Confessions of a liberal professor

I CONFESS. I am one of the liberal Democratic professors that Jeff Jacoby is so concerned about in his attack on politics in academia ("A left-wing monopoly on campuses," op ed, Dec. 2). I do avoid bringing politics into the classroom. In fact, I confess to the following liberal beliefs:

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Government policies should be based on the best available evidence, and evidence should be presented in an honest manner. Open and honest debate on issues is valuable and important.

The United States should honor its own laws and its international agreements, including the Geneva Conventions.

Policies should be chosen to benefit the American people as a whole and not special interests.

The government should maintain regulations to protect our environment, and in some cases it should strengthen regulations.

Global warming caused by human activities is an accepted belief by most in the scientific community and should be taken extremely seriously. We should start actions immediately to mitigate its effects.

The deficit, and ultimately the national debt, needs to be decreased, even if part of the solution lies in raising taxes.

People should be treated with respect and fairness regardless of their gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, physical appearance, etc.

I find it unfortunate that Jacoby finds my liberalism objectionable. But it is indeed fortunate for academia that Jacoby is not setting the policies.

JAMES B. ORLIN
Professor
MIT Sloan School
of Management
Winchester