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I am a Libertarian, and I can tell you it never did, nor does it now have anything to do with the liberal agenda

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that never even existed in reality

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John Locke (pronounced /ˈlɒk/; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704), widely known as the Father of Liberalism,[2][3][4]  was an English philosopher and physician  regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered the first of the British empiricists, he is equally important to social contract theory. His work had a great impact upon the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American revolutionaries. His contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the American Declaration of Independence.[5]

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Adam Smith (baptised 16 June 1723 – 17 July 1790 [OS: 5 June 1723 – 17 July 1790]) was a Scottish  moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments  and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. The latter, usually abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations, is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work of economics. Smith is widely cited as the father of modern economics.

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John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873) was a British philosopher and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control.[2]  He was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham, although his conception of it was very different from Bentham's. Hoping to remedy the problems found in an inductive approach to science, such as confirmation bias, he clearly set forth the premises of falsification as the key component in the scientific method.[3]  Mill was also a Member of Parliament and an important figure in liberal political philosophy.

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The Great Depression saw a sea change in liberalism, leading to the development of modern liberalism. In the words of Arthur Schlesinger Jr.:

    when the growing complexity of industrial conditions required increasing government intervention in order to assure more equal opportunities, the liberal tradition, faithful to the goal rather than to the dogma, altered its view of the state," and "there emerged the conception of a social welfare state, in which the national government had the express obligation to maintain high levels of employment in the economy, to supervise standards of life and labor, to regulate the methods of business competition, and to establish comprehensive patterns of social security.[10]

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Shins said:
Classical liberal thinkers;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke

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John Locke (pronounced /ˈlɒk/; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704), widely known as the Father of Liberalism,[2][3][4]  was an English philosopher and physician  regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered the first of the British empiricists, he is equally important to social contract theory. His work had a great impact upon the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American revolutionaries. His contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the American Declaration of Independence.[5]

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Smith

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Adam Smith (baptised 16 June 1723 – 17 July 1790 [OS: 5 June 1723 – 17 July 1790]) was a Scottish  moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments  and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. The latter, usually abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations, is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work of economics. Smith is widely cited as the father of modern economics.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill

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John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873) was a British philosopher and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control.[2]  He was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham, although his conception of it was very different from Bentham's. Hoping to remedy the problems found in an inductive approach to science, such as confirmation bias, he clearly set forth the premises of falsification as the key component in the scientific method.[3]  Mill was also a Member of Parliament and an important figure in liberal political philosophy.

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things changed around 1900 after the federal reserve was created, ww1, and the great depression.  a lot of pivotal stuff happened at the turn of the century.

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The Great Depression saw a sea change in liberalism, leading to the development of modern liberalism. In the words of Arthur Schlesinger Jr.:

    when the growing complexity of industrial conditions required increasing government intervention in order to assure more equal opportunities, the liberal tradition, faithful to the goal rather than to the dogma, altered its view of the state," and "there emerged the conception of a social welfare state, in which the national government had the express obligation to maintain high levels of employment in the economy, to supervise standards of life and labor, to regulate the methods of business competition, and to establish comprehensive patterns of social security.[10]

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I would also like to now note that Classic Conservatism was close the opposite of what it is considered today also. 
classic conservatism has a lot to do with preserving the religious and feudal/monarch systems.  It promoted "common values"  society above the individual, stronger government control,absolute state Aristocratic control, and government market intervention to preserve Aristocratic wealth.



In conclusion Maybe the term is not too relevant any more because some people obviously don't understand the meanings and dvelopments of the terms.

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Shins said:
I would also like to now note that Classic Conservatism was close the opposite of what it is considered today also. 
classic conservatism has a lot to do with preserving the religious and feudal/monarch systems.  It promoted "common values"  society above the individual, stronger government control,absolute state Aristocratic control, and government market intervention to preserve Aristocratic wealth.

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Shins said:
In conclusion Maybe the term is not too relevant any more because some people obviously don't understand the meanings and dvelopments of the terms.

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I'm a right wing libertarian, and I don't fall to my knees to give the government my rights in a crisis. In spite of your vulgar generalizations, some of us hold our civil liberties above all else.

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And what leftist America actually is today is a great deal more important then the bullshit that you all are trying to say they were. In that article about classic liberalism it talks about limited Government. Please!!! the left cannot claim to advocate limited government when the facts obviously show otherwise.

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justAkid said:

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I'm a right wing libertarian, and I don't fall to my knees to give the government my rights in a crisis. In spite of your vulgar generalizations, some of us hold our civil liberties above all else.

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What do you think about the Patriot Act?  Or the fact the war has always been the cause of massive government expanision up until recently?

"The fact the war has always been the cause of massive government expanision"

Those are the words of Ron Paul.

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And what leftist America actually is today is a great deal more important then the bullshit that you all are trying to say they were. In that article about classic liberalism it talks about limited Government. Please!!! the left cannot claim to advocate limited government when the facts obviously show otherwise.

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Led Zeppelin said:
Cant we all just be libertarian? common sense people.

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Icelander said:
If by leftist you mean liberals then all we all have to do is become conservatives and all will be well. Who needs libertarians?

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Icelander said:
I'm also cool with most fiscal conservative ideas, I'm also cool with some liberal ideas.  I take what I consider good ideas whereever I can find them. And I find them everywhere as long as I can remain open.

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libertarian23 said:
you got a party of big government and bigger government--at least the dems aren't hypocritical and admit they want to control your lives.....

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