Liberalism

[usregimechange]

Gerald Fowler (Globe, Sept 16) tells us that socialism and liberalism is the same thing. This nonsense continues to be spread by some local conservatives. Socialists generally want state ownership of the “means of production.” Businesses, for most socialists, are to be owned by the government.

Liberalism in America calls for regulated capitalism; in other words, businesses should be supported as long as they don’t dump arsenic in our drinking water and import child labor from India. Capitalism is fine as long as Enron is subject to democratic law.
Liberals, if a conservative calls you a socialist, just ask them for a basic definition of what socialism is. Problem solved.

Political beliefs fit on a bell curve with most people, liberals and conservatives fitting within the middle. Political rhetoric will always include people attempting to have you believe that one side of that middle is the same as those extreme few on its end.

http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=206722&c=96

[bluestateguy]

1. These same people will call socialism "communism"

By their logic: liberalism=socialism=communism

QED

liberals are communists.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. I have freepers trying to put over that the Nazis were socialists

because of their name.

Labels are lame. Issues are what matter.

[applegrove]

3. Yes. It is a never ending story with the neocons. The plan as I

understand it is to so isolate the conservatives from the lefties - that a third party of moderate neoliberals comes into existence. And that middle third party wins all the elections.

So they try hard to slice dems into dems who like trade and dems who don't. Then the mods (who like trade) will be forced to join up with perpetual empire neocons to form a block.

And yes - tis a full time job putting fascism on the left. When in the 20th century fascism was mostly a right-wing corporate things.

They'll try anything to build and unending empire for themselves.

Keep in mind that many of the far-left in Canada & around the world are for free trade because it does grow the middle class and give a place like Africa - a chance at selling to the world market - if we will let them. All third world economists agree.