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 Gifts
for all occasions in the Galleria!October 15, 2006 Liberals: Opposites of Themselves By Jan A. Larson In one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, George concludes that every decision that he has ever made has been wrong. Jerry suggests that if everything George does is wrong, the opposite must be right. George embraces "the opposite" approach to his life and, miraculously, everything turns around for him. Most agree that liberals are the opposite of conservatives, but in many respects, liberals are the opposite of themselves. This was recently demonstrated, once again, at Columbia University when left-wing students demonstrated their "tolerance" and respect for "free speech" when they stormed the stage and shut down a speech by Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist. Defenders of those that disrupted the speech claimed, "The Minutemen are not a legitimate voice in the debate on immigration." Say what? Who gets to decide which voices are "legitimate" in a policy debate? Apparently the liberals that disagree with position of the Minutemen believe they get to decide. So much for free speech. Liberals love diversity. The more "different" people they can put together the better. Well, as long as those "different" people are all alike - espousing a liberal ideology. Conservatives need not apply to such diverse groups - there isn't any need to be that diverse. Liberal politicians, the champions of the "little guy" and the "downtrodden" continually advocate policies that hurt those very people. A good example is the minimum wage. An increase in the minimum wage costs jobs, is inflationary and doesn't, in the long run, provide any benefit to those it is designed to help. Liberals also say one thing and do another is when it comes to tax policy. If the examples of the past are not enough to convince liberals that high taxes hurts the economy while low taxes boost economic activity, the current state of the economy should be quite illustrative. Unemployment is at 4.7% and the stock market, as measured by the Dow Jones is at a record high. The left is confounded as to how federal tax receipts can be pouring in at record levels despite the President's tax cuts that only favored "the rich." Maybe these rich people pay taxes too, do you think? Hint - the rich (who don't have to be all that wealthy to meet the left's definition of "rich") pay the lion's share of taxes. Left (no pun intended) to their own devices, liberals would raise taxes, not only because tax cuts "cost" the government too much, but to provide even more programs and entitlements destined to fail, only to be left wondering why the economy slows, tax receipts decline and unemployment increases. How does that help the "little guy?" The left attacks the NSA wiretapping program but has constantly criticized the administration for not doing more to prevent the attacks of 9/11. The left assailed the administration for acting "unilaterally" in Iraq (even thought that wasn't the case), but some on that side of the aisle are now calling for one-on-one talks with North Korea instead of the six-party talks (not that talking will do any good, but that's for another column). Liberals have stuck to their claim that Bush lied about going to war in Iraq. Isn't it ironic that liberals continue to tell that lie? Liberals are the epitome of contradiction. Of course, they would argue otherwise. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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