Political Coherence

Political hypocrisy doesn't seem like a new term. Politicians and lawyers are well known for being two faced and hypocritical. However, there may be more hypocrisy in politics than we think. But let me use a different term: Political Coherence. Simply put, political coherence is making political beliefs logical and cohesive. Two different issues should, according to political coherence, support each other.

My first example is abortion and the death penalty. The death of a human being. Does a person who is pro-life have to be against the death penalty? Sure, the person sentenced to death has committed a crime, but there is so much that person can still do for society. Are pro-choice people also pro-death penalty? It's the life of a child; it's not the same thing. Perhaps.

Social Security and the Selective Service? Some are proponents of allowing people to invest their money in stocks as a way to relieve Social Security. It's the person's life savings; shouldn't we be able to decide how we spend the end of our lives? I was required to sign up for the selective service at 18 in case of war. Conscription is our duty as Americans to defend Freedom and Liberty. Shouldn't we die for what we believe in, or shouldn't we be able to decide how we spend the end of our lives?

Obviously there are many more, and I won't burden you with reading them. But shouldn't our beliefs, perhaps even our policies, reflect a coherent set of doctrines? Is it wrong to be Pro-Life, Pro-Death Penalty, and Anti-flag burning?

I honestly don't know. I ponder my own belief structure and wonder if I'm being hypocritical for being anti-censorship and pro-gun control. Can I support protecting against drilling in the Alaskan Arctic but also anti-tariff?

I suppose the bigger question worth asking is whether we are obligated to make our beliefs coherent.