velvetpage: (Default)
[personal profile] velvetpage
Most of you on my friends list are liberals in terms of your social and political philosophies. It has been said that the Left in the U.S. does a very bad job of articulating exactly what it is they hold as their moral values - that the idea of morals has been co-opted by the right, and leftists are seen as having none.

So, Liberals of my friends list - what are your values? What do you believe in, passionately, that sets you apart from people further right, especially the Religious Right? Comment here in sound-bite style phrases, and then those of you in the States could print out the answers and send them to your local democratic candidates.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 12:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] redeem147.livejournal.com
I believe in loving your neighbour more than you love yourself. I believe that greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friend. I believe that when you do it for the least of mankind, you do it for Him.

I believe that putting the corporation ahead of the individual is the epitomy of evil.

I believe all men are created equal, including those gay men and women who wish to marry.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 03:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
Thank you.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 12:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] stress-kitten.livejournal.com
Wow... good question. I need to think on that one and discuss it with Frazer and get back to you. It should make for an interesting conversation.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 12:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] catarzyna.livejournal.com
The problem is I am liberal but I am neither a Republican nor am I a Democrat. I am a registered Independent and my husband is registered with the Green Party.

I don't feel that my values are adequately represented by either party and even so less by the current administration.

I feel that politics are more about money than about how to run the government properly and for the good of the people. The only time I have felt comfortable with a president it was Bill Clinton. Yes, I know he had tons of scandals but I'm actually referring to his actions as president. I'm not debating here it is just how I felt at the time. I know that I don't trust the government as a general rule because every administration has some form of agenda and corruption. After 9/11 I felt strongly that we have the wrong man in the White House.

My values are not mainstream:

Same sex marriage should be allowed
Multiple spouses

More women and people of differing ethnicities should be encouraged in politics. Let's break up and shake up the old white man's club a bit. No one should be in office as long as Strom Thurmond was (January 1954–January 2003) How do you remain fresh & objective politically if you are in office this long?

We should never, ever enter war without a clear, decisive plan (did we not learn anything in Vietnam?)

Abortion should not be the main factor of a Presidential candidate's political platform.
Women should have a choice over their reproductive rights.
Religion should be totally kept out of politics, can we agree to disagree?

I'm sure I have forgotten something but I must go to work.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 12:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
I think the American two-party system serves to cheat the electorate of any meaningful discussion, because both parties are so entrenched in traditional viewpoints that they're totally disconnected from the people who elect them. You guys need a third party, desperately.

In any case, it still might be a good idea to send this stuff to a democratic candidate, who would have a better chance of winning than any third-party candidate.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 03:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jadedissola.livejournal.com
I think the American two-party system serves to cheat the electorate of any meaningful discussion, because both parties are so entrenched in traditional viewpoints that they're totally disconnected from the people who elect them. You guys need a third party, desperately.

Well said. I believe we need to abolish the two-party system altogether. It's failed us miserably. Like [livejournal.com profile] catarzyna, I'm liberal, but I am not registered with either party (though I have thought of joining the Socialist party). Democrats have disappointed me so much lately for being too afraid to speak out because they've bought into the idea that the majority of Americans want this or that. (This is becoming very evident when dealing with women's rights. I know at least Hilary Clinton has taken a softer stance on abortion, which caused groups like NARAL to become concerned.) The truth is the Right does a great job of making it appear that they have a lot of backing from the public, but they're simply the loudest group.

Honestly, I believe the majority of Americans are on the fence on so many issues, and we've got too many people who simply follow whatever they think the crowd does. Our education system has stopped teaching children to think for themselves and our culture has taught that we should all strive to be the same on some level; that we need to be united against a common enemy (Nazis, Communists, Terrorists, etc.). The Right is great at telling us what the enemy is and making us afraid to speak up for fear of being accused of siding with the enemy du jour.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent there, but yes, I agree with you. Our party system here has failed us miserably. Now, I'll go answer your original question. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 01:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] etherlad.livejournal.com
Let me share a little something I read last night...

Why these people are called Conservatives is beyond our understanding, as they never seem to conserve anything. They don't conserve natural resources. They use them up as quickly as possible. They don't conserve morality and the family, despite much self-righteous boasting to the contrary — boasting that falls rather flat when it comes from those who amass money through commercial enterprises that make a mockery of moral values and put impoverished families, widows, and orphans into the street. They certainly don't conserve money. Not taxpayer money, anyway. It would appear that about the only things they do conserve are the very things the human race ought to have discarded long ago: narrow-mindedness, intolerance, coldheartedness, bigotry, machismo, and greed.

The Conservatives (being very religious people, they say) believe that "God helps those who help themselves." And so they help themselves to everything they can get their hands on. But don't expect them to help anyone else. And don't expect them to help the Earth.


That's from The Te of Piglet (http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0140230165/702-5485275-3920012?v=glance&n=916520&s=gateway&v=glance), by Benjamin Hoff.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 02:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
It's a great quote. It indicates exactly what the left-leaning among us are fighting. The problem is, it's still fighting AGAINST something. I would prefer to redefine the argument somewhat so that liberals stop fighting AGAINST the so-called conservatives and start fighting FOR their own values. It would become harder then for the religious right, in particular, to claim that liberals have no values, that they exist in a moral vacuum of hedonism. I'm tired of being told that, because I'm left-leaning in my politics, it means I either a) have no morals or b) have no brain. (My father spouts both in turn, perhaps not realizing how offensive they are to me, his liberal daughter.)

So, again: what are liberal values? I have a few ideas, but I want the friends list to express theirs before I express mine.

related quote

Date: 2006-07-27 06:48 pm (UTC)
ext_70331: tattoo (Default)
From: [identity profile] wyldraven.livejournal.com
Three quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that “God helps those who help themselves.” That is, three out of four Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture. The thing is, not only is Franklin’s wisdom not biblical; it’s counter-biblical. Few ideas could be further from the gospel message, with its radical summons to love of neighbor. On this essential matter, most Americans—most American Christians—are simply wrong, as if 75 percent of American scientists believed that Newton proved gravity causes apples to fly up.
http://harpers.org/ExcerptTheChristianParadox.html

Re: related quote

Date: 2006-07-27 07:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
Oh, I like that.

My personal philosophy is that the best help is that which helps people be self-sufficient after receiving it, which is why I support charities like Foster Parents plan and Heifer International. But this isn't a religious viewpoint - it's a way of getting the most bang for the charitable buck.

If American public policy took that idea and said, "God helps those who help themselves, so our job is to help them to that point of self-sufficiency," then i wouldn't have a problem with it. Instead, public policy seems to be that people must pull themselves out of the gutter before they're deserving of help - which is nonsensical to say the least.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 02:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dagoski.livejournal.com
I grappled with this a while ago and I have two posts which may be pertinent:


  • My Pro-Life Agenda (http://dagoski.livejournal.com/248383.html).

  • A preachy rant about values and morals (http://dagoski.livejournal.com/114329.html)



My hands were cracked from a bad eczema flare up so there are typos aplenty. I apologize for that.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 03:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
I was familiar with the first, but not the second. Thanks.

As for typos - most of my writing these days is done one-handed while nursing my baby, and i rarely catch typos before they go out. No worries.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 03:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jadedissola.livejournal.com
I believe in compassion and love above all else. While I'm not a Christian any longer, I do believe that Jesus did teach love and compassion for other humans and I'm often baffled that anyone can claim to follow his teachings and then say we should cut back on social programs that help feed and clothe the poor while increasing the amount of money spent on war. Jesus healed the sick, rich, poor, young, and old. He did not turn anyone away and told his followers to do the same. The same people who invoke his name while running for office do not seem to do this. They say the poor are lazy and that the sick should have planned better financially. They say the rich should be allowed to become even richer while the poor become poorer and starve. They say those who are suffering simply lack faith or that it's "God's will" they suffer. This is something I have never understood.

I believe in the freedom to love who you love without restrictions being placed on that love. I believe two people should be able to marry regardless of their ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or especially their sexuality. To deny anyone the right to marry on the basis of a religious/spiritual belief goes against everything this country has stood for.

I believe war should always be a last resort and should only be engaged in after all other options have been exhausted. I think labeling the innocent civilians who die in wars as "collateral damage" is utterly horrific and devalues their lives as human beings.

I believe each child should be able to recieve medical care and education at little to no cost to his/her parents. I believe that public and government funded institutions should be free of any religion. I believe religion should be kept in the home and church and not in our schools, court houses, and/or government buildings. I believe that every person is entitled to follow any religious/spiritual path they feel is right, but their right to do so ends when it infringes upon my own rights and my own beliefs.

Finally, but probably one of my more important beliefs, I believe each and every woman in the world should have a choice as to what happens to her body. I believe women should have access to proper education regarding sexual health and birth control. I believe abortion should remain legal, safe, and an option for all women who find themselves faced with an unplanned pregnancy. I also believe that if birth control were easily accessible to men and women, far less abortions would be needed.

I hope that was coherent. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 03:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
It's very coherent, and thank you - that's what I was looking for, and I agree with you on pretty much all of it.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 04:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] catarzyna.livejournal.com
Do you mind if I friend you? We seem to have quite a bit in common.

Blessings,

*C*

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 05:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jadedissola.livejournal.com
Go ahead. :) I'll friend you back. I haven't been updating a whole lot as of late due to "life," but I'm getting back into it. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 05:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] catarzyna.livejournal.com
Wonderful, I totally understand a hectic life. :-)

Liberal values...

Date: 2006-07-27 04:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tormentedartist.livejournal.com
1. The enviorment must be protected, no matter the cost to greed corperations and their stock holders. After all this will benefit everyone rich and poor.

2. The middle class must be preserved, the government needs to take a bigger hand in protecting the wellbeing of the majority of the governed. Again this will benefit everyone. Look at all of the Latin American countries without a middle class. Who wants to need bodyguards all of the time ?

3. The government is there to protect the rights of all citizens no matter what color, race or creed.

I don't even consider these things "values" I consider them common sense.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 04:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] purplkat.livejournal.com
I believe in walking in the other guy's shoes, or at least trying to imagine what it'd be like to do so.

I believe that if we had a little more economic equality in this country and a little more respect for our poor, then people, both rich and poor, would surprise themselves and everyone else with their capacity for good. I think it's the barriers that we erect between ourselves, saying "that's not my problem", "those people aren't like me", etc is the cause of a very large part of the evil acts that people, again both rich and poor, take, and that the way to begin breaking down those barriers is to begin enacting policies that respect -all- of our fellow man (and woman).

I also believe that we need to educate ourselves. I believe that the arts are what will help us to come together, and science will help us solve some of the persistant problems that have followed us out of the industrial revolution, especially in the environment and in medicine. Thus, we need to shift a lot of funding over the science and the arts so that we can begin really investing in a better future. We also need to really get serious about improving the schools, especially by raising teacher salaries up so that they're on par or close to on par with what highly paid professionals make. With a higher salary, it'd be possible to up what we demand of our teachers -- the extra pay would draw the very best and brightest to the field.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 07:12 pm (UTC)
ext_70331: tattoo (Default)
From: [identity profile] wyldraven.livejournal.com
In no particular order:
  • Total separation of church and state - Build the wall higher and stronger

  • Equal access to health care for all

  • Fair taxation - richer citizens should actually pay proportional to their wealth

  • Protection of the earth for the sake our grandchildren's grandchildren

  • Freedom from government intrusion in matters of personal conscience - including reproductive and religious choice

  • Never another preemptive war

  • Of the people, by the people, for the people - All of the people, not some narrow subset

  • We are a nation of immigrants, and should always offer that opportunity of any who would come

  • We are American, but we are, first and foremost, citizens of the Earth. All are our brethren. We do not stand alone.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 07:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
I like that list, and it's in a format that makes for sound bites.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 07:56 pm (UTC)
ext_70331: tattoo (Default)
From: [identity profile] wyldraven.livejournal.com
I've crossposted it to my journal, and tried to make it a meme, asking others to do the same, giving full credit, of course, for the original idea.

http://wyldraven.livejournal.com/201800.html

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 08:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] neosis.livejournal.com
I'm not sure about the rest of it, a lot of it what liberals are "against". I think this is the real core of what liberals are for:

Liberals are for equal opportunity. We're for helping the poor learn to be rich. We're for making sure every child has opportunities. We're for giving everyone an equal start. We're for helping people to walk again when they stumble and even when the fall. We're for making sure everyone has the opportunities they need to reach their greatest potential.

Everything else follows from these ideals.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-07-27 09:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
That last one is the core value, I think. Everything else is summed up in that. Also, helping out our neighbours when they need it, in the interest of helping them not need it anymore, is a fundamental goal. It encompasses education and health care, EI and welfare.

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