You'll note that the simple definition of ideology is a set of issues based on an underlying value. What separates liberals and conservatives is the value they tend to prioritize. Liberals tend to prioritize equality while conservatives prefer liberty (specifically property rights) - along with tradition.
The Dallas Morning News had a recent story on an out spoken liberal Dallas lawyer - a rarity in Texas. It's worth a quick read in order to understand how the terms apply to contemporary politics. It's a start anyway.
- Click here for the full article.
Liberals are not the wild-eyed, tax-and-spend, anything-goes sorts as depicted, Bradley says.
“Most conservative people don’t know how similar we are,” he said. “Liberals want their children to go to church, to be good husbands and wives, to get a good job, to support their family and be productive, law-abiding citizens — just like conservatives,” he said.
A key difference, Bradley contends, is that liberals embrace government as useful and productive in advancing society. “Liberals think we can work together to make things better — to build dams and schools and parks, to have clean water and clean air.
“I hear conservatives say the government can’t do anything right, that it’s all bad.Phooey! We couldn’t flush our toilets! We’d all be going to the bathroom in the backyard if it wasn’t for the government.”
