Compare and Contrast

These things fall into your lap from time to time. A top ten list you nod at and say 'um-hmm' and then a few minutes later a similar list from across the aisle. One is a guide to life, the other an attempt to define an ideology.

From Francic Porretto - The Commandments Of Beneficial Conservatism

1. No one is as smart or knowledgeable as he needs to be.
2. That goes for you too, hero, so show a little respect.
3. Other people are not mere means to your ends.
4. Other people's opinions and tastes do not require your approval.
5. No one owes you one damned thing just because you're alive; the converse is also true.
6. Things are the way they are for a reason. You're expected to learn the reason before you open your yap to complain about them.
7. If the reason is still sound, don't monkey with the works.
8. If the reason has become unsound, or has been superseded by developments, it's still wise to make changes slowly, and with full attention to the consequences.
9. Many things, once done, cannot be undone. About these, be supremely cautious.
10. Admit your mistakes and make good on them; to do less is to be less than a man.

From Geoffrey R. Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago, iauthor of "Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime" - What it means to be a liberal.

1. Liberals believe individuals should doubt their own truths and consider fairly and open-mindedly the truths of others.
2. Liberals believe individuals should be tolerant and respectful of difference.
3. Liberals believe individuals have a right and a responsibility to participate in public debate.
4. Liberals believe "we the people" are the governors and not the subjects of government, and that government must treat each person with that in mind.
5. Liberals believe government must respect and affirmatively safeguard the liberty, equality and dignity of each individual.
6. Liberals believe government has a fundamental responsibility to help those who are less fortunate.
7. Liberals believe government should never act on the basis of sectarian faith.
8. Liberals believe courts have a special responsibility to protect individual liberties
9. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, for without such protection liberalism is impossible.
10. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, without unnecessarily sacrificing constitutional values.