Difference between revisions of "Liberal"

Revision as of 01:15, March 25, 2007

Liberal is a term used in US politics to describe a person who generally is left-wing in his attitudes towards the government, establishment, and many other laws. The term was first used in reference to a political opinion c. 1801 A.D., in the aftermath of the French Revolution, when it meant "tending in favor of freedom and democracy."^[1]

The term conservative is used in the United States to generally characterize the following set of beliefs:

• In favor of gun control
• Supports a woman's right to choose pregnancy termination, i.e. abortion
• prohibiting organized prayer in school
• equal responsibilities for men and women, such as equal participation by men and women in the military
• government programs to rehabilitate criminals
• same-sex marriage
• increased taxpayer funding of public schools
• protection of natural resources and wilderness areas
• taxpayer-funded rather than private medical care
• increased power for labor unions
• disarmament treaties
• Classical liberalism stood for a limited government role [2]
• Private property and individual contracts form the basis of Classical liberal economic theory [3]
• reduction of military expenses
• support of affirmative action
• government-sponsored education
• preference for a interpretation of the constitution as a "living Constitution" instead of an unchanging Constitution
• Income redistribution, with higher progressive taxation on those in the top 10% of earnings.
• Opposition to American foreign policy ^[2] which advocates nation building ^[3] and democracy ^[4]

Note, that liberal in the European context refers to moderate and center-right parties, often with a pro-business stance.^[5] The same holds for many liberal parties throughout the world.^[6]. The US definition of liberal is much more similar to the politics of European socialist or social democratic parties.^[7].

One definition of liberal is anything that is not conservative. For example, the American Heritage Dictionary includes this definition of "liberal":^[8]

Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas ...

Another definition is a liberal is the opposite of a prodigal; where a liberal consumes resources on others, a prodigal consumes his own resources on himself.

References

1. ↑ Etymology [1]
2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "February 15, 2003 anti-war protest", Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_15,_2003_anti-war_protest (accessed 24 March 2007).
3. ↑ Looming War Isn't About Chemical Warheads or Human Rights: It's About Oil, Robert Fisk, Independent/UK, 18 January 2003.
4. ↑ National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, November 30, 2005. retrieved 22 March 2007.
5. ↑ http://www.alde.eu
6. ↑ http://www.liberal-international.org/
7. ↑ http://www.pes.org
8. ↑ Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/liberal