What is all this stuff about "liberals"?

Question

In the UK a liberal is someone who believes in the free market, with a minimum of state intervention. The word "liberal" comes from a Latin word meaning "free". Can someone explain to me why so many people in the US have a thing about "liberals"? Do they dislike freedom? Are the people who dislike liberals socialists or something?

Answer 1

Liberals tend to believe in the social contract, that we are stronger as a nation when we empower each other and conduct our government for broad social benefit rather than for individual benefit. Liberals do not believe that the end justifies the means. Liberals believe in the common good. They care about their own neighbors, their own communities and people who are different than they are.

They strive to enfranchise as many people as possible. They led the fight for black Americans and women to get the right to vote. Liberals believe in the separation of church and state. They led the fight for older and disabled Americans who wanted public restrooms and sidewalks to accommodate wheelchairs. They fought for American workers who wanted a decent minimum wage and a forty-hour work week. They outlawed child labor so children wouldn’t have to work like slaves in factories and mines. They stand for working mothers who need equal pay and decent childcare and helped institute safe retirement plans from employers. They support preschool nutritional programs and after-school programs for the poor. They fight for prenatal care programs and health care for all so our children can grow up healthy.

Liberals support homosexuals who want to be able to rent a house or an apartment or get a job or adopt a child or form a civil union without discrimination. They fight for police organizations that plead for a ban on the guns that slaughter police officers and over 40,000 Americans every year. Liberals believe in taking care of the environment and protecting our people from pollution and poisons that are being put in the air and water. They led the fight for the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and protection of our national parks from development and degradation.

They stand for protecting our Constitutional freedoms, including freedom of speech. They want the Internet to remain free. They want to strengthen the study of science and technology so that our young people will be able to pass the new global job market tests and have bright futures.

Liberals fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry and to have products properly labeled for our protection. Liberals fought for affordable public transportation, workers’ compensation and unemployment benefits. Liberals instituted the federal insurance of the FSLIC to protect our money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression. They fought for student loans, mortgage assistance, rural electrification and Social Security.

These are some of the reasons I’m proud to be a liberal because, as a Christian, these issues represent my moral values: caring about the less fortunate, being tolerant of my fellow humans, taking good care of the planet God gave us.

Answer 2

We get to watch Questions for the Prime Minister in the US. So we know that just like here, conservatives believe in low taxes, small government, free markets, and freedom. And just like here, they do not get the job done. Remember, a liberal is someone who lies about being a socialist, or knowing that socialism doesn't work, wants to try it anyway with different people. Progressives and socialists are the same thing.
You are correct about the derivation. That is why they choose the word to confuse you.

Answer 3

Everything that has to do with taking care of kids. And when there's 4 of them, that's alot of "stuff."

Answer 4

In some circles, Jesus was considered the greatest of liberals!

I have no idea why it's now considered such a bad word. But to expand upon your question, did you know that it was Adam Smith (author of "The Wealth of Nations") who INVENTED Capitalism and was a huge liberal as well? Not many people know that about America's roots. =)

Answer 5

The meaning of liberal carries over into the United States under the same definition. Either the people here are ignorant on what true liberalism is or they are just love to lump people into the same genre because the media tells them what to think (aka Fox news.) I find people who bash liberals will often take direct quotes from biased media broadcast, so I think it is brainwashing from television.

Answer 6

I am a liberal....

I am patriotic, Christian, believe in fighting for the rights we have in our free country, and love my military when fighting a war that has a purpose and also protecting our country.

Answer 7

In USA Liberal means; loving, caring, helping and freedom. But Republican means the opposite; hating, killing, raping, invading, stealing and stereotyping....

Answer 8

in the U.S.

liberals are for less government intrusion into personal life

more spending on social programs

less spending on military technology, but more spending on
members of the military.

pro-environment regulations and taxes

higher taxes on the rich

lower taxes on the poor

sometimes even fiscal conservatism

Answer 9

The left wing has hijacked the word liberal to describe themselves. I agree with you, libertarians are classical liberals. I refer to the annointed liberals of today as controllers or left wingers, which is what they truly are. Freedom is the last thing they are interested in, save for their perceived freedom to create an ever bigger nanny state.

Answer 10

our country is divided at this time
left vs. right
they call each other names all the time.
its ugly and pointless.

neither side wants to see the other voted into power.
so they go at it like morons.