I completely agree. I would argue though that personal liberty is a traditionally conservative view, I see this as the right for a woman to choose, adults to chose to do drugs, people to marry whom ever they choose, and so on. Liberalism is for big government, which infringes on personal liberty.

cow gas?

No corporate aid or tax breaks from the government. No bail outs. Higher corporate taxes. Get rid of redundant agencies. Strip down the law books and stream line them. Reduce and eventually eliminate welfare. (I'm poor enough to qualify for some of these and I still don't support them.) Stop wasteful spending, like the war on drugs, foreign aid to the middle East (including Israel), this endless war, and the tanks we had made despite the army not wanting or needing them. Get rid of blue (Religious based) laws. End the patriot act and disband all agencies established as a result of it. Increase corporate taxation, lower spending could reduce income taxes to the point of them being unnecessary and getting rid of the IRS. pass a law requiring loopholes be closed upon discovery, rather than allowing them to be exploited. Ban offshore banking. Get rid of the federal reserve. Stop mass surveillance.
Basically I think the less government gets involved with an individual's personal liberty the better. For example the gay marriage debate was moot by the time it was debated in Congress, and it was technically never illegal as tradition and religion are not law.

Thanks for the question, I hope you found my answer sufficient. If there are any specifics you would like to know my position on I'd be glad to elaborate.

thank you for the reply @jayneonacobb, plenty sufficient. there's a lot here i think is good sound judgement. Especially the wasteful military/surveillance expenditures and the moves to reduce/eliminate the corporate worlds ransacking of our citizens. Foriegn aid is complex and may save some money in the long run yet it seems excessive for some, including Israel. I'm slow to curb welfare just because of the corporate greed, and its contribution to the persistent conditions for many poor folks. I agree that overall liberties should not be impeded, yet there are areas where Gov't could shift some of those savings to education and healthcare. We would be better off I believe if Congress would spend its time working on what this Nation could be working towards than what it is not. thanks for the thought food.

I think health care and education are absolutely paramount to the defense of our nation. I just think we should have regulated the health field and insurance as a whole, not the citizens. Same with welfare. You can't just cut it off, but if we made laws requiring an appropriate minimum percentage of pay based on corporate profits we could end the cause of the need. All of this is legal and I think more moral. As far as Israel goes, we have given them 121 billion in mostly military aid, that's about 3 billion a year, I think, thats half our annual foreign aid budget.

I'm glad we can be civil in our discourse. I'm especially interested to know your views on the topic foreign aid.

Foreign Aid feels like bribery too often. I am far from an authority on the matter, but I'll share my views and hope to learn something. If a poorer nation suffers a natural disaster, sure, help with money, expertise, equipment etc. to save lives and rebuild something. In a case where we are buying access or allies or paying to stop nuke development. As distasteful as it is, i can see that as potentially being more economical than alternatives in lives and dollars. Here it is, BUT, I question how much of that money goes to something other than somebody's pocket or war chest. Its hard to buy-off hate.

something i found interesting in your comment about healthcare and education was how you feel they are "absolutely paramount to the defense of our nation". Of course they are, but those issues for me aren't primarily "defense" issues. They are more like Life, Liberty , Pursuit of Happiness issues. I'm not being critical, just trying to notice distinctions in our world view i suppose. It is good to have a civil discourse. I appreciate it jayneonacobb.

i should have read your bio before i asked. btw despite my liberal bias i agree with you plenty on the politicians.

I appreciate the question, thanks for taking the time to ask it. I'm glad we have some common ground on the subject.