18 Reasons to Thank a Liberal: A Partial List of Liberal Achievements; 1935-2010
August 26, 2011
Liberals get a bad rap from conservatives for over-spending and from their own party for not achieving enough. Yet, where would we be without liberals? The answer is too dire to ponder. If you’re proud to be a liberal or Democrat, please pass on this 18-part ode of appreciation.
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8 Historical Reasons to Show Liberals Love
If you work hard for a living, you can thank a liberal for:
- The 8-hour workday, overtime pay, and the federal minimum wage (Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938). Labor activists started calling for an 8-hour day in 1836; Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the above provisions into law for many workers more than a century later.
If you or someone you love serves in the military, you can thank a liberal for:
- The G.I. Bill of Rights, first enacted in 1944 under FDR, which provides funds for military veterans to receive education/training, started unemployment compensation for veterans, and facilitates loans for returning veterans to buy homes and start businesses.
If you are a member for an under-represented group often attacked by the (ever-fading) white male majority, you can thank a liberal for:
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964, enacted under Lyndon B. Johnson, which outlawed major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, including racial segregation and unfair voter registration requirements.
If you plan on getting old and/or sick some day, you can thank a liberal for:
- The Social Security Act, enacted for limited recipients in 1935 under FDR and expanded under Harry Truman and LBJ, which helps ensure that people who are too old or infirm to work can still access basic necessities.
- Medicare, which provides greatly subsidized health care to retirees. Medicare was signed into law in 1965 by LBJ as an amendment to the Social Security Act.
If you drink water, you can thank a liberal for:
- The Clean Water Act, first enacted under Truman in 1948 (the Federal Water Pollution Control Act) and expanded under Jimmy Carter in 1977. The 1977 amendments created a greater structure for regulating pollutants contaminating U.S. waters and gave the EPA authority to implement pollution control programs.
If you’ve ever had a baby or a sick family member and didn’t want to choose between caring for them or losing your job, you can thank a liberal for:
- The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (signed into law under Bill Clinton), which allows employees who have worked for an employer for at least 1 year to take up to 12 weeks of leave for a family illness, birth or adoption within each 12 month period. Employers must apply accrued sick or vacation time to the worker’s family/medical leave and compensate workers for that time.
If you grew up in a rural area and enjoyed 20th century conveniences, you can thank a liberal for:
- The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (FDR), which provided federal loans for the installation of electricity in rural areas of the U.S.
Yes, But ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately’ – 10 Reasons to Thank Obama
Is Obama the idealized leader many hoped he’d be? No. Has the Obama administration accomplished more in two years than most Presidents have in two terms? Yes. Here are just some of the strides Obama and liberals made from 2009-2010 before Republicans gained control of the House:
If you or someone you love plans to go to college (and you’re not rich), you can thank a liberal for:
- Student Loan Reform and Pell Grant Award Increases (part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010), which cut private lending companies out of government loans to save $61 billion in subsidies over the next decade, more than half of which goes to funding increases in Pell Grant awards (up to $5,550/year in 2011).
If you realize fossil fuels are ruining the environment, precipitating violent storms and bound to run out sometime this century – and you support the development of sustainable, clean energy, you can thank a liberal for:
- Components of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (aka the Stimulus Bill) that made the largest investment in green technology in history. The bill introduced more than $70 billion for green activities, including a ten-fold increase over the Bush Administration in funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
18 Reasons to Thank a Liberal: A Partial List of Liberal Achievements; 1935-2010 | Addicting Info