In the public sphere, you’d be hard-pressed to find a politician or voter who’s an admittedly unapologetic conservative. Most liberals though, wear their politics on their sleeves regardless of the situation.I’m willing to assume most people can explain where each would typically stand on a variety of issues, but I’m hesitant to presume most people can give a universal definition of what a liberal or conservative really is, much less what one stands for. Conservatives traditionally uphold principles of smaller government, self-reliance and security. Liberals, conversely, prefer intervention through a larger federal government, advocate welfare concerns, promote civil rights, yadda yadda yadda.Barry Goldwater wrote, “The Conservative’s first concern will always be: Are we maximizing freedom?” Conservatives recognize tradition as a guide for future policy while liberals are historically considered more apt to change. But I wasn’t satisfied with those descriptions.I asked a trusted, liberal friend about what constitutes the term   “liberal.” She said it would hurt my feelings if she told me. I told her not to worry about it because I didn’t have any to begin with.”A liberal is a human with a soul,” she said.I asked if that meant, by contrast, that a conservative is a human with a brain. She said she didn’t know.Of course, neither of these broad generalizations is even mildly accurate. Obviously, liberals have no brains, and conservatives are born without souls. Really. It’s not your fault.We all know why it’s wrong to label other people. But what about when people use these labels to define themselves? By placing these divisive brands as an identity marker, they sell themselves and society short. They willingly carry the cultural, political, social and ethnic baggage of generations past. They falsely claim the accomplishments of their predecessors as their own while forcing the failures of leaders of previous generations onto the shoulders of the antithesis.The problem is that identity   occurs as a matter of choice for self-described liberals and conservatives alike. For candidates of either party, identity functions as a compass for uninformed voters. The problem with labeling yourself is that identity should revolve around more than just one word.G.K. Chesterton said St. Francis of Assisi was the only true liberal. There’s some truth to that because Francis gave everything to the poor, up to the clothes on his back. We need more models of the liberal agenda and fewer hypocrites — otherwise, it’s unfair to both true liberals and faux disciples for people to label them “liberals.”For instance, if so many people claim to be liberals because they support President-Elect Barack Obama’s mantra about spreading the wealth around, why aren’t there more liberals donating larger portions of their time and income to the less affluent? Why haven’t they adopted a spread-the-poverty philosophy?Liberals claim to be tolerant via amnesty and less strict immigration enforcement. But they ignore the fact that illegal immigration is often low-skilled immigration. This drives down wages, benefitting only the upper class and leaving the tax burden to the middle class and the labor competition to the lower class, according to David Frum of the American Enterprise Institute. And don’t forget about the economic burdens posed on the families of these illegals and their taxpaying counterparts.I’m also not convinced liberals are more environmentally responsible than the typical conservative. If you don’t agree, check out a book called “The Really Inconvenient Truths,” which documents major environmental catastrophes caused by short-sighted liberals with good intentions who didn’t plan for unintended consequences.If you still don’t believe me, visit the Tennessee Center for Policy Research and search for Al Gore’s personal energy consumption.Liberals claim to support measures for more effective welfare. Nevermind that they develop policies that favor single-parent families over two-parent families, which impedes economic and educational opportunity. Disregard, also, that their affirmative action policies benefit minorities rather than the economically disadvantaged.At what point does one become a liberal or a conservative? There is no litmus test for labels, which is essentially why they don’t work. There are many inherent contradictions surrounding these philosophies, and this means very few people are true “liberals.”The disconnect between right-leaning and left-leaning voters leads to a disconnect in political discussion. With two distinct world views constantly at odds with each other, we create a divide that impairs our ability to work together.The only reliably sound method to contribute to political discourse should never involve broad generalizations like the identity politics and labeling of today.—-Contact Daniel Lumetta at [email protected]