Liberal and Proud of it!

In the last several years, the word Liberal, in politics, has become a dirty word. Repeat after me, "I am a Liberal and proud of it."I have wondered what it was that set off Republicans and Conservatives, when they hear that word. I went to the source, Merriam-Webster dictionary and looked up the words, liberal and conservative. Liberal, means constituting a political party that is associated with the ideal of economic freedom, greater individual participation in government and reforms designed to accomplish this. Conservatives on the other hand advocate and support established institutions and tending to maintain existing views by moderation or caution. Now I get it. Liberals  want change and freedom. Conservatives want to keep the status quo. Liberals  want you to be free from corporations and individuals who want to take away your rights to live in a normal financial situation. Conservatives want everything to stay as it was. If we listen to the Conservatives, white men would still be the only group of people that could own property and gain wealth. Am I portraying Conservatives fairly, no, but they do want to lump Liberals into a group that just want to give everything away. Pat, my wife, and I have always worked hard for our money and do not feel the need to have hand-outs for everyone, including corporations and the wealthy. We also believe that there is a moral obligation, to assist the people among us that are unable to support themselves. Booker T. Washington once said, "There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up. I want to be the one that is pulling up, and if being Liberal means that , then mark me as, "Liberal and proud of it."