I am probably one of those you might call the 'Super Liberals' - and I certainly don't want government intruding in our private lives. As a Liberal I want our people provided decent lives and individual rights. I am no fan of the ‘Nanny State’ – being a Liberal DOES NOT mean believing in an intrusive government that wants to lord power and control over our personal lives. So what does being a Liberal truly mean? What I have come to understand as TRULY Liberal is a philosophy that is based on generosity, freethinking, tolerance, is not bigoted, that favors maximal personal freedoms, and that supports progressive reforms that improve the welfare of humanity.
A True Liberal could be called socially progressive and individually Libertarian.*
A True Liberal is socially progressive when it comes to providing our citizens a decent standard of living. This means a belief that no one should go without food, shelter, health care, or education. True Liberals feel that there is no excuse for the wealthiest society in the history of the world to selfishly deny basic standards of human existence to the disadvantaged. True Liberals hold that the greatest amongst us have an obligation to help provide for the least among us. True Liberals also believe in strong occupational health and safety laws that help to guarantee a safe working environment. True Liberals also believe in product safety standards that ensure our people aren't sold faulty or unsafe products. True Liberals support child labor laws, and regulations that guarantee fair and decent work schedules and conditions. True Liberals believe in environmental regulations that keep polluters from dumping toxic waste all over the place on our land, in the air, and in our drinking water. True Liberals believe in taking care of the sick, the handicapped, and the elderly (through Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security) and helping to provide for the poor through welfare, food stamps, and educational grants and scholarships. True Liberals believe in investment in early childhood nutrition, education, and family living skills. True Liberals believe in Civil Rights and Equal Rights for ALL our citizens. These things all are, in my opinion, TRULY Liberal.
True Liberals think everyone should be given a basic foundation from which to build - no one should go without food, shelter, health care, education, freedom, and the ability to pursue their dreams. True Liberals know that there are more than enough resources on Earth and in the Solar System to guarantee enough to go around for everyone. Hopefully, enough people will agree and live their lives in a way dedicated to see that this eventually comes to pass.
As well as just, equitable social systems, True Liberals believe that we should extend real freedom to ALL our people. True Liberals are Libertarians when it comes to our individual rights. True Liberals do not think that any of the rights we already have should be infringed upon in any way - in fact True Liberals believe that the United States of America should be in the business of advancing human rights, creating new rights for our people, and expanding those rights we already have. True Liberals totally support free speech, freedom of and from religion, the right to bear arms, freedom of assembly, and all of the rest of the rights enumerated by our Founders in the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the subsequent Amendments to the Constitution. True Liberals also believe in a TOTAL right of choice. True Liberals believe that individuals have the right to control what goes into, goes on it, and comes from their own bodies. This means choice not only in reproductive rights, but also in terms of sexual preference, the right to die, the right to control of our genetic material, the right to control any specimens from our bodies, the right to ingest whatever we wish, and the right to privacy as well. If members of a society do not have the total right of choice to control their own bodies, the people are slaves to the state, other institutions, or corporations. All of the above beliefs are TRULY Liberal. True Liberals are patriots who support freedom and an equitable society. Without the social justice provisions and individual liberties described above, we are not living up to our ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and are falling into a downward spiral of exactly their opposite!
*Libertarian: a person who upholds the principles of individual liberty, especially of thought and action - - Merriam-Webster
Copyright 2010, B. E. Foley
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I qualify....although in terms of health and safety, laws are important, but not as important as morales, values, integrity, ethics, from both the leaders and the followers, the union and the management.
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