Liberals vs. Conservatives

This dichotomy between liberals and conservatives has always been interesting to me. Especially since the designation “liberal” has become in some peoples mind repugnant.

How did that happen when one looks at the history of our country?

Our Founding Fathers, so revered by today’s conservatives, were anything but conservative! They were liberals, who evolved into radicals, and eventually became revolutionaries. The Declaration of Independence is a revolutionary document pure and simple. The conservatives in the late 18th century were Tories, supporters of England, who thought it reckless, foolish, and criminal to advocate breaking away from England. Their philosophy was to maintain the status quo and follow the “law-of-the-land.”

The U.S. Constitution was a liberal and even a radical document. We had a constitution, the Articles of Confederation, which established the original states as the base of power. Our present constitution changed that, giving extraordinary power to the national government at the expense of the states. The battle for ratification of this new constitution was a bitter, hard fought battle with conservatives opposing it. It barely passed.

There was a propensity for our country’s liberal thinking, early leaders to loosely interpret the U.S. Constitution. Establishment of the National Bank and other Hamiltonian actions solidified the financial structure of the new nation. The conservatives eventually won out and the bank was dropped 40 years later, but it had done its job. Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory had no basis in the Constitution and was opposed by conservatives. John Adam’s last minute appointment of liberal thinking Chief Justice John Marshall, resulted in broadened powers of the federal judiciary. Marshall’s court set precedent for the courts to “weigh in” on any case they choose where the interpretation of the constitution is an issue.

We could provide many other examples of our liberal thinking Founding Fathers “bending” the U.S. Constitution to serve the needs of a growing and changing nation. In fact, Thomas Jefferson advocated this need for change when he wrote, “Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19 years. If it be enforced longer, it is an act of force, not of right.” (He considered 19 yrs. a generation.)

If one moves ahead through the 19th and 20th centuries we have a rather long list of government actions that came about because of liberal thinking including:
*Social Security
*Medicare
*Anti-trust legislation
*Legal recognition of labor unions along with things like 8 hr. working day, safe working conditions, minimum wage, workers compensation, unemployment benefits, etc.
*Environmental protection laws
*Establishment of National Parks, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management, to oversee our public lands.
*Welfare system including Medicaid, food stamps, school lunch, rent subsidies, etc.
*Farm Bills alleged to support the family farm and improve productivity of agriculture including subsidies, crop insurance, price supports, production controls, disaster relief, soil conservation, county extension service, etc.
*Funds with accompanying rules and regulations for building and maintaining our transportation infrastructure.
*Student loans, loan guarantees, and grants for post high school education.
*Peace Corps
*FEMA to provide disaster relief
*Rules and regulations to prevent abuse from financial institutions – not too successful lately because of de-regulation.

This list can go on and on. These liberal programs and laws are not in the U.S. Constitution, do expand the role of the national government, and do cost tax dollars. For the most part, they were strongly opposed by conservatives.

It is unfair to suggest that conservatives are wrong in all cases – they weren’t and aren’t. They need to raise questions; serve as “devils advocates;” suggest changes to existing programs that have merit but are not accomplishing their intended goal; and work to eliminate programs and laws that have proven to be failures. We should not assume that conservatives are only obstructionists in efforts to move the country forward. They have played and need to continue to play an important role in seeking to solve problems, which often means change.

Nor should we assume that all liberals are big spenders, pushing constantly for higher taxes and bigger government – this is just campaign rhetoric. It might be better to characterize liberals as seeking appropriate spending, a “fair” tax structure, and carefully crafted government to protect, enhance, and grow our country – change that works.

Neither we nor the media should get in the habit of maligning, belittling, or diminishing liberals or conservatives. These competing philosophies should constantly be debating the best course for our nation, but in a respectful, constructive, and yes, even courteous manner.