Liberalism has long since been hijacked by elements of society that are anything but liberal. Liberalism is based on freedom, free market, individual rights and social contracts for peace, whereas those elements of society claiming to be liberal do so on a false promise—rather a lie—that freedom requires planning so that all people can be free of the great tyrant of “need”. Social planning is anathema to liberty. Coercion and forced redistribution of wealth are not the answer to the problems of our society. Our basic rights are not negotiable, and they included the right to own property, the right to defend ourselves and our property, and the right to freedom of conscience. I believe those are what is known as “inalienable rights” in such important documents as the Declaration of Independence.

What have modern “liberals” done since the infiltration of socialism into American society? They have altered the concept of freedom, perverting it to the point that to be free we feel a need to give the government power. They have changed the word progress to be synonymous with social controls and planning, rather than actual movement towards greater liberty and more general prosperity. They have implemented plans of forced wealth redistribution, mostly robbing from the poor to give to the poorer. They have pushed a plan of moral relativism, subjugating freedom of conscience in the name of the very Constitutional Amendment that protects the freedom of conscience. No expression of these rights can be considered an infringement o another’s rights. Until someone’s rights are actually infringed upon there is no legal precedent for intercession.

Furthermore, no constitutional government can rightfully assume powers that any individual member of the society does not inherently posses and willingly surrender and not be considered tyrannical. Does one man have the right to take another’s property? Does one man have the right to threaten another’s safety? Does one man have the right to deny free conscience to another? No. Therefore our government cannot do any of the same, for it derives all of its rights from the people—citizens who have united together to their mutual benefit. How can benefit be mutual if one man’s property is taken to pay another’s expenses? Or one man’s conscience is not granted expression because another claims that it would oppress his right to expression of his conscience? Or one man who defends himself is slandered as a violent monster who will only bring about the destruction of society? The last of these is particularly disturbing in our multicultural, morally relativistic world because the actual cause of societal problems is endorsed and protected at the expense, possibly life, of the good citizens.

For the time being there is not a single liberal idea actually endorsed under the banner of liberalism. For that matter, both prevailing political parties are run under the motivation to expand the federal government to suit their own twisted objectives—at the cost of your own personal freedoms. Democrats want to reform us first into a welfare state then provide a planned economy to support it, keeping everyone wallowing in semi-poverty forever. Republicans want to create a powerhouse planned economy which will necessitate a welfare state to keep the people alive, again impoverished. Either way the powers that be are taking steps to advance their powers beyond what has rightfully been given them by the true sovereigns of this land: the citizens.

The United States are on a progressive march to be sure, but not one that leads to individual rights as outlined in the Constitution. Rather, this progress sets us on a path that leads to tyrannical rule by arbitrary decisions of those in power, and the suppression of all individual liberties in the name of what they claim is “the general welfare” mentioned in the Constitution. Their language has been carefully chosen to twist unjust and evil concepts into appealing phrases in order to deceive. Whenever any observe that they are doing this they use the same trick of emotionally charged phraseology to decry their opposition (denying the freedom of conscience).

It is time for those of us of an actually liberal mind to reclaim the words that have been stolen from us by those who seek anything but liberty. It is time we use our language as our founding fathers did in writing the Constitution of this great land in order to eliminate the deception—it is not confusion, but deliberate deceit—being pushed on the American people. Let us promote the general welfare by pursuing actual individual liberty and encouraging our fellow men to willingly assist the less fortunate rather than legislating forced redistribution of wealth. If you want to help law abiding poor people, help secure their jobs, and increase their base wage to a reasonable level not by legislation but by prosecution of laws already on the books. Eliminate illegal labor and the market will bear paying a decent wage to our good citizens. Encourage proper savings and investment through education. Rather than pointing people to methods of investment that lose money on interest help them find their own financial liberty through a basic education about how money works. Teach people of the nation correct principles of self-government and properly regulate legal activities. Stop upholding criminal activity. People can and will govern themselves when given the chance.