Answer for: How would you identify yourself Politically?
#2 Liberal
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Liberal is not a party, it is a political philosohy. "Political liberalism is the belief that individuals are the basis of law and society, and that society and its institutions exist to further the ends of individuals, without showing favor to those of higher social rank." - Wikipedia
Nobody said it was a party, but thanks.
a nice idea but impractical considering human nature
"the belief that individuals are the basis of law and society" is impractical?
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism
"Broadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Different forms of liberalism may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for a number of principles, including extensive freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market or mixed economy, and a transparent system of government. All liberals â as well as some adherents of other political ideologies â support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law."
Also from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia....iberals_today
Views of social liberals today:
In general, contemporary social liberals support:
* A free market economy consisting mainly of private enterprise, but with government owned or subsidized programs of education, healthcare, child care etc for all citizens.
* Regulatory bodies over private enterprise in the interests of workers, consumers and fair competition.
* Free trade.
* A basic system of social security.
* A moderate level of taxation.
* Environmental protection laws (although not always to the extent advocated by Greens).
* Fairly open stances toward immigration and multiculturalism stemming from social liberal tendency to be civic nationalists (as opposed to ethnic nationalists).
* A secular and progressive social policy, including support for comprehensive sex education, gay and lesbian rights, universal health care, the teaching of the scientific theory of evolution in schools, reproductive rights, stem cell research, abolition of capital punishment and (sometimes) euthanasia.
* A belief in the existence of victimless crimes (e.g. drug use and prostitution) and many social liberals call for the decriminalization or outright legalization of these practices.
* Decentralized decision-making.
* Internationalism. (Oppose extreme and aggressive nationalism)
* (In Europe) A federal European Union.
* A foreign policy supporting the promotion of democracy, the protection of human rights and where possible, effective multilateralism.
* As well as human rights, social liberals also support social rights, civil rights and civil liberties.
And one last time:
http://en.wikipedia....rn_liberalism
Some positions associated with modern liberalism
In the early 21st century, the term "liberalism" in the United States has been applied to a broad spectrum of viewpoints. As the Democratic Party, generally seen as the standard-bearer of liberalism, adopted the more centrist outlook of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the term "liberal" (applied to the party as a whole) became associated even with more centrist candidates who, for example, may support the death penalty or take pro-business positions. For this reason, and because many on the right have so heavily used "liberal" as a pejorative, some Americans on the left of the political spectrum prefer to call the movement progressivism.
On the other hand, those associated with the DLC have used the term neoliberalism to describe what they regard as a more pragmatic and results-oriented form of American liberalism. This usage creates some confusion, since the same term is used to describe the international revival of classical liberalism and the associated radical free-market policies associated with politicians such as Margaret Thatcher and, in the United States, Ronald Reagan.
The following are some of the views that many contemporary American liberals or progressives support, starting with several points where there would be a strong consensus among American liberals.
* A social "safety net" including support for Medicare, unemployment benefits, health insurance, and preservation of existing Social Security and welfare programs
* Adherence to the principle of separation of church and state
* A progressive tax system
* Civil rights, including laws against discrimination based on gender, race, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability
* Laws intended to protect the environment from pollution and encourage conservation of resources
* Government role in funding or subsidizing public education and public transportation
* Regulation of business practices through OSHA, child labor laws, anti-trust laws, and minimum wage laws.
* Labor unions and labor regulation
* The belief in a woman's right to abortion by Roe v. Wade standards
* Government role in alternative energy development
* Government responsibility to supervise ports and infrastructure in the public interest
* A spirit of international cooperation and strong alliances
* The elimination of the death penalty
* Advocacy of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and support of scientific study
* Affirmative action continuance and transitional multi-lingual educational programs for children whose first language is not English
* Gun control and regulation
* Instituting the "Fairness Doctrine"
* Marijuana or hemp legalization for medicinal, industrial, or recreational purposes
* The right of the terminally ill to end their life
* Animal welfare
* Support for same sex-marriage
On globalization, American liberals stand largely divided. Liberal members of the intelligentsia and the professional class tend to favor globalization, due to their cosmopolitan ideals. Members of organized labor, on the other hand, tend to be opposed to increased globalization:
"[Globalization] invites two responses from the Left. The first is to insist that the inequalities between nations need to be mitigated.... The second is to insist that the primary responsibility of each democratic nation-state is to its own least advantaged citizens... the first response suggests that the old democracies should open their borders, whereas the second suggests that they should close them. The first response comes naturally to academic leftists, who have always been internationally minded. The secon
This has been Liberalism 101 with your host Friar Zero. If you have any questions feel free to consult your friendly neighborhood liberal.
I see you got a little happy with the cut and paste.