the extremely important regulation of Wall Street. Lack of regulation will cause another bubble, but Trump's horrible policies might make this one a depression. Thanks, Republicans. Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes

5I am a Liberal Empty Re: I am a Liberal 2/18/2020, 3:47 pm

RealLindaL



Good to see a discussion of ideas, even if not all 100% in sync.

Did I tell y'all that a couple of weeks back, hubby and I re-registered as Democrats instead of NPA's? Just feel we absolutely must vote in this primary (not for reasons that FT would love, but oh well).

Am looking forward to the Wednesday night debate. Could get interesting.

6I am a Liberal Empty Re: I am a Liberal 2/18/2020, 4:37 pm

Telstar

Telstar

RealLindaL wrote:Good to see a discussion of ideas, even if not all 100% in sync.

Did I tell y'all that a couple of weeks back, hubby and I re-registered as Democrats instead of NPA's?   Just feel we absolutely must vote in this primary (not for reasons that FT would love, but oh well).

Am looking forward to the Wednesday night debate.  Could get interesting.


Two questions I hope they ask at the debate are "1. Will you all vow to show your tax returns, something IPOTUS still refuses to do and 2. Will you promise to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the $20 bill after scrubbing the mug of racist Andy Jackson off of the $20?" Twisted Evil

7I am a Liberal Empty Re: I am a Liberal 2/19/2020, 5:50 pm

RealLindaL



Since I've thought about it, too, it's probably on the minds of many:  would Bloomberg show his tax returns?  I'm thinking yes, he would - but we'll see if it comes up, now or later.

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