Is government itself a liberal idea?

Question

People banding together for the common good.

That's what liberalism is all about, despite what the brainwashed here think.

Answer 1

I look at the way governments work and don't see them working to hard to band us together.

Answer 2

Brainwashed??

Conservatives and liberals alike see most of the same ills in the world. However, they vary vastly in their solution.

Liberals believe that the solution to every ill of society is a greater, bigger program at the highest level of government. They'd love the UN to have hearings and develop programs to address the social ills of the USA.

Conservatives believe (at least they did before Dubya) that a limited government is best. In addition, they believe that government functions should reside with the smallest, most local form of government that is capable of performing those functions.

Conservatives believe that there is no way that government programs can fix the problems properly addressed by strong, traditional family units, strong churches, functioning civic groups, and adherence to traditional moral beliefs.

Quite frankly, liberalism of the mid 1960's, when it was its most effective and most compelling, looks much like today's conservatism. In the 1960's, liberal leaders like MLK used traditional religious and moral beliefs (MLK was a pastor, as were many of the civil rights leaders) to shame a nation into doing the right thing. Modern liberals see traditional morality as something to be overcome, and therefore has descended into something of a rudderless humanism that has no absolute moral claims, with the notable exception of the claim that "There are no moral absolutes."

Answer 3

No, government is a necessary evil, just as war sometimes is. Without government there is no freedom. You can't leave your property without worrying about someone stealing it.

We need government. The problem is in the amount of government. When you realize what government's proper function is: the protection of life an property, things come into focus.

The essence of freedom is the limitation of government. Liberals think that government should be a positive force. The believe that government should do things for people. But government can't give an individual something that it hasn't taken from another, Government does not produce wealth. It can only redistribute it.

How do you feel about politicians? Do you trust them to redistribute your wealth? Do you trust them with a monopoly on force ("gun control"). Do you think that politicians are virtuous people? I don't.

We need to limit government, and we need to keep a close eye on our elected and appointed public servants. Remember, in our system they work for us, they are not our masters.

Answer 4

Of course government is not liberal in and of itself.

Many a dictator has been benevolent and lead the people properly.

Humans thrive in a structured hierarchy with the output being synergistic production.

It's the leaders that turn government into liberal tools of pandering to non-productive. It is a fine line between "me" and "we".

Answer 5

The COMMON good used to mean the things that apply to everybody that people can't provide by themselves like schools, roads, national defense, etc,. It doesn't mean giving cradle-to-grave care to the individual at the expense of other segments of the population (Socialist government does).

Answer 6

At the most basic level liberals want change and conservatives want things to stay the same. Liberals are trying to push society in new directions sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Civil rights activists were liberals and they changed our society for the better.

Answer 7

Conservatives are still mad about losing the Revolutionary war.