Last Updated on July 26, 2021 by sensation-experience
Not my words! Before I share this with y’all, I wanted to let you know that I added some comments at the end of each item to better illustrate how liberals can agree on the same thing but from different angles.
I’ve always been a liberal, but that doesn’t mean what a lot of you apparently think it does.
Let’s break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I’m getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: Not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines:
You got that right! So, what exactly does liberal mean? The dictionary defines it, as well as its origin, to be free from restraint, liberation, and progression. It is believed that the more one is informed about the advances of science, the more progressive one will be. Being conservative basically means keeping onto things like traditions and customs, conserving moral values based on religious and supersticious beliefs, and often not keeping up with the sciences. Go here to learn more about these differences.
- I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilised when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. Period. *What better way to do that if we all find a way to chip in? We’ve been told all of our lives that our primary form of human nature is greed and self-interest, with few people being altruistic. We pretty much want instant gratification these days. But how can we take care of those who can’t take care of themselves if we can’t even get along?*
- I believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that’s interpreted as ‘I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all.’ This is not the case. I’m fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it’s impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes ‘let people die because they can’t afford healthcare a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I’m not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen. *Canada and the UK seem to have little problem with this. Why? And just when Americans needed the most, just look at what happened? The only downside to such a system is that it would have a LONG waiting list.*
- I believe education should be affordable and accessible to everyone. It doesn’t necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I’m mystified as to why it can’t work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt. *Many countries let you study core classes that pertain to your field. This is much like how homeschooled children would be taught. Teachers need to teach because they really want to teach, not because they want to collect a paycheque. Besides, schools in Europe focus more on language and general studies while schools here focus on the math and sciences. Nothing’s wrong with that, but I think we should find a balance between the two.*
- I don’t believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don’t want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can’t afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, get access to universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist. *And communism in general is seen as unnatural because if there are no winners, then nobody tries. And if nobody tries, then everybody’s a loser. I don’t necessarily think a lawyer and a cocktail wait staffer should earn the same salary, at least not yet, until automation has come a long way. But the process for universal basic income would be for those who are truly disabled. And can we make more ethical multi-level marketing systems that might give pyramid schemes a good reputation? Evidently, the rick have mor power, and so they’re able to skew unethical systems to favour themselves. I believe in a classless society where truly disabled people and those with inconveniences can get the help they need and get the support needed to be successful. It’s like a scale; if you’ve got too much on one side, you can simply remove some of the weight until it was balanced. Then again, perhaps hierarchising disabilities might not be the best approach by all means. So, I think the rich should be required to pay more taxes, at least until the system was balanced.*
- I believe we need a reliable method to deal with the obesity epidemic in this country by addressing food insecurity within marginalised communities. If the lower and middle class had access to universal basic income, they wouldn’t be binge eating for fear that they won’t have enough to eat, and thus they won’t have to deal with obesity and could actually afford to get more exercise. It is ironic that rich people can be fit and healthy, while poor people are not. You’d think it would be the opposite, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
- I don’t throw around ‘I’m willing to pay higher taxes’ lightly. If I’m suggesting something that involves paying more, well, it’s because I’m fine with paying my share as long as it’s actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare… *or feeding our inmates who might as well be given the death penalty. We seriously need to get our government out of debt or make it file for bankruptcy and start anew. I don’t think the world will ever run out of money, but the resources we have will probably decrease gradually.*
- I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion-dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn’t have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live. *And companies should hire more people who speak English, like from Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zeeland, etc. I hate talking to people from other countries on the phone because I cannot understand them, yet this is easier for companies to pay because they have much cheaper salaries. In order for that to happen, though, we need to fix our economy. That’s the problem with a capitallistic society like this. We need money to survive, and it’s all like a financial hierarchy.*
- I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. By the way, prayer in school is NOT illegal; compulsory prayer in public school is – and should be – illegal). All I ask is that Christians recognise my right to live according to my beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I’m not ‘offended by Christianity’ — I’m offended that you’re trying to force me to live by your religion’s rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia law on you? That’s how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don’t force it on me or mine. *Just like it is illegal to sacrifice a person, it should also be illegal to impose restrictions that would be detrimental to human civilisation. That obviously includes making so-called laws and policies that are unfavourable towards a minority group because of your religious upbringing, saying that it goes against the order of creation or whatever. I mean, yeah, why force an entity to do something that’s against their religion when there are much better entities that can do just the same? Also, many so-called religious practitioners often engage in spiritual opportunism for their own sick gain.*
- I don’t believe that LGBTQ2SIA+ people should have more rights than you. I just believe that they should have the same rights as you. *The same applies to all other minorities; that’s why I believe in the #AllLivesMatter movement, not just the #BlackLivesMatter one because although B/black people are underrepresented, I believe that we should treat them as equals.*
- I don’t believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN’T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they’re supposed to be abusing, and if they’re ‘stealing’ your job, it’s because your employer is hiring illegally). I’m not opposed to deporting people who are here illegally, but I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc). *There are certain Green Card eligibilities that pertain to skills in the science and art, as well as those seeking immediate refuge and political asylum under the Violence Against Minorities Act,. Besides, what would be the point of building a massive wall across the Southern border? It not only shows that you are discriminating against Mexicans, but it’s a largely flawed idea. Determined people would find ways over, under, and around it.
Screening people is important, but I think it needs to be significantly refined. Imagine that you are holding a really big party, and you invite practically everyone to come. How are you going to know which of those people who are coming are going to be potential troublemakers? I think we need to find a way to get better references from mutual acquaintances and reliable resources to know if a person can be trusted. That’s why criminal background checks exist.
I think a lot of people have been misled by opposing parties and the media about what is really going on. For once, I’d like to ask Trump supporters why they think it’s okay for them to keep doing what they’re doing. Many would argue that everything was blown out of proportion. So, to get proof, I’d like to work as an undercover immigrant and take audio and video-recording equipment with me. Evidence does not lie, unless it was tampered with.*- I don’t believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction and animal extinction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It’s not that I want the government’s hands in everything — I just don’t trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products, practices, etc. are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they’re harmed, and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation. We are actually doing much worse than we are for future generations if we continue destroying this planet. *If you think the US is regulating everything, look at Egypt and China. People there have censored internet access, and they have much more strict policies in place. You can’t go on the dark web or use pirating web sites. And George Carlin said that this planet has been through times much worst than we have. If you watch Legally Blonde II, or as I call it, Politically Blonde, you can get a good taste of how strong corporations are, and what could happen if we made animal testing illegal unless they were ethical, or what could happen to the economy if we outlawed cigarettes. It’s a wonder why we make so many laws that are favourable to corporations, but not so much for the consumer. Just look at net neutrality! That’s why we need to come up with alternative practices that are moral and ethical, and obviously something that will benefit everyone with the end-user’s interests in mind and heart.*
- I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I’ve spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past. *My question then is, why do some people still believe in the confederate flag? What would happen if we had a dictator who was extremely smart and ethical? There have been plenty of satirical posts about eugenics and breeding empathic humans. Obviously, our founders didn’t count on our country’s being so diverse. That’s why we had a huge civil war to decide the fate of this country. And, fortunately for us, unity triumphed, and we can do the same today. The Nazis considered the following types of people unfit for their version of the new Germany.
- Intellectuals,
- artists,
- Jewish,
- gypsies,
- people with disabilities,
- and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
*
- I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think and desperately needs to be addressed with intersectionality. Which means those with privilege — white, straight, cisgender male, economic, etc. — need to start listening, even if you don’t like what you’re hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that’s causing people to be marginalised. WE must also have a fighting force that is open to everyone. *We love to categorise others into groups because of selfishness. Tell me, did you care what race or ethnicity your playmate was when you were growing up? Nope, because you didn’t even know what those were! Also, we need to make compulsary military service the same as jury duty–no one person should be given preferential treatment because of their assigned sex or gender at birth. Similarly, if anybody tells you that they don’t like white Africans (those who talk ghetto), well, I’ve got news for you, buddy. Read this article first, then put your head down and do some problem-solving, and write I must not be racist a hundred times. All of us, our entire species, actually originated in Africa, at least based on evidentiary record kept by scientists. So, whether you are white, Asian, or anything like that, then you are still an African, and so am I, because we are Africans by origin; we just moved around every few generations and adapted to our environment. So, It’s a small world after all. Besides, if you think about it, why aren’t there AfroBritish, African Australian, etc? If you are white, dye your skin black, and vice versa. Think about what it’d be like to have white slavery (black people enslaving white people), like in the case of Italian child musicians (though this wasn’t necessarily based on race) in the beginning of the industrial revolution.*
- I am not interested in coming after your blessed guns, nor is anyone serving in government. What I am interested in is sensible policies, including background checks, that just MIGHT save one person’s, perhaps a toddler’s, life by the hand of someone who should not have a gun. (Got another opinion? Put it on your page, not mine). *I am thinking of requiring tests the way driving and ham radio do, but owning a gun is currently seen as a right, not a privilege, so having guns out in public would put others at risk. However, that is not to say that you have the right to use your gun in public irresponsibly without some training. If you conservatives think we want to take your guns away, then think again. We must find a stalemate. I also proposed the idea of having smart guns with advanced sights and tracking, but many people have strong oppositions to the government spying and encroaching on their privacy, not to mention that they are supersticious about the mark of the beast because I suggested we use biometric sensors. If you don’t want to be tracked, don’t carry your gun into an area where they’re not allowed. However, if we banned all guns, people will find other ways to conjure up massive destruction through things like the dark web. So, is it the guns, or the people?*
- I believe in so-called political correctness *and euphemisms.* I prefer to think it’s social politeness. If I call you Chuck, and you say you prefer to be called Charles, I’ll call you Charles. It’s the polite thing to do. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate or less hurtful than the one you’re using, you now know better. So why not do better? *Even if it doesn’t make sense to you, take a moment to feel it from another person’s perspective.* How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person? *I always like transparency. I do not want to use words that are vague or misleading or that tend to screen out a particular group of individuals, which is why I will explain why you should say this instead of that. I know what some people are thinking… sticks and stones will break my bones. Not always true! Also, I am extremely opposed to using gender exclusive language and will do whatever it takes to eradicate it, even if I have to sacrifice part of me to make that happen. This means that you cannot say things like he or she, he/she, s/he, etc. unless you also included a gender-inclusive pronoun. You will also not say men and women, women and men, unless you also said and those in between. Also, do not use any male-default terms, like mankind, congresman, etc, or even phrases like Ladies and gentlemen, unless you are specifically referring to such individuals. So, beware, you have been warned! We need to rewrite the declaration of Independence and edit out Neil Armstrong’s speech, like the way some people removed the N word out of Huckleberry Finn. On the same token, is it a good idea to misgender our pets?*
- I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else. *Yeah, why don’t you do us a big favour and get an amateur radio licence, so you can just learn how to build your own self-containing life support system? You never know when disaster will strike. As a matter of fact, that’s what the International Space Station is using for their power source, plumbing, food, and air supply. Also, believe it or not, we can use the waves of the ocean to spin turbines, too! Dan Gutman has explored this in some detail on the tenth book of his Baseball Card Adventure series. Go here for the perfect example.*
- I believe that women (cisgender and transgender) should not be treated as a separate class of humans. They should be paid the same as everyone else and who do the same work, should have the same rights as everyone else and should be free from abuse. Why on earth shouldn’t they be? *What about including our nonbinary folks, i.e. those who identify as neither male or female? What about Tranimals and animals? It is not natural for us to not be grounded to earth and not to connect with nature. We have a lot in common with animals, so we should never abuse them. What if they found a way to abuse you in return? Then you would know how it feels. We should also be using more harmony-based vocabulary, like saying reproductive choices instead of abortion, as Pete Buttigieg once said. I’m sure he said this because some trans-men (and those with uteruses) may not like the term abortion, and because abortion generally has unwanted connotations. Also, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want anything having to do with feminism. I personally find that term as arrogant as the #BlackLivesMatter movement. If you really want true equality, consider using the term egalitarianism, equalism, or neutralism. Women telling other women to submit to their husbands have to go away and leave them as a choice, since dominance and submission can also refer to kink. Also, we need to stop the tradition that only women should have to change their last names when they get married, and we should not say things like, Mr. and Mrs. HISNAME. We also need to find an alternative to using mother’s maiden name on identification documents since it can conflict if you have same sex parents who are not female.*
- *And, speaking of abortion, I have my own outside-the-box views on the matter. I think we need to consider medical abortions, i.e. abortions that are medically necessary as a human right, which would therefore make non-medical abortions a privilege. I also believe that as artificial wombs are further developed, we could transplant the foetus without killing it. If the government only funded medical abortions, such as using proof that a baby was going to develop anencephalic, then you should have the right to seek funding to do it. Otherwise, it would be your responsibility to cover a non-medical abortion. If you can’t afford it, too bad! Consider adoption, instead. Yes, I know that some people used to end pregnancies using coat hangers, but I would strongly discourage such practice. Also, think about it this way. If you let yourself get knocked up at a party without protection, you have made an irresponsible decision that will irreversibly change your life forever. The baby didn’t ask to be brought into this world or give consent, it was your own carelessness that did it! So, you might as well enjoy your work, or consider adoption. Now, if you were raped in the legal sense, you might have a different story to tell. Bottom line is: I believe in pro-choice, not pro-life or pro-birth or whatever, because once they’re born, we simply forget about them considering how overpopulated the world is.*
- Speaking of abortion and reproduction, I don’t think we should permanently end our pet’s ability to reproduce *unless* you gave them at least one chance. This is because if we required everyone to have their pets fixed, we would be causing the whole breed to go extinct, or maybe even the whole species. Someone once told me that they are extremely ubiquitous, and they are likely to hide in forests, so it might not happen. Still, we have no way to know what our pets want. Did they say to you, ‘I don’t want to have babies, so spay, neuter, sterilise, desex, etc me’? So, for that reason, we need to compromise. Not just on this issue, but on all of the othere issues in this list. Let them have at least one litter. Then maybe we’ll find non-sergical birth control options that have been proven to be successful in humans. Removing these organs may negatively affect hormone profiles, though causing osteoporosis like in humans is highly debatable. Remember that George Carlin said that we have already done enough as it is and tampered with nature, so why not leave it alone? Let’s build a statewide, nationwide, worldwide, etc network of foster pet parents and ship them to places with more room, so as to cut back on animal euthenasia simply because nobody wants them or because they run out of space.
- *And finally, I believe the current Violence Against Women reauthorisation Act should be renamed to other minority groups as well. Other people besides women can be subject to vilence. This is because creating laws in which the accused is automatically assumed of being guilty of an alleged crime is violating the constitution on many levels. It is up to you, as the victim, to prove with factual evidence and due process, that the accused did it, and likewise, they have the right to prove their innocence until they are found to be guilty in a court of law.
I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I’m a liberal because I think we should take care of each other and treat our furry, feathery, scaly, etc creatures as family members rather than personal property. That doesn’t mean that you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbour can get all your money. It just means that I don’t believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved.
So, I’m a liberal.