Does Liberalism = Socialism?

The following was taken from comments posted on FoxNews.com after the second presidential debate. It was so refreshing to see a rational thinker on that site, that we decided to repost it here. (Our apologies to the author!)

As a critical Independent, I’d like to give my lock-step Republican friends out there some advice. When you refer to liberals as "commies" or "socialists," every subsequent word or point you try to make will have little validity in the minds of thinking people. By recklessly labeling people who support universal health, for instance, as "commies" or "socialists" YOU end up sounding like an idiot and an unbalanced extremist.

The U.S. often takes a socialist approach when it comes to the well-being of our citizens. If you support your local police force, your local fire fighters, your public library, does that make YOU a socialist? If you drive on public roads or use the U.S. Post Office, does that make YOU a commie? If you send your kids to public schools, does that make YOU an enemy of capitalism? Of course not... so stop pretending that we’re incapable of supporting capitalism AND some social programs at the same time. We always have.

Furthermore, most of the emotional ties we have to the terms "socialist" and "commie" are Soviet in nature, which is what makes those terms so derogatory... but nonsensical too. Again, supporting universal health care does NOT make a person a Soviet sympathizer.

And while you're chilling out on those terms, also consider how ridiculous you sound when you call Obama a "Muslim extremist" or a "Chicago thug" or the "Anti-Christ", or liken Obama to Hitler. This kind of talk is normally limited to idiots that get their news from manipulative email blasts and extreme pundits, but that's a sizable contingency. Disagreeing with a politician's politics is one thing, but embracing and perpetuating hatred is another. Again, as soon as you refer to Obama as a Muslim or a thug, your credibility as a thinker gets shot down and ultimately devalues any good arguments you might be able to make. In an effort to sway Independents, please stop with this silliness... you’ll have no hope otherwise. Democrats are not innocent either... self-described liberals referring to Republicans as “Nazis” are jerks too.