Liberals

In this accelerating political climate, I think that it's time that we the thinking people (who you must be, since you read this blog) take back the word "liberal." For too long it has been associated with big-government socialists. A true liberal does not advocate an activist government. A true liberal advocates a limited government--limited to protecting natural rights to life, liberty, and property--if he advocates a government at all.

"Liberal" comes from the Latin "Libere" (to free), hence "liberty" is interchangeable with "freedom."

That said--and there is no use arguing the point since it is irrefutable what the word is supposed to mean--Democrats are not liberal. Yes, it's Democrats who are commonly called liberal, but that's a load of horse manure. Democrats advocate a larger, more powerful, farther-reaching government. Government gains size, power, and reach only at the expense of its people's freedom. Therefore, Democrats are unliberal.

Republicans--with the exception of Ron Paul--are also unliberal. Any politician who does not advocate policies that directly return basic freedoms to the people cannot, by definition of the word, be liberal.

So the next time some idiot says, "Hillary Clinton is too liberal," please correct that person; and the next time some idiot says, "George W. Bush is not liberal enough," tell the person that he is right, but that he's probably too much of an idiot to realize why he's right.

Let's take back the damn word. Let's give today's so-called "liberals" their appropriate sobriquet: tyrants.

For further reading, see Ludwig von Mises's excellent Liberalism: In the Classical Tradition..

http://www.amazon.com/Liberalism-Classical-Ludwig-Von-Mises/dp/0930439236