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josephrjusticeThis is my answer to the OKC question "Which best describes your political beliefs?" The possible answers are: (1) Liberal / Left-wing; (2) Centrist; (3) Conservative / Right-wing; (4) Other.
Now... In many ways, this question is relatively meaningless. After all, how can one know if they are a liberal, or a centrist, or a conservative, or something else, without first defining what it means to *be* one of those things? Also, one person's liberal might be another person's centrist, and so on. And, one might be "liberal" in one area, while being "centrist" or even "conservative" in a different area. So... *shrug*
Still, it's a question on OKC, so I guess it ought to be answered. I suppose, insofar as I self-identify as anything, I self-identify with whatever I think of as the amorphous concept known as "liberal". Some things that means in specific:
Taxes and spending: I generally believe in the idea of progressive taxation. I generally believe in the idea of a "social safety net". I believe in the idea of "noblesse oblige", for some definition of that term, and that it applies (or at least *should* apply) here somehow.
Science and education: For biology, I believe in the theory of evolution, and that it should be taught in schools. I don't think the concept of creationism should be taught, or at least not as something scientific in nature (there might be a place for it elsewhere in the curriculum). I believe in the idea of global warming and that mankind is the cause or at least a serious factor of its occurrence, and that we should seek to reverse and/or mitigate its effects. I believe it's important to preserve bio-diversity (if only on the practical grounds that one never knows where the next miracle drug might come from). I believe it's important to make strong efforts to preserve the environment.
Sexuality and gender-related matters: I believe that any two people should have the right to marry in the eyes of the state (but *not* necessarily in the eyes of any or every given religion) and receive whatever rights and benefits from the state apply to that marriage. (I'll go further and say that groupings of more than two people should also be allowed to marry in the eyes of the state, tho how that would work in practice and what would occur by it obviously needs to be worked out.) I believe efforts to eliminate discrimination based on gender and gender identity, sexual preference, etc should be made. I believe society should be generally sex-positive in nature. I believe sex education should be based on what works in real life to keep people happy and safe, reduce or eliminate unwanted pregnancies, etc and not be limited merely and only to those things a few vocal authorities deem as appropriate regardless of their actual effectiveness in the real world (e.g. abstinence-only). I believe effective temporary contraception for both women and men should be broadly available and inexpensive or free. (I'd even be willing to go so far as to suggest that perhaps temporary contraception should be mandatory, or at least heavily encouraged as a matter of public policy with subsidies and financial benefits, for those currently without the means to support and raise a child on their own, such as underage children, most young adults, and the poor. However, that would open a large can of worms, so...) Finally, I believe the right of a woman to seek an abortion as a last resort if she deems it necessary to do so should be defended and preserved, tho efforts to make abortion as unnecessary and rare as possible (e.g. improved sex education, improved access to contraception, improved support for adoption for women willing to carry their pregnancy to term, etc) should be made as much as are reasonably possible.
Gun control: I believe that people should have the right to purchase and use firearms and other ordnance for recreational use (e.g. hunting, use at gun ranges, etc) and self-defense. However, I don't think that right should be unlimited or unfettered; people wishing to possess firearms should be required to demonstrate they have the knowledge and ability to keep and use them properly and safely, and probably should be required to re-demonstrate this knowledge and ability from time to time. I also think this right is somewhat location-dependent; what is reasonable and proper for the vast open spaces of Montana and the Dakotas might not be equally reasonable and proper in the constrained and densely populated urban canyons of lower Manhattan, NYC (for instance). Finally, for those who see the right to bear arms as a final line of defense against the tyranny of government... I'm not going to claim they are wrong in thinking this, but unless they are prepared to and capable of maintaining tanks, artillery, and attack aircraft, well, they're just outgunned. (Tho, I suppose there's always unconventional / guerrilla warfare one could attempt...)
Energy policy: I believe that efforts should be made to encourage use of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, etc) and other non-carbon-based forms of energy production and use. I believe there is a place for nuclear energy, tho great care needs to be taken with it to avoid disasters such as those at Three Mile Island in the USA, Chernobyl in the Ukraine (ex-USSR), and Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. I believe it is a shame, and wrong, that the best use that can be found for many (most?) petrochemicals is to be burnt as fuel for transport, heating, and other energy production, given the amount of time (measured on a geological scale) it took to produce these resources.
Oh, gosh, I'm sure there's many many more things on this topic I could go into, but this post is long enough already, so I'll end it here with the hope that this gives at least a small taste of what it means to me to self-identify as liberal. Oh, and before I forget, answers I accepted from others for this question include liberal / left-wing, centrist, and other, and that the answer to this question was somewhat important to me. (I suppose that for someone who self-identified as conservative / right-wing, it would depend on what specifically they meant by that, and how it interacted with my own belief system.)
Now... In many ways, this question is relatively meaningless. After all, how can one know if they are a liberal, or a centrist, or a conservative, or something else, without first defining what it means to *be* one of those things? Also, one person's liberal might be another person's centrist, and so on. And, one might be "liberal" in one area, while being "centrist" or even "conservative" in a different area. So... *shrug*
Still, it's a question on OKC, so I guess it ought to be answered. I suppose, insofar as I self-identify as anything, I self-identify with whatever I think of as the amorphous concept known as "liberal". Some things that means in specific:
Taxes and spending: I generally believe in the idea of progressive taxation. I generally believe in the idea of a "social safety net". I believe in the idea of "noblesse oblige", for some definition of that term, and that it applies (or at least *should* apply) here somehow.
Science and education: For biology, I believe in the theory of evolution, and that it should be taught in schools. I don't think the concept of creationism should be taught, or at least not as something scientific in nature (there might be a place for it elsewhere in the curriculum). I believe in the idea of global warming and that mankind is the cause or at least a serious factor of its occurrence, and that we should seek to reverse and/or mitigate its effects. I believe it's important to preserve bio-diversity (if only on the practical grounds that one never knows where the next miracle drug might come from). I believe it's important to make strong efforts to preserve the environment.
Sexuality and gender-related matters: I believe that any two people should have the right to marry in the eyes of the state (but *not* necessarily in the eyes of any or every given religion) and receive whatever rights and benefits from the state apply to that marriage. (I'll go further and say that groupings of more than two people should also be allowed to marry in the eyes of the state, tho how that would work in practice and what would occur by it obviously needs to be worked out.) I believe efforts to eliminate discrimination based on gender and gender identity, sexual preference, etc should be made. I believe society should be generally sex-positive in nature. I believe sex education should be based on what works in real life to keep people happy and safe, reduce or eliminate unwanted pregnancies, etc and not be limited merely and only to those things a few vocal authorities deem as appropriate regardless of their actual effectiveness in the real world (e.g. abstinence-only). I believe effective temporary contraception for both women and men should be broadly available and inexpensive or free. (I'd even be willing to go so far as to suggest that perhaps temporary contraception should be mandatory, or at least heavily encouraged as a matter of public policy with subsidies and financial benefits, for those currently without the means to support and raise a child on their own, such as underage children, most young adults, and the poor. However, that would open a large can of worms, so...) Finally, I believe the right of a woman to seek an abortion as a last resort if she deems it necessary to do so should be defended and preserved, tho efforts to make abortion as unnecessary and rare as possible (e.g. improved sex education, improved access to contraception, improved support for adoption for women willing to carry their pregnancy to term, etc) should be made as much as are reasonably possible.
Gun control: I believe that people should have the right to purchase and use firearms and other ordnance for recreational use (e.g. hunting, use at gun ranges, etc) and self-defense. However, I don't think that right should be unlimited or unfettered; people wishing to possess firearms should be required to demonstrate they have the knowledge and ability to keep and use them properly and safely, and probably should be required to re-demonstrate this knowledge and ability from time to time. I also think this right is somewhat location-dependent; what is reasonable and proper for the vast open spaces of Montana and the Dakotas might not be equally reasonable and proper in the constrained and densely populated urban canyons of lower Manhattan, NYC (for instance). Finally, for those who see the right to bear arms as a final line of defense against the tyranny of government... I'm not going to claim they are wrong in thinking this, but unless they are prepared to and capable of maintaining tanks, artillery, and attack aircraft, well, they're just outgunned. (Tho, I suppose there's always unconventional / guerrilla warfare one could attempt...)
Energy policy: I believe that efforts should be made to encourage use of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, etc) and other non-carbon-based forms of energy production and use. I believe there is a place for nuclear energy, tho great care needs to be taken with it to avoid disasters such as those at Three Mile Island in the USA, Chernobyl in the Ukraine (ex-USSR), and Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. I believe it is a shame, and wrong, that the best use that can be found for many (most?) petrochemicals is to be burnt as fuel for transport, heating, and other energy production, given the amount of time (measured on a geological scale) it took to produce these resources.
Oh, gosh, I'm sure there's many many more things on this topic I could go into, but this post is long enough already, so I'll end it here with the hope that this gives at least a small taste of what it means to me to self-identify as liberal. Oh, and before I forget, answers I accepted from others for this question include liberal / left-wing, centrist, and other, and that the answer to this question was somewhat important to me. (I suppose that for someone who self-identified as conservative / right-wing, it would depend on what specifically they meant by that, and how it interacted with my own belief system.)
