Sunday, February 05, 2017

"Left" and "Right"

What people mean by "left" and "right" is such a spectrum of opinions that I find it increasingly unhelpful to try to use the labels. I'd much prefer to look at values. 

For me: respect for the individual as against the state, responsibility of the community (through levels of government) to create a level playing field re education, health and minimum wages, fairness and equity in the legal system and the polity, fair taxation recognising that people gain wealth because of the way society is structured, and therefore we all need to pay our fair share, a foreign policy that fosters friendship over fear and recognises that trade is the way to enrich the world. 

A specific example: decriminalising drugs. so as to treat addiction as a health not a legal problem, empty our prisons, reduce crimes that fund addiction, and reduce the corruption of our police and legal systems. This would save the community hundreds of millions of dollars, some of which could be used to treat the causes of addiction.

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