What's in a Name?

I have long wanted to address this issue. The left has for years proclaimed themselves to be "liberal". Recently many of the left have adopted the moniker "Progressive". Let us define what those words mean.

From Webster's Dictionary, Liberal:

1

a : of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts <liberal education> b archaic : of or befitting a man of free birth

2

a : marked by generosity : openhanded <a liberal giver> b : given or provided in a generous and openhanded way <a liberal meal> c : ample, full

3

obsolete : lacking moral restraint : licentious

4

: not literal or strict : loose <a liberal translation>

5

: broad-minded; especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms

6

a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives

The first line talks of education, most people who call themselves "liberal" do think of themselves as educated, and they are born free (at least for now). 
The second definition speaks of generosity, well they are generous with the public's money (not so much with their own). 
The third definition is interesting, "lacking moral restraint", this one clearly fits the left (no group is more immoral than the ACLU, the charter of the left). 
The 4th definition is what I have always used to define "liberal", as in: "use a liberal amount of paint on the fence." 
The 5th definition is where most of the left sees themselves, they put on an air of sophistication and elitism. As though they were placed here on Earth to help the stupid and uninformed, to "take care" of those who simply cannot provide for themselves. "We can run the schools better, than private enterprise, we need a nanny state government.", this is the thinking of the Marxist. This is how we inherited the entitlement society. The left make the downtrodden believe that they cannot succeed and need the left to "help them". I call it pretentiousness, I call it immoral, inhumane and backwards. 

The last definition is where the left gets into trouble. A liberal is supposed to believe in more freedom, not less, more choices, not fewer. 

You cannot call yourself a "liberal" if you do not believe in:  school choice, property rights,  the Second Amendment and Capitalism (maximum freedom & choice). Yet the modern left is against all of those things.

What about the term "Progressive"? Webster's definition does not include anything relating to politics (except for the colloquial use of the word). Progress means to move forward, I know the  left believes they are moving forward, but Communism and Socialism were left on the "ash heap of history" by Reagan. We won the cold war. The commies lost, remember. "glasnost" and "Winds of Change"? Now it seems the left doesn't know who won....

These people who support socialism, collectivism, communism, marxism et al. are not "liberals" they are leftists, we should call them on the misuse of the term every chance we get. Do not let them hide behind a false moniker.

As Robert Heinlein said: "Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire."