There is no "end goal" to a policy of Liberalism. "Liberal" should be thought of, not as a noun, but as a verb. It is a process of establishing and maintaining the freest possible society consistent with good order. In a Liberal society, everyone is free to seek to realize his or her own potential.

But not at the expense of others, such as the employer who reaps huge profits while paying his employees, who make all this wealth possible, less than a living wage. And then, who ships all his profits to a numbered Swiss bank account or to an account in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying his fair share of taxes.

Liberalism also seeks to provide a safety net for those who are simply unable to make it on their own, such as the disabled, or the elderly who are no longer able to earn a living.

It also seeks to make certain that people are not subject to a burden of debt for medical expenses should they need health care. In many other countries, health care is free to the patient, paid for by the government, which also makes certain than charges for various aspects of health care are not exorbitant (such as a durable health care equipment company charging $675.00 for a pair of power wheelchair batteries when a pair of the exact, same batteries should cost no more than $150.00!).

It's a simple enough aim. But there are those who want to profit from the efforts of others, and who will exploit them, given the chance.

That's a much oversimplified view, but that is the basic idea. The rest is refinement and commentary.

Naturally, those who would exploit others do everything they can to bad-mouth those who hold an ethical philosophy of Liberalism and who work to frustrate their efforts to prey on others.

They call them "so-called liberals" or "loony liberals" and generally try to denigrate them.

But just remember—you are only one virus--or one auto accident, or one false step on a stairway from finding yourself needing that safety net that the "loony liberals" are fighting to make sure is always there for you, should you—when you—need it.

So, think twice before participating in—The Big Lie.

And a part of that "Big Lie" is that "today's Liberals are tomorrow's Conservatives."

What about Ted Turner, who built a sports stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on his own dime! He didn't try to get the taxpayers to pay for it, he paid for it himself. Then, when he gave away $1 billion to charity, and received savage criticism from several of his fellow billionaires (they felt he was "setting a bad example" [inadvertently shaming them by doing so]), he responded by saying, "Who in the hell NEEDS that much money, anyway!??"

And billionaire Warren Buffet, who has given away billions. On CBS's "60 Minutes" a couple of weeks ago, he made the statement, along with Bill and Melinda Gates, that if the billionaires in this country would give at least half of their wealth to charities or other good causes, they would essentially end poverty in this country, and many other countries as well, but it would leave them enough to maintain their manor houses, fleets of limousines, and yachts. "You can only spend so much money," he said, "and the rest of it lays idle, doing nothing!"

Bill and Melinda Gates have given away a vast percentage of their wealth, much more than half, and said that they are determined to eradicate polio and several other diseases from the earth.

There, Goofy, are your "loony liberals."

What have YOU done lately?

Don Firth