Ever notice that there are some people who always think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence?  Their car, their house, or even the spouse/significant other are never good enough for them, but a new car, house, or spouse/SO will surely make their lives complete.  These people act like children, even though they may nominally have been adults for many years.  Their focus is completely on their wants and needs, and taking responsibility for their lives and the impact their actions have on the people around them is a concept completely alien to them.  They bounce around from partner to partner as each new relationship begins with so much promise, only to sour when the reality of being involved with someone else and the messy details of his or her life finally takes its toll.  Ever notice how many of these people are politically liberal?

These are the descendants of the "if it feels good, do it" generation raised in the 1960s.  It's not uncommon for one of these children, especially the male kind, to marry, have children, and begin a normal family life, only to discover that it's a drag having responsibilities to his wife and kids.  There are diapers to change, bills to pay, doctor visits to make, and all the other tedious tasks that go along with raising a family.  Suddenly, there's no more time for fun in the form of fishing trips, parties, and golf outings, because there's no time or money for those things anymore.  To the Peter Pan liberal, this situation becomes intolerable, causing him to look for a new partner who is more "fun" than the current spouse.

I ran into someone just like this at a family outing recently; let's call him "Joey."  Joey dumped his wife - call her "Ellen" - of over 10 years a few years ago, leaving her to raise their two young kids.  It seems Joey, who spent 3½ years at a prestigious Eastern university before dropping out a semester short of graduation to work at a series of relatively menial positions, was getting tired of having Ellen telling him he needed to quit partying and get serious about his life (and their lives).  Once rid of Ellen, Joey found a new love - call her Mary - a woman who seemed to be willing to have all the fun Ellen didn't want to have anymore.  Now, while Joey says he still loves Ellen, and always will, he is "in love" with Mary.  She "completes him."

I wasn't at all surprised, when conversation turned to politics, to hear Joey describe himself as a "raging liberal."  Of course he is.  As I mentioned above, while not all men with the "Peter Pan" syndrome or something similar are liberals, the vast majority are.  Modern liberals, as opposed to real, classical liberals, have adopted the philosophy that individuals aren't really responsible for anything they do.  Peter Pans aren't responsible for abandoning their families; their families are responsible for being abandoned because they're such party poopers.  It' a very short step from feeling that way about themselves to taking the position that no one is really responsible for their actions - the modern liberal position - and that government should therefore help them out of whatever dilemma they find themselves in, no matter what the cause.  This is what constitutes "caring" to liberals, and it's no wonder most Peter Pans adopt that philosophy wholeheartedly.

If you try to suggest to Joey and other liberals that people really are responsible for their actions, and that individuals should be responsible for the consequences, the debate ends because you are "filled with hatred" and "uncaring" and therefore unworthy of debating.  How could some uncaring person who's filled with hatred have any valid points or policy recommendations, after all?  There's no need to debate with someone like that, so the liberal wins by default, at least in his own mind.  Unfortunately, if the liberals are also able to convince enough voters that they've settled these debates, they can use that tactic to win in the political arena, as they did for almost five decades.  The unfortunate truth is that the American public is the real loser.

Chronologically adult men who refuse to grow up and accept responsibility for their lives used to be the ones considered losers:  ne'er-do-wells who refused to do right by their families.  But times have changed.  Now, these people are considered, by the elite, at least, who constitute many of their number, to be self-fulfilled individuals who have "marched to their own drummer."  Thumbing their noses at societal norms geared towards the nuclear family and raising well-adjusted children, they wreak havoc on their offspring with self-indulgent behavior.  And, yes, they are mostly liberal politically.  The liberal philosophy just suits their needs so well.

As for "Joey" he recently announced that he and Mary are engaged.  They're to be married in a year or so, and when they are, how long do you suppose it will be before Mary starts to "nag" about Joey's self-indulgence to try to get him to tone it down and pay more attention to his home life?  Or will Mary turn out to be one of those rare wives - a female Peter Pan who will party hearty right along with him?  Time will tell, but if not, we can be pretty sure our pal Joey will soon be looking again for someone who "completes" him.

Liberals are such children.