[Superman]

I wish I had the time to read through all these posts. Some, probably most, of the statements in the list would be interesting starting points for specific discussions. For example "The present tax rates are good." Just like I would not put retread tires on my Porsche, in the same way I do not support the current popular notion that public infrastructure should be inexpensive ( and cheap ). In other words, I think an excellent argument can be made that the government needs more money so that certain problems can be cleared up properly. My state is in a transportation crisis because taxpayers have bought the insidious notion that roadbuilding services should increase while taxes decrease. Maybe you expect that tire stores would provide tires for free, or maybe $20 each including mounting, balancing and road hazard insurance, but I am not that ignorant. The same principles hold for roads as for tires.

But the broader statement I would like to make here is that those of you who, like Mul, believe that liberals are lemmings who regurgitate the party line, are simply not paying attention. There is a great deal of diversity in the opinions of various people who are liberal thinkers. Lemming behavior is a conservative trait, not a liberal one. In any group of liberal thinkers, there will be a great deal of diversity of opinions. In my view the two groups are "conservatives" and "thinkers." I'm a "thinker." Or maybe it's "war mongers" and "people who think foreign relations is not that simple."