Throwing around the 'L' word
The election is only a few days away and it's open season on conservatives' favorite target: liberals.
On the national scene, the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin has tried diligently to portray Barack Obama as a liberal and, in some cases, a socialist, which we guess is a liberal on steroids.
Closer to home, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, examines the record of his opponent Josh Segall and finds it overflowing with "liberal values."
Alabama Supreme Court candidate Greg Shaw's Web site contains a lengthy explanation of the Republican's views on "liberal judges."
Nothing new here. Candi-dates, particularly "proud Alabama conservatives," will trot out the "L" word until it stops resonating with voters.
Still, one part of this argument looking back to liberals' record of accomplishment remains ignored.
Liberals are largely responsible for a great deal of progress in the United States. Liberals gave us Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the 40-hour work week, worker safety protections, clean air and water laws, child-labor laws, voter-rights protections for racial minorities and a progressive tax system.
That's but a short list of liberal accomplishments over the past 100 years or so.
We wonder which of these liberal-bashing conservative candidates will take their campaign's rhetoric one step further. Who will step forward to abolish the dreaded liberal programs?
C'mon, fellas, if you oppose liberalism so fiercely, you must oppose its progeny. Who will be the first conservative to make the bold stand to abolish Social Security? What about Medicare? Or child-labor laws?
We're waiting.
