I’d be shocked if these ambitious poiticians could make that happen. Nice talk for a conference though. I really love Obama but sometimes he says the darndest things…..he’s a fine dreamer.

A movement for reform that occurred roughly between 1900 and 1920. Progressives typically held that irresponsible actions by the rich were corrupting both public and private life. They called for measures such as trust busting, the regulation of railroads, provisions for the people to vote on laws themselves through referendum, the election of the Senate by the people rather than by state legislatures, and a graduated income tax (one in which higher tax rates are applied to higher incomes). The Progressives were able to get much of their program passed into law. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were associated with the movement.

I suppose the spinoffs are multiple but,the above is the “nutshell” version. I’ve never understood the label . I thought it might be some from of thinking that actually advances a society or culture. As it turns out, it’s just jargon for a movement and the definition changes over time….seemingly depend on what the so-called “Progressives” want to deal with in any given situation. I suppose Obama’s most recent program might define what the term means today. Over the past 90 years, I can’t find what the Progressives have produced.

I’m interested in that movelment and if someone can actually define better, I’d like to know. Would this movement in Spokane call “Envision” be the core of it? Perhaps something else? Maybe one of the spokesmen in this “Progressive” movement might clarify or define better.

I do agree with you that Initiative 2009-2 in no sense represents a “liberal agenda.” A “liberal” is an advocate of personal freedom (the root of the term is the Latin *liber*, “to be free.”). And personal freedom is certainly the furthest thing from minds of the Initiative’s leftist promoters, even though the Left long ago co-opted the term “liberal” to replace the unflattering “statist” and discredited “socialist.” Since “liberal” is now discredited as well, we can expect other euphemisms to be trotted forth, such as “reformers.”

Er, “apolitical” labor unions? Which unions would those be?