Michaels Backporch: Steve Edwards Interviews Robin Sax: Convicted Murderer Bruce Davis About to be Paroled?

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Erik Schneider
Robin Sax

Robin Sax

Source:The New Democrat

Whatever your position on the death penalty is and even if you’re in favor of the death penalty, but agree that forty-five years later not executing the Manson Family murderers other than Charlie Manson himself was the correct decision, I think most of the country can agree that once you intentionally take the innocent life of another human being and are convicted of that murder, or murderers, you forfeit your right to freedom for the rest of your life. I could imagine only anti-use of force at anytime groups, as well as anti-prison advocates, or Anarchists having a problem with that.

Bruce Davis, has never even admitted, or apologized for his role in the Manson murders. The only thing that puts him ahead of Charlie, is that he’s made a productive life for himself while in prison. Which is one of the reasons for having prison. Which is the whole point of rehabilitation which is self-improvement and not just preparing people who have a release date on the outside for life there, but empowering people who are serving life, or very long sentences to make a positive life for them self in prison and allow for them to give back. Which is what she should be doing a lot more with our prisons and would make them a lot more affordable to run. But that’s a different subject.

Once you murder someone, you can’t take that back. Your victim never recovers from that. And because of that why should the murder be able to live freely when their victim, or victims can never live at all? So one should feel sorry for anyone who decided to hook up with Charlie Manson. None of the Manson Family members were kidnapped and all voluntarily joined that group. And they were all eighteen, or older when they got involved and they all knew what they were doing when they committed those murders. And they’re all paying the price for it in prison and will continue to pay that price as long as they’re alive. Because their victims will never recover from their murders.

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Clinton Library 42: President Bill Clinton’s Press Conference-March, 1994

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Erik Schneider
42nd President of The United States

42nd President of The United States

Source:The New Democrat 

As unpopular as the first two years of the Bill Clinton Administration were and how unpopular that Democratic Congress was, it was a very productive Congress and two years for President Clinton. And he actually managed unlike President Obama, to get support from Congressional Republicans on some of his initiatives. Like with two 1993 trade deals, NAFTA and GAT, Family and Medical Leave, the 1994 Crime Bill and few other things.

What cost President Clinton Congress in 1994, was not Congressional gridlock, or even his unpopularity. But really two bills that the President got out of Congress and one bill that President Clinton failed to get out of Congress. That Congressional Republicans in both the House and Senate were able to go to town with. The 1993 Deficit Reduction Act, that not a single Republican in Congress in either chamber voted for. That had a tax hike on the wealthy. The 1993 Crime Bill, that had a gun control provision. A background check before people could buy guns. And of course President Clinton’s failed attempt at comprehensive health care reform.

Whitewater, was a distraction for President Clinton and his administration, but as we know now and as President Clinton told the press over and over more than twenty years ago now, there was nothing there. As far as evidence of criminal behavior from either Bill, or Hillary Clinton. And the whole Whitewater investigation was an example of the problems with the so-called independent counsel law. Because the Whitewater investment happened in the late 1970s and early 1980s. More than ten years before Bill Clinton became President of the United States. If the Independent Counsel, was only allowed to investigate Federal officials and what might have gone on while they were employed by the Federal Government, a lot of the Bill Clinton Federal investigations never happen.

What you see here with the questioning in this press conference, is a press that seems to only be interested in supposed scandal and not what is actually going on in the country and what President Clinton and his administration is working on. Like as it relates to the crime bill, health care reform, relations with Congress with both parties, what is going on in foreign policy, like with North Korea, Somalia, the Middle East, China, North Korea, Russia, etc. This press conference looks like CNN of today, where they are overly scandal hungry. And where they’re looking for the next so-called OMG, or awesome story. That will drive ratings and they can spend all of their coverage on.

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C-SPAN: President John F. Kennedy’s American University Peace Speech

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Erik Schneider
Liberal Democrat

Source: C-SPAN- U.S. President John F. Kennedy

Source:The New Democrat

I believe the whole point of President Kennedy’s speech here is that as different as the American and Russian form of government’s and system’s during the Cold War were, that the American and Russian people actually have a lot more in common that a lot of people tend to think. That we all live on the same planet, breathe the same air, cherish our children’s future and so-forth. That as bad as the Russian communist system was, there were plenty of things to actually like about the Russian people and Russian society. The only thing a superpower war would’ve brought America and Russia, is mutual destruction.

I think what President Kennedy was calling for was to find ways where America could work with Russia on their common interests and actually learn from each other. That both countries were going to do their things so to speak and promote their interests and system’s, but trying to destroy each other was simply not an option. Because both countries would end up destroyed essentially even if one of them were to come out looking a little better. As long as the Cold War was, the United States and Soviet Union, never went to battle with each other physically. Because they were both smart and sane enough to know the consequences of such a war.

I believe had President Kennedy lived and finished out his presidency, he probably gets reelected in 1964 against Senator Barry Goldwater. And this peace through strength strategy that I believe he was laying out here would have gone into effect. That America, would have continued to be as physically and economically as strong as possible, but not to physically destroy the Soviet Union. But to show them that they can’t destroy us and that are economic and political system’s are so much stronger than their’s and that it would be in their best interest to work with us. Simply because they would never even be strong enough economically to even compete with us with their Marxist system.
C-SPAN: President John F. Kennedy’s Peace Speech

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CBS News: 60 Minutes- Lesley Stahl Interviews Jimmy Carter: The White House Diary

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Erik Schneider

Lesley Stahl

Source:CBS News 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl.

Source:The New Democrat

I mentioned this last week, but President Jimmy Carter was not a failed president and I laid out why I believe that. And of course we have the benefit of history now. And the economy was in bad shape when he left and the Soviet Union seemed to be stronger, even though again from the benefit of history their economy was failing with all of their bread lines, unemployment, poverty, shortages, that took them at least twenty years to over. So of course the Soviet Union wasn’t stronger when President Carter left office. Their military was just doing more because they thought America was weak.

There a couple of reasons why Jimmy Carter wasn’t a great president. One of them his fault and the other partly his fault. His relationship with the two Democratic Congress’s that he had, especially with Senator Ted Kennedy, but Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil and Senate Leader Robert Byrd and many other examples. President Carter, actually had a better relationship with Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker, the ranking Republican in Congress during the Carter years, than he probably had with any Democratic leader in Congress. Including Southern Democrats who he probably had things in common with.

The other issue being all the problems that he had to deal with as president. Not his fault for the most part that they happened. Especially with the economy, but where he comes up short from my perspective at least was his failure to deal with them and gain traction and success in those areas. President Obama, inherited a worst economy than either President Carter, or President Reagan and yet the economy started moving again fairly quickly under his administration. And started creating jobs early in his second year.

I think what you see in the Carter White House diary, is what Americans back then and today really like and respect about the man. That Jimmy Carter, is a person and individual before he’s a politician.

Jimmy Carter is the politician that Americans say they want. Above board, free-thinker, free speaker, above politics, not all the time, but a lot of the time, does and says what he believes and then deals with the consequences. Including about how he feels with people he has to work with. As you see in his White House diary. The problem with Americans though and perhaps where Carter’s personality hurt him, is that is just what Americans say they want. They actually prefer bullshit artists who tell them what they want to hear, generally.

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James Miller Center: President Jimmy Carter: University of Notre Dame 1977 Commencement

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Erik Schneider

Liberal Democrat

Source:James Miller Center- President James E. Carter (Democrat, Georgia) 39th President of the United States (1977-81)

Source:The New Democrat 

This speech by President Carter in 1977 was not only huge, but I think the best speech he’s ever given. And perhaps the best speech that any president has ever given when it comes to human rights and freedom. Making human rights an official part of American foreign policy and that the goal of the Carter Administration would be to promote human rights around the world. And that foreign aid would be one of those tools to do that. Which means to me at least that he wanted a foreign policy that would stop backing and subsidizing unilateralist authoritarian dictators.

This is really important, because the Soviet Union was making a big play to promote communism and their brand of authoritarianism around the world. They wanted to do that in Ethiopia, which already had an authoritarian government and they invaded Afghanistan that had a moderate monarchy. And while Russia is promoting their idea of authoritarianism around the world, here you have the leader of the free world, the leader of the most powerful and important liberal democracy in the world in Jimmy Carter, coming back and saying that human rights is what we should be talking about and what the world needs.

I would’ve liked to of seen more of this in his President Carter’s foreign policy and make foreign aid a tool in promoting human rights, freedom and economic development in developing countries. And saying that the United States is no longer going to subsidize dictators and other authoritarians. And say if you want our assistance that assistance is going towards the benefit of your country. You’re not going have a Marxist economy and you’re free up your own people to be able to take control of their own lives. And no longer arrest people and hold them without trial. Or arrest people simply for speaking out against the government.

That foreign aid, has to be used for things like infrastructure, health care, education, economic development, foreign trade. And not be used simply to keep an authoritarian regime that doesn’t know how to manage a command and control Marxist economy in power. Because America wouldn’t like the regime that replaced the current regime that is in power. And where President Carter comes up short here, even though he had a lot of foreign policy accomplishments as I laid out last week, is that he kept in place the United States policy of subsidizing so-called moderate dictators in order to keep worst regimes from coming to power. Like with the Shah of Iran, which came back to bite him and America, well in the ass to be direct about it in 1979.

President George W. Bush’s administration, made democracy the goal in their second term for the developing world and countries that live under dictatorships. I’m a Democrat and obviously I believe in democracy, but democracy by itself shouldn’t be the end goal. Authoritarians, come to power through democracy all the time. The Nazis in Germany in the 1930s, the best example of this. What should be the goal here is human rights and freedom for countries that don’t have those things. And where America can help here is by promoting freedom and human rights. You don’t do that by invading and occupying countries simply because you don’t like the current government. But you can do that through foreign aid and trade. And saying we’ll help you if that help benefits the people and doesn’t just keep the current regime in power.

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USA Today: Legal Prostitution Poses Problems

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Erik Schneider

Sex Shop

Source:USA Today visiting a sex shop. Perhaps looking for alternatives.

Source:The New Democrat

I look at prostitution the same way that I look at gambling, homosexuality, marijuana, alcohol, tobacco and perhaps a few other things that come with real risks. These are not activities and things that I would personally get involved in, because they are not for me and the risks outweigh the rewards in my case. I look at these things as far as how they would affect me and society as a whole. Murder, rape, robbery and go down the line as far as activities I wouldn’t be personally involved in as far as the contributing party. Those things should be illegal, because you’re talking about crimes with real victims involved. The first group of activities whatever you think of them don’t have victims in them.

The reason why we have a prison population and criminal justice system that looks like something from the Eastern third world, is because we lock up so many people for non-violent victimless crimes. As well as sending people to prison when the offender and society would be better off if that person did their time in county jail, a halfway house, rehab, supervisory probation, or a combination of all of those things. Sure, their real victims in the prostitution business itself and no one is denying that. Prostitutes, who aren’t healthy and spread disease to their customers who didn’t know the condition of the prostitute. And of course trafficking and abusive pimps. But their victims in all sorts of business’s legal and otherwise.

The debate is not whether prostitution is dangerous, or not and does it come with risks. The debate is what to do about it especially since we now have and overcrowded criminal justice system with a huge national debate and a budget deficit that looks like it can never be balanced anytime soon especially with the current makeup in Congress and current President. Prostitution, should be looked at the same way as the War on Drugs. Legalizing and regulating marijuana and treating the addicts who are addicted to the hard narcotics. Legalize and regulate prostitution.

Force people who work in the business to be licensed and registered. Same thing with the customers and make sure everyone is healthy and gets medically checked and have to pass those medical tests in order to continue to work, or be a customer in the business. As well as show people in the business that they don’t have to do this and empower them to work in other professions. As well as encourage people to not become customers in the business. And make sure that customers and employees are paying taxes for what they’re making and consuming.

The criminal justice system should be for criminals. People who intentionally hurt innocent people and hurt people in general and make their living by victimizing other people. Not people who are simply selling themselves to make a living. Where there’s a contract involved and that people get what they paid for and where everyone knows what’s coming going in. Prostitution, is not a good business and perhaps not a business that anyone should be involved in. Unless they’re uneducated and really only have their bodies that they can use to make a living. But that is different from locking people up simply for consensual sex, because there’s money involved.

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President Jimmy Carter: ‘One Ounce: Proposing Marijuana Decriminalization in 1977’

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Erik Schneider
Liberal Democrat

SourcePresident Jimmy Carter– on marijuana decriminalization in 1977.

Source:The New Democrat 

President Jimmy Carter: “I support a change in law to end federal criminal penalties for possession of up to 1 ounce of Marijuana. Leaving the states free to adopt whatever laws they wish concerning Marijuana.”
– Jimmy Carter (1977)”

From President Jimmy Carter

President Jimmy Carter in 1977, proposing what even now some Conservative Republicans, like Senator Rand Paul and a few others in Congress support today. Which is decriminalizing marijuana at the Federal level and allowing for states to make the decision of whether to decriminalize marijuana, or not. And if they decide to do that, their residents wouldn’t have to worry about the Feds arresting them for marijuana possession, or usage. Remember, this is back in 1977. You didn’t even have a majority of Progressive, or Liberal Democrats who thought this was a good idea.

President Carter, gets labeled as a centrist Democrat who was almost a President without a party and base. When the fact is he has a quality back then and today that a lot of so-called Liberals say they have to today. Which is foresight and the ability to see things happening in the future and take steps now to prepare for what was going to happen in the future. I think he and his administration even when they entered office in 1977 could already see the harm from the so-called War on Drugs. And the fact that so many African-Americans were being locked up for just possessing small amounts of illegal narcotics.

The Nixon Administration, officially declares War on Drugs in 1971. By the early and middle 1980s the Reagan Administration escalates this so-called war and beefs up law enforcement against. By the way, an administration that was supposed to be against big government and yet all they did as increase the size of the Federal Government. The George H.W. Bush Administration, increases law enforcement to fight the War on Drugs and the Clinton Administration does the same thing in the 1990s. And you see why we have so many people in prison in America.

What if we went down the road that President Carter proposed in 1977 that the Obama Administration got the country back on when they came into office in 2009. And say the Feds won’t interfere with states that decided to either decriminalize, or legalize and regulate marijuana including medical marijuana. And instead used those law enforcement resources against violent criminals and other real criminals. People who make a living profiting from their victims and who hurt people intentionally. Maybe today we have half the prison population that we have today. At least when it comes to non-violent offenders.

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NFL: Remembering Hall of Famer Frank Gifford: A Giant Living Legend

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Erik Schneider
A Giant Legend

A Giant Legend

Source:The New Democrat

Frank Gifford, was truly one of a kind. I don’t believe we’ve had another Hall Fame football player and Hall of Fame sportscaster in one person. Frank Gifford, was the voice of Monday Night Football. Howard Cosell, was the comedian of that show, but Frank made that show with deep knowledge of the game. As a Hall of Fame player for the New York Giants, his intelligence and his great voice. He was both an announcer and an analyst and did both jobs at the same time. His main role was as the announcer, but the way he would call what he was seeing was from an analyst’s perspective. Because he knew exactly what he was seeing and why he was seeing it.

Growing up as a kid, I couldn’t wait for ABC’s Monday Night Football. Still the best football show on TV, at least prime time show. I couldn’t wait to hear Frank do the intro for that show. Because he brought such passion, intelligence and humor to that show and brought the audience into the show as if you were going to a football party at someone’s house. With the host welcoming you in as you were at home. That’s what it was like listening to Frank call games. It was like as if you were there with him. The only NFL announcer I would take over Frank Gifford would be Pat Summerall and maybe be Al Michaels. But Frank is in the same class as both of those men.

As far Frank Gifford the NFL player, when you talk about hybrid players today, guys who could play running back, or wide receiver and are so good at both you have to use them at both positions, Frank Gifford was the first great hybrid NFL player on offense. He would’ve been a great running back, or receiver. Because he had great hands, quickness, footwork and size. He could’ve played quarterback as well. Very similar to a Paul Hournung with the Green Bay Packers. Frank, was the leader of those great Giants teams of the 1950s that went to five straight NFL Championship’s. But he was also the leader of ABC’s Monday Night Football the best prime time NFL show of all-time.
NFL: Remembering Hall of Famer Frank Gifford

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The National Journal: Peter Beinart- The Cost of Disowning Jimmy Carter

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Erik Schneider
39th President of The United States

Source: The National Journal– 39th President of The United States

Source: The New Democrat

Jimmy Carter, is one of those president’s who looks a lot better 30 years later than he did, really at anytime he was in office. By late 1977, President Carter’s approval rating was dropping he never gained any of the political momentum that he had when he entered office in January, 1977 with a Democratic Congress. That had a 2/3 majority in the House and a 3-5 majority in the Senate. Where Democrats and Republicans were becoming the Democrats and Republicans that they are today ideologically.

President Carter, had the economic crisis, or economic malaise and the Great Deflation on his plate. Which was at it’s strongest point by 1978 and the economy goes back into recession in 1979. High inflation, high interest rates, high cost of energy, energy shortages, the rise of Japan economically, all of these things led to a very weak American economy. With so many Americans simply struggling just to pay their bills. All of these things that the Carter Administration inherited, not created, but serious problems that they didn’t seem prepared for and have any answers for.

And then you go to foreign affairs, where America was still prompting up the Shah of Iran and seemed to not have any idea how unpopular he was at home and that the young people there especially wanted the Shah to fall. And be replaced by a different regime. I’m not sure it’s clear yet if they wanted the Shah to be replaced by an authoritarian Islamic theocratic dictatorship. But hated what they had in their leadership and President Carter and his team telling people in public how great a leader the Shah was with again not knowing how unpopular he was at home just made things even worst for everybody. So that is sort of the negative aspects of the Carter presidency.

The positive side and really the brilliance of Jimmy Carter and where he really is the Richard Nixon of the Democratic Party as far as pure intelligence and knowledge and the ability to see things way out in the future as happening in the short-term that know one else could, has to do with where the country was going politically and where the Democratic Party was going. President Carter, knew the days of the New Deal and Great Society were over. Not the support of those programs, but that America wasn’t looking to pay more in taxes and take more money out of their wallets to pay for knew welfare programs. That they believed there was a limit to what government could do for them.

I believe that President Carter, started to move the Democratic Party back to the Center-Left. We go from the George McGovern and the New-Left running the Democratic Party in 1972, to a Center-Left New Democrat in Jimmy Carter in 1976. Someone who didn’t believe in an expansionist unlimited government that could do practically everything for people if they just give them their money, or have it taken away from them in higher taxes. Carter, believed that government needed to be more practical, live in a budget and watch what it spends. Use government more to empower people to take control over their own lives. Instead of using government to manage people’s lives for them. Jimmy Carter in 1976, paved the way for Bill Clinton in 1992. Similar to how Barry Goldwater in 1964, paved the way for Ronald Reagan in 1980.

When it comes to foreign affairs. Who was the U.S. President that made human rights and freedom part of his foreign policy? President Jimmy Carter and he did that as part of his 1977 Commencement Address at Notre Dame. One of the best foreign policy speeches and speeches about human rights that you’ll ever hear an American President give. Which will be up on this blog hopefully next week. Where he said that, “recent democratic development’s and movement’s in Greece and India would free up the United States from the inordinate fear of communism that one led America to ally itself with brutal dictators who agreed to help fight the communist menace. What was needed in the New World that America faced was a policy based on constant decency in its values and optimism.”

The so-called Eastern Bloc of Eastern European Communist States in Slavic countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia, that were considered Russian satellite states during the Cold War, fell in the 1980s and the former Eastern Germany was part of the Russian bloc as well. The movements that led to those authoritarian regimes falling in the 1980s and led to democratic government’s coming to power there, said that President Carter’s 1977 human rights speech was part of their inspiration. President Ronald Reagan, gets a lot of credit for those communist states falling and perhaps he deserves some. And a lot of those states fell under President George H.W. Bush. But the fact is those movement’s started under President Carter’s watch and his administration helped them. The famous military buildup of the 1980s that partly led to the end of the Cold War, started under President Gerry Ford and President Jimmy Carter.

Egypt, recognized the Jewish State of Israel during the Carter Administration. Still the only Arab state to do that and that wasn’t an accident either. And Egypt and Israel have been at peace ever since. It was President Carter that brought Egypt and Israel together to sign the 1978 Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. Which meant that Egypt would recognize Israel as a Jewish State and that Israel would give back some of the land that it won during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. And what would become what is known as the Palestinian Authority today, which is essentially the State of Palestine was part of that agreement as well. Where Israel would pull out of the West Bank and Gaza in Palestine and be replaced by a democratic Palestinian government.

How about the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, where America finally gave up the Panama Canal to the Republic of Panama. Ending some American colonization in Latin America. And allowing for Panama and the Panamanian people to take control of their own country and land. Neoconservatives, obviously hated this, but this has been one of the most successful treaties that America has ever signed. President Carter, recognized the People’s Republic of China in 1979. And the United States normalizes relations with the Communist Regime there, the largest country in the world in people. And they have remained one of our largest trading partners ever since. President Nixon, went to China in 1971 and got the ball rolling there. But President Carter and his administration got the ball in the end zone.

Energy policy, which has both to do with out economic policy and foreign policy. President Carter, knew that one of our foreign policy problems and economic problems had to do with the over reliance on Middle Eastern oil and foreign oil in general. A big reason why we were so close to the Shah of Iran and the Saudi Kingdom all of these years. Because we’ve needed their oil so much, even though they were both authoritarian states. President Carter, knew that we needed to get off of foreign oil and become energy independent. That we had all the resources to do that and that it was just a matter of developing them. He actually got an energy policy out of Congress in 1977 that started the development of alternative renewable energy sources in America. Solar and wind, are a couple of examples of that.

Not trying to make Jimmy Carter look like one of our top five greatest president’s, or even a great president. The reason why he lost reelection in 1980 had to do with his administration’s inability to deal with the economic and energy crisis of the late 1970s and political situation on the ground in Iran that led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution there and Iranian terrorists taking American hostages there in late 79. But to look at President Carter as a failure and as a weak President when he actually had a lot of great accomplishments during his term even just in four years, similar to President George H.W. Bush, is a big mistake.
PBS: NewsHour- Former President Jimmy Carter Says Recent Liver Surgery Revealed Cancer

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Academy of Ideas: John Stuart Mill On Liberty

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Erik Schneider

Social-Liberal

Source:Academy of Ideas-

Source:The New Democrat

When I think of liberty, I don’t think of the liberty to do whatever the hell I want without any consequences. I think of individual liberty, self-determination, free will, the ability for people to make their own decisions and make their own beds, just as long as they also sleep in them. That individual liberty is exactly that, for the individual. That the individual has liberty over their own lives, but not the liberty to manage someone else’s and certainly not to hurt innocent people with what they’re doing. Not talking about anarchy, but individual liberty, balanced by rule of law there to protect the innocent from predators and to handle the predators who hurt the innocent.

Individual liberty, again is exactly that. Not talking about economic freedom, or personal freedom, but individual freedom which covers both, plus political freedom. The ability to run for office and for voters to pick from a wide variety of candidates and to publicly weigh in on them. As well as to weigh in on government policy and potential future government policies. This blog covers freedom of choice a lot and has a whole section dealing with that. But that is exactly what freedom of choice is. The freedom for people to make their own choices in life, but then have to deal with the consequences of their decisions.

To me as a Liberal, a free society is an educated society. Without education, liberty doesn’t exist. So what you need for liberty to exist and be real is for the public to be educated. And once they’re educated they’ll have the tools and freedom to make the right decisions with their own lives. From where to work, where to live, what health insurance plan they should have, how to invest their money, whether, or not they should gamble or not, to smoke, or not to smoke and that includes marijuana, when it get married, or if to get married and who they should marry if anyone and even things like prostitution and pornography. Just as long as they know what they’re getting into before they make those decisions and the consequences that come with those decisions.

Now if you’re lets say a Religious, or Christian, or even a Conservative-Muslim in America and tend to look at politics from lets say a religious, or traditional perspective, the way I just described liberty probably sounds immoral and dangerous. That I want to destroy America and our traditional moral values and everything and perhaps even have anarchy. And if you’re part of the Paternalist-Left in America, people who I and others both Liberals and Libertarians call nanny statists, because you believe in the collective over the individual, you probably also see my politics as dangerous. Because I’m calling for free will and free choice and you don’t tend to trust the individual. And want a big government big enough to even protect people from themselves.

But that is not what I’m calling for all. Something that both Progressives and Religious-Conservatives have in common is the belief in education and that people should be educated and intelligent so they can live well and make good decisions. The only thing is that I take that a step forward and not just call for an educated society, because without an educated society you can’t have a free society. But then I also say that free individuals should have the education, power and liberty to use that power to make the best decisions for themselves. That you put out all the information there and let free people make their own decisions with that knowledge and hold them responsible for their own individual decisions. Individual freedom and responsibility.

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