Liberal

"BEN CARDIN IS A Tax and Spend Liberal'' That's Point No. 5 on 3rd District congressional candidate Pat McDonough's list of 12 reasons why he, a conservative radio talk-show commentator and one-term state lawmaker from way back, can beat the veteran congressman this fall.Here's Point No. 6: ''Cardin has a long, highly public, liberal, Tax and Spend voting record, both in the Legislature and the Congress.''Any guess as to what Point No. 8 might be? ''Cardin represents communities like Towson, Perry Hall, Parkville, Hamilton, Highlandtown, Canton, South Baltimore, Arbutus, Elkridge, Linthicum and Glen Burnie.

It is with a heavy heart that after living here for 40 years, my husband and I must bid Maryland farewell. We can no longer afford to support fiscal and social programs with which we do not agree. We moved here in 1973, bought a home we could afford, sent our children to Maryland public schools, worked for Maryland companies, paid our share of property and income taxes, and lived within our means. And now that we have retired, the state of Maryland feels it is entitled to increase the tax burden on our hard-earned retirement income.

I have been an employee with the state of Maryland for nearly four years. Though generally pleased with the benefits provided by the state for its workforce, I must take issue with the state's liberal leave policy. Liberal leave allows employees the option to use a day of vacation in order to take the day off in the event of inclement weather. Under normal circumstances this is a fairly reasonable policy -- for instance, 4 inches of snow doesn't generally make roads impassable, but it does often close schools and make commuting more difficult for most people, especially in this region.

Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown became the first candidate to join the 2014 Maryland governor's race Friday with a call to close the gap between rich and poor in education, health and economic opportunity. Before a crowd at Prince George's Community College that organizers estimated at 2,500, the Democrat outlined priorities that could have come straight out of the playbook of Gov. Martin O'Malley, Brown's term-limited partner in Annapolis. Brown is the first candidate, Democrat or Republican, to formally announce his candidacy, and he did so in uncompromisingly liberal terms - pledging to maintain Maryland's No. 1-ranked school system, to keep college tuition low and to invest aggressively in infrastructure and career training.

What's wrong with political labels? Plenty! Today, the word "liberal" has been lambasted so severely that most Americans are loath to use it positively. Disparagement of "conservatives" wasn't quite as bad when liberals championed Social Security, Medicare, workers' and voters' rights, the end to racially discriminatory practices, and critical environmental protections. Despite conservative opposition at the time, both parties eventually embraced most of these accomplishments. But partisan negativity has since intensified greatly.

AT CONSERVATIVE gatherings these days -- for example, at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Human Events magazine last week -- there is confident talk of a "conservative revival."Well, maybe, but liberal control of the central institutions of our society is as secure as ever. The schools, the churches, the foundations, the universities, the media, popular entertainment, all levels of government, publishing and (I hear) even the Girl Scouts are dominated by the liberal outlook.If, as right-wingers like to believe, the sentiments of "the people" are actually conservative -- then they are the most docile conservatives imaginable, content to let liberals run things.

The ever-expanding power of the American political class has been sharply brought into focus because of the shrinking living standards of millions of the people they ostensibly represent. This contrast has set the stage for what The New York Times this week called "Rebellion on [the] Right." In a clear warning to the members of the "inner party," the essential newspaper of the ruling elite featured a lengthy front-page story on Tuesday by David Barstow, complete with a color photo of tea party activists in Sandpoint, Idaho.

On Monday morning, less than 48 hours after Gov. Martin O'Malley declared a state of emergency in Maryland, where many counties received over 30 inches of snow, my husband was expected at work. He is considered an essential state employee, so even when liberal leave is called, he is expected to be at work without question. On Monday there were over 200 local closings between schools, businesses and government buildings. I even heard some branches of local federal buildings were shut down.

WASHINGTON - Liberal denial about all things conservative has passed the bizarre and arrived at the absurd. The American Psychological Association's Psychological Bulletin has published a study of why conservatives are the way they are. The study was conducted by four researchers, who, according to a press release from the media relations office at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), "culled through 50 years of research literature about the psychology of conservatism." (Two of the researchers are professors at UCB, which apparently remains imprisoned in '60s dysfunctionality.

As preparations get under way for Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court confirmation hearings in mid-July, a speech she delivered in March has been attracting more attention than her opinions in her 13 years as a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge. It is an insightful speech on the law and provides a look at her thought process. Excerpts from the speech begin on Page 1 of this section.Reaction to the speech has been interesting. Some liberals, especially feminists, have expressed concern because she criticizes the 1973 landmark abortion decision of Roe vs. Wade.

I am an unabashed conservative, and I love energy-efficient light bulbs ("Don't save the planet" May 3). Why? Because they lower my electric bill. However, I deeply resent liberals telling me I must do this or must not do that because "it is good for me. " It seems their goal is to have every human endeavor on one of two lists; one is a list of "you must not" and the other is "you must. " It is probably true that some talk show hosts and conservatives say some outrageous, but mainly humorous, things largely to provoke liberals into doing some outrageous things themselves, such as writing nutty editorials.

Your editorial is just what I expect to be printed in The Sun ("Misoverestimating Bush," April 28). Typical liberal hatred of those who rise to the top on their own honesty as opposed to lies and deceit. Finton Cordell Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Regarding your recent editorial on the murder trial of Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell, we are not all stupid ("Kermit Gosnell and the 'liberal media,'" April 16). Sean Hannity is a conservative and he admits it. But The Sun editorial board is liberal, and doesn't admit it. That is the main difference between the two sides: Most conservatives admit they are, and most liberals deny they are. I heard about the Gosnell case months ago, and I am sure it was not in The Sun. Fox at least tries to let both sides have a say, but MSNBC doesn't.

The murder trial of Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion provider, entered its fifth week today riding a peculiar media firestorm. The focus of much attention in recent days was not on Dr. Gosnell, who is charged in the death of seven babies and an adult patient who died of an overdose, but on a claim that the trial is getting modest coverage in the national media - allegedly because of a liberal bias. Whether sufficient coverage has been given to the trial we would leave for others to judge.

It's facile to say that if the extreme right and left of American politics dislike something, it must be a good idea, but in the case of President Barack Obama's budget proposal, it may be true. The president is taking one more stab at a "grand bargain" on the budget that would reduce deficits to a manageable size, through a combination of tax increases and spending cuts - including cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Some liberal groups are promising primary challenges to any Democrats who vote for a reduction in future Social Security benefits.

Liberal media have again shown that they can be just as self-righteous and intolerant as their ardent conservative adversaries. How else to account for the recent furor over views expressed by a world-renowned pediatric surgeon, neurologist and medical scholar? Baltimore's Dr. Benjamin Carson, an eminent Johns Hopkins Hospital figure long admired by people of all political stripes, including many liberals, is now being derided as a turncoat or doddering fool. His invitation to speak at a Hopkins commencement might be withdrawn.

Why do Republicans drive leftists so crazy these days? Liberal Democrats are beginning to sound like rowdy students on spring break, shrieking and exhibiting themselves on camera. Consider some of the recent rabid outbursts by once sober, old-guard politicians. West Virginia Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV insists that the world would be better off if Saddam Hussein were still running Iraq. Rep. John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania rushed to announce that our Marines were guilty of killing Iraqis in "cold blood" before they were tried.

DURING THE LAST presidential campaign, there was much "God-talk" from Vice President Al Gore and his running mate, Joe Lieberman. Some commentators decided that Mr. Lieberman's injection of God into the campaign was not only something new but something wonderful. When George W. Bush talked of God, and especially Jesus, however, that was something - according to these same people - that threatened the republic and made people who do not share his views feel inferior. I recall no senator, and certainly no liberal special-interest group, raising the type of concerns about Mr. Gore and Mr. Lieberman that they now raise about Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft.

In his Sunday column, Dan Rodricks proved the correctness of Ben Carson's statement concerning the PC police ("Ben Carson's conservative views are drawn from the Bible" Mar 30). If you make a statement that is politically incorrect, you will be attacked by the liberals who will try to shut you up. Ben Carson did not make any homophobic statements. He merely said that God's word says that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is our creator's design, not man's and no man can change God's plan to suit their own desires.

If you're a liberal living in Maryland, there's been plenty of reason to smile lately. The Old Line State continues to beat a steady path toward leading a new vanguard of progressive policy and politics in the United States. Let's start with last November's elections. Actually, no: To understand why those elections mattered, let's back up two more years to the 2010 statewide elections. Nationally, the 2010 cycle was nothing short of a nightmare for liberals and Democrats. The Democrats lost the U.S. House and, if not for a few self-destructing Republican Senate candidates, would have lost both chambers of Congress.