''This article discusses liberalism as a major worldwide political ideology, its development, and some of its many modern-day variations. For the ideology commonly referred to as liberalism in the United States today, see American liberalism. For other uses, see Liberal (disambiguation).

Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.A: "'Liberalism' is defined as a social ethic that advocates liberty, and equality in general." - Coady, C. A. J. Distributive Justice, A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, editors Goodin, Robert E. and Pettit, Philip. Blackwell Publishing, 1995, p.440. B: "Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end." - Lord Acton Traditionally, what was meant by "liberty" was the freedom of each individual to do as they pleased, provided they did not infringe on the liberty of others. This is often called classical liberalism. Another form of liberalism, often called social liberalism, holds that freedom requires what is sometimes called a "level playing field", that for people to be free they must be free from the unequal power of those born to wealth and high social status. Attempts to level the playing field include anti-discrimination laws, civil service examinations, universal education, affirmative action, and progressive taxation. A third form of liberalism, now almost universal in liberal democracies, holds that the government should provide for the general welfare. This sometimes includes a dole for the poor, housing for the homeless, and medical care for the sick, all supported by taxes. Classical liberals often strongly object to this kind of liberalism, asserting that the freedom of private property takes precedence over the personal freedom that depends on health, education, and a place to live; they claim that private charity does the job as well, or even better.

Classical liberals seek a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on coercive power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government. Modern liberals advocate a government in which the rights of minorities are protected. Compare for the latter aspect the Oxford Manifesto of 1947 of the Liberal International (Respect for the language, faith, laws and customs of national minorities), Oxford Manifesto of 1997 (We believe that close cooperation among democratic societies through global and regional organisations, within the framework of international law, of respect for human rights, the rights of national and ethnic minorities, and of a shared commitment to economic development worldwide, is the necessary foundation for world peace and for economic and environmental sustainability), the ELDR Electoral programme 1994 (Protecting the rights of minorities flows naturally from liberal policy, which seeks to ensure equal opportunities for everyone). In modern society, classical and social liberals favour a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and equal opportunity. Compare the Oxford Manifesto of the Liberal International (These rights and conditions can be secured only by true democracy. True democracy is inseparable from political liberty and is based on the conscious, free and enlightened consent of the majority, expressed through a free and secret ballot, with due respect for the liberties and opinions of minorities).

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Pot Charges Dropped Against Lincecum
Big Tent Democrat Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:07:21 -0500
Washington prosecutors drop pot charges against Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum: Prosecutors in Clark County, Wash., and Tim Lincecum have reached an agreement in which the pitcher will pay a $250 fine relating to his possession of a marijuana pipe with the drug possession charge being dropped. Lincecum also must pay a $122 fine for speeding. [. . .] "Any Joe Blow would get (this deal)," [Clark county prosecutor Grant] Hansen said. "The way we see it, we can do something to him or we can do something for him. If we can give him a little leniency the first time, in my opinion, it goes further for being law-compliant in the future than if we kick him in the teeth." Lincecum was cited by the Washington State Patrol for possessing 3.3 grams of marijuana and the pipe, both misdemeanors, during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 one week ago.
NY-23: Owens Will Vote Yes On House HCR Bill
Big Tent Democrat Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:09:19 -0500
TPM: Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) announc[ed] his support in a press release [--]"This legislation will reform the insurance industry and provide increased access to affordable healthcare without taxing healthcare benefits, cutting Medicare benefits or raising taxes on the middle class, and that is exactly the direction we need to go," said Owens. "There are still changes I would like to make, including raising the payroll exemption for small businesses, but like I said last week, there is a fundamental need for reform and we must act with a sense of urgency."
Friday Afternoon Open Thread
Big Tent Democrat Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:45:47 -0500
As regular readers know, the sports teams I live and die with, the ones where I suffer (as do the people around me) when they lose, are the Florida Gators and the New York Yankees. I love all sports, from NFL football to track to soccer to cycling, but those are the teams I am emotionally invested in. Throughout their history, the Yankees have been TEH EVIL. The newfangled Yankee Haters think they are originals, but Yankee Hating is a longstanding tradition. There was even a Tony Award winning musical about it. What is new is that Florida has become TEH EVIL nationally (the Ole Ball Coach (aka Evil Genius) inspired plenty of hatred in the SEC and FSU but not so much nationally.) For the time being, Florida has supplanted Notre Dame as the most hated college football team in the country. I dunno, but, like Woody Allen in Annie Hall, the Evil Queen in Snow White is starting to look appealing to me. This is an Open Thread.

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