Ten Things that Liberals Believe - National Politics

In a few minutes, I wrote ten things that liberals believe. These relate to national politics (compared to international politics). It’s not an exhaustive list. It might not even be the top-ten things. But I think that these ideas are at the core of domestic political choices that liberals make.

1. Sick people shouldn’t die because they are poor.

2. In times of shared sacrifice, even the rich should share in the sacrifice.

3. Government of the people, by the people, for the people should be like the people. If people should be compassionate, government should be compassionate.

4. People should be compassionate.

5. Corporations are not people. Giving corporations First Amendment rights to spend unlimited money on political contests risks to drown out the actual people.

6. Big businesses, big banks have great power because they have great resources. They use their great power and their great resources for their own benefit, not for their nation’s benefit. They do things that harm the nation. It takes a strong government (of the people, by the people, for the people) to stand up to big businesses and big banks.

7. When we say that government is of the people, by the people, and for the people, we mean all the people.

8. In our time on Earth, humankind has built powerful technology. It makes our lives easier and better. But it also has the power to wreck our air and water and soil. We must use and control our technology to make sure that we pass on to our children and our grandchildren a cleaner Earth.

9. A nation is judged by how it treats its most powerless members.

10. Human rights are worth sacrificing for.