veritas
OBKB
- Aug 6, 2009
- 1,760
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This country was founded on Liberal principles. What could be more liberal than the forcing out of a colonial monarchy and a global hegemony?
Pat conveniently leaves out stuff he doesn't like. He's a xenophobic drone that pines for the 50's. He's found a rut he likes and stays in it. His grasp/twist on history is very skewed.
Classical liberalism has no relation with the modern liberalism of the Democratic party. Classical liberals include Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman.
I don't see the Democratic party celebrating the classical liberalism of any of those men.
I think it very much does, despite treatises to the contrary. You have to take the context of the times. New America was very sparsely populated, but being the social creatures that we are, there existed social networks and dependency on each other, although our needs were fewer back then. The social networks were localized. Now that we are many and more closely related in need, and have more needs, the concept overlying is basically the same. The founding fathers created a somewhat even playing field, without the trappings of a monarchy or a state religion. We've had to morph that a bit with a public education, women's rights and racial rights but we are getting there. The hegemony still exists as corporatism, but theoretically we are in a position to combat that. But it's creeping, looming......the playing field is on tilt......so we adjust or try to, incrementally and slowly slogging along with the career politicians we have now. Liberalism is about moving forward and adapting and making the conditions exist for any of us to move all of us forward, more likely. Jefferson was the embodiment of this principle in his never ending quest in agrarianism. I can imagine his delight in knowing that olives grow in our westernmost regions, having failed in their cultivation on this east coast. He would be aghast at the genetic manipulation of our foodstuffs and horrified at our bee situation. He wanted to further his/our knowledge and not profit from it personally, but strengthen the nation.