Today’s column is my attempt to get away from pigeon-holing labels like “left” and “far left” and “DSA” and “centrist” and ”moderate” and “conservative”. These tags tend to be attached by people across the political spectrum to support (or denigrate) policies they want to promote (or dissuade).

My goal is to try to distill and lay out – without unnecessary and definitionally-biased labels - my views on what our society should strive to be and how to get there - which I believe are the views of many in this country (but obviously nowhere near all), whether they are labeled as liberals, progressives / base Democrats / moderates / centrists or even conservatives.

Without further ado, here is my take on what the United States of America should look like if it lived up to the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”, and strived to achieve its Constitutional goals to “… form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,…”

Freedom. So long as they are not harming or threatening harm to others (see John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle), every person should have the freedom to: live the life that is right for them, worship the religion of their choice or not worship religion at all, live with whom they want, love whom they want, marry whom they want, read what they want, say and do what they want.

Society. In a society, individual freedom is not unlimited. Sometimes, we must sacrifice for the common good. Taxes. Property - zoning laws, building codes, environmental rules. Driving – seat belts, speed limits, DUI laws. Jury duty. Business – consumer protections, labor, safety, financial and environmental regulations. Even speech – fraud, incitement, direct threats, defamation.

Religion. Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion. Religious freedom means individuals can believe what they want and refrain – as individuals – from being forced to do something against their religion. Religious freedom also means individuals are free from being coerced by others (and institutions/organizations) to act or believe in a certain way by those who believe in a different religion. The United States does NOT have a “state” religion. Companies who do business in the United States’ commercial marketplace must abide by laws against discrimination and selective engagement that might conflict with the religious beliefs of their owners.

Government. Government is NOT inherently evil – it is only as good or bad as the people we elect to run it. Government exists to organize our society and to do the things collectively for the common good that we cannot do individually. Government should ensure freedom (see above), lawfulness, public health and safety, equality of opportunity for all, protect against all discrimination and provide basic support for those less fortunate among us.

Taxes. To borrow a phrase from someone else: “Taxes are not a punishment. They’re the fuel in the engine of the republic, a positive affirmation of and direct investment in our values, and a system of incentives and disincentives to shape our collective vision of the good. Taxes are how we build the world for each other.”. Much as we all dislike the IRS, it is America’s accounts receivable department. Ideally, it is indispensable to ensuring that we ALL pay what we owe. Higher taxes on corporations and the highest earners - like what we had in the “heyday” of the 50s, 60s and early 70s - is a must. See this post for more.

Energy and the Environment. Clean air, clean water and a livable climate are literally the foundational elements for healthy life on earth. There is no rational reason not to move from dirty and expensive fossil fuels to cleaner and cheaper renewable energy sources that will provide a more sustainable economy and environment for current and future generations.

Inequality. Over the long arc of human history, gross inequality without true opportunity for upward mobility is one of the main reasons for sudden, violent societal change. It would take 250,000 years earning and keeping $1 million/yr to be worth the $250 billion+ that several of our tech overlords are worth today. No one should have that much money and influence.

Economic Fairness and Opportunity. Economies exist to provide the greatest benefit to the largest number of people in their sphere, and not simply to enrich an elite few. Our economy should ensure that people who work hard (at ANY job) can afford to live a life of dignity and raise a family.

There are multiple tools in our economic toolbox to achieve these goals. Free markets are only one of them. Others include government safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Also Federal Reserve action. Every country with a market-based economy actually has a combination of capitalism and socialism.

Corporatism. Corporations are statutory entities created by law. They are not mentioned anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. Corporations in the United States were originally formed with limited lifespans and tight controls for public-service entities, basically in order to provide a legal identity separate from the individuals who comprised it. Corporations do NOT have constitutional rights and are not “persons”. Corporations should NOT be able to privatize profits and socialize losses. They should pay a living wage instead of foisting costs off on government programs in an effort to increase their profitability.

Healthcare. Health is really all individuals have. Without it, individuals cannot truly enjoy “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Access to healthcare IS a human right. Our society should provide access to basic, quality affordable healthcare for everyone. Like every other developed nation in the world, that means universal coverage and standardized costs.

Money in Politics. We currently have a political system of legalized bribery. Money is NOT speech in a legal and political sense. Corporations and other artificial statutory entities can’t vote and therefore should not be able to infuse money into our political system. Public financing of campaigns is a must. To paraphrase (and bastardize) Abraham Lincoln, we currently have a political system of billionaires, for billionaires and by billionaires. Nothing will change until we get big money out of our political and policy-making system.

Voting. Simply put, we should be working to make it easier for all who are qualified to be able vote. Mandatory voter registration for all citizens is a good policy. Voter disenfranchisement should be treated as harshly as voter fraud (BTW, voter fraud on an organized level is basically non-existent).

Immigration. Immigration is - and always has been - the lifeblood of our country. Without minimizing the tragedy and horror of supplanting the true native Americans, immigration and assimilation has been perhaps the leading reason for our country’s economic and cultural strength and resilience. The U.S. has been called a melting pot for a reason. Border security is important. So is the social, cultural, and economic growth we experience from responsible immigration.

There’s more but that seems like enough for today.

I don’t know and don’t care what label people put on the issues/ideas I’ve written about above. Is affordable healthcare for all “liberal” or “conservative”? Depends on the prism through which it’s viewed. From a human argument (people simply deserve to be as healthy as possible), you might say it’s “liberal”. From an economic argument (healthier people are more productive), you might say it’s conservative. Is mandatory voting progressive or conservative (or, likely, both!)?

Progressive/liberal policies and positions ARE more popular than whatever passes for “centrist” and MAGA policy prescriptions these days. Let’s talk about them and stop unnecessarily handicapping ourselves by referring to them with prejudicial labels.

We defend the values and policies, not the irrelevant descriptors. Let’s proudly play on our home field and re-enter voters’ Circle of Trust^TM.

We Are The World