Monday, August 25, 2008

What I Believe

I know, I know, I spend a good deal of time on this blog writing about just a few of the Right's many misdeeds. And that will certainly inform you of the things that I am against. But I realized this weekend that it is just as important, if not more so, to make an affirmative statement of the things that I do believe in. Thus, today's post:

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Ultimately, what does it mean to be a liberal? To me, at its most basic level, it is a philosophical disposition toward social justice. I believe in the proposition that our society should provide opportunity for all of its citizens, not merely the wealthy, white and well-connected, that success should be much more a function of individual achievement than the circumstance of one's birth.

Furthermore, I believe that government has a positive role to play in creating such an egalitarian society. Historically, it is not the "default mode" of unrestrained capitalism to create the sort of society in which most people want to live; instead, it usually produces a world of vast inequality and crass, shameless plutocracy -- the type of world into which American society is now backsliding. The exception, of course, is during the period in which the reforms of the New Deal held sway. Government action, it seems, is the only way to blunt the excesses of the market. I take great inspiration from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's
assertion that "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

I believe in the necessity of a social safety net -- not a system of handouts that create dependency, but a helping hand that gets families through hard times, creates opportunities for upward mobility, and safeguards citizens in their twilight years.

I believe in the power of the free market.

I believe in the power of regulation, law, and social mores to properly restrain that market. Corporations are neither inherently evil (as many on the left would say) nor inherently good (as many on the right assert); they are utterly amoral entities that exist solely to produce profit. Corporate behavior that benefits the social good is assured only when bad acts result in monetary loss.

I believe in substantive health care reform. Of developed nations, the United States currently spends the most health care dollars per capita, with the worst statistical results and the highest percentage of uninsured individuals. We can, and must, do better.

I believe in the Constitution of the United States -- not as the static document that the Textualists and Strict Constructionists would have us believe (thus rendering it a museum piece from our agrarian past), but as a living document that speaks directly to this post-industrial age.

I believe in the strict separation of church and state. Government has no business either promoting or discouraging any particular supernatural belief system, nor the practice thereof. The First Amendment's "Establishment Clause" is clear on this issue, and remains as relevant today as it was 217 years ago (if not more so).

I believe in fiscal responsibility. It is imperative that government start spending within its means and that our national debt be paid down. The ephemeral pleasure of today's tax cuts does not justify the massive liability that we are passing on to future generations.

I believe in active and strong government oversight. Tax dollars must be seen as a precious resource to be used as effectively and sparingly as possible while still accomplishing those tasks deemed necessary.

I believe in tax code simplification and reform, with new classifications aimed at encouraging small business growth.

I believe that elections must be decoupled from money if we are to save American democracy. In an egalitarian society, the expenditure of currency is not synonymous with free speech, and until the courts are forced (through legislation or Constitutional amendment) to recognize that fact, our nation will remain a place where "the loudest live to trample on the least," to quote Don Henley.

I believe that all children have a right to a sound public education that will prepare them for the rigors of citizenship and the challenges of our globalized economy.

I believe that, unlike now, all U.S. citizens should have a Constitutionally defined right to vote.

I believe in full citizenship and equal treatment under the law for all Americans, regardless of race, religion, age, gender or sexual orientation.

I believe in a military that is strong, efficient, well-trained, well-equipped, and used only when absolutely necessary. The young men and women who serve our country are our dearest asset; they should not be placed in harm's way haphazardly, nor should they be discarded and forgotten when their service is done.

I believe in a foreign policy that is consistent, reasoned, humble, generous, and grounded in reality.

I believe in the sanctity of human life -- not merely those not yet born, but all human life. Far too many of those who call themselves "Pro-Life" nonetheless believe that it should be open season upon the poor, the weak, and the disenfranchised once they leave the uterus.

Lastly, I believe in reasoned debate - the idea that reasonable people can respectfully disagree without questioning each other's patriotism.

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