Many think these policies are “liberal.” But if you believe the government can take your money forcibly - and then ask you to relinquish your beliefs and change your associations to get it back – you are not a liberal. You are a statist.

School Vouchers. It makes sense to ask people to pay for government services they intend to use. But why do “liberals” ask (force) people to pay for government services they do not intend to use? The “liberal’s” selective application of the “right to choose” is baffling.

But what is really baffling is the “liberal” approach to Separation of Church and State. In recent years, “liberals” have become increasingly interested in preventing individuals from uttering individual prayers on school grounds, especially during official school ceremonies.

The “excessive entanglement” that these “liberals” complain about is often exacerbated by their continued support of a failed public education system. These individual expressions of religious belief among students are only problematic in our public schools.

For years, “liberals” have been pretending that there is a Separation of Church and State clause in the First Amendment. Why not pretend there is a Separation of School and State clause? By dismantling the public education system, we could allow people to engage in personal religious expression at schools without any Establishment Clause concerns. And we could drastically reduce the size of government overnight.

If you disagree with me, you are not a liberal. You are a statist.

Speech Codes. Once, (actually, more than once) I was overheard by a Dean as I was complaining about a university speech code banning all “offensive” speech. The Dean said the code was “not that bad” because it only sought to ban certain types of offensive speech. I thought that made it worse.

If you are one of those who thinks speech codes are “not that bad” you are truly misguided. Speech codes seek to prevent free speech (an actual constitutional right) under the guise of preventing offense (not an actual constitutional right) and under the authority of the state.

If you support speech codes, you are a statist. If you are like me and you oppose them, maybe you are a liberal. And maybe you need to join me in a commitment to use the term “liberal” in a more conservative manner.