I am a Liberal, and a liberal. I vote Liberal here in Canada, and if I were American, I am quite sure I'd be voting Democratic. I believe the government should stay out of people's private lives, church and state should be distinctly separate, and we need to regulate business. That all seems like basic common sense to me, but my views are apparently the polar opposite of a lot of Americans, particularly.
Let's look at each point briefly. The government has no business, as Pierre Trudeau once famously said, in the nation's bedrooms. I just don't see how that can be argued with. Actually, the only way to argue it is to oppose my second point about separating church and state. The people who want to tell you what to do in your bedroom want to make sure you're not doing anything that their religion doesn't want you to do. Again, common sense tells me that my life is my own business, and that someone else's religion shouldn't affect my personal life.
Ronald Reagan tried to make regulation a dirty word, and the people who oppose it confuse me. I mean, do you want your kid's toys covered in lead paint? Do you want your credit card interest rate to change every month? Do you want the plane you're flying in to have the proper parts? Anti-regulationists say that the market will take care of itself, but only after a few kids die from lead poisoning and a few planes plummet from the sky. If that's worth it to you, I am scared.
I get really wrapped up in American politics. I want the Democrats to do the right thing, but lately it seems that they're too afraid to make the changes they promised. The opposition is uglier than it's ever been before. No one is talking about ideas, and how to do the best thing for the average American; it's all name-calling and absurd rumours. A real hatred has been exposed. Tea Party members throw around terms like Socialist, Death Panel, and Re-education Camps. What I don't understand is this- the Republicans controlled the White House From 1980 to 1992, and from 2000 to 2008. They controlled both houses of Congress in the 90s. Wasn't that enough time to "fix" everything that they say Democrats ruined? For God's sake, Democrats have been in power for 16 months, and the opposition acts like the world is going to end. Seems hopeless, but I've found the solution!
Palin/Bachmann 2012! Let's get Sarah Palin the job she feels eminently qualified for, and back her up with Representative Michelle Bachmann, a woman who sees socialist conspiracies around every corner. Let's get Rand Paul and a host of other Tea Partiers in congress. Give 'em everything they want. All the power. Let's just see what they'd get done. Would they end Social Security and Medicaid? Of course not. Make Christianity the law of the land? I doubt it. Eradicate all business regulations? Nope. But maybe they'd shut up about it if they were in charge. You know, like they were for 20 of the past 30 years.
