Elizabeth Warren's 11 Commandments of Progressivism

[Seraphim73]

• “We believe that Wall Street needs stronger rules and tougher enforcement, and we’re willing to fight for it.”
• “We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth.”
• “We believe that the Internet shouldn’t be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality.”
• “We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage.”
• “We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them.”
• “We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt.”
• “We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions.”
• “We believe—I can’t believe I have to say this in 2014—we believe in equal pay for equal work.”
• “We believe that equal means equal, and that’s true in marriage, it’s true in the workplace, it’s true in all of America.”
• “We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform.”
• "And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies. We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it. We will fight for it!

Have fun my friends. I’ll hop on later with my take.

 

[Estevao]

“We will fight for it!”

Evil gets up every day and fights for their ends. Do we?

 

[markomalley]

There is so much wrong with this, I don’t know where I could actually start…and there’s no way I could limit a response to a mere 6,000 characters. Multiple successive 6,000 character posts would really anger our lovely moderator, Matilda, so that’s not an option…

Allow me to quote a couple of the popes over the years in regard to equality:

It must be first of all recognized that the condition of things inherent in human affairs must be borne with, for it is impossible to reduce civil society to one dead level. Socialists may in that intent do their utmost, but all striving against nature is in vain. There naturally exist among mankind manifold differences of the most important kind; people differ in capacity, skill, health, strength; and unequal fortune is a necessary result of unequal condition. Such unequality is far from being disadvantageous either to individuals or to the community. Social and public life can only be maintained by means of various kinds of capacity for business and the playing of many parts; and each man, as a rule, chooses the part which suits his own peculiar domestic condition.

- Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum​

It should be noted that in today’s world, among other rights, the right of economic initiative is often suppressed. Yet it is a right which is important not only for the individual but also for the common good. Experience shows us that the denial of this right, or its limitation in the name of an alleged “equality” of everyone in society, diminishes, or in practice absolutely destroys the spirit of initiative, that is to say the creative subjectivity of the citizen. As a consequence, there arises, not so much a true equality as a “leveling down.” In the place of creative initiative there appears passivity, dependence and submission to the bureaucratic apparatus which, as the only “ordering” and “decision-making” body - if not also the “owner”- of the entire totality of goods and the means of production, puts everyone in a position of almost absolute dependence

- Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis​

Seems that you can either stand with the teachings of the Church or you can stand with progressivism. Doesn’t appear to be much of a middle ground there.

 

[ChurchSoldier]

“We will fight for it!”

Evil gets up every day and fights for their ends. Do we?

Absolutely right. Thank you.

 

[mountee]

I have begun to notice many of my liberal friends who seem to be following her and appear to support her as a potential presidential candidate. Sometimes it is very discouraging to me because as I see so many things so wrong with this list they see it as our future and I am not sure this can be stopped. Of course, I realize this means I better get busy…praying!

 

[agnes_therese]

So, apparently everyone here believes that protecting Social Security, medicare, and pensions; equal pay; protecting the environment – these are all evil, right?

Gotcha.

 

[sw85]

Notice these aren’t called, I dunno, “beliefs” or “values” or “positions” or “guidelines.” They’re called “commandments.” Because liberalism fills a religion-shaped hole in the human heart.

God himself only had ten commandments!

 

[markomalley]

So, apparently everyone here believes that protecting Social Security, medicare, and pensions; equal pay; protecting the environment – these are all evil, right?

Gotcha.

Hate to break it to you but Social Security is inevitably going bankrupt:



By the way, the right-wing political hacks who came up with the above are the Social Security Trustees.

Hate to break this to you but:

Medicare is going bankrupt.



By the way, the right wing political hacks who came up with the above conclusion work at the Department of Health and Human Services (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

As for pensions, depends upon how solvent the individual pension fund is. (If you want pensions to stick around, I’d work to making sure the stock market stays healthy, since that is where most pension money is invested)

As for “equal pay”, well, I think I’ll stick with the opinions of Pope Leo XIII and Pope John Paul II that I cited above.

Now if you have some brilliant idea for fixing Social Security and Medicare, I’m all ears. But I haven’t seen any proposed solution that has a hope in the world of working…unless you want to “gut” the plans, and even then, that will just cushion the fall, it won’t eliminate the fall.

Just sayin…

 

[mountee]

So, apparently everyone here believes that protecting Social Security, medicare, and pensions; equal pay; protecting the environment – these are all evil, right?

Gotcha.

I understand your point and of course most of us want some of what is in the list but if it means that we accept that woman have a right to their bodies and equal is equal even in marriage, then I have to object.

 

[captainrick]

Social Security, along with the rest of the USA, is already bankrupt… since we are 17 trillion in debt. Quick Mr. president, print more money to cover it!

 

[DeniseNY]

Notice these aren’t called, I dunno, “beliefs” or “values” or “positions” or “guidelines.” They’re called “commandments.” Because liberalism fills a religion-shaped hole in the human heart.

God himself only had ten commandments!

 

[glendab]

How about this - I believe evil is evil and should be fought at every turn.

Glenda

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Pure Pro-death Atheistic Socialism.

 

[stinkcat_14]

• “We believe that Wall Street needs stronger rules and tougher enforcement, and we’re willing to fight for it.”
• “We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth.”
• “We believe that the Internet shouldn’t be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality.”
• “We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage.”
• “We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them.”
• “We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt.”
• “We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions.”
• “We believe—I can’t believe I have to say this in 2014—we believe in equal pay for equal work.”
• “We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform.”

While one can argue whether these position are prudent, there is nothing in these positions that necessarily contradicts Catholic social teaching. Catholics are free to disagree on these issues.

• “We believe that equal means equal, and that’s true in marriage, it’s true in the workplace, it’s true in all of America.”

• "And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies. We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it. We will fight for it!

Have fun my friends. I’ll hop on later with my take.

These obviously are the two planks that clearly violate Catholic Social Teaching.

 

[styrgwillidar]

So, apparently everyone here believes that protecting Social Security, medicare, and pensions; equal pay; protecting the environment – these are all evil, right?

Gotcha.

I don’t think so, I think the statements basically indicating government should be based on coveting what others have earned and achieved is more problematic.

The devil is in the details. What do you mean by protecting medicare, pensions etc.?

Our country is deeply in debt and getting deeper. Hard choices and sacrifices will need to be made. I’ll buy into my SS and government pension being cut-- if it’s part of a coherent plan to address the debt, vice an excuse to take the money and throw it away on something else.

So, is protecting them going by the status quo until we go off the financial cliff? Or is it coming up with a plan imposing cuts as best we can to save these systems for the long term?

Protecting the environment-- everyone is on board with that. However, there’s protecting the environment and then there’s passing ideologically driven laws destroying hundrends of businesses and thousands of jobs. For example, in CA diesel emission restrictions were put in place based on a study claiming they were responsible for 1,000s of deaths. The study was based on flawed data, by a government worker who had lied about his degree and qualifications. A liberal professor, if I remember correctly from Berkely, actually exposed him and the errors in that the deaths were complete fabrications/supposition. The state went ahead with the restrictions and the goverrnment worker remains employed. Hundreds of businesses closed, thousands laid off.

We already have equal pay. Well, except apparently on democratic staffs where women do get paid significantly less even with equivalent experience and qualifications.

So, none of the generic bland statements are evil. It comes down to what policies will she actually push to implement and how will they affect the country? Every politician can utter vague statements that sound good. But remember, this is a woman who attained her position at Harvard by exploiting the minority rules- claiming she’s Native American based on a family rumor.

 

[Seraphim73]

So, apparently everyone here believes that protecting Social Security, medicare, and pensions; equal pay; protecting the environment – these are all evil, right?

Gotcha.

I suppose it depends on what you mean by protecting Social Security. If you mean perpetuating the current most regressive tax system ever devised that supports it then no I have no desire to protect that. As for equal pay laws there is no more anti female and anti minority laws on the books. I would eliminate them entirely.

 

[Zoltan_Cobalt]

So, apparently everyone here believes that protecting Social Security, medicare, and pensions; equal pay; protecting the environment – these are all evil, right?

Gotcha.

Yes, very evil…Gotcha!

 

[ChurchSoldier]

Ok, here you go.

• “We believe that Wall Street needs stronger rules and tougher enforcement, and we’re willing to fight for it.”

“we need to continue to punish The Capitalist way of life and steal from those who make money.”

• “We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth.”

“we need to get Christianity out of public life.”

• “We believe that the Internet shouldn’t be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality.”

“we need to keep track of everything you think or say and have control over those with opposing views.”

• “We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage.”

this is straight out of the communist manifesto go “each according to his abilities”. The other half is “you don’t need that much money…”

• “We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them.”

straight from Saul alinski’s “rules for radicals” cause division of the classes.

• “We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt.”

it’s the government that provided backing for student loans which has caused this. You don’t see the government giving back any of the 50 billion they earned in interest to “help the poor students”.

• “We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions.”

you’d have to stop spending like a sailor on leave to have a chance at that and last I checked the socialists are calling for more money to be spent.

• “We believe—I can’t believe I have to say this in 2014—we believe in equal pay for equal work.”

No you don’t. You want the talking point. Otherwise you wouldn’t count part time working mom’s into the calculation.

• “We believe that equal means equal, and that’s true in marriage, it’s true in the workplace, it’s true in all of America.”

translation: “we want a total dictatorship over anyone who doesn’t believe as we do”

• “We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform.”

“we want to pad the voting roles with more people who will vote to have more governments services. This is a gold mine for us!”

• "And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies. We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it. We will fight for it!

um, legally corporations are people… And the Christians think women have a right to there bodies too which is why we don’t want them killed while still in the womb.

 

[Kamaduck]

While one can argue whether these position are prudent, there is nothing in these positions that necessarily contradicts Catholic social teaching. Catholics are free to disagree on these issues.

These obviously are the two planks that clearly violate Catholic Social Teaching.

Agreed. The majority of the list is fine. The faithful Catholics here aren’t going to support the two statements that are clearly wrong, but it’s a stretch to call the whole list “evil”.

I mean, what are we going to come back with? “We believe that it’s necessary to have a class of people that works full-time and remains in constant poverty, and that means letting companies set whatever wages they want.” ?

Raising the minimum wage won’t actually lead to more government debt. It would theoretically lead to less government spending, since people who get more money from their jobs aren’t eligible for things like food stamps. The money’s got to come from somewhere, right? So why not have it come from people’s jobs, instead of funneling it through the government?

Now, again, you can all disagree with that. This is clearly in the realm of prudential judgement. But let’s not pretend that wanting to raise the minimum wage is evil in the same way that abortion and same-sex civil marriage are.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Far better to let Wall Street and big corporations regulate themselves then bail them out.

And let financial consumers fend for themselves.