Points of View

In the years that I have had the privilege to vote in our country I have voted as both a Republican and a Democrat by virtue of our two-party system. In my youth, I was certainly more of a conservative, voting for Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s. But as I grew older I began to lean more and more to the liberal side of things. In my time, I have watched the pendulum swing from big unions to big business. I have seen prosperity and financial decline. I have seen wars and short periods of peacetime. I have watched this battle of ideologies waged back and forth in this country and carried to extremes.


Given my current liberal/progressive biases, if I may, I’d like to outline the two points of view (as impartially as possible) that have driven this country to the brink:

Conservative Views

1) A belief in tickle-down economics where business is allowed to grow with minimal regulation by government and the benefits will eventually trickle-down to the society.

2) A belief that government (especially the federal government) is too big and too powerful, that state’s rights need to be protected.

3) A belief that higher taxes to pay for ever expanding social programs are wrong and needs to be reversed. Federal spending needs to be cut and controlled.

4) The family and family values are all important. Issues such as gay marriage are just wrong.

5) A belief that a Christian God guides this nation and any attempt to remove or separate that faith in God from our government is also wrong.

6) A belief that a strong U.S. military presence is needed to defeat the forces of evil in this world, that might makes right and protects us all.

7) U.S. borders should be protected from illegal aliens. The U.S. should deport all who live in this country without proper documentation to preserve our jobs, keep from bankrupting our social services and fight the drug traffickers not to mention terrorists after 9/11.

8) The environment is important, but it should never get in the way of what our nation needs. Compromises have to be made from time to time.

9) A good education and hard work are the keys to success.

10) The American flag and our patriotism are what bind this nation. There should be no room for disrespect.

I probably missed some other points, but I hope I fairly captured the essence of conservative American views, thoughts and beliefs.

Liberal Views

1) A belief that the economy does not trickle-down, but comes from a solid middle class with decent jobs, affordable housing, and innovation to create more jobs that fuel and stimulate the economy, more of a trickle-up or a trickle-out theory.

2) A belief that American society is made up of many people of different races, religion and beliefs as well as many social and economic classes. It has always been a melting pot, open to those seeking hope, prosperity and the pursuit of happiness.

3) The government’s job is to help and protect the least advantaged of our society by raising taxes for programs that achieve the growth, protection and health of our society.

4) States rights must be superseded by federal rights under the Constitution of the United States of America. If each state is allowed to contradict the Constitution then the union it protects would be null and void.

5) U.S. military force should be used along with diplomacy and in conjunction with our allies to promote peace and understanding (not necessarily our style of democracy). Yes, it should be there to protect this nation’s interests around the world, but we should be more the example and less the policemen of the world.

6) The environment is important and should never be compromised by business or political interests. The environment sustains us and should be protected and improved at all costs.

7) There should be a separation of church and state, realizing that America is a nation of many religions. Persons of different faiths should have equal protection under the law by a secular government.

8) U.S. borders should be protected from illegal aliens no matter where they come from, but there must also be a corresponding plan to provide a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million illegal aliens already here, many living as good productive citizens and paying taxes.

9) A good education and hard work are the keys to success, but the government has the responsibility to insure the quality, continuity and accessibility of that education to all citizens.

10) The government needs to regulate big business and the banking industry to prevent abuse and excess that could bring our economy to its knees.

11) Not just family rights and values, but human rights must also be respected. As definitions of family and human relationships change (i.e. gay marriage), rights and protections under the law also need to expand to meet these changes just as it did to protect interracial marriage.

12) The American flag and patriotism are very real and very precious, but should never be used to disenfranchise Americans with dissenting voices on current government policy created by one political party or the other.

Again, I am sure I missed some liberal points of view or injected my own personal biases, but I hope I gave some measure of liberal thinking and belief.

So now, which view is correct? There seem to be such large gaps between these ideologies. They are causing a growing political divide in this country. They have caused our nation’s government to gridlock and voices of dissent to grow ever more vitriolic. Politicians are digging in their heels and voting in lock-step along party lines. Civil discourse and debate have been lost in favor of party loyalty on both sides.

I can understand the fear and concerns of conservatives. They don’t want big government. They don’t want more taxes, higher taxes. Who does? Not me. They do not want massive debt and unfunded mandates. They don’t want to see “In God We Trust” removed from our currency, our courts and our government. They abhor the idea of gay marriage and abortion and any thought of family values crumbling around them. They can’t abide a federal government that seems unable to stop the flow of illegal aliens and drug runners across our borders and yet wants to place new restrictions on big business and our nation’s banks. They don’t want national healthcare forced down their throats. I understand them wanting less government and more freedom. People should work hard for what they get. That’s what our nation was founded on, right? Things are changing in this country and it’s scary. We are no longer that peaceful, quaint Norman Rockwell painting of America. There are brown faces, black faces and oriental faces. There are Muslims, Jews and Buddhists all calling themselves Americans. There are men marrying men and women marrying women and they, too, are calling themselves Americans. I get it, but we can’t go back to the time when white, Christian men defined the face of America. We can’t go back to the time when blacks are turned away from lunch counters. At the same time, we must meet our country’s growing social needs, but we must also find a way to pay for programs and a massive debt…and yes, cut Federal spending in the process.

I can understand the fears and concerns of the liberals. Who wants our government and our elections influenced and run by oligarchs, corporations and banks? With the BP oil spill and the near collapse of our financial system, more government regulation must be on the table. Liberals cannot trust in trickle-down and self regulation. It does not work! People cannot afford the rising cost of healthcare and medicine. Leaving it to private medical insurers is not working. They see jobs going overseas as American factories close. With their jobs, so go their homes as mortgage foreclosures continue to climb and more houses go “under water”. Liberals see the need to do something more than “drill, baby drill” to meet the nation’s energy needs. They see the need for new industry and new technology here at home to create those jobs, to replace our nation’s dependency on oil, but they grow frustrated by politics and business as usual. Liberals are tired of funding two wars and the loss of life that have gone on far too long. Liberals cry out for more funding and more government programs and healthcare to meet the needs of a growing and diverse society, but we can’t go back to the old tax and spend mentality that has generated an unbelievable amount of debt for our nation. We cannot keep borrowing from countries Like China. Liberals are finding it hard to see beyond their own wants and needs. They, too, dig in their heels and leadership and compromise seem in short supply.

So again, which view is right and which view is wrong? Should we continue to fear change and cling to the old ways of doing things? Perhaps both sides are right and both sides are wrong. Perhaps there is another way, a third way, a Progressive way. More on that later…

Food for THOUGHT.