Leftism Versus Liberalism

I was having an argument with a co-worker the other day. It went something like this:

Co-worker: I believe that countries with socialist governments are better off.
Me: A reasonable thesis, what are your metrics? (I proceed to pull up the HDI by the UN)
Co-worker: Well, there are really liberal countries like Norway -
Me: Wait, don't say 'liberal.' Socialism isn't liberal.
CW: Sure it is.
Me: No, socialism might be a leftist ideology, but it sure as hell isn't liberal.
CW: What do you mean?
Me: Well, countries with socialist governments typically have to tax more, which isn't a liberal idea, and a lot of the time they also have to engage in protectionism.
CW: That is being liberal...

So, the conversation diverged and we both decided that the office wasn't a great place to have a political discussion, but I thought I might bring it up here. The left has some great ideas, and I understand why a lot of people get the two confused. But make no mistake, Liberalism is not Leftism.

I've had this discussion with Scott, who, for all his merits, is a Leftist. Liberalism I believe can best be currently summarized by the primary tenet of individuals rights. For this reason, I think we can generalize the Constitution as a liberal document, as (at least the way I have interpreted it) that was its primary focus. Many of the founding fathers did also agree with me verbally on this.

Here are some things that I see as being leftist but not liberal:
• Regulations on Free Trade
• Government Mandatory Union Laws
• Social Security
to name a paltry few. I'm not anti-Union, you might note, and I don't think of myself as a perfect liberal. I do like to think that I try to think about individual's rights when I decide if an idea is worth supporting though...

And what better time to discuss all this than on the heels of one of the most leftist idea's I've seen in a long time. Obama thinks it's a good idea to require high school and college students to work a minimum amount of hours in community service. Hearing this idea made me cringe. America needs a socialist president right now. With the economic recession around the corner and the effects looming, public works are going to be the lifeblood of the country in the coming years. That said, it sickens me to hear that he proposes what is essentially a draft. America was built on the individual's drive for merit. The individual must be given a choice to succeed or fail. Obviously it's not that cut and dry, but the idea is a relative one. To take advantage of the environment and brain that you have been given by 'god' (because I still don't know how we select what body we're put into) or to accept the status quo and allow ones self to be consumed by mere existence. I don't believe humans are destined for any particular situation, but I think the path is clear. Upwards and onwards, so to speak.

No, I will not engage in any nihilistic arguments.

I think the timing of this is doubly interesting as Amanda just posted on Ayn Rand. I think Rand can espouse the individual bullshit I've been talking about here way better than I, and likewise Nietzsche over Rand.

Anyways, discuss further in the comments. I'd like to know what you guys think of all this, especially since I happen to know we're all at least marginally Obama supporters.

Oh, and for the record, I think I'm currently closest to Libertarian.