HEART OF A LIBERAL

WHY WE’RE PROGRESSIVES

A friend recently shared an e-mail exchange he had with members of his extended family — about the appropriate role of government in our lives.  It began with his attempt to derail the spread of another one of those viral e-mails that disseminates misinformation.  We were impressed with the quality and thoughtfulness of the conversation, and wanted to share with our readers some key passages written by our friend.

E-MAIL 1:

“OK folks … to avoid another fiasco like the one that happened the last time I tried to stop the spread of misinformation, this time I’m sending this message out to you hopefully before you fall prey to the deception.  The original e-mail at the bottom of this thread is now spreading across the Internet despite the fact that it is patently false.

Please read … and if by some chance you’ve inadvertently already contributed to spreading these lies by forwarding this hoax e-mail, take the required steps to set things straight.

Thanks in advance for doing the right thing. No matter what your politics are … may the truth prevail!

Hoax!  Debunked here:  http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/HR3590.asp (see link for original hoax e-mail).”

Phone calls were then exchanged with one member of the extended family, and the conversation expanded to include disagreements about the role of government in our country.

We pick up the thread of the conversation as it returns to the e-mail exchange:

E-MAIL 2:

“… therefore, if all we can do is effect the future (since there clearly is no changing of the past), then shouldn’t we endeavor to build a system of government, flawed though it might be, that regulates against blatant corporate theft (e.g., shady bank derivatives, health insurance denials, oil companies taking short cuts that create enormous environment disasters)?  And one that supports growth, education, and the development of mankind as a whole (e.g., ensures sufficient taxpayer dollars are used to pay for basic social services like ensuring an accident or illness won’t bankrupt you, and that deserving kids could get a quality college education without having to mortgage their parents, and that scientists could get funded to advance technology, conquer illness, etc.)?  

That’s the reason we need governance.  We don’t live in caves anymore.  We’re a complex interdependent global body of cousins (we’re all ridiculously closely-related).  We must try to help each other.  Build the future.  Invest in ourselves.  And not throw away our riches on confrontation, but instead build treaties, plans, and regulations that benefit everyone.  This takes positive government — a government dedicated to moving forward with the best possible ideas and policies we’re able to come up with … even if such ideas are not perfect.

Hands-off isolationism is simply not a workable solution.  Left to their own devices, corporations, institutions, and even individual people, will and do take shortcuts:  cheat, not plan for emergencies, etc.  We need to  appy ourselves as a nation (and as a species) or we’ll suffer the consequences.

That’s why I’m not anti-government.”

And these passionately written sentiments, my friends, are why we’re Progressives.  Oh, hell — why not just say it:  WE’RE PROUD LIBERALS!