When I heard a liberal young man recently remark that the reason for the housing debacle was that "greedy banks preyed on unsuspecting people" I realized just how out of touch those on the American left actually are. Aside from the obvious point that the young man was factually wrong - the mortgage crisis was the result of government meddling in the private sector (see "Community Reinvestment Act"), in one phrase this young man pointedly illustrated the fundamental problem with those who claim a liberal leaning - their ability to twist reality to suit their distorted view of the world.

Take the concept of "greed" - liberals misuse it by labeling just about anyone who dares to aspire to a higher level of financial success as "greedy." They truly abhor, no, hate, "the rich" - that's why they always want to tax them into bankruptcy. But seeking to improve one's lot in life is not "greed" - it is ambition, which is the hallmark of every successful human being, and especially entrepreneurs.

More importantly, the desire to profit from one's endeavors is not only human nature, it is also the driving force behind every great advancement in human history. It is no coincidence that those with a higher than normal desire for financial success are the very people most likely to produce the next great improvement in the lives of everyone. Without the possibility of personal reward, there would have been no steam engines, no radio, no automobile, no television, no jet airplanes, no miracle drugs, no MRI machines, no telephone, no personal computer...and no i-Pod (OK, maybe that last one we could do without).

And spare me the canard about "non-profits" - their executives are among the highest paid in the nation, and they couldn't survive without the lavishly generous donations from all those hard working capitalists who fund them. Yet liberals seem to be possessed of an almost uncontrollable envy of those who achieve more than they do (except for left-wing Hollywood actors whose only contribution to society is "entertainment").

Oddly, liberals never seem to see anything "greedy" about the public school teachers unions, the welfare "rights" mobs, and all the other government dependent parasites storming their state capitols, demanding ever more pay and benefits - all of which are paid for with money extorted from the already stretched-to-the-breaking-point taxpayers. Yet, what is more truly greedy than to want someone else's money, and to use the power of government to take it from those who have earned it?

Then there is the young man's view that banks "prey on unsuspecting people" - a view shared by most liberals, who see just about every private sector business as a cabal of evil ogres seeking to take advantage of the unsuspecting consumer. On every mainstream news organization, and in just about every TV program or movie, this line is repeated and reinforced -  every "big business" is out to get you. Because liberals do not ever see you as a customer - to them you are a helpless "victim" at the mercy of "Big Oil" or "Big Pharmaceuticals" or "Big Tobacco" (you know, those cigarette manufacturers that roam the countryside, forcing people at gunpoint to take up smoking).

Sadly, even putative "independents" like Bill O'Reilly have fallen for this line of thinking. He recently talked about how people "have to be protected from 'high risk' practices" by financial institutions. But the fact is that the ability and willingness to take risks, and accept the consequences that result, is a fundamental and essential element of free market capitalism. So why do liberals believe that it is the government's job to protect you from the results of your own decisions to invest in, buy, or sell anything?

Because, whether deciding where to send your children to school, or what kind of home loan you want, or even what kind of light bulb you put in your home, liberals believe that you cannot be trusted to make such decisions for yourself. In the view of the liberal, you are too stupid  - you need "the Government" to watch over you. Look at just about every liberal government program instituted over the last 50 years, and you will see two overriding premises behind their drive to exert ever-increasing governmental control over your life: the private sector is "greedy," and you are too stupid to make your own decisions.

Naturally, you will never hear a liberal use the phrase "Big Government" as a pejorative - in spite of the fact that only government can, literally, reach into your bank account and take your hard-earned money by force. No, for them, an all powerful Nanny-State controlling every aspect of your life is just fine with them, thank you very much.

But more and more Americans, even more than a few who used to call themselves liberals, are waking up to this reality. The only question is whether or not they will make their voices heard in sufficient numbers in the 2010 election to push back the tide of socialism that has been inexorably inundating America.