Introduction: I am a Liberal

In the current political landscape, the Democratic party is associated with a left or liberal perspective and the Republican party a right or conservative viewpoint. As far back as I can remember, my opinions have leaned left of center. Consequently I have been a registered Democrat for most of my voting life. Considering the fact that our President is a Democrat and both houses of congress feature a democratic majority, one would expect that everyone even remotely left of center would be demonstrably proud to be called a liberal. Strangely however, it seems that very few elected officials or media pundits claim to be a liberal. I don't mean to say that liberal viewpoints aren't being offered; it just doesn't seem that many liberals are proud to identify themselves as such. So, I will (hopefully) start the ball rolling.

I am a liberal and I am proud to stand behind my liberal perspective.

In the coming weeks, I will detail my personal opinion on the various topics of the day. Most will seem liberal while some might not, but it is my hope that my offerings are consistent with the definitions of liberal as found in my American Heritage Dictionary.

Liberal, adjective. 1. Having, expressing, or following political views or policies that favor civil liberties, democratic reforms, and the use of governmental power to promote social progress. 2. Having, expressing, or following views or policies that favor the freedom of individuals to act or express themselves in a manner of their own choosing.

In addition to discussing topics such as health care, gay marriage, capitalism, war, the deficit, climate change, morality, etc, I hope this blog will allow for the civil expression of all viewpoints, contradictory as well as complimentary. There are far too many radio and TV shows that glorify those whose opinions agree while demonizing those who disagree. Positive discourse allows for a sharing of opinions that represent a range of perspective. And while passion is always welcome, I hope this blog will allow for a forum that is respectful, not hateful.

Two hundred and thirty plus years ago, a group of business leaders, land owners, thinkers and statesmen met in Philadelphia to put into writing a set of rules to help guide an experiment in governance never tried before. While they produced two of the greatest political documents ever created, they didn't always agree on the details. Debate was often rancorous, passions ran high and compromise was a part of the process. Let's try to make our founders proud by continuing the debate as it relates to finding solutions to today's problems.