Simmons letter: Differing beliefs

I question the Miami Herald column that was recently run in the Idaho Statesman, which asks whether the disagreements of liberals and conservatives went deeper than political issues. I would like to pose a related question: “Is Mr. Pitts attempting to imply that there is some inherent difference between liberals and conservatives, on a deeper, more human level?” That appears to be the point of the editorial, as he ignores that diametrically the different viewpoints of people on matters such as freedom vs. management, and life vs. murder, would be strong beliefs. It seems as though he is shocked to find that closely held beliefs and the systems thereof are supported by people in months other than November.

We shouldn’t “reconcile the differences” between the liberals and the conservatives, due to the weight of the various issues. One could make this about an irrational hatred of other political opinions. However, I know what I believe, and why I believe it, and you may certainly disagree, but don’t expect me to hate you on issues we agree on, or to cozy up on issues we don’t. To do the former would be ridiculous, and to do the latter is not ideologically honest.

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 12:54 AM with the headline "Simmons letter: Differing beliefs."