When and Why does " True Liberalism" have a negative connotation?

Question

I am very proud to consider myself a liberal and being a liberal does not necessarily mean

1 That i support Howard Dean and all of the Anti-War Leftists
2 That i am automatically Anti Republican
3 That i want to take away peoples Guns
4 That i am automatically pro union and anti big business
To me a as a true liberal :
I believe the Governtment should recruit the smartest people and have them solve the major social ills in the nation. i.e bad schools, health care , poverty etc.I respect the entire law, i don't pick and choose. That means a woman can have an abortion, People can Have there guns, and i can burn a flag.While a country should be carefule before it goes to War, i see nothing wrong in deposing dictators,nation building, ( but do your research before you invade another country and respect there culture).While i might fill that FOX News is full of BS, i still respect there opinion and there station is still entertaining and i watch it

Answer 1

Actually, the word 'liberal' has been hijacked by the left. Liberal used to mean men of the Jefferson or Madison make, True men who, unlike what you say you believe, believe that the government that governs best governs least. In other words, limited government, not big gov. They and I believe that people and markets can better govern themselves or find solutions to problems, not governments regardless of whether the smartest or dumbest people are running them. In this respect, the government has NO business trying to fix the major problems of the day and, if your a student of history, you'd know that no government as EVER been successful at it. That task is the task of people, not governments.The term classical liberal is actually more closely related to Paleo Conservative or Libertarian, not left or right or republican or democrat.