What Does it Mean to be Liberal?

By T.L. HEADLEY, MBA, MA, BA
True “liberalism” focuses on the freedom of the individual. Those who believe in restraining personal freedoms (whether religious, economic, social, etc.) are NOT liberals. Socialism and political correctness (under any name you choose to call it) are NOT “liberal” nor “democratic” in any shape, form or fashion, but rather are elitist and anti-democratic.

A true liberal would not support ANY law that is restrictive beyond the basic protections of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A true “liberal” would be revolted by the intrusion of government into our lives, into our pockets and into our values.

A true liberal would stand up for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights at its widest possibly application. In other words, rather than trying to limit the “right to keep and bear arms” by playing word games with the term “a well-regulated militia” they would stand with those of us who believe the term applies to ALL Americans. A true liberal would hold the 1st Amendment to be inviolable as the very basic statement of human freedom and would support the rights of ALL to their own personal beliefs without exception. In other words, if someone wants to be a racist and to spout the most vile racist statements or even refuse to serve someone, a true liberal would run to their defense of that right no matter how much you might be personally revolted by those beliefs.

A true liberal would hold to the old “liberal” maxim that “the best government is that which governs least.” (Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience”). They would be sickened by the waste and intrusiveness of the American “liberal” government. And they would be angered by the cynical abuse of the term “liberal” by so many today.

I will no longer refer to Obama and other leftists as “liberals” or “democrats” — to do so is to cheapen and misrepresent the terms. They are leftists, communists, socialists, radicals, etc.

So I urge my “liberal” and “democratic” friends to take a long, hard look at what those terms actually mean and think about how today’s “Democrat” party and how your own “liberalism” match up to the true definitions of the terms.