A close friend told me today that he is a social liberal and a fiscal conservative.
When I asked him what he meant by those terms, he answered that he remains pro-choice on abortion, in favor of a single payer health care system, strong on civil rights, etc. In that respect he is liberal.
But, he expained, he is quite conservative when it comes to the budget - that we need to cut the federal deficit, with the goal of balancing the budget.
I asked, "So you are saying that you are fiscally 'responsible'. Is that right?" He agreed.
"Then you are not a fiscal conservative," I said. "Fiscal conservatives are insane when it comes to balancing a budget. They want everything they want and they want it all right now. If they want a war, they have a war ($Trillions in spending) - with no regard as to how they will pay for it. They hire high-priced lawyers to defend the Defense of Marriage Act - costing us millions. They are opposed to the revenues that raising taxes on the top earners would bring in, while at the same time dismantling Social Security and Medicare - actions that will cost us all dearly in the future."
Being "fiscally conservative" to me doesn't seem to be the same as "fiscally responsible". In today's terms, you have to be fiscally liberal to be on the responsible side.
My friend and I had to agree that he is liberal both socially and fiscally.