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- From: jsmcgi01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu
- Newsgroups: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
- Subject: Re: The "L" word
- Message-ID: <1992Dec22.120623.1@ulkyvx.louisville.edu>
- Date: 22 Dec 92 16:06:23 GMT
- References: <122460087@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> <DOEL.92Dec22105125@bbq.bae.bellcore.com>
- Sender: news@netnews.louisville.edu (Netnews)
- Organization: University of Louisville
- Lines: 83
- Nntp-Posting-Host: ulkyvx02.louisville.edu
-
- > Mark Crowder writes:
- >> In reading this group, I can see that there are many different opinions
- >> on what the word "Liberal" means. However, I never see it actually
- >> defined. How about a dialogue on it? I'll start. This is one of
- >> my recent favorites:
- >>
- >> "When is say 'liberals'[ed. orig in italics], I certainly don't
- >> mean openhanded individuals or tolerant persons or even Big
- >> Government Democrats. I mean people who are excited that one
- >> percent of the profits of Ben and Jerry's ice cream goes to
- >> promote world peace."
- >> -- P.J. O'Rourke "Give War a Chance"
- >>
- >> Any other ideas? No fair using the dictionary!
- >
- >
- > I'm a conservative, so my bias may be evident, but here's a good-faith
- > effort to define liberalism. I'll try to keep my views out of it.
- >
- >
- > Liberals believe that government action and intervention should be
- > concentrated on achieving a balance of economic output and should
- > never compromise individual choice except where that choice may
- > override the goals of achieving the former balance.
- >
- > Note: liberalism is seeking a balance of output, not opportunity.
- >
- > Thus, liberals believe in helping the poor first instead of the rich.
- > Redistributing wealth is a sure-fire way of balancing economic output. It
- > may not grow the economy much, but it won't "unfairly" discriminate against
- > the poor.
- >
- > Liberals also often call for universal health care. Why should the rich
- > have access to better health care than the poor?
- >
- > Liberals are often for affirmative action. While this compromises the
- > individual choice of the employer, we can override that choice because we
- > are seeking the equalize economic standing by providing for the
- > disadvantaged.
- >
- > Liberals are strong supporters of abortion rights because doing otherwise
- > would seem to compromise individual choice. Actually, this is (IMO)
- > somewhat arbitrary. I would suspect that if everyone were of the opinion
- > that the fetus was indeed fully human, it would be the liberal groups who
- > would come most strongly to the defense of the unborn child. Since there is
- > (as yet) no consensus that the fetus is fully human, liberals prefer to let
- > the individual woman chose.
- >
- > Liberals prefer to keep religion and government completely separate from
- > each other. The reasoning is that to do otherwise might cause minority
- > religious groups (or athiests/agnostics) to feel that their religious
- > freedom is being threatened.
- >
- > Liberals are strong supporters of homosexual rights. The choice of the
- > homosexual is in no way compromising any economic goals, so the government
- > has no business disallowing it - in any form. The same goes with
- > euthenasia.
- >
- > Liberals seek to bolster the rights of the accused in a criminal trial.
- > The more of a burden of proof we put on the government, the less likely the
- > chance that we will mistakenly strip an innocent citizen of their rights.
- >
- >
- >
- > I think my definition fits liberalism pretty well. I'd be interested in
- > hearing from those who consider themselves liberals as to whether or not
- > they think it's accurate.
- >
- > --
- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- > Mike Doel <doel@bae.bellcore.com>
- > 444 Hoes Lane RRC 1B-209
- > Piscataway, NJ 08854
- >
- > "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat
- > and wrong." - H.L. Mencken
- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- So, you are saying that by your definition of liberals, they are champions of
- the poor and unfairly treated (minorities, etc.).
- My God, let's get rid of these people b4 they destroy America by making it an
- unbiased and equal country. The rich just couldn't stand that.
- @=-), said wholly in sarcasm.
-