Am I Allowed to have Values as a Liberal?

It struck me today that a lot of conservatives talk about having 'conservative values' or 'family values.' And by saying that, I'm not denigrating their value system (even if I might not agree with everything they believe in). I just started wondering - does anybody say they have liberal values? Without it being a cussword...?

I consider myself pretty liberal. What are my values?

- I believe that a family is made up of the people you love who love you and care about you and have your best interests at heart. Gender and DNA aren't everything in terms of who can be 'family.' So when I hear 'family values' I think, well, gee, doesn't everybody have family values? It's just the makeup of that family that's the issue. I also believe that sometimes even your own flesh and blood can be cut out of your life. If someone in your family is abusive or hurtful or dangerous, you're under no obligation to keep in contact with them just because you share the same genes. If you have a partner of the same gender and want to adopt a child, go for it. What counts is the love in the home. And friends can be family just like family can be friends.

- I believe as a woman I have as much worth as a man and should have as much control over my reproductive system as a man. That means I should get equal pay for equal work and be held to the same standards professionally. And I believe prescription drug plans that cover Viagra should also cover birth control, regardless of what the Right to Life position is. ("Viagra fixes something that's broken. Birth control breaks something that works." So, if my significant other wants sex, I have to live with the repercussions, and he can bail whenever he wants? I don't think so.) I respect people's pro-life opinions because I understand where they're coming from, even though I may disagree. I happen to be pro-choice because I don't want a bunch of people I don't know making those tough decisions for me or deciding what I can and can't do with my own body.

- I believe people should as groups be treated equally but as individuals treated for their personal behaviors. So if you're another race or sexual orientation or whatever, you should get the same rights as me. But if you do something illegal you should be punished just like everybody else. Individual circumstances should count for something, sure, but so should personal responsibility. Blaming everybody else for your life is just plain bullshit.

- I believe corporations should be held responsible for their actions regardless of tax breaks and lobbyists and corporate perks. Golden parachutes should be disbanded and the money given to the lowest paid employees who suffer the most when a company goes under. The average resident, who did not cause this problem, should not suffer from either the problem or the solution. (Don't get me started on blaming the housing crisis on homebuyers.)

- I believe environmental impact should always be considered. I'm not trying to stop companies from growing, but 'building the tax base' is a great buzzword for 'we're going to plow under all those forests and wetlands.' Brownfield rehabilitation, building on land already developed and abandoned, and avoiding all forms of pollution should be built in to every contract. We have one earth. If we mess it up, uh, where are we gonna go? Maybe Al Gore is wrong. But what if he isn't?

There are others - things like dealing with the role of government and the like - that I don't have such strong opinions on. What to do about socialized medicine? Jury's still out. Welfare reform? I'm sure it probably needs it, but I'm not sure what that solution is. Same thing with Medicare. Health care needs a freakin' overhaul, but I don't know how it should be done. My point is, liberals aren't valueless, they have values too. Maybe you don't agree with them, but rest assured, liberals care as much as conservatives - they just don't see eye to eye on what to do.