Conservatives, Moderates, Liberals (3)

On Feb. 11 I defined a conservative. A liberal is one having opposing views, i.e. more government (esp. welfare), more authority in the federal government, tending to spend more, smaller military. A moderate, or centrist, is one who holds an intermediate position between conservatives and liberals. It is a whole new ballgame on matters promoted by the religious right, such as gay rights, prayer in public schools, and public funds for parochial schools. These don't pertain to liberal or conservative as those terms should be used. These matters pertain more to the issue of separation of church and state. Incidentally, it was the votes of the religious right, in addition to those of the conservatives, that swung the election of 2004 in favor of Bush. Abortion, one of the most controversial of all issues, is in a class by itself. It doesn't pertain to separation of church and state. The basic argument of the pro-lifers is more of a moral argument as to the sanctity of life. But an additional argument is that Roe v Wade is based upon too liberal interpretation of the constitution inamuch as there is nothing in the constitution concerning the right of privacy.

I conclude that it is unfair and misleading to label a person as a liberal or conservative. One should make up his/her own mind as to each issue, regardless of how you you might be labeled. But if we all must bear a label, let's call us all moderates.

These are my views. What are yours? LSmith6100@kc.rr.com