The quote you just read is from one of the smartest guys on the planet. I feel dumb anytime I get even in proximity to anything he says, writes, or does.

If you don’t know Dr. Thomas Sowell, even though he will make you feel dumb too, you should. He’s a 91-year-old Harlem born and poverty raised former Marine with a Harvard education and a Ph.D. in economics. He’s also a conservative-libertarian Christian with a liberal B.S. detector on hyper-articulate afterburner.

If you met Dr. Sowell, he would tell you not to be a liberal, and he would do so with far deeper insight than I can muster. Unfortunately, Dr. Sowell doesn’t write for the paper you have in your hand. I’ll have to do.

Here’s a half-dozen reasons any independent thinker should run from the temptation to be a liberal.

Liberals don’t believe in liberalism

The pillars of authentic liberalism are the pursuit of truth, reason, tolerance and diversity of view. When is the last time you heard any liberal politician speaking to those priorities? What you will hear today’s liberals pushing is propaganda, dependency, dogma, and snobbery. That’s Marxism, not liberalism and Marxism is a really, really dumb phantasm.

21st century liberals are control freaks

If a new tax, law, regulation or other governmental constraint comes your way, you can bet your last bit of remaining liberty that a liberal politician was behind that constraint. Liberals like to get high on power and genuinely believe that elitist government has the answers to what ails you. They view silly notions like liberty, responsibility, the sanctity of new life, religious freedom, the right to protect yourself and the U.S. Constitution as obstacles to their power trip versus protections of your right to control your own destiny.

Liberals don’t get the importance of safety

Though they love to pass laws, liberals unfailingly avoid enforcing anything but laws that help them impair the opposition. 

Ask Trump about that. Peculiar thinking like doing away with police funding, the rule of law, an independent Supreme Court, accountability for criminal behavior and any other constraint of the liberal view on how to behave is central to today’s broken version of liberalism.  

Apparently, per our 7-0 ultra-liberal Asheville City Council, so is blocking interstate highways with riotous protests, painting up our streets, destroying public property and paralyzing our city police department to the point you have to have someone shooting at you to get a 911 response.

Liberalism is a religion that doesn’t tolerate rivals

If you’re a Christian, you’ve probably noted the antagonism demonstrated by most governing bodies controlled by individuals with a “D” after their name.  

It’s OK to mass riot, illegally immigrate in droves and attend mask-absent elitist parties and weddings, but heaven forbid if you’d like to join others in worship. It’s not about COVID – it’s about competition. 

Today’s liberals worship government, spending other people’s money, power and themselves. If you think that’s a winning combination, you might want to reach a little higher.

Liberalism has dedicated Iiself to the seven vices

If you’re looking for a short script on how to run your life, consider the seven virtues over the seven vices. This biblically based life guidance program pits prudence against pride, fortitude against anger, faith against lust, hope against envy, charity against sloth, temperance against gluttony, and justice against greed. Open eyes will note that the left is persistent in choosing the wrong side of these equations and then bragging about doing so. Anybody who enthusiastically sells vice over virtue as a social/political/personal pathway should not be a go-to guide on maturity and wisdom.

Conservatives get it –liberals don’t

The root word of conservatism is – Conserve [v. kuh n-surv] To use or manage wisely; preserve; save. 

Get it? Liberals don’t. Then comes the conservative dedication to reality, reason, responsibility and right. Liberals don’t get that either. Then there’s my absolutely most favorite conservative value in the universe – America’s Historical Success Equation! What’s that? 

Well, try this thinking on for size – Liberty + Opportunity + Responsibility = Prosperity. Liberals like to stomp on the first piece of this formula, recklessly unleash the second, skip the third altogether, and then pretend they can produce the same outcome. They really, really don’t get it.