To The Left, To The Left...

This will be not exactly a shocker to those who know me but I am what you would consider liberal. progressive, left-leaning, etc. But I'm not exactly a "flaming, bleeding-heart liberal" as I've been jokingly called. I wouldn't consider myself a Democrat per se but given that there are only essentially two viable choices, I do tend to identify with them more than the GOP.

I actually have voted Republican in the past, mostly notably for Sam Katz when he last ran for Mayor of Philadelphia. I also voted in Ernie Preate for PA Attorney General. (Unfortunately he would later play us all.) I think I may have even pulled the lever for a local Republican or two when I first became legal back in suburbia; I don't recall social issues being a factor in their jobs.

I consider myself to be socially progressive, perhaps a notch or two below Dennis Kucinich, while also being a fiscal moderate. No one likes taxes but I think they are a necessary evil. I also think that while government assistance is sometimes necessary and beneficial for both individuals and corporations, both should be weaned off and encouraged to earn their keep. Of course, current events would seem to delay that idea for the foreseeable future.