I guess I am a left-wing commie pinko.
I mean, just look at my profile:
I am an administrator in public education.
I work long hours, heading off to work each day, often working weekends.
I am a family man. My wife and I have been married for 27 years, the first marriage for both of us, and we are the proud parents of two children--one who has graduated from college and the other who is in her 3rd year of college.
My wife and I own our own home. We own two cars, that we use overwhelmingly for driving to work.
But listen to the Tea Party activists, and the Fox "News" talking heads and Sarah Palin and you would think I was ready to join a socialist revolution. They call me part of the "left wing" of the Democratic Party. But, based on what I have seen in my lifetime, I think of myself as part of the middle.
What many conservative Republicans have concluded is that anyone who does not agree with them must be "left wing".
If you believe, like I do, that Americans should be covered by health care and that health care costs should be controlled, then they say you are "left win."
If you agree with almost all scientists that there's such a thing as global warming, then they say you are "left wing".
If you think a good use of tax dollars is to improve our schools so that our children have a decent education, you must be "left wing."
If you think that our dependence on oil is out of control and that green technology solutions make sense, you are left wing.
If you like the idea of eating healthy foods and don't care if huge agribusiness companies lose money while smaller operations spring up all over, you guessed--you are left wing.
I, of course, disagree. I am a patriot. I want our country to thrive. I want a thoughtful debate. That does not make me "left wing."
