Common Good

The progressive-liberal values are America's values, and we need to go back to them. The heart of progressive-liberal values is simple: empathy (caring about and for people) and responsibility (acting responsibly on that empathy). These values translate into a simple principle: Use the common wealth for the common good to better all our lives. In short, promoting the common good is the central role of government.

-- George P. Lakoff (1941-), professor of cognitive linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, "The Post-Katrina Era" at Alternet.org (6 September 2005)

http://www.alternet.org/story/25099/