Liberal

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" — at that time the liberal party was the party of individual political freedoms.

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

• support of gun control
• taxpayer funding of abortion
• prohibiting prayer in school
• equal rights for men and women, including participation by men and women in the military
• distributing wealth from the rich to the poor
• government programs to rehabilitate criminals
• same-sex marriage
• amnesty for illegal aliens
• teaching of evolution
• increased taxpayer funding of public school
• protection of all of God's creation even if advocated by atheists
• taxpayer-funded rather than private medical care
• increased power for labor unions
• disarmament treaties
• increased taxes
• support of government programs such as welfare
• reduction of military expenses
• support of affirmative action
• government-sponsored education about human reproduction

Liberals in the US typically align themselves with the Democratic Party. Note, that liberal in the European context refers to the so-called moderate and center-right parties, often with a pro-business stance. The same holds for many liberal parties throughout the world.. The US definition of liberal is much more similar to the politics of European socialist or social democratic parties..

After opposition to the regime change of Saddam Hussein in 2003, it became increasingly difficult to define what American liberals core beliefs are. Large scale demonstrations coupled with the rhetoric current at the time was decisively pro-Saddam and in sympathy with insuring survival of the fascist Ba'athist regime in Iraq. It also signified a rejection of liberalism's long held fundamental advocacy of democracy and human rights worldwide.

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

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.