Liberals, conservatives revisited

In one of his tirades against John Kerry, President Bush called John Kerry a liberal, as if it is a bad thing to be. Actually, it is a good title to have, for which Kerry should be proud to bear. The dictionary's definition is that they are broad-minded, unbiased and are open to news ideas, whereas the dictionary defines a conservative as one who is disposed to maintain the existing conditions, is opposed to innovations and wants to maintain the status quo.

Had Kerry lived in the late 1700s he would have fit in well with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and many others who were open to the new idea of a democracy and separation from the British Empire. And, Kerry would have fit in with the soldiers of the Continental Army who risked their lives for this new idea. President Bush has a conservative paralell with the Tories, who were opposed to this new idea of a democracy. These conservatives wanted to maintain the status quo and remain a part of the British Empire.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s the going wage for a day's work of 12 hours was $1, six days a week. Had John Kerry lived at that time he would have supported a shorter day and shorter work week, with more pay because he is broad-minded and open to new ideas. And if President Bush had lived then, he would have tried to keep the 12-hour day as standard, at $1 pay per day.

John Kerry would have supported the new idea of women's right to vote in the early 1900s, had he lived then, but President Bush, being a conservative, would have wanted to maintain the status quo.

Had John Kerry been in the Senate during the Great Depression, he would have voted for President Franklin Roosevelt's initiatives to put Americans back to work with programs like the Works Progress Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps and National Youth Administration. President Herbert Hoover was in office when the stock market crashed in the fall of 1929. By 1930 and 1931 millions of people were out of work without any incomes whatsoever. People were starving and losing their homes, but President Hoover, being a conservative, believed in maintaining the status quo, that is, do nothing to relieve the suffering. When the people had a chance in 1932, they voted in President Franklin Roosevelt, a liberal. Conservative President Bush would also have done nothing because that is the philosophy of conservatives, maintain the status quo. Except for one thing, Bush would have reduced the taxes for the most wealthy people, his major basis of monetary support. Somehow, some day, money just might trickle down over the years to the middle and lower income people.

Had John Kerry been in the Senate during the years when environmental laws were written, he would have voted for them because improving the environment was, and is, high on the agenda of the liberals. On the other hand, true to the definition of conservatives, they believed in maintaining the status quo, that is, continuing the pollution because they are the lap dogs of industry, the ones responsible for the air and water pollution. Profit is the goal of industry, which is laudable in itself, but the health of the people of the nation should be of foremost importance. Today the health of the people is better and they will live longer due to the efforts of the liberals.

John Kerry should be proud of the liberal title because he is a continuation of a long line of liberals beginning with those who wrote the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, and those who fought and died in the Revolutionary War. He should also be proud because he is in step with the liberals of the world who have been instrumental through the years in liberating the people from oppressive, conservative monarchies and dictatorships, oppressive labor conditions, and unfair social conditions.

The men who fought and died in the Revolutionary War would turn over in their graves, so to speak, at how President Bush speaks about liberals. The same could be said about those who struggled for the shorter work week, better work conditions, the women's right to vote, Social Security, Medicare, etc. There are some people who just don't seem to know what liberals have done for the people of America, and the world. However, despite attempts to warp the record of liberals, John Kerry is not afraid to stand up and be counted as being among those who want the best for all the people.

Russ Kullberg is a Cape Girardeau resident.